Back in July, 2009, the Czar lectured on how to eliminate unions. Basically, it consisted of four steps:

1. Encourage investment in new industry that has not been unionized. All right, Wisconsin (led by Gov. Scott Walker) has done this by advertising heavily in Illinois, which has tons of new industries looking to lower costs. Check.
2. Make it illegal to require membership in a union. Part of the disputed Wisconsin legislation does exactly this, but by a very clever means: end collective bargaining, and make payment of union dues optional. Gov. Walker is betting that union members would rather use their union dues to pay for healthcare and retirement, rather than see their dues go…somewhere. Big check.
3. Eliminate union benefits in exchange for union pay. Another check! Part of the Governor’s proposal requires union members to pay for their own benefits; in return, they avoid furlough and layoffs, but keep their union pay. The Czar would go stronger, and offer non-union employees higher pay than union employees, but this is a definite first step in that direction.
4. Be a good employer. Well, now, we did mention that Gov. Walker is looking to prevent layoffs and furloughs, right? And that he hopes to compensate employees better by making union dues optional? Hey, close enough for us.

Remember that you, like Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, read it here first.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.