Union chief warns of job losses from debt-ceiling deal ("economic malpractice")

Source: The Hill

Union chief warns of job losses from debt-ceiling deal
By Kevin Bogardus - 08/01/11 06:50 PM ET

The agreement to lift the debt ceiling will lead to job losses, according to the president of the nation’s main public workers union.

Gerry McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), said the compromise was “economic malpractice.”

“The deal forced upon the White House and the nation represents a form of economic malpractice,” McEntee said in a statement. “At the least, it will slow economic recovery and impose more joblessness, wage cuts and hardship on America’s working families.

But McEntee did not announce opposition to the agreement negotiated by President Obama, and several other labor groups, including the AFL-CIO, were notably silent in the hours leading up to votes Monday in the House and Senate on a deficit-reduction package that would also raise the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/174863-union-chief-warns-of-job-losses-from-debt-ceiling-deal

it is too bad, in every sense.

for Obama, they (and we) are screwed.

as in the article he is quoted as saying

McEntee said his union would press for that committee to not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid “in order to preserve tax breaks for the wealthy and prosperous corporations.”

but from what I read and assuming I read it correctly medicare and social security (not sure about medicaid) are largely protected unless the 12 dont agree which only then triggers across the board cuts to everything including medicare and defense spending.

And the way I see it the legislation is set up for the tax cuts to expire 12/31/12.

sometimes is best to hold one`s tongue. the unions are pissed off at obama and the rest of those who refuse to support labor.
it could be said that the reason he went after the teachers unions and refused to bring up card check is that one of his key wealthy advisors is anti-union.

and will play to get Obama on the right page. They also know that he is better than any Republican could had been when it comes to labor unions.

I think he has MANY anti-union advisers from the way he acts.

One of the problems we face is that economic model and analysis used by the repukes, and now obviously by Obama is wrong.

The whole supply-side model does not work. We got into the economic difficulty, including the large accumulated debt and the deficit by following this model.

The longer we follow this model, the worse our economic situation will get and the more everyone will stand around saying 'gee it's bad and getting worse what can be done to fix the economy?"

There can be no fix unless the erroneous diagnosis is dropped. Big business and the wealthy are not starving for capital, they are awash in it.

Robert Reich and Paul Krugman have got it correct, but no one is listening to them, least of all the President who seems beholden to the Chicago School of Economic Fools who brought us this supply-side delusion.

It is no accident that there is a population overlap on right between those people who don't believe in science (evolution, the age of the earth greater than 5000 years, climate change), don't know history (the repukes created the debt, 6 Trillion under the Bush the Liar alone and debt cutting only makes the recession worse as any empirical study will show), and are not fact based logical people. They BELIEVE in things. Facts and logic do not matter to them Our country is in the hands of delusional fools and until they start being called out on all of these things, we are headed for the destruction of the country. I am afraid it will only be this that will finally force them to open their eyes and go 'oh I guess we were wrong". I only hope then there are enough pieces left to try and put the country back together again.