Dear Editor:

Please explain to me why unions are necessary for public sector jobs. In the structure of the internal revenue code starting back with the Revenue Act of 1862 a job working off the fruits and labor of the private sector in a FEDERAL job was considered a privilege and one worthy of direct taxation. If you read the 26th Title Section 3401(c) that same philosophy still holds true today but please don't ask the average American to actually know the law. Just have them continue to give up their private property (their earnings) by filling out their W-2's and 1099's and continue to be good little slaves so they do not upset the apple cart. Today Americans pay more than 50 percent of their earnings in taxes which is more than what was confiscated from the peasants under the feudal system. But hey what do I know? This is what I know…property tax equals property confiscation!In Palmerton, the school district is talking about a 12 percent property tax increase. This is rent to the government for land that you allegedly own. Couple this with the massive inflation that is coming and people will be sleeping in tents along the Lehigh River especially those on fixed incomes (yet another bad joke compliments of the social security fraud). And the audacity of the teachers union in Wisconsin. I believe in their right to peaceably assemble but isn't their protest somewhat similar to those in Greece and other countries like Egypt where public sector "employees" (See USC Title 26 Sect 3401(c)) clamor they want more from their governments even though their governments are completely broke. And where do the governments get the money? From the people of the United States. In order for a government to give a person or other governments something it has to take it from somebody else (like all of us working Americans). In plain English that is known to me as stealing. My personal belief is that if you and I can't do something like tell our neighbors we need to directly take their money (property and income tax) so little Johnny down the street can play football in his knew high school super stadium then a government shouldn't be able to do it either. Hell it even says that in our constitution if anyone in government ever took the time to read it.So here I am, a college educated man in my forties who is under employed (throw a rock and you hit ten of us) paying a teachers retirement, their graduate school, their time off in the summer and over the holidays while I am working to earn every penny I make. And I don't even have kids. And are the kids learning anything? The first public school was started in Boston to teach kids to read so they could understand the bible. Wow, did we come a long way!! And I know for a fact the moral fabric of a select few of the teachers has much to be desired but that's on their conscience. It is also their private business except when it is going on in the empty classrooms with kids in the hallways. Back to the unions. In the auto industry, there were things called job banks were a laid off employee sat in a room and got paid 85% of his salary even though he was non-productive. Can a company survive with those kinds of obligations? Can our country and local communities survive when the federal and state governments are putting unfunded mandates on school districts and some of the school board members are partying like it's 1999? The answer is…I don't think so.Gene DuffyJim Thorpe