The Plutocracy Has Bi-Partisan Support

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Massachusetts Democrats have joined the Big Club's assault on the working poor and middle-class wage earners. They voted to strike down public employee healthcare benefit bargaining rights.

Sudbury Excerpt:
Democratic New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Land, president of the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association, told the Boston Globe the plan was necessary, saying “You need this reform now; otherwise you’re going to [continue] to lay off employees to pay for benefits." The threat of layoffs if collectively bargaining rights weren’t trimmed seems to match similar rhetoric coming from Governor Scott Walker (R-Wis.).

The big difference: The rhetoric is coming from a Democrat.

Legislative Democrats in Massachusetts have turned their backs on workers and voted to cut government services and workers’ right to collectively bargain for healthcare instead of dealing with health care cost issues dead on. America's seemingly endless economic nightmare revolves around healthcare.

But the MA bill is different than Wisconsin's as it is not a state mandate to cut collective rights. Instead, it gives every community in the state their own control on whether to draft a new health care plan for public employees. If the union supposedly can't present a better plan, the community would be able to impose it's own health care plan unilaterally. Many employees believe this bill will serve as a stepping stone for future concessions and union-busting bills if it is signed into law. If it's any consolation, Massachusetts Governor (D) promised to veto any Wisconsin-like collective bargaining union-busting bills.

But this is just another sign how uncontrollable costs and greed in the private sector health care industry are literally destroying America. Intellectually delinquent and sold-out corporate politicians from both sides are responding to Big Money the only way they know how, by destroying workers rights, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. With hundreds of billions of dollars at stake, their masters command it.

In These Times Excerpt:
Many have framed the attacks on collective bargaining rights as a tactic for Republicans to eliminate the Democrats base.

The premise that attacking collective bargaining rights is a tactic for republicans to eliminate the Democrats base was NOT a “frame” by many – it was a direct public admission by Wisconsin legislative Republicans. Still, MA Democrats are just as wrong as WI Republicans except Wisconsin’s Republicans carry that extra admission to defund the democratic support base. That is another difference between the two state bills.

But even with those differences, Massashusett Democrats have joined the wrong side in the assault on the working poor and middle class wages and benefits. They proved that the plutocracy has bi-partisan support.