'However, seeing the direct connection between the Obama White House and the powerful Service Employees International Union (SEIU) labor union'
So what?"
========
So what? Well, the SEIU, like the Teamsters, is an off-shoot from the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor-Congress of Inustrial Organizations).
The American Federation of Labor is directly mentioned in Ms. Kagan's thesis entitled, "
TO THE FINAL CONFLICT: SOCIALISM IN NEW YORK CITY, 1900-1933." The thesis provides a good and interesting history of the Socialist Party (SP) and its association with labor unions and industrial organizations.
Here is an example snippet from page 2, my emphasis added:
" ... Each May Day showed that, while the socialists never won a majority in the AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR (which is now the AFL-CIO), they commanded the allegiance of significant sectors of the labor movement. It can be argued, furthermore, that the specter of socialism haunted Americans to a far greater extent than the SP's (Socialist Party) numerical strength might indicate. Even a brief perusal of the newspapers of this period suggests how seriously the Socialist Party was taken ..."
Why do I care about SEIU and their undue influence in the Obama White House? For the same reason that I didn't like Halliburton's influence on the Bush White House. Did you? Both organizations have huge sums of money to influence policy--most of which go counter to my interests.
Likewise, please
take a quick look at the list of the Top 100 Political Contributors compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. Note the organizations listed and the political tilt of their contributions. Note that six of the top ten organizations are labor unions. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is #2 on the list and the largest union in the AFL-CIO. SEIU is #9 on the list with 95% of their money going to a single party.
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php?order=A
SEIU represents many state and local government workers here in California and their campaign contributions have distorted prior elections. SEIU is one of the top campaign spenders in California.
The relationship between SEIU and Californian politicians has produced unhealthy and unsustainable public policy. Here are two California Democratic leaders that say exactly this.
Former California Assembly Speaker and Former Mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown
http://soquelbythecreek.blogspot.com/2010/03/even-liberal-democrat-willie-brown-sees.html
Current California Treasurer, Former Attorney General, Former President pro Tempore of the California Senate, Bill Lockyer
http://soquelbythecreek.blogspot.com/2010/02/california-treasurer-lockyer-scolds.html
Need another example? I live in Santa Cruz County. It's mostly rural, agricultural, with little to no industry. Strangely enough,
our liberal "Progressive" Congressman, Sam Farr, is primarily funded by out-of-state labor unions and their political action committees (PACs). Do I feel that this money distorts the democratic process and dilutes my vote? Most definitely.
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=Career&cid=N00007312&type=I
So,
why do I have questions about Elena Kagan and her writing about the Social Party and labor union? There are several reasons.
1. I see how
labor unions directly distort and influence local and state politics, mostly counter to my personal interests.
2. Elena Kagan, who has
no prior judicial experience, is a candidate for a
LIFE-LONG APPOINTMENT to the Supreme Court,
the highest legal authority in the country.
3. Ms. Kagan has written on the American Socialist Party and labor unions while in college. I would like her to explain and clarify her current views on the topic. Just like we shouldn't be afraid to discuss different ideas,
we should not be afraid to ask questions.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
