Emotionalism does not solve the problem

Many on the Left are stoking emotions regarding unions, teachers, firemen, social workers, police officers and all other public employees now in the underdog position fighting the greedy, heartless Right. The public service union members say they are willing to sacrifice to help with deficits, but like most statist-leaning citizens and government officials they are unwilling to change the system that got us where we're at. If the system, like collective bargaining, allows public employees to pressure for benefits which can't be paid out, we continuously go further into the hole until people are laid off. If we apply symptomatic solutions to symptomatic problems, the fundamental problem will return over and over, each time getting worse.

We need to reduce the size and power of government and allow the private sector to offer equal opportunity to everyone where no one group is favored over others at the expense of others. I realize it's an emotional rush to protest and conflate entitlements with democracy and individual rights, but emotionalism doesn't solve the problem -- it only makes the problems more intractable.

It's a matter of economics and math, not emotional exuberance. All the emotional exuberance in the world will not change the reality of states going broke. Raising taxes at this point will only feed the beast.

Unemployment benefits

What number will be set on the number of unemployeed which justifies extensions? If unemployment goes to 8% will we let benefits expire? What if we have high unemployment for another two years?

Congress has never cut off benefits when unemployment has been over 7.2%, but we could be in an economic situation with high umemployment, greater than 7.2%, for years to come.

If anyone wonders why economic issues are so important, they shouldn't.