MSNBC Contributor Harris-Perry Suggests It's Immoral to Lay Off Govt. Workers
In a panel discussion on today's Now with Alex Wagner about what "moral authority," if any, that the Occupy Wall Street movement has, MSNBC contributor Melissa Harris-Perry sought to defuse fellow panelist Meghan McCain's complaint that Occupy Wall Street has hurt the very folks it claims to represent by killing jobs at businesses nearby Zuccotti Park.
"If a Tea Party rally had shut down a business that had to let go of 21 workers, there would probably be a different reaction from a lot of people in the media," McCain observed.
Harris-Perry initially dismissed McCain's comment by noting the "deeply polarized media system," where conservatives and liberals gravitate to different news sources based on ideology. But a few minutes later the Tulane professor groused that we as a society don't view budget-related layoffs of public sector workers through a moral prism (emphases mine):
[W]e have to be able to talk about public and structural and political morality as well as private and personal and individual morality and accountability.
So, for example, on this question of shutting down businesses, let's look at the number of government layoffs that Republican and GOP new governors have affected in the context of this economic downturn, right. And we don't call that, we don't look at that and say, "Those unethical governors," that's economic policy.
So, so, all I would suggest is I think we have to have not only a narrative about who we are privately, but also the ethical and moral standards that ought to apply to how we do business, how we do our work together.
- Ken Shepherd's blog
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Comments
Immoral?
Submitted by rockyracoon on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 4:35pm.
I'd dare say that over half of all Gov. employees are completely useless. Of course I exclude most members of our Armed Forces.
If we were to lay off half of them, Government employees, I can't imagine anyone even noticing.
Facts are like kryptonite to the liberal.
Stupid Professors
Submitted by pcnav on Tue, 11/22/2011 - 10:25am.
The thing is this "professor" would not care at all if a military family was laid off but god forbid you lay off a bureaucrat that is unable to compete in the private sector due to their laziness or incompetence. Stupid people like her fail to realize that national defense is a major reason government exists in the first place.
There are three things a government exists for and they are...
1. Foreign Policy
2. National Defense
3. Rule of Law
All else is nothing but fluff and the government shouldn't be involved there.
i will never understand the
Submitted by ricklail on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 4:39pm.
i will never understand the mind of a liberal. There is no logic to anything they say.
i remember former prez
Submitted by sometimesright on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 4:44pm.
i remember former prez clinton addressing his idea of down-sizing government. he shut down military bases across the U.S. then patted himself on the back for addressing the needs of the people.
the government worker/unions is some sort of sacred cow to the liberal left. trimming the fat off of any of a dozen gov't agencies is just unheard of. the non politician knows exactly what a government worker is and how worthless most of them are.
Uh, Ms. McCain didn't call
Submitted by ThePickle on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 4:51pm.
Uh, Ms. McCain didn't call the OWS folks "unethical" she did however, in the politest of words, call them dumba$$es for hurting the very folks the CLAIM to be speaking for.
However one should not expect any less from a Lib but SHE was the one to introduce "ethics" into the conversation and she did it in a manner as to demonize the "Republican Governors" for the moral failing of laying off public sector employees. I also noticed that she failed to talk the same line of BS about Democrat Governors that have engage in the exact same behavior.
Immoral? No, it is
Submitted by Scuba Dude on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 4:56pm.
Immoral?
No, it is essential that we eliminate a vast number of government workers.
Let us start with the Dept of Education. Shut the entire operation down, sell off or lease any buildings,property or equipment and let the States take back the responsibility.
Start going through this list of departments and agencies. Look where there is either duplication or overlap of responsibilities and get rid of it.
Example: Why do we have both an Administration of Native Americans and a Bureau of Indian Affairs?
Start doing this and you will see BILLIONS in savings that can be put towards the National Debt.
