Charles Krauthammer: Wisconsin has signaled the end for public unions

By Charles Krauthammer

Published: Sunday, June 10 2012 12:00 a.m. MDT

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Summary

Tuesday, June 5, 2012, will be remembered as the beginning of the long decline of the public-sector union. It will follow, and parallel, the shrinking of private-sector unions, now down to less than 7 percent of American workers. The abject failure of the unions to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker — the first such failure in U.S. history — marks the Icarus moment of government-union power. Wax wings melted, there's nowhere to go but down.

And because of the rise of a new constitutional conservatism — committed to limited government and a more robust civil society — of the kind that swept away Democrats in the 2010 midterm shellacking.

Most important, however, because in the end reality prevails. As economist Herb Stein once put it: Something that can't go on, won't. These public-sector unions, acting, as FDR had feared, with an inherent conflict of interest regarding their own duties, were devouring the institution they were supposed to serve, rendering state government as economically unsustainable as the collapsing entitlement states of southern Europe.

It couldn't go on. Now it won't. All that was missing was a political leader willing to risk his career to make it stop. Because, time being infinite, even the inevitable doesn't happen on its own.

Charles Krauthammer's email address is letters@charleskrauthammer.com.

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Blue

Salt Lake City, UT

The only thing the Wisconsin vote "signaled" was the impact of the Citizens United decision and the impact that allowing unlimited corporate-funding of SuperPACs has on public elections.

Governor Walker outspent his opponents by a More..

6:34 a.m. June 10, 2012
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Hemlock

Salt Lake City, UT

Wisconsin has signaled that public unions' extortion of unconscionable salaries, pensions and benefits that bankrupt states has run its course. California is finally waking up to that same realization. In addition, when light shines on the More..