Fox News has reported that Wednesday night Wisconsin Senate Republicans voted to remove collective bargaining rights for state workers.
According to the article:
"All 14 Senate Democrats fled to Illinois nearly three weeks ago, preventing the chamber from having enough members present to consider Gov. Scott Walker's so-called "budget repair bill" -- a proposal introduced to plug a $137 million budget shortfall..
"The Senate requires a quorum to take up any measures that spend money. But Republicans on Wednesday split from the legislation the proposal to curtail union rights, and a special conference committee of state lawmakers approved that bill a short time later
Unfortunately, the three-week vacation of the Senate Democrats showed no signs of ending, so this was the action the Republicans took.
According to the article:
"State Senate Democratic Minority Leader Mark Miller issued a statement saying, "Tomorrow we will join the people of Wisconsin in taking back their government."
Why should the people of Wisconsin give it back to you when you abandoned it three weeks ago?
Governor Walker ran his campaign for governor stating exactly what he was planning to do in order to balance the budget. The fleeing Democrats prevented the Republicans from passing the spending part of the bill, but the provisions that were passed last night are expected to help the state balance its budget through keeping pay raises more in line with the cost of living and the economy.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported today that protestors have attempted to shut down the capitol to prevent the State Assembly from voting on the measure the Senate passed last night.
I am not sure what the public reaction to all this is. I am a child of the sixties and am generally comfortable with the idea of protest, but this seems to me to be more like a bunch of spoiled children throwing a temper tantrum because they did not get their own way. I might have a different point of view if the fleeing Democrats had stayed and negotiated or tried to find common ground. The behavior of the unions has not won me to their cause.
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