Thoughts on the Wisconsin Showdown

As most of you know, there's a showdown going on in Wisconsin, with protestors jamming the state capitol to protest a plan by the new Republican legislature to cut public employee benefits in order to attempt to balance the state's budget. Here are my thoughts on the subject.

1. You'd think, from reading the protestors' signs comparing Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to Hitler and hearing union bosses call him the "Mubarak of the Midwest", that he and his allies in the state legislature were pushing something really radical. What they are actually proposing is for public employees to pay 12.6% of their health insurance instead of less than 5%. (Is there ANYBODY who works in the private sector who gets their employer to pay 87.4% or more of their health insurance???) Oh yeah, and they have to pay half of their pension contributions (as opposed to 0% now). I know, I know, can you believe those evil politicians asking public employees to contribute some money toward their own retirement? I mean it's not like non-government employees have to save for their own retirement or anything.

The bill also restricts the power of the unions in other ways. It keeps unions from forcing state employees to pay union dues. And it ends collective bargaining for public employee unions for everything except for wages (with the exception of police & fire), which means that benefit increases would be restricted to the CPI. The reason for this is quite simple. State and local government union employees make, on average, 45% more in total compensation than similar employees working in the private sector. Thanks to collective bargaining, public employee compensation (usually disguised as increased non-wage benefits) has continued to increase significantly despite the dismal economic conditions. Over the past few years, public-sector employment in Wisconsin has continued to increase while private-sector employment decreased. And unfortunately, Wisconsin simply can't afford to pay for it anymore. The state faces a $3.6 billion budget deficit over the next two years. Why shouldn't the unions have to tighten their belt like the rest of us?

Rich Lowry of National Review put it like this: "Walker's reforms, though, go beyond the immediate bottom line. They are aimed at curtailing the power of public-sector unions that feast on the circularity of their relationship with government. The unions work to elect politicians, then sit across a bargaining table from them -- and lo and behold, get what they want." This circular relationship is a big reason why so many states are going bankrupt.

2. The tactics of Big Labor, as always, are appalling. Teachers are walking off their jobs and shutting down schools to attend the protests (bringing their students with them in many cases). I wish I could get the taxpayers to foot the bill for ME to walk of my job to engage in days of political protests. As mentioned before, the governor is being compared to Hitler and Mubarak for having the cheek to try to balance the budget. The protestors have surrounded the capitol, waving vicious signs and shouting vicious things. Republican legislators are getting physical threats against them, and some of them have been forced to get police protection for their homes, businesses, and families. Unionists have actually targeted some of those homes and businesses for protests. They are trying to bully and scare state legislators into doing what they want. It's despicable. And give the Republicans credit for not backing down, at least so far. The behavior of the unions demonstrates just how corrupt and entitled they are and just how badly they need to be reined in.

Jay Nordlinger, as always, has some great thoughts on National Review. He writes, "A great advantage of the Left is that they are organized and determined -- and have a lot of time. Paid time. The taxpayer is funding these 'days of protest,' engaged in by the public-school teachers. They are using their 'sick' leave, provided by the taxpayer, to go rallying. And what are the other citizens of Wisconsin - the majority - doing? What they always do. Going about their business, or businesses; providing for their families. As we speak, some are having to stay home with their school-aged children, who have been locked out of their classrooms by their teachers. Ordinary Wisconsites aren't paid to go rallying in the capital. Besides, they 'ralled' at the polls last November. They had their say then. And now, Governor Walker and the rest are trying to conduct the people's business." Nordlinger also quotes a columnist from a local newspaper saying that union leaders "must figure that if they bring 13,000 shouting people to Madison, they can overrule the election."

3. Speaking of attempting to overrule the election. The Democrats in the Wisconsin legislature have disappeared. Yes, that's right, disappeared. They walked out of the capitol and literally left the state, driving to a hotel in Illinois. This forced the legislature to postpone the vote because there was not a quorum present. Unbelievable. You don't like what the majority of legislators -- democratically elected legislators -- are doing, so you just leave town and shut down the legislature completely. Yes, this is how Democrats operate. They act like two-year-olds and throw a little temper tantrum. What would happen to our system of government if the minority party left town every time the majority tried to pass a bill they didn't like? For the millionth time, Democrats demonstrate why they deserve to be a permanent minority.