Robert Reich writes: "Wisconsin Republicans have made it crystal clear that their goal has had nothing whatever to do with the state budget. It's been to bust the unions."
Portrait, Robert Reich, 08/16/09. (photo: Perian Flaherty)
Governor Walker's Coup D'Etat
10 March 11
overnor Scott Walker and his Wisconsin senate Republicans have laid bare the motives for their coup d'etat. By severing the financial part of the bill (which couldn't be passed without absent Democrats) from the part eliminating the collective bargaining rights of public employees (which could be), and then doing the latter, Wisconsin Republicans have made it crystal clear that their goal has had nothing whatever to do with the state budget. It's been to bust the unions.
That's no surprise to most people who have watched this conflict from the start, but like any coup its ultimate outcome will depend on the public. If most citizens of Wisconsin are now convinced that Walker and his cohorts are extremists willing to go to any lengths for their big-business patrons (including the billionaire Koch brothers), those citizens will recall enough Republican senators to right this wrong.
But it's critically important at this stage that Walker's opponents maintain the self-discipline they have shown until this critical point. Walker would like nothing better than disorder to break out in Madison. Like the leader of any coup d'etat, he wants to show the public his strong-arm methods are made necessary by adversaries whose behavior can be characterized on the media as even more extreme.
Be measured. Stay cool. Know that we are a nation of laws, and those laws will prevail. The People's Party is growing across America - and the actions of Scott Walker and his Republican colleagues are giving it even greater momentum. So are the actions of congressional Republicans who are using the threat of a government shutdown to strong-arm their way in Washington.
The American public may be divided over many things but we stand united behind our democratic process and the rule of law. And we reject coups in whatever form they occur.
Robert Reich is Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton. He has written twelve books, including "The Work of Nations," "Locked in the Cabinet," "Supercapitalism" and his latest book, "AFTERSHOCK: The Next Economy and America's Future." His 'Marketplace' commentaries can be found on publicradio.com and iTunes.
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Just like the folks in Madison who showed up by the thousands last night at the Capitol building at the last minute, some with no money, no id, no sleeping bag, just dropped everything and came; that's what it's going to take nationwide to right this sinking ship.
We can do this! We are a nation of laws, and if the law is twisted (Citizens United decision) then we need to change it back.
We can do this!
There will be blood.
I do not wish for it but "when in the course of human events"....
There will always be those needing to believe in anything. It is like in school, the popular ones would never want to be yur friend if you were geek or whatever. But come student body election or prom, and they are your best friends.
People still believe these people will care about them. that cutesy lil speech saying how they could not be there without them is true, but come the next day...they are gone, you are standing there telling your friends how they really care about you!
Guess those of us who didn't vote for any of them, were the ones that wondered when this day was coming.
Also, Dem Governors like Jerry Brown and others need to show their opposition to the Right-Wing Coup in Wisconsin. Do something.
But I do believe that others should start now to show support for American Working class, even the Republicans.
but if you see the GOP/Tea Farters are keeping troops divided with their phony budget. Believe others from Delegations of Greens, Independents, and Democrats should be there, however.
Meanwhile, referring to the rights, pay, benefits and social security of the middle class and poor as undeserved "entitlements", they're no longer their real agenda: destroying the middle class and destroying the unions.
If WI voters and others across the country stand firm and fight without giving in, this will be the end of the far right for another 30-40 years.
This has never been about the budget, this is about the whole neoliberal move to privatize everything. Since Reagan, Repubs and other neoliberals & neocons have tried to privatize every sector of our economy. If they suceed, police officers could be paid on commissions based on how many arrests they make. What happens when a cop hasn't made quota? I think we know the answer: injustice, plantyed evidence, false incrimination. We've all heard about the "cash for kids scam". The plans for privatization must be stopped!
I also wonder if anyone losing those rights voted for Walker and the other GOPers, and if that person still calls himself or herself a conservative.
Let's begin to UNDO THE COUP by beginning to assume nothing - i.e. that our votes actually are and have been counted correctly, and the Koch-suckers (thank you, Keith Olbermann) like Walker and so many more were actually elected.
