December 15, 2005

The New Interest Group Has Arrived

by PG

I've heard a wide variety of people complain about how much they hate hearing about "the children" in political discussions. It happens across the political spectrum: liberals despise rhetoric on how same sex marriage threatens The Children; conservatives are contemptuous of concerns about how stringent economic policies hurt The Children. I have to say that I'm not really that bothered by it, as I kind of like children and think that many of them don't get a good deal.

While I can tolerate propaganda on behalf of The Children, there's a development that I already feel less willing to accept: the lobby for the unborn. I'm not talking about abortion protestors (although they frequently exasperate me) -- now embryos have entered labor discussions. From a New York Times article about the impending transit strike (please, Lord Hoffa, let them hold off until Monday so I can get out of this city):

In addition, the authority wants new workers to pay 2 percent of their wages as premiums for health insurance; current workers pay no premiums for the basic plan.
"The M.T.A.'s long-term financial outlook, like every business and government in this country, is seriously clouded by the extraordinary growth in pensions and health care costs," [Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman] Kalikow said. "It might be easy to ignore this fact, but that would be a disservice to both our riders and the city, now and still unborn."

[President of Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union] Toussaint portrayed the authority's benefits proposals as repugnant because they would provide reduced benefits for future generations of workers.
"They have to get away from the notion that in this round of bargaining the T.W.U. will give up its young, will give up its unborn," he said.

I guess it's just the riders who are willing to sell out, because I'm prepared to trade my unborn child for a taxi to the airport Saturday morning.

UPDATE: No system-wide strike until Tuesday.

Samuel Cuevas, just completing his first day as a resident of New York, rode an E train under the East River to Queens shortly before midnight and tried to remain sanguine about the prospect of losing a transit system he hardly knew.
"I just moved here from Texas," Mr. Cuevas, 25, said, clutching two pillows. "I'm not sure how to get around," he said, adding, "We don't have unions or strikes in Texas."
We also don't have any subways...

December 15, 2005 09:00 PM | TrackBack
Comments

The Texan is riding on a subway train to Queens and "clutching two pillows"?

Who takes two pillows on the subway? What the hell is that about? Did someone convince him that the ride would take all night? Or are his Texan buttocks just so expansive that the reporter mistook them for two pillows?

Posted by: Tom T. at December 16, 2005 07:12 PM
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