Cheeze-whiz, (sorry, this is serious) what's going On (in) Wisconsin, is big.
Here are posed some questions to hope you get your answers to what is going on in Madison that may have serious Labor/Budget/Constitutional/Media implications for the rest of the country. Like our Federal government, the budget of our state houses are also busted.
(None of these answers are absolutes, just my take from the Soap Box. Enter yours in the comment section.)
Q: Do elections have consequences, without any need to compromise?
A: One of the basic Concepts of Democracy that we teach is, "Necessity for Compromise." Another is, "Majority Rules, but Minority Rights must be Respected." If one follows the "Politics is Easy, Governing is Hard," mantra, then the government leaders in Wisconsin (and Washington) must work together. However, the guy interviewed in Bob Woodward's piece above and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker apparently disagree.
Q: Is this about trying to solve a budget crisis or trying to break the back of a the state teachers union.
A: Yes and Yes. Depends on who you ask, but it appears the Governor is trying to do both. He is not in this bill planning to take away the right to collective bargain from state troopers, for example.
Q: Is there a Constitutional Right for public employees to Organize and to Collective Bargain?
A: Yes to Organize. No to Collective Bargain. Today over 40 states have statutes guaranteeing that public employees have the right to engage in collective bargain, but many state legislatures are watching Wisconsin to see a road map for rolling back this right of public employees.
Q: Why did 14 Wisconsin state senate Democrats flee to Illinois?
A: (insert your own joke here) Without the "Wisconsin 14" the Wisconsin Senate did not have a quorum.
Wisconsin Senate rules require a 3/5 quorum for binding action in the Senate. There are currently 19 Republican senators, and 14 Democrat senators.
The GOP needs one more to get to 20.
Q: Was this Bob Woodward ABC News piece, "Fair and Balanced" for real, or did it have bias?
A: I thought it gave a good view of the situation from both sides (though, I was watching from my Soap Box), but it got criticized on blogs from both the right :
And the left:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/liberal-media-this-week-unfairly-balances-tea-party-and-union-protests/
(Seems to me that means it was good journalism)Q: What does the public think about public vs. private sector unions?
A: I must admit, when I saw the Pew report 9see chart) reported on the news, and it said, "For the first time since the Progressive Era," less than 50 percent of Americans vi
ew Unions as favorable, I thought boy the Labor movement is going down. But a look inside the poll shows that the public viewed Unions more favorable than unfavorable. It further showed that Americans had an equally declining view of Business and Labor.
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One of my former students, WV grad Matt Beaty, is on the ground in Wisconsin, taking part in the process building his political efficacy. Matt will stop by in early March and share his observations with us during his Spring Break in early March.
2 comments:
Other than laughing at how the Wisconsin Democrats left the state, the fact is is that the unions shouldn't be made out the bad guy. The unions have made consessions but the governor isn't happy unless they give up collective bargaining. I think its just absurd, the right to collective bargaining doesn't cost anything. This however does
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/walker-paying-back-koch-brothers-wisconsin
It's been an absolutely amazing experience seeing all of this political unrest first hand at the University. I'm very interested to here how Illinois and more specifically, the WV feel about these different positions.
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