re: #289 Killgore Trout

Heh. Aren’t police and firefighters unionized? Have union bosses vetoed fighting crime or putting out fires? Looks like more nonsense to me.

Actually, police and fire unions have made it more difficult to deal with manpower and budgeting issues, and while in some instances they try to prevent closures of firehouses (a NYC example), they also don’t want to see the number of firefighters on engines reduced (again a NYC example), even though it might not reduce effectiveness, but would allow the FDNY to operate with more efficiency. They have sometimes engaged in behavior that can affect safety and security (sickouts/slowdowns).

Unions also make getting rid of bad apples more difficult (teachers unions, etc.)

The unions are an entrenched bureaucracy and just like every other bureaucracy, try to retain and enhance its own power at the expense of others.

Law enforcement has a tremendously difficult job of thwarting terrorism, and the politicization and bureaucratization of the security makes things even more difficult. Adding still more layers doesn’t improve safety, but actually increases the chances of a successful attack.