Thursday, March 21, 2013

We Are Not A Nation Of Laws But A Nation Of Men - NYPD Union Leaders Conspired With Management To Set Arrest And Summons Quotas

We certainly know this type of predatory and violent democracy-killing behavior happens all across the nation.  To deny it exists is ridiculous.  Kudos to The Nation, even though I am linking to Truth-Out for the story and Nation video. 

This issue brings up a mainline issue with the way unions are organized today.   Often union executives are in bed with management.  Secret deals are cut that sell out workers but protect union management.   It is systemic and pervasive as it always has been to varying degrees.  This is exactly what has happened to the rank and file police officer in the NYPD.  It is the rank and file exposing this corruption.

As noted on here many times, I am certainly for collective bargaining against predatory private, for-profit capital but let’s be clear.  If we didn’t have private, for-profit capital(ism) but instead had democratic banking, a democratic monetary system and a resultant democratic economy, the need for collective bargaining would really become moot.  We wouldn’t need to bargain with ourselves.  The rights of all workers could be written into an economic constitution; a topic discussed on here over the years.   We don’t negotiate our human rights on a daily basis.   They are contained in a timeless written rule of law; the Constitution.  Why do we have to negotiate our economic rights on a daily basis with predatory, private, for-profit capital?  Economic determinism and economic rights are foundational human rights in any democracy.  Why do I need to bargain for a living wage?  Why do I need to bargain for worker safety rules?  Why do I need to bargain for a limited work week?   Why do I need to bargain for healthcare?  Or, or, or.  These are issues involving human rights and dignity.  They should be guaranteed democratic rights.  An economic constitution should guarantee our economic rights as does the Constitution guarantee our human rights.   Smarmy back room deals between union leaders and management, like happening in the NYPD, would become moot.

Collective bargaining does not mean we deal with the Jamie Dimons of this world with Jimmy Hoffas.    We trade one thug for another?  Apparently Jimmy Hoffa isn’t dead.  He is the head of the NYPD union.  

“All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.”

It is absolutely hilarious and ridiculous that law enforcement organizations are self-regulated.  The concept of “internal affairs”, or sweeping dirty laundry under the rug in secret proceedings, needs to be replaced by transparent, citizen-led oversight and investigatory abilities in all law enforcement organizations.   Law enforcement exists to protect democracy’s citizens.  Not to prey upon us.  Ditto with the self-regulation of lawyers, district attorneys and the like that leads to endless and rampant lawyer abuses that never stop because abuses are dealt with by secret proceedings of bar associations rather than by democracy.   None of this is any different than the free market bullshit of Wall Street self-regulation that has led to crisis after crisis.

Democracy cannot survive without transparency and public scrutiny – freedom of information as is being subverted by the NYPD.  Democracy is dead.  Only you can resurrect it.

posted by TimingLogic at 8:57 PM