As a government employee
Submitted by johnsonl on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 5:02pm.
and a staunch conservative, I say that targeting and closing down useless government agencies is how the greatest savings and reduction of federal government interference in our daily lives can be achieved. Education, HUD, Energy, EPA, IRS, Fannie May & Freddie Mac, etc. There are literally dozens of federal agencies that we could close tomorrow and very few of us would notice. The fed should not be in the business of loaning money, guaranteeing loans or collecting money for redistribution to the states. Let the states collect taxes and run their own schools, housing and programs as they see fit. People will demand the services and programs that they need and keep their money close to home. People will also gravitate to the states that provide the best education and services for the least amount of money. Businesses and employment will follow, just as businesses are abandoning the union states for "right to work" states. States like Kalifornia, Michigan, New York and Illinois would collapse under the strain of unkept promises and empty coffers, as they are already.
Several years Back-a Movie"DAVE"
Submitted by JIMMY1660 on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 6:29pm.
had a scene-Kevin Kline-POTUS-a double had to get the 1st lady funding for her pet project.
he got out the budget-about 12" thick-and started with his yellow highlighter-finding areas to save-and fund her project-
very funny then-very appropriate now.
time to rid the agencies of the overlaps-
This after a suspicious
Submitted by ant on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 5:12pm.
This after a suspicious package is found during a planned TeaParty budget meeting? After revelations of insider trading in Congress? I'd no more listen to a leftist talk about 'morals' as I would a wolf talk about the virtues of veganism.
the object-under State Law-Balance the Budget.
Submitted by JIMMY1660 on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 6:24pm.
And just how do you do that?
No ones working to pay taxes
taxes pay the Government workers
100X$0.000=$000.00
Sorry someones got to go lady.
Reverse Psychology for these M.S.S.R. Idiots
Submitted by djwolf12 on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 7:01pm.
So if it is moral to NOT lay off people in the media, then we are guilty of keeping M.S.S.R. (MSNBC) on air for everyone to see this loony bin in its full, glorious naked glory, for all 7 people that watch this miserable excuse for a "news" network.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Submitted by liberalsarefunny on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 7:04pm.
It truly is a shame what liberals have done to the black population of this country.
First, that Meghan McCain
Submitted by wdvander on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 7:47pm.
First, that Meghan McCain continues to be put up as someone who knows something is beyond me. She is one of those "conservative pundits" who don't like real conservatives. Concerning Perry-Harris or Harris-Perry, she forgets that when businesses hurt, so do the taxpayers who pay governments. If there is some kind of miracle way for government to suck more tax revenue out of tax payers so every government employee can stay that way, she should bottle it and sell.
Consider the U.S. Postal Service. The USPS has, for generations, been advertised as a "no tax payer support" necessary agency. Of course, this year shows budget shows that they are $6,100,000,000 in the red after the $5,000,000,000 from last year. Yes, lets keep pouring cash into the hell whole that is government.
Another govt employee view:
Submitted by Dave the mailman on Mon, 11/21/2011 - 9:00pm.
I work in the belly of the beast. There is A LOT of dead weight that needs to go; hell, I could think of several people I work with that need to go. Part of the problem is THEY DON'T FIRE ANYBODY. There is a saying around the USPS about management: if you screw up, you move up.
They will just find another spot for the idiots. I also know of a mail carrier that got caught leaving their route to go to a crack-house to buy some drugs. Of course, the union fought to keep that person's job.
Government jobs should have never been allowed to be unionized.
This is one beautiful woman
Submitted by inquiringmind on Tue, 11/22/2011 - 9:27am.
This is one beautiful woman and easy to watch...until she opens her mouth. So I just turn down the sound.
Yeah, I know, I'm a knuckle dragger.
She is almost right. It
Submitted by buddyc on Tue, 11/22/2011 - 9:38am.
She is almost right. It isn't immoral. It is a tragedy. Any layoff is a tragedy. But her handlers, her bosses (at team Obama) all disagree. They think that rather than take an accross the board pay freeze or slight reduction they prefer layoffs. That is was and always will be their policy. Protect salaries at the cost of layoffs.