Approximately 350 members of the State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC) union invaded the legislative complex Tuesday, armed with blue shirts and standard union talking points to protest potential state job cuts. Get your hankies ready. Rather than mention the reasons that the job cuts may be necessary for a state facing tremendous financial difficulties in an incredibly harsh economic climate, the News & Observer chose to focus on heart-tugging stories of the downtrodden. (After all, ‘tis easier to feel than to reason.)
Quoted at the rally, a state-employed recreational therapist said:
Unless the General Assembly acts, I will not be able to do the job I am so passionate about – serving the disabled…on a piece of paper, I am just another position being eliminated. But I have a name, and I matter.
An analysis of this simple quote provides an insightful window into the operating techniques of left-wing unions such as SEANC. She starts out claiming that she does her job purely to “serve,” but as the quote progresses so does her narcissism. “I have a name,” “I matter.” SEANC isn’t interested in serving their fellow citizens as they claim. In fact, they openly promote something quite different—an agenda to grow the state government when the state cannot afford it. SEANC advocating that the state grow government at this time is not fiscally responsible. As stated in Brian Balfour’s May 10, 2010 Civitas article, “North Carolina’s Fiscal Tsunami”, to fully fund the state employees pension fund the state would have to appropriate $684 million in 2010-11 and $972 million the following year.
SEANC is about service–service of self. Claiming that one is serving the public while shamelessly seeking to grow the government (and thus their union’s influence) is deplorable and SEANC should be ashamed.
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