This is What Autocracy Looks Like

Published on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 by CommonDreams.org
This is What Autocracy Looks Like

by Jim Goodman


The Wisconsin State Capitol sits in the center of the Isthmus in Madison, a narrow funnel connecting the East and West sides of town. 80,000 protesters jam things up. I've seen crowds on the Isthmus, never like this, not since Vietnam. Wisconsin is again rising to challenge oppressive government.

I do not belong to a union, never have, never will. By my own choice I do not have collective bargaining rights, no benefits package and no weekends off. I wish I did. These are things that should be a right for everyone, rights won by union workers putting their lives on the line for everyone's future. My work, farming, does offer other benefits, but that's not the story here.

Governor Walker's “Budget Repair Bill” will supposedly save $150 million by cutting wages and benefits for public employees, money he claims is needed to offset a $137 million deficit. A coincidence that, in just over one month in office, he has run up a tab of $140 million on new special interest spending?

So, I can understand that he would want to keep his credit score clean in the new job, and go after someone to pay the bills -- why not the public employees? And as long as he has carte blanche to write whatever onerous language he wishes, why not get rid of collective bargaining, leave some room to scrap Medicaid and BadgerCare at some point and, in time, shift more power away from the Legislature to himself? This is how you impress the Republican National Committee. This is what Autocracy looks like. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/02/22-5

Or, take it out of the Governor's Office operating budget? Seems to me Wisconsin would be better off without him.

The consent of the governed has been withdrawn for the duration.