I find it interesting that people are yelling and screaming that the governor of Wisconsin is trying to usurp democracy when, in fact, the exact opposite is true.
While I may not like Republican policies, Gov. Scott Walker won the election, fair and square. This gives him the right to implement new policies based on what he told voters he would do. Thwarting his agenda stands in the face of democracy. It steals the rights away from the majority of people who voted for him. It is tyranny of the minority against the majority.
But this is bigger than just a protest rally or some minor tweaks to a health care copay. It's about what is going on everywhere. Simply put, government is too big and since the majority of governmental costs are employees, adjustments need to be made. Collective bargaining by government unions is bankrupting our communities and states. It's keeping reforms from being implemented, reforms that private sector workers have to live with every single day. Enough already.
For an alternative view to the situation in Wisconsin, check out this column by John Fund in the WSJ this week: ["Wisconsin's Newest Progressive"].
The state, like a lot of states, is facing a $3.6B deficit. In order to fill in the hole, changes need to be made on the way the state does its business. Again, all the private sector workers in Wisconsin (and other states), you know, the folks who foot most of the bill, face the same economic situation every day as the unions are faced with today. The differences? Well, first, we don't have time to just skip out on work to protest. If we don't show up for work we don't get paid. Second, if a company doesn't have as much profit as it did the previous year, employee health costs go up. And we have no choice but to accept the change. We have to live with it. Well, it's kinda time the governmental unions in this country had to deal with it too. If they don't, they will face massive layoffs and it will harm their workers and the state in the end.
From Tony Schinella
