BIAS LOCAL POLITICAL COMMENTARY

It is your Commander’s contention that South Bend Tribune political columnist Jack Colwell’s March 13th column is both biased and misplaces responsibility in the union busting public employee debates raging across America. Colwell is recognized as the local authority on political matters, and has plied his trade for many years with extensive contacts in both the South Bend and Indiana state political community.

In an effort to better understand my reaction to Jack’s recent column, let me suggest that you read his theories on the issue per the attached link for “Bill is coming due on public union deal”:

http://www.southbendtribune.com/sbt-jack-colwell-column-bill-is-coming-due-on-public-union-deal-20110314,0,2345503,print.story

There are long standing South Bend area residents who highly value Colwell’s commentaries, and there are some who question his bias that seems to support both the Democrat Party and unions. It is important to note that both the Democrat Party and the unions are well entrenched in the South Bend community, and the Republican Party is virtually a secret and ineffectual factor.

Your Commander does agree with Colwell’s analysis of the current highly emotionally charged conversation wherein State politicians (essentially Republican’s) are currently taking actions to address budget deficits, and existing union entitlements are being negatively impacted. On that I believe Colwell has well defined the problem. Where I disagree with Colwell is where he says that the Public Service Employees are the ‘innocent victims’ of the politician’s actions.

I totally disagree. The Public Service Employees unions have been complicit in prior unwarranted actions of both Republican and Democrat politicians when votes were cast over the years to approve benefit packages that were not and are not financially sustainable. Nobody held a gun to the heads of those seeking employment some years ago to take what at the time was perceived as a lower paying job than existed in the private sector. They willingly did so because they received extremely beneficial entitlement packages (health care, pensions, and more) that in the long run more than off-set their supposedly lower wages. This is a perfect example of a quid pro quo or Pay for Play. Today those government promises to the unions cannot be sustained.

Politicians and unions have fed off one another for their mutual benefit for a very long time, and taxpayers have been left holding the bag with escalating taxation as a result. Here is another example of financial greed working against the benefit of the overwhelming majority of the citizens. I know Jack Colwell and consider him to be an honorable gentleman who writes a well received column, but his columns are frequently replete with bias toward the Democrat Party, the union movement and all the wondrous things that flow from the West Side Democrat Club.

I cannot be any clearer and in the meantime admit my personal bias that the members of the Public Service Employees Unions are equally guilty as are all our politicians in scratching the other backs to the detriment of the hardworking taxpayers. This marriage of convenience represents greed, complicity, unethical conduct, and is a clear cut example of unsustainable corruption.

COMMANDER GRANGER