BrianGarst.com

Public sector unions think they have a right to party on the taxpayers’ dime. They refuse to recognize that those who pay their salary simply can no longer afford their unrealistically bloated compensation and pension packages. Unions, by far, dominate spending in the political arena. They hand pick practically every Democrat that gets into office, and exploit their time in the majority to rig the game in their favor. Now that they are no longer in the majority, those who actually feel some ounce of responsibility to those paying the bills (taxpayers), are attempting to level the playing field. The response from the unions has been a public freakout.

You would think that while public sector unions have been struggling over the last couple years to make the case that they are not wasting money, public sector unions would be more conscious about not wasting money. You would think (Hat-tip: Big Goverment):

As nearly 5,000 city teachers face the ax, their union shells out millions of dollars on feasting, boozing and partying, the Daily News has learned.

Free-spending United Federation of Teachers brass last year spent nearly $1.4 million for the UFT’s 50th anniversary gala at the Hilton – complete with a movie, a book and a paperweight.

…Drawing from an annual honeypot of $126 million in members’ dues, the union last year flung open the spigots even as it took fire for protecting dismal teachers and fighting reforms.

“These are wasteful, fantastic and outrageous expenditures, and they learned their profligate ways from the government spenders they negotiate with,” said Sol Stern, a Manhattan Institute scholar and veteran education advocate.

The spending orgy comes to light a week after after The News disclosed that cops bounced 24 rowdy UFT reps from an Albany eatery after they caused a ruckus over an $1,800 tab – and the modest size of a $40 gourmet quail.

Turns out over-the-top spending and a party-hearty culture is a union trademark.

Documented in the UFT’s 2010 annual report to the U.S. Labor Department are details of the union’s “Golden Jubilee,” a gala bash last March that drew 2,500 members of the “UFT family.”

It cost to $679,246 for the event at the Hilton New York.

For the children.