The Wisconsin Debacle

Someone on my Facebook posted this Article

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/116355379.html

This was my response that pretty much sums up the issues as I see them:

He echos my thoughts on a lot of things you wouldn't agree with when he talks about elections having certain consequences, but Governor Walker is removing their right to bargain on everything. "Walker, remember, is not removing unions' fun...damental power to bargain for wages" but he is removing their right to bargain for everything else. According to the new legislation they could only bargain over wages and nothing else. My Congressman talks about "over regulation" all the time, and this is just another step towards that. If they want to force public employees into a better deal for the state, that is within the employer's rights, but as someone who receives a yearly letter telling you what all your benefits would actually cost you on the outside I would think you would see the benefit in the state being able to bargain to cover those things in exchange for lower pay. It's not like it hasn't worked for that very state in the past.

http://politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2011/feb/18/club-growth/group-says-wisconsin-state-workers-havent-had-sacr/

The yearly certification of the union is another issue I can see going either way, but it definitely helps the state and the accusation of the NFL Player's Union that the NFL is trying to decertify it's union really highlights the benefits.

I think the argument that has been a Tea Party standard is "We didn't vote for this!" really applies here much more than it did in the healthcare debates. Governor Walker didn't run on getting tough on unions. Here is his campaign page about how to reign in government spending:
http://www.scottwalker.org/issues/government-reform

It has several bullet entries, and a word that starts with "Uni" doesn't even appear, much less "unions". The claim that elections have consequences is true, but this is clearly an unforeseen consequence as Governor Walker never ran on doing this.

This is all, of course, just my humble observation as an unbiased person who is admittedly part of what has become the increasingly left wing "factinista". I guess maybe I should get a job at the Wisconsin Journal Sentinel with this hardcore investigative work that took all of 5 minutes.