Labor unions keep wanting more and more

Thomas Bradfield's guest Sunday editorial “Public employees as scapegoats” was a windy read, wading through most of the article to find out what exactly he wanted. Finally, I discovered his union wants more.

Bradfield, if you're on the line as a prison guard, I thank you sincerely, both with this letter, and in the form of the paycheck you cash. One of the many cool things about living in the United States is that you get to choose what you do for a living. (Actually, many choose to do very little or nothing at all. How cool is that?) I choose to work pretty hard, too, and pay taxes, and gripe. In turn, you're welcome.

You claim “state employees in the past few years have always tried to vote in the best interest of the state.” Then may I assume AFSCME Local 2985 is disbanding? A labor expert once asked me “What do labor unions want? Shorter hours? Better health care? No, they want more!”

Here's the deal: Times are tough, money is short. Knock off the victim stuff, Bradfield; we all want more. If your members are really in concert with the state's best interest, disband the union, cancel the dues and you can all give yourselves a raise.

Marty Robinson

Cedar Rapids