Last November I watched Massachusetts decide not to take part in the political unheaval that was taking place in elections around the country.  We had elected Scott Brown in January, but for whatever reason couldn’t quite send any other Republicans to Congress.  However, in the state House of Representatives and Senate, there were many close races and some losses for the Democrats.  The following story is the result of those statewide results.

Well, even though the voters chose not to participate in November’s earthquake on a national level, some of our state officials are paying attention to what is going on locally, in Wisconsin and in other places.  Michael Graham’s Blog, The Natural Truth, reported today that:

“Massachusetts taxpayers awoke to stunning news this morning. Around midnight, the Democrat-dominated House of Representatives voted to limit government union’s collective bargaining power over their health care benefits.

“In Massachusetts. As the stunned president of the local AFL-CIO said after the vote: “Massachusetts is not the place that takes collective bargaining away from public employees.””

This is a very interesting turn of events.  The legislation may not make it through the state Senate, but it is still amazing that it made it through the state House of Representatives. 

Michael Graham further points out:

“Massachusetts is a state where public-sector unions have power, use power and expect the politicians to do what they’re told. Here’s Robert J. Haynes, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO: “These are the same Democrats that all these labor unions elected. The same Democrats who we contributed to in their campaigns. . . It’s a done deal for our relationship with the people inside that chamber.”

“If that sounds eerily like a mob boss who just found out one of his lieutenants isn’t obeying orders, you’re on the right track.”

The article also points out that Massachusetts has the second-highest per capita government debt in the US, plus one of the worst unfunded-pension problems.  The legislation passed late last night may have been passed more out of necessity than political philosophy.