Let's face it - our villainaire rulers and their puppets will stop at absolutely nothing to protect their precious greed and power addictions. Google: Colorado Springs Independent, Jan. 21, 2010, "No Peace or Justice". Colorado Springs, the super fusion center of the not at all patriotic Patriot Act's over seventy fusion centers nationwide, has been a test site for stripping away of civil rights (i.e. one of two cities in the world to tear gas peaceful peace demonstrators, including little kids, in '03; public torture of a sixty-five year old, fully disabled former nun, etc.). What's gotten away with in one city or state is foreshadowing of things to come in other locals.
Time to recognize and UNDO THE COUP, and tell 'em .... VILLAINAIRES, GO TO HELL!!!
Business calls the shots and government legitimatizes and enforces it. Fascism!
"By severing the financial part of the bill (which couldn't be passed without absent Democrats) from the part eliminating the collective bargaining rights of public employees (which could be), and then doing the latter, Wisconsin Republicans have made it crystal clear that their goal has had nothing whatever to do with the state budget. It's been to bust the unions."
Mr. Reich's argument is false.
The Republicans separated the "union busting" terms from a budget bill that involved SPENDING provisions. The "union busting" terms do not provide for SPENDING. The senate could (and did) pass the "union busting" terms absent a quorum, because a state senate rule permits passing a NON-SPENDING provision despite absence of quorum.
The "union busting" terms affect the state's budget, but NOT BY government SPENDING. The "union busting" terms achieve government COST-SAVINGS by cutting public employee pay (directly and by requiring that public employees contribute more to paying the costs of their fringe benefits).
I agree that Walker and the legislature's Republicans are evil. But Mr. Reich dis-serves himself and the cause of socioeconomic justice by at best overstating his case or at worst misrepresenting the facts.
I note also that while the three disliked my post, they (like Mr. Reich) did not possess insight enough to notice a fascinating legal matter.
The state's rules say the state's senate can vote absent a quorum if the vote concerns a measure that does not involve spending.
An interesting question is whether the senate needs a quorum to vote to separate a bill's spending provisions from its non-spending provisions.
Is not such vote a vote concerning a matter of a spending provision?
If one votes to segregate a bill's spending measures from its non-spending measures, one seems to be voting on a matter concerning treatment of spending measures (vis-a-vis non-spending measures tied to the spending measures).
The Democrat legislators ought to challenge the separation-vote.
If the challenge prevails, then the separation fails retroactively. If so, then the non-spending measure vote must fail retroactively also, because that vote would have been a vote on measures on which no vote could occur validly.
1. public worker unions have not caused public workers to be paid more than the market would cause them to be paid, since the false comparisons of private worker to public worker pay (which Fox news and the WSJ parade all the time) are misleading. Public workers have much higher educational attainment on average, so they should be paid more for this. Adjusting for this, you find that public workers are paid the same as private sector workers. The negotiations occurring under collective bargaining are efficient and pro-market. This is what the data shows.
2. The incidence of strikes and worker disruptions actually has gone down now that such workers have bargaining rights, so FDR's fear of granting such rights to public workers (which JFK ultimately offered) have been allayed. The GOP is actually making it more likely that we have disruptions in those services by removing collective bargaining, even as they fail to establish that such a move will save money.
I note that now 8 readers have registered dislike of my main post & 3 have registered dislike of my subordinate one. I expect you're among them.
Like Mr. Reich, either you do not perceive or you deny facts & logic that clash with your wish.
At the close of my original post, I wrote:
“I agree that WALKER AND THE LEGISLATURE'S REPUBLICANS ARE EVIL. But Mr. Reich DIS-SERVES HIMSELF AND THE CAUSE OF SOCIOECONOMIC JUSTICE BY...OVERSTATIN G HIS CASE OR...MISREPRESE NTING THE FACTS.”
[Emphases added here.]
Alas, you did not treat my observation that likely the senate vote was invalid, because cast without quorum though concerning a spending measure. You gushed out many matters irrelevant to my points, matters that are dear to you but do not join issue with my posts. Even do you seem to assume (falsely) that I am a Republican.
Often, just like right-wing enthusiasts, left-wing enthusiasts lose credit because they utter their preferred pablum rather than frame, scrupulously, all pertinent facts & the full fact-set's LOGICAL implications.
I appreciate your suggestion that the Republicans violated a notice rule. I shall not be amazed if such is true, since many Republican politicians are evil. But because of the tenor of your posts, I cannot credit your suggestion.
The right will utilize any so called "emergency" to further their agenda-be it 09/11 or state budget deficits.
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