And Obama was elected precisely to enact a stimulus package, health care and financial reform - all things the public overwhelming wanted in Nov 2008.
In his campaigning, he said he wanted to cut state employee wages and benefits, but I don't think he said before his election that he wanted to rescind their rights to collectively bargain. If you have a link to the contrary, I'd like to see it. There's a pretty big gulf between negotiating with the union a more favorable deal for the state and simply mandating it from the legislature.
Walker: "You can't participate in democracy if you're not in the arena. The arena is not in Rockford, IL, it's in Madison, WI." awesome.
That seems like a bit of stretch. Under that same reasoning then Tea Partier comparison of Obama Admin policies to the Soviet Union are reasonable since we are talking about Communism in the "American Context." Yes in both Cairo and Madison there are many people out protesting with legitimate grievances but the grievances aren't comparable. Most Wisconsinites don't live under $2 a day and Wisconsin hasn't been ruled by a strong man dictator for the last 30 years. Here you are pointing out how vastly different the situations are. I agree that Walker is trying to an end run around collective bargaining but the fact that a handful of state senators can stymie him shows how vastly this different this is where Mubarak could just fire parliament members if he wanted to implement a law. Heck that Walker has to even have a bill that has to be passed by a legislature shows how vastly different this is. Until pro Walker thugs show up riding camels down State Street this is a ridiculous comparison and is just more of the same hyperbolic rhetoric that unfortunately permeates our political discourse.
It doesn't and oddly enough the police and fire fighters unions supported Walker in the last election while the teachers and prison guard unions didn't. Guess which workers will have their collective bargaining rights stripped from them if this bill passes?
The US is a democratic republic and the 14th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 24th and 26th Amendments have made it much more of a democracy than it was in Madison's time. Also every state in the Union's own constitution guarantees the vote for the state offices. I hope but I strongly doubt that Egypt will be more democratic than the US is anytime soon. As I stated earlier regarding the national guard it was a very very poor statement by Walker which as been clarified as meaning that the guard would take over critical jobs like prison guards if there is a walkout. I am just speculating here but my understanding is that there have been limits placed on the use of the national guard in regard to things like riot control but I suspect that Wisconsin law might limit what uses a governor could use the guard for. In that case if I had a protest outside of Toyota Center demanding that Aaron Brooks be cut from the Rockets would that be comparable to Cairo since in both cases myself and Egyptians are exercising our right to protest? I agree with the protests and am contemplating going over to Hudson, Wisconsin and joining one but saying this is like Egypt and getting worked up about Walker deploying the National Guard like Pinkerton thugs is needless hyperbole.
via TPM -- Must Read A very good run-down of how Wisconsin's Gov. Walker (R) created the budget crisis which he now claims makes it necessary to end collective bargaining.
I hate to side with Pat Buchanan of all people against you, but I disagree. The Founders (particularly Adams) were adamant about making the case for republicanism because democracies were so much more fragile and had shorter shelf lives. I can't argue that changes over time have been more progressive and mostly for the greater good, and yet... Changes like keeping a standing army, building hundreds of bases overseas, imperial presidencies, the influence held by special interests, corporations, military contractors and so on were unimaginable a little more than a century ago, and those things accompanied the mission creep away from limited government and towards corruption and imperial ambition, which the Constitution was done an end-run around in order to accomplish. A more "democratic" Congress permitted those things to happen because the temptation was too great to not say no, which is...the fate of all democracies. So I'll end it there to save myself from being accused of being of being a monarchist or Ron Paul's speechwriter. It may never be as politically free as the US, but that wasn't my point. Properly speaking, it very well may be more democratic. Most democracies are more democratic than the US. Israel certainly is more democratic than the US, in that it's legislature has nearly unlimited power to pass any legislation it wants with little regard for rule of law, and it's one of the many things I don't like about living here. The angry mob wields all the power and it puts a nation often at the mercy of uneducated, or at least poorly informed opinions. I couldn't find clarification about it...and I may have over-reacted. Also, I'm sure Ohio had limits on the use of the Guard when kids got shot at Kent State in 1970. If Walker really intends to use the National Guard to disperse a protest, I can't see any good coming from it, and I hope that's not what he meant. No, but if you WERE Aaron Brooks and Stern declared the Player's Union could no longer collectively bargain, then the analogy would be more fitting. I find it strange that in the US, no one questions the rights of actors, screenwriters or athletes to have very powerful unions but anyone else that sees a need for them is some sort of Stalinist agitator. That was the impression I was initially given, and I apologize if I reacted over-the-top about it. Yet, it might be fair to compare Walker to a certain California governor of days past eating grapes and telling reporters not to listen to that anti-American Caesar Chavez rabble-rouser...but I suppose he'd only be emboldened by the political grandstanding that he's engaging in.
Rumors are there's gonna be a tea party invasion from out of state tomorrow? counterprotests What does the Tea Party have against unions? And again, to prove that this is nothing but union busting. A compromise was put out to the good gov today and it was rejected soundly. Why? Protesters were willing to give up the financial numbers, but wanted to keep the collective bargaining agreements. No dice
Great point. The Right in the States will suck up to right-wing Hollywood celebrities, celebrities who religiously pay their dues to Actors' Equity (the theatre), and The Screen Actor's Guild (movies, etc.), while lounging in the Hypocrisy Hot Tub with their fellow hypocritical political "friends."
To see how persuasive he sounded you'd have to find someone unlike yourself who didn't already have their mind made up.
Many people find them unethical (such as myself). A person should get paid what there skill set is worth to someone else. This is not the case in a union environment. I like the idea of getting my paycheck and knowing this is what my education/skills are worth to others (nobody can take that away from me). If your pay is determined by some union contract that is not the case.
