After over 3 weeks of protests, sleep ins and push backs by the people of Wisconsin against a bill by Republican governor Scott Walker where the rights of union members were at stake, the fight abruptly came to an end tonight, when Walker and his Republican allys voted and passed the bill without any Democrat consensus.
In the beginning, the bill was presented as part of a package aimed at reducing Wisconsin’s deficit. Governor Walker, in his daily press conferences said, “we are broke! We are broke!” Mr. Walker claimed that busting the bargaining rights of the unions would fill the state’s $137 million deficit and will fix a projected $3.6 billion shortfall in the upcoming 2011-13 budget. The state’s Democrats however, saw the bill as something geared towards de-funding the unions – groups that give heavily to Democratic campaigns, – and they all fled the state. The people of Wisconsin supported the Democratic position and “kill the bill” chants became the daily slogan. The public opinion for the Republicans fell to an all time low.
Tonight however , given a chance to restore their positive standings with the people, and presented with the opportunity to give Wisconsinites what they have been protesting for all this time, Republicans took another path. They removed the union busting part of the bill from the rest of the package then held a vote on that measure alone – a move that caused the Democratic Assembly leader to yell “illegal! Illegal!,” as the roll call was happening.
With no Democrats present to register their vote, the union busting part of the bill passed. It now goes to the State’s assembly, where another Republican body controls the agenda and another vote will be held. Passage in the Assembly puts the bill on Walker’s desk where it will be signed into law.
Yes America, voting is important and when you don’t vote, you lose your rights. There is now a conscience effort by Republican governors all over America, to silence the negotiating rights of the working middle class American.
After hearing what Scott Walker had done tonight, I tweeted the following:
I received this reply:
So true that is. When the people don’t vote, the people lose!
