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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Modern School: Pro-Union Capitalist or Typical Libertarian Moron?

Modern School: Pro-Union Capitalist or Typical Libertarian Moron?

Pro-Union Capitalist or Typical Libertarian Moron?


Erik Kain had a curious piece recently in Forbes called the Economics of Unions. In his article, he argued for less regulation of unions and called for an end to corrupt and “unimaginative” leadership. He said that public sector unions may “actually be defending the interests of service recipients at the expense of their bureaucratic bosses,” and suggested that teachers unions serve the interests of students, as they “have often been the only group poised to resist authoritarian school reformers.”

While all this might seem surreal coming from a Forbes writer, it seems less so when placed in the context of Kains’ overall perspective. He is a libertarian who loves capitalism and personal freedom, but hates government. For example, when he argued that organized labor since Taft-Hartley was a “creature of state-capitalism,” he was implying that the state is already too