After looking at the ongoing protest by public sector union members in Wisconsin over the past week, one has to come to the conclusion that they really don't get it. And it's apparent they really don't care.
They have to face the facts that the gravy train promised to them by long departed Democrat politicians is gone. The state of Wisconsin doesn't have the money to keep supporting their unrealistic benefits and the governor is not going to take even more money away from the already struggling taxpayers in order to keep funding them. To quote New Jersey governor Chris Christie about the same issue facing his state, “It stinks, but it's reality. Other politicians made you promises they couldn't keep. I'm the guy who has to be here when the party's over.” And so it is with Wisconsin governor Scott Walker.
Dealing with a looming $3.6 billion deficit for the coming fiscal year, Walker has had to face reality and attempt to make the public employees union do likewise. Unfortunately the unions have decided to put their fingers in their ears and chant “La-la-la-la-la-la-la! We can't hear you! Give us your money!!”
During the past eight days or so they have tried every trick in the book, used every canard there is, resorted to Godwin's law (bringing up the Nazi's by equating Walker to Hitler), and made the ultimate plea - “It's for the children!” - in order to make sure they won't have to make the sacrifices so many of the rest of us have already made in order to keep our jobs or our benefits or our homes. Somehow they've come to believe they are owed their jobs and benefits and the people actually paying for their salaries and benefits be damned.
Walker isn't helped by the fact that 14 Wisconsin state senators – all Democrats - decided to run away and thwart the will of the people by making sure there was no quorum, thereby blocking any votes on the matter. They may see themselves as heroes but what they are is cowards. To quote their mentor, “Elections have consequences.” The most recent elections held just last November have proven that. Now that things aren't going their way they decide to bail and flee across the border into Illinois in order to frustrate the democratic process they swore to support? So much for democracy.
Perhaps the Wisconsin Secretary of State could declare those 14 state senate seats as having been vacated since those senators decided not to fulfill the oaths they took upon taking office. I'm not sure what Wisconsin's state constitution says about quorums when so many senate seats are vacant or whether the governor has to call a special election to fill them before a quorum can be considered. Either way, the office holders have abandoned their seats as they have abandoned those who elected them and their seats should be forfeit. If nothing else it would be an object lesson to those who would throw a wrench into the machinery that is the legislative process. They will learn that actions have consequences, too. And so will the thousands of closed-minded public sector union members protesting at the Wisconsin state house.
