Democracy For All! Except...

The ability of a people to control their own destiny, generally includes the right to band together for mutual support and assistance.   Like forming a union to bargain for employment rights.  Or demanding a dictator leave the country.  The 'crisis du jour' among the Republicants this year seems to be blaming the current economic disaster on the middle class and public employee unions, rather than the riverboat gambler bankers of Wall Street.

So it's interesting to view what's going on in the Middle East side by side with what's going on in a number of States  (Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio) around this country regarding the efforts to strip collective bargaining rights from public employees.  This effort purports to be for the purpose of needing to "balance the State budget."   In fact, union contracts for public employees have nothing to do with State budget imbalances, which are mostly caused by the current economy and the collapse of tax revenues.

It's ironic that the nation is hand-wringing over the poor demonstrators across the middle East who are oppressed by those nasty dictators, while the democratic process is being defiled around this country by zealots bent on destroying the ability of employees to band together for their benefit and protection.   Hypocritical to say the least.

Cartoon by Clay Bennett of the Chattanooga Times