…on public sector unions.  Gov. Kasich is unamused at the notion that it’s somehow unacceptable to even note that public employees are getting great deals on healthcare at taxpayer expense – and by great deals I mean ‘Ohio public sector employees are paying between one half and three-quarters what Ohio private sector employees pay:’

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dI2Cvv7jtM[/youtube]

The 9%/23% number there*, by the way, is one of the better ratios out there for private sector employees. And by ‘better’ I mean ‘better for the tax payers.’ To give an idea: one large part of the sturm und drang being witnessed in Wisconsin right now is over public sector employees having been told that they will be expected to double their contributions to their own health care plans from 6% to 12% – which is half the Ohio number (or, for that matter, the Wisconsin number of 20%-23%), and even worse when you look at national ones.  I understand that people are upset that their unsustainable sweetheart deals are about to go belly-up.  I do, truly.  But they are sweetheart deals, and they are unsustainable, and the country can no longer afford to ignore the fact that government employee unions have been raiding the public treasury in exchange for tawdry partisan  political patronage.  So as a practical matter the subject’s kind of closed.

As for moral high ground (the only remaining argument): well, for the latest counter-factual to that we have Democratic Congressman Michael Capuano of Massachusetts (contact info here) using the situation to incite violence against people like, well, these:

I wonder whether Capuano would consent to some kindly soul leading away the kid at the right before his supporters got on with the business of making sure the kid’s mom got a little bloody.  Or does having the kid watch add a little… thrill… to the proceedings, Mikey**?

Moe Lane (crosspost)

PS: “Your precious city of Cincinnati.”  …yeah, Bill Hemmer didn’t really like hearing that one.

*To make this clear, Gov. Kasich noted that the average private employee pays 23% of their healthcare, while the average city worker pays 9%.  State workers generally pay 17%, as per the Buckeye Institute link.

**On the bright side, at least we know which Massachusetts Congressional District to get rid of.  Takes a lot to make me prefer keeping Barney Frank around, but better him than a windowless-van types like Michael Capuano.