In poor economy, public workers become targets

Politico reports:

Spurred by state budget crunches and an angry public mood, Republican and some Democratic leaders are focusing with increasing intensity on public workers and the unions that represent them, casting the workers as overpaid obstacles to good government and demanding cuts in their often-generous benefits.

Unlike past battles over the high cost of labor, this time pitched fights over wages and pensions are being waged from Sacramento, Calif., to Springfield, Ill., to New York City. And the conflict is marked by its bipartisan tone, with public employee unions emerging as an intransigent enemy No. 1 in cities and state capitals across the country.

They’re the whipping boys for a new generation of governors who, thanks to a tanking economy and an assist from editorial boards, feel freer than ever to make political targets out of what was once a protected liberal class of teachers, cops and other public servants.

Republicans nationwide have cheered New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whose shouting match with an outraged teacher over budget cuts became a YouTube sensation on the right last week.

An article well worth your time. We wrote about this topic for the American Thinker.