Wisconsin, What a Spectacle

My God, the legislators in Wisconsin just voted to stop collective bargaining for labor unions in their state. I cannot believe the response of the unions. The behavior has been appalling: death threats, blocking sessions, shouting, false "sick excuses," and it's not over yet.

The saddest part of this entire debacle, has been the fact that this behavior ignores the PROCESS that we are supposed to be living under. It's called DEMOCRACY! Shall we just have rule by demonstration? How about death threats? These demonstrations are an affront to the process that we should all respect.

The reality of the situation is that this process occurred at the poles, in November, when the people of Wisconsin voted and elected their  new governor, Scott Walker. One of the problems with a democracy is that the winner takes all. The unions will get another chance to overturn or modify the November result when the vote comes back.

This behavior reminds me of the losers at a sports event that complain that the "referees  cheated us," or "we out-played them anyway." No we didn't. The game is over, but we need to continue to play by the rules. The shouting matches are difficult to witness. Are these people teaching the children of Wisconsin? Shame, shame.

I am not denying that these changes are upsetting for people. They are taking a financial hit, but no system is perfect, and the public labor unions have some real problems with "limits" to their bargaining power. It has happened in multiple states. The main problem is that the politicians can give benes to the unions to gain their votes. When the benefits come due--pensions, health care costs-- the politician who granted these gifts will most likely not be around, and the taxpayers are left holding the bag.

Contrary to what Richard L . Trumka (President of the AFL-CIO) says, this is not a war against Wall Street, or the big corporations. This is a war with the citizens of Wisconsin, because they pay for the union benefits. Trumka knows that it's easy to blame Wall Street, and the "big" corporations, because they represent greed and wealth to most people. If he stood up and pointed at the people of Wisconsin as the villains he would not get his intended response. Demagogues know how to use words.

Finally, it would be best if the demonstrators would just go home and get organized for the next election. Get your message out, and clarify WHY you think this should not have happened. Write some fine essays that you can publish, and use the words to get your points across that you are supposed to be teaching to the students of Wisconsin.  Most importantly, tell the truth. It seems to me that the protesters have become as a "clanging cymbal" at this point, and that doesn't cut it in debate.