# I Pit Scott Walker for comparing himself with FDR (WRT public-employee unions) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 8, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scott-walker-for-comparing-himself-with-fdr-wrt-public-employee-unions/665749 "2013-08-08T22:40:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scott-walker-for-comparing-himself-with-fdr-wrt-public-employee-unions/665749/1 "2013-08-08T22:40:38Z")
[Not making this up.](http://www.thenation.com/blog/175583/did-scott-walker-really-compare-himself-franklin-roosevelt-yes-yes-he-did#) > [@](#): > > . . . last week, in an appearance before a Governmental Research Association conference, the governor asserted, “The position I pushed is not unlike the principle that Franklin Delano Roosevelt—not exactly a conservative—pushed as well when it came to public sector collective bargaining. He felt that there wasn’t a need in the public sector to have collective bargaining because the government is the people. We are the people. And so what we’ve done is to be able to empower our great employees, to affirm them.” > > Walker was referencing a popular fantasy among anti-labor fabulists. > > Unfortunately, the theory loses something in translation. > > Back in 1937, Roosevelt did write that “the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service.” > > The comment came in a letter from the president to the National Federation of Federal Employees, in which he did, indeed, express his conviction that “upon employees in the Federal service rests the obligation to serve the whole people, whose interests and welfare require orderliness and continuity in the conduct of Government activities.” > > But Roosevelt’s letter was not an anti-labor diatribe like one of Walker’s rants about “big union-sponsored mercenaries” and “bare-knuckle union attacks.” > > Roosevelt began his letter celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the federal employees union with a declaration that “organizations of government employees have a logical place in Government affairs.” > > “The desire of Government employees for fair and adequate pay, reasonable hours of work, safe and suitable working conditions, development of opportunities for advancement, facilities for fair and impartial consideration and review of grievances, and other objectives of a proper employee relations policy, is basically no different from that of employees in private industry,” continued Roosevelt, who expressed the view that organization on the part of public employees “to present their views on such matters is both natural and logical.” Read the **original,** Governor. And go thou and do likewise. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scott-walker-for-comparing-himself-with-fdr-wrt-public-employee-unions/665749/2 "2013-08-09T00:24:31Z")
Oh, and I also Pit him – or whoever made the decision – for [the crackdown on singing protestors in Madison.](http://www.startribune.com/local/218570671.html) ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scott-walker-for-comparing-himself-with-fdr-wrt-public-employee-unions/665749/3 "2013-08-09T00:29:37Z")
Another attention whoring thread with no original content. Pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scott-walker-for-comparing-himself-with-fdr-wrt-public-employee-unions/665749/4 "2013-08-09T01:03:38Z")
Well, except for _your_ contribution, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scott-walker-for-comparing-himself-with-fdr-wrt-public-employee-unions/665749/5 "2013-08-09T02:05:42Z")
And then there’s **elucidator** , who is to individual posts what **BrainGlutton** is to OPs. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scott-walker-for-comparing-himself-with-fdr-wrt-public-employee-unions/665749/6 "2013-08-09T02:26:10Z")
Please be advised that I accept criticisms of my personality and posting style on Monday mornings between the hours of 8 am and bite me. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scott-walker-for-comparing-himself-with-fdr-wrt-public-employee-unions/665749/7 "2013-08-09T02:31:36Z")
Elucidator is the only one here old enough to offer an opinion on the matter anyway. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scott-walker-for-comparing-himself-with-fdr-wrt-public-employee-unions/665749/8 "2013-08-09T02:38:02Z")
Well, then, **luci?** What resemblances do you see between Scott Walker and FDR? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scott-walker-for-comparing-himself-with-fdr-wrt-public-employee-unions/665749/9 "2013-08-09T02:39:33Z")
Here’s the actual letter by Roosevelt, in case anyone wants to see it: [http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=15445](http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=15445) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scott-walker-for-comparing-himself-with-fdr-wrt-public-employee-unions/665749/10 "2013-08-09T02:57:07Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Well, then, **luci?** What resemblances do you see between Scott Walker and FDR? They both coped with a crippling handicap. FDR’s was physical. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-scott-walker-for-comparing-himself-with-fdr-wrt-public-employee-unions/665749/11 "2013-08-09T02:59:13Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > They both coped with a crippling handicap. FDR’s was physical. It is, indeed, an even worse thing to be morally disabled.