Columnist Michael Barone, best known for editing The Almanac of American Politics, wrote a piece (Boston Herald,  9/20/11) declaring that Barack Obama's "Sellout to Unions Staggers Economy." After noting that "some pro-union moves have a certain ritual quality," he got down to the really troubling behavior:

Other steps are more important. Fully one-third of the $820 billion stimulus package passed almost entirely with Democratic votes in 2009 was aid to state and local governments. This was intended to keep state and local public employee union members--much more numerous than federal employees--on the job and to keep taxpayer-funded union dues pouring into public employee union treasuries.

Or, maybe, it was intended to stimulate the economy, since transfers to states and local governments are estimated by the Congressional Budget Office (TheAtlantic.com, 3/2/09) to be among the most effective means the federal government has to encourage economic activity.

And, possibly, there might have been some thought that teachers, firefighters, nurses, police officers and other state and local workers have important jobs that need to get done, and it would be better not to fire them.

Nah--that couldn't be it. It must have been an effort to fill union treasuries, the economy be damned.

Jessica Heslam of the Boston Herald gives ample space (6/12/09) to New York Times chief Arthur Sulzberger Jr. to proclaim he had "no alternative other than to proceed with the wage reduction" of 23 percent at the Boston Globe, because the Globe union's "Guild leaders made [agreement] impossible," and even quotes the Newspaper Guild president admitting "mistakes were made." But the telling part comes in a quote showing even the most corporate of figures aghast at NYT Co. conduct:

Retired General Electric CEO Jack Welch "tweeted" on Twitter yesterday and blasted the Times Co.'s "brutish" treatment of Globe workers. Welch said the Times "certainly would be crucifying any company with labor practices like theirs."

When your lefty media criticism is coming from a notoriously hardnosed media owner like Welch, you know we're in trouble. Listen to FAIR's radio show CounterSpin: "Jonathan Tasini on the Boston Globe/GM" (6/12/09).

Jim Cramer, CNBC: "I think Goldman is a great firm....  The good guys are in charge. [Lloyd] Blankfein is a fabulous guy. Do people want him in jail? Does Paul Krugman want him in jail? Where do they want these guys?"

Mike Barnicle, Boston Herald: "Paul Krugman wants anyone who makes over $75,000 a year in jail."

--MSNBC's Morning Joe (4/2/09), cited in Huffington Post (4/2/09)