Iowa's lame duck Democrat Gov. Chet Culver has planted a big one right on the unshaven lips of the AFSCME union. Culver has accepted the union's contract requests without any negotiation. The price tag for the taxpayers ... $200 million.

Employees will receive a 2% wage increase in 2011 and another 1% increase in 2012. On top of that, "many union members who are not at the top of their pay grade would receive an additional 4.5 percent raise, known as a step increase, for certain professional milestones or for job longevity and other career advancements."

Union influence becomes even more dangerous when there is zero representation on the other side of the table. In this case, the taxpayers did not have anyone willing to look out for them, in the face of a demanding government union. Instead, Iowa's governor will leave office at the end of this year and will arguably never suffer the consequences of his decision. The same cannot be said for the taxpayers ...