Today’s Wall Street Journal has an article on the bill in question.
It’s more clear than Hagan’s evasive letter.
But she says that she wants to know how NC residents feel. OK, listen up.
This legislation is an affront to the Constitution. Nothing in it says that Congress has the power to dictate personnel policies to the states. Federalism has been dying the death of a thousand cuts for a long time. This is a slash from a machete.
Secondly, putting the Constitution aside (as Senator Hagan is comfortable doing; she voted for Obamacare), this is bad policy. Collective bargaining for government employees leads to rising costs and decreasing efficiency.
No doubt Kay Hagan is looking at instances like the union-led (but unsuccessful) effort to teach Senator Blanche Lincoln a lesson and the threat of a third-party candidate to oppose Larry Kissel. She wants to stay on the good side of Big Labor. It’s impossible to do that and at the same time stay on the good side of taxpayers and constitutionalists.
