Defund the police? No! De-unionize? Yes!

A long time ago, many of us saw the flaw of having public workers unionized. There's almost no accountability and little incentive to change.

Legendary Democrat President Franklin D. Roosevelt thought it was a bad idea, and so did famed union leader George Meaney. They saw the problems it would bring. But since John F. Kennedy pushed for it with teachers, it has grown wildly with the support and help of the Democrat Party.

Now things might change, since our country has been plunged into a crisis, perhaps due to a union-protected bad cop. Things are changing rapidly, and if all parties are to examine where the problem actually comes from, we may be able to keep our police departments, as we should, but make the necessary changes we have to.

With activists and protesters calling for the defunding of police departments around the country, more scrutiny is being placed on the police and what they can do to change things. Not funding the police is an insane idea. That would benefit only the worst criminal element in our society and put everyone in danger, with the exception of the elite, that can afford their own security. Of course some of our political leaders and wealthy celebrities who are championing the cause won't be affected, but most of society will, especially lower income groups.

We need our police, and they deserve our respect — and yes, our scrutiny as well. Unchecked power can be dangerous. Very few are talking about a big part of the problem when it comes to protecting any bad public employee. They have very strong unions that shield them from removal or prosecution. There are very few voices in the middle ground of this debate, but they might be on to something.

"Let’s end the power of police unions that protect the worst offenders and teachers’ unions that keep poor black kids in failing schools. Let’s find ways to create more economic opportunities. We can do all of that without condemning our country as fundamentally unjust." - David Harsanyi, columnist, National Review

"The first big step toward individual accountability is to break the power of police unions over the investigation and discipline of individual officers. Conservatives have long argued that unions in general tend to hamstring employers in distinguishing between good and bad employees, and ultimately lead to collective rather than individual responsibility." - Dan McLaughlin, columnist, National review

Don't expect Phony Phil to go for either defunding or de-unionizing. The public unions are the only thing that got Murphy elected and give him any chance of getting re-elected. Let's see how 'old money bags' gets out of this one!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis' own.