Secretary of the Unions

Apparently, the Obama Administration has created a new Cabinet position, one that has not been announced in public - The Secretary of the Unions.

Union leadership, particularly the Teamsters, Auto Workers, Service Employees, and Teachers', are integral parts of the Obama team as it formulates legislation and rules to impose upon us. Nothing is done without their participation and approval. Their power amongst Obama and the far left is so pervasive and arrogant that they don't even try to hide it.

Remember the firestorm of criticism levied at the Bush Administration, and Dick Cheney in particular, over Cheney's closed door meeting with oil and gas executives? Remember the outrage expressed by Democrat politicians? Remember it being used as a 2008 campaign issue? Remember left wing groups trying to file lawsuits to get transcripts of what was said in that ONE meeting?

Union participation in Obama's Administration is always behind closed doors, and it happens on a daily basis. Yet ... I don't hear any outrage being expressed by the left. I don't hear any of those Democrat politicians yelling about their outrage. I haven't seen notice of any lawsuits being filed.

Unions are special interest groups. They are not government entities. They have a larger hand in forming government policy now than any other special interest group in history. They have an open seat, kept warm, for them at any Obama policy discussion they wish to participate in. They may as well be in the Cabinet, indeed, their position is much stronger than most 'official' members of the Cabinet.

Where's the outrage? Why isn't the question being asked - "Why are a bunch of Jimmy Hoffa wannabes deciding our country's future?".

Update - Need some evidence of this? It was announced today that the unions will be exempted from the Cadillac Tax on high end health care insurance plans. Most union contracts have health benefits that clearly fall into Obama's definition of Cadillac Plans. However, the unions have made sure that those benefits, and their providers, are not subjected to the 40% (YES - 40%) surtax that will be levied against everyone else's Cadillac Plan.

The way this works is that the employer, or insurance company in the case of self insured, who provides 'Cadillac' health benefits to their employees (policy holders) will be taxed 40% of the value of those benefits, per year. Those taxes will be either be passed on to the employee/policy holder, or in the case of the employers, jobs may be terminated to avoid the taxes.

The unions have spoken, and Obama obeys - they will not be taxed. Non-union people will have to subsidize them.