What do you get when you add 5 to 4 to 5 to 4 to 5 to 4?
(a) 27
(b) 5/9 + 5/9 + 5/9 = 15/9 = 1.6666666 . . .
(c) Ruling Class Infinity, the rest of us Zero
The answer is all of the above, but (c) is the most important, if . . .
You take a look at three Supreme Court decisions made in May and June by the notorious 5 to 4 margin, it all adds up.
Foremost, in Janus v. AFSCME, decided in June, the Court eviscerated public sector unions by gifting nonmembers within a unionized workplace an exemption from paying “fair share” fees. Those are the fees charged to nonmembers who refuse to pay dues while still getting the workplace benefits obtained by the union. That is, a means by which to make free-riding by nonmembers a little less free. Now the Supreme Court says free-riding is A-OK in the disingenuous name of “right to work.”
That’s the short version. For the long version, see this excellent piece in Slate.com: Crushing effect of Janus vs AFSCME decision
Secondly, in Epic Systems Corp v. Lewis, decided in May, the Court gifted employers the right to bar employees from collective arbitration, and instead force them into individual arbitration—whereby, the ratio of employer power to employees power gets skewed to a ratio like elephant to ant, especially in the case of large corporations with hundreds of employees.
That’s the short version. For the long version, see:
Supreme Court hands corporations another weapon
Thirdly, in gerrymandering cases in Texas and North Carolina,* the Court let stand Congressional districts that unfairly favored Republicans in both states. For detail, check out: Report on decisions regarding gerrymandering in Texas and North Carolina
They also ruled against Wisconsin Democrats who had disputed state legislative districting that gave lopsided advantages to Republicans in the state.
Anthony Kennedy resignation another boon to ruling class
Anthony Kennedy’s sudden resignation from the Supreme Court, in time to get a replacement for him nominated and confirmed before the 2018 election, could not have been better orchestrated by Machiavelli himself. Barring the off chance that Kennedy resigned because he has some fatal disease that will strike him down within the next four months, Kennedy’s reasoning goes this way: he foresees the chance of Democrats taking the Senate in November, thus making improbable the confirmation of a highly conservative justice to replace him. The solution is, he bows out, and Mitch McConnell, in a characteristically shameless act of improbity, quickly greases the legislative machine to crank out a confirmation of a Trump nominee before the Democrats can have anything to say about it.
I have no problem, despite the encomiums being heaped on Justice Kennedy from various points of the political compass, putting him in the same camp with Mitch McConnell as tools of the Ruling Class. His votes in the decisions cited above, along with his vote in favor of corporations in the disgraceful Citizens United decision in 2010, make clear his rock-solid anti-democratic bias.
As for who gets appointed to replace Kennedy, the Ruling Class is certain to get their druthers, even if the choice (fat chance) turns out to be someone who would not rule to overturn Roe v. Wade. If the Ruling Class needs one of their own to get an abortion, they can afford to go to another country, if necessary, to get it done. As vital as Roe v. Wade is to an ordinary woman’s right to choose, it doesn’t make much difference to the One Percent either way. Roe or not, anyone on Trump’s candidate list is sure to make decisions to keep Ruling Class boots on the necks of the masses.
It’s sadly true that not all conservatives are comfortable with the power of the Ruling Class over the rest of us (which includes most of them). Many of them intuit that there’s something immoral about it. Their problem is this: to be conservative is to support the status quo, and the status quo happens to be grossly inequitable, unfair, and immoral. So they’re stuck with it, and thanks to the evolving Supreme Court, are likely to be stuck with it for decades to come. Too bad, suckers.
=================== footnote =====================
*I cheated a little bit with the math in the “Thirdly”paragraph, since these were separate decisions, but you get the idea.