tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412583847145043520.post7523842136819783081..comments2024-03-27T19:01:21.504-06:00Comments on Enik Rising: Public unions and debtSeth Maskethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17178036016555722068noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412583847145043520.post-6138895018666552212011-03-01T08:20:53.868-07:002011-03-01T08:20:53.868-07:00California is missing from the scatterplot.California is missing from the scatterplot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412583847145043520.post-39611775204446671632011-02-23T22:07:16.083-07:002011-02-23T22:07:16.083-07:00Alex, yes, in the absence of unions, voters theore...Alex, yes, in the absence of unions, voters theoretically are free, via their elected officials, to determine how much they want to pay for their public services. It seems clear, though, that they want to pay very little for them, just as the CEO of a corporation wants to pay a minimum in labor costs. The whole purpose of unions is to raise that minimum.Seth Maskethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17178036016555722068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412583847145043520.post-36713557760763695272011-02-23T19:07:23.123-07:002011-02-23T19:07:23.123-07:00As for better services: voters, through their elec...As for better services: voters, through their elected representatives, determine the tradeoff they want between tax level and quality of services. The presence of unions makes the choice for them. That is, if the voters wanted higher pay and consequently higher services, their representatives could ensure that, but unions make it impossible to avoid this. <br /><br />Not to mention that its not clear that the best way to improve service quality is to pay more. It might be to pay the same, but hire more people; depends on the situation... <br /><br />As for turnover, it seems like wishful thinking to think that employers could actually save money for themselves by paying people more.Evie T. https://www.blogger.com/profile/01422766414701379906noreply@blogger.com