The labor and union problems, caused by Scott Walker, the new governor of Wisconsin continue to be at the forefront of the nightly news broadcasts, as that topic, and the strife in Libya, seem to dominate these programs.
The struggles in Libya and the Middle East are important and I will have more to say about them at a later date, but today, I want to concentrate on problems a bit closer to home.
Some tend to consider the assault on collective bargaining in Wisconsin, while important, a problem restricted to the people of Wisconsin, alone. This is not true. The Republicans, across the nation, are trying to do an end run, not only around labor unions, but also around campaign financing, or more properly campaign financing for the Democratic party.
The chef contributor to Republican campaigns, other than individual contributions is big business. And why not, as the Republicans bend over backwards to accommodate the wishes of big business, over the wishes of the average citizen. Democrats on the other hand, get the bulk of their campaign contributions, other than those from individuals, from organized labor. So, if the Republicans can dilute the effectiveness of organized labor, they can in turn reduce the amount which labor contributes to Democratic campaigns, and as we all know, it takes massive amounts of money to effectively manage today's political campaigns. Many of us think that's not the way it should be, but all of us acknowledge that's the way it is.
Scott Walker is the point person for other states in their attempts to do exactly what he is doing to the people of Wisconsin. There is an old joke that now can be applied to Wisconsin. Why is it impossible to remain a virgin if you live in Wisconsin? Answer: Because Scott Walker will screw you, one way or another.
Wisconsin is the test case for this grand scheme of things, which the Republicans want to put into play. They want to break the unions as much as possible, and not just those which represent public employees. Make no mistake about it! If the Republicans are successful in their public employee union busting attempts, in Wisconsin and other states, they will then focus their attention on the private unions in our country, as they want to break them all. Why? Republicans hate labor unions for two reasons. First, they are bad for big business, as they demand fair wages and treatment for their members, and two, unions are a fund raising arm for the Democratic party. In essence, Republicans feel they can kill two birds with one stone.
If we don't stop this assault on union membership and collective bargaining in Wisconsin, this same battle will be fought over and over again in other states. More Republican governors are watching intently to see how the situation in Wisconsin plays out.
It's interesting to note that while Republican leaders in Washington DC keep proclaiming that creating jobs is one of their chief goals, their shill governor in Wisconsin threatens to eliminate thousands of jobs if he doesn't get his way. I guess, in Wisconsin at least, the truth is finally out of the bag.
Talk with you again, soon.........
No comments:
Post a Comment