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.

Doctors Signing Bogus Sick Excuses in Wisconsin

The budget debate going on in Wisconsin is turning into a draconian struggle. Reportedly, 70,000 plus showed up at the Capitol building on Saturday to protest the so called "union busting" attempts of Governor Walker. On the other side, were a high number of supporters of the governor. A third group that also showed up that probably should have just stayed home.

Physicians attending the rally were signing false sick leave excuses for the protestors. To put is mildly, that is disgusting. Unfortunately, no one-- at least at this point-- knows the identity of these supposed "physicians," but if the Medical Board of Wisconsin gets their names, they may not have a license for long.


At least in North Carolina, physicians are not supposed to write prescriptions for patients with whom they have no relationship.  In addition, writing an excuse for work for a person who you don't treat or examine is fraud. It doesn't say much about the value these "doctors" place on their professional obligations.

It might seem like a clever idea to give excuses  these to union workers who are demonstrating for benefits and wages rights--especially if you are a liberal--but that violates any semblance of integrity of a physician's duties. If you are cheating the system on this one, what else will you cheat on: extra days off work after a minor operation; a different code for a procedure you have done; "upping" the code for an office visit to get a little more money? Is the value of an M.D. that you can use its power for political purposes?

If they want to serve societies' needs, how about care for the poor? They need  it, and they are not breaking any law, they are just sick and poor. If these "doctors" are residents at the University of Wisconsin Hospital, they need a good lecture because they will not be there long, and there will be a space in the resident "on call" schedule-- it might not matter much, because they don't take that much call now anyway.

As for the protesters, what kind of message are they sending to their students? Cheat, and get it any way you can. Can these teachers believe their students now if they bring a doctor's excuse for missing class? I think not. They're all in the same boat, and it is sinking--that's "sinking" not stinking.

Finally, about the protesters, they are trying to circumvent the political process. I thought democracy was what people are dying for in the Middle East. The people have voted, and they have the right to have their way. Demonstrating to stop a specific vote is within the protesters rights, but sometimes you lose in a democracy, and that's the way it is. How many previous "agreements" will you now break because you didn't get your way? Go to the polls the next election; that's where your voice should be heard. Isn't that our system? Didn't your teacher teach you that?

Finally, I think unions have too much power especially in public service jobs. They have a tendency to become a voting block to keep the politicians in power, and politicians grant them benefits for those votes. Unfortunately, for the citizens of the state, the politician will most likely not be their when those benefits come due. Witness the pensions of unionized government workers, they are bankrupting Ohio, Illinois, California to name a few. It turns out that the voters of Wisconsin deserve  the same rights of "collective bargaining" as the unions have, and that right was manifest on election day. It's called "get out and vote!"