Burning buildings. Overturned cars. Looting.

It’s not South Central L.A.  It’s jolly old London town.

After years of handouts left the government unable to balance their budget, leaders in the United Kingdom made the tough decision to trim entitlement programs. The reaction? Violence in the street for days on end. Mob rule.

As I look at what’s happening across the pond with the riots in London, I wonder if that could ever happen here.

Then I realize, it already has.

In California, we live under Mob Rule every day.

The labor union bosses own this state – from the statehouse in Sacramento to the South Bay Labor Council in San Diego. They own the pensions, they own the bureaucratic workforce, and they own (the majority of) State Legislators. Right now, the mob is riding high in California. 

But beware, we may be approaching “our London moment.”

Even before the traditional Labor Day start of the political season, the 2012 Election Cycle is already shaping up to be a major battlefield over some powerful ballot initiatives that will change the power structure. Paycheck protection and pension reform, to name a few. And the labor unions don’t like it one bit.

In fact, we’ve begun to see shades of the London riots in pockets around California. In San Diego, labor union bosses have deployed their “enforcers” to scuff up petitioners collecting signatures to place critical pension reform on the ballot next June. Throughout the state, word on the street is that the unions have hired as many as 50 “signature blockers” to keep the public from signing petitions in front of grocery stores. And just last week, Sacramento-based labor unions funded phony ads that claim anyone who signs up for much-needed reforms are handing their information over to known felons. (They forgot the important fact that California law prohibits felons from being employed in these election-related capacities.)

Mark my words, the unions are just getting warmed up and these shenanigans are only the beginning of labor union tactics aimed to protect their kingdom in 2012. As we move closer to qualification of these ballot initiatives and closer to Election Day, I would not rule out violence in the streets.