The protests have been going on, 24-7, since the 17th many government workers are taking personal days in order to join in. Which events, in their turn, led to tens of thousands of people besieging Wisconsin's major cities.all four of them. ![]() (It is not clear how long the Democrats can keep this up.) At the same time, Walker announced that he would mobilize the National Guard against any state workers who tried to strike, stage walk-outs, or otherwise interfere with the business of the state. When it became obvious that the Republicans in Congress would pass this bill without bothering about discussion - indeed, without bothering to inform their Democrat colleagues of when sessions were actually being held - the Democrats fled to Illinois in order to deny them a quorum. Curiously, not police and fire departments.who just happened to be among Walker's strongest supporters in the election campaign. Teacher's unions tend to be the focus of discussion - since Republicans have targeted education for at least as long as I've been alive - but the bill applies across the board. Instead, he has given Congress an "emergency budget repair bill", which (among other things) eliminates state workers' right to unionize. Governor Walker has never given a detailed budget plan, despite repeated promises to do so. He then claimed all legislative power for himself: the state congress, now with a Tea Party majority, has agreed to rubber-stamp any bills he proposes.īack to the -$3 billion. His term began in January, and he immediately proceeded to reward his supporters with appointments, permits, no-bid contracts, and project cancellations. But this being the apolitical Midwest, nobody was paying attention, and now the voters are having a rude awakening. To be fair, he's living up to his campaign promises, to the letter. Last year, he campaigned for governor - and won - on the Tea Party ticket. (Please excuse the pun.)Įnter Scott Walker. The Bush-era recession put paid to all that. ![]() Until recently, the shortfall was made up in federal aid, and ignored by the public because of Wisconsin's relatively prosperous economy and high employment rate. Our Medicare program is unsustainable, our tax system is impossible, we somehow owe Minnesota $60 million, and Doyle's attempt to balance the budget via illegal measures has actually put us further in debt, to the tune of $200 million in compensation.Īs of 2012, Wisconsin's budget will be something like -$3 billion, plus or minus a few million depending on whose estimates you trust. Meanwhile, Wisconsin's deficit ballooned over the administrations of our last two governors, Tommy Thompson and Jim Doyle. (You may have heard that phrase being bandied about in the news, instead of the U-word.) This policy has been unchallenged for half a century, despite conservative movements to weaken unions. ![]() The story begins in the 1950s, when Wisconsin granted state employees the right to unionize and "collectively bargain" for wages, hours, and benefits. I do, however, apologize for the length: I just can't describe this mess adequately in fewer words. Here's the local perspective I'll try to be as objective as I can, but saying that certain people are better human beings than they are is neither fair nor balanced. Unfortunately, since the traditional media are either shallow or shills, a lot of Americans are confused about what's going on up here. For the first time since the Jurassic, Wisconsin is in the national news.
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