In politics, it seems that since time immemorial, candidates have been kvetching and bitching about big money, high powered lobbyists, and giant "special interests" attempting to buy candidates and win elections. President Obama won in large part because he was able to frame himself as being "against" lobbying groups and "special interests." Just yesterday Frank Rich was wailing about the influence of sinister "back rooms."

I think it's important to remember something the people on the left never talk about.

The biggest special interest in politics today is government employee unions:

In reality, the biggest outside spender is the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, which is pumping almost $88 million into TV commercials, phone banks, and mailings to promote Democratic candidates.

"We're spending big,'' AFSCME President Gerald McEntee boasted to The Wall Street Journal. "And we're damn happy it's big. And our members are damn happy it's big -- it's their money.''

We all do. And we have about as much say over where that money goes as the employees themselves.

Might as well just force all Americans to donate directly to the Democratic Party.

It would be more honest.

Of course, if it violates your conscience to have your tax dollars going to the Democrats, what can you do other than complain it's not fair and vote Republican? Demand that the unions give back the money, or donate equally to both parties? Refuse to fund them and go to jail? It's like, if a private company donates money to a candidate or cause you don't believe in, there is at least a remedy. You can boycott the company and its products. Powerful though they may be, at least the private sector fat cats are vulnerable to pressure.

But how do you boycott a government employees union? How do you pressure them in any way? They are completely insulated, and the money which pours into their coffers comes from a growth industry consisting of people who are better paid than employees in the private sector, and they are accountable to no one. In fact, the only theoretical bosses who exist are accountable to them!

The cost of government has soared in tandem with the growth in public-sector unions -- and those unions make no bones about their reliance on politics to enlarge their wealth and power. "We elect our bosses, so we've got to elect politicians who support us and hold those politicians accountable,'' AFSCME's website proclaims. "Our jobs, wages, and working conditions are directly linked to politics.'' That is exactly the problem.

Public-sector unionism has been unhealthy for American democracy. The power to "elect our bosses'' has turned government employment into a rigged game -- rigged in favor of ravenous government growth and against the private-sector taxpayers who pay for it. AFSCME may be "damn happy'' at the impact it has on US elections. But the rest of us ought to be alarmed.

Well, actually it is, but only in a perverse sort of way. The worse the economy gets, the bigger the public sector gets, and the more government union employees there are. Which means that it is in the simple economic interest of government employees unions for the private sector economy to fail. That way, they can get even more of the taxpayers money and spend it on candidates and policies are most likely to shrink the private economy, while growing the public economy.

It's painful enough having to watch the destruction, but having to pay for it adds insult to injury.

These unions are fattest of the fat cats, and while they are in business, their business is the business of failure.

Institutionalized failure has become big business. We all have to pay and there is no way to opt out. We have even less say in the matter than the government employees who have the union dues automatically deducted from their paychecks.

The only say the taxpayers have is on Election Day, when we have the opportunity to vote against them.

I only hope we aren't outnumbered.

MORE: Lest anyone think that 100% of public employees are Democrats, one of the candidates I am supporting locally is Sean Gray, who happens to be a conservative schoolteacher who wrote this:

Why are Republican teachers far less vocal about their political preferences?

Fear.

After over 20 years of public school service, in districts across the region, I have observed and personally experienced intimidation, name-calling, isolation, contempt, booing in the halls, and the like. It's been a lonely experience at times. Even many good-hearted Republican teachers will avoid and isolate out-spoken Republican teachers due to the fear of 'guilt' by association.

I think that ordinary people (especially those who have been pressured to side with the left) need a civic reminder that there is still a right to disagree with the biggest special interest lobby in the country.