Houston, We Have a Problem

A union man, that's me.

I joined the Teamsters in college, and throughout my years, I've been supporting American Labor, one of the three legs of our middle class: strong government, strong industry, strong labor unions.

I've supported labor unions because the working women and men of America face one of the toughest unions of all, the Oligarchy, well-funded, well-organized, with top-notch attorneys.

Against this, by herself, the American worker doesn't stand a chance, but together, in a union, folks have a chance to challenge the Oligarchy and win their case.

So, we have two entities facing one another, sometimes locked in mortal combat.

On the one side, the Oligarchy - committed to the lowest possible wages, next-to-nothing benefits, and maximum profits for the shareholders.

Against this powerful ensemble of ideas, the Labor Union and collective bargaining.

I suppose one could say that the contest between labor and owner is vital to the health of our society, sort of like the biblical idea of steel sharpening steel.

But in the case of police unions, where's the other steel?

It seems to me that police unions have no one to challenge them - and as a result, they've been getting away with murder, literally.

Yes, technically, the police work for us, but in reality, they work for themselves, too often a law unto themselves, defying again and again, efforts to regulate behavior, with tax money flowing into their coffers unchecked.

Police unions aren't unions, because there's no equivalent of the Oligarchy to challenge them, and there seems to be no regulation other than their own efforts, or that of city hall, to cover up their crimes and protect renegade officers. And truth be told, the Oligarchy has always relied on the police to protect their property and vital interests. These days, it would seem, the Oligarchy has not desire to reign in America's police departments.

And worst of all, there are serious questions now being raised about the kind of people law enforcement has been recruiting for some years now, the kind of person immune to training, and more like neighborhood bullies than peace makers, sometimes operating like a branch of the local KKK rather than public servants.

Houston, we have a problem.

And it's high time that America addressed it.