The Wisconsin Fourteen

There are always at least two sides to every story. The perception that Democratic State Senators in Wisconsin are "not doing their job" is hogwash. Here is the real story and relates to the national story. The upper chamber of the legislature was always meant by the founding fathers to be a brake on the emotions of the moment. Republicans have used the national Senate since 2008 as not just a brake but a quagmire of superfluous amendments, filibusters, and other parliamentary tricks to prevent the will of the majority from addressing national problems. Their ideological dogmatism and self-interest does not allow for even admitting the problems exist, let alone addressing them in a rational way. The administration and Democrats in Congress are also just too weak-kneed to confront the republican intransigence with equal ferocity. This is not the case in Wisconsin.

Here we face a determined effort to radically reshape the state to conform with the interest of the very wealthy at the expense of even the people who voted for walker's "jobs, jobs, jobs" platform. Remorse and regret may have set in among non-ideologues now that he has been exposed as such an incredible con artist who may say "jobs and responsibility" but spells it p-r-o-f-i-t-s. While there are wealthy Wisconsinites who will benefit from this theft, the real beneficiaries are the ultra-right wing koch brothers and others who would take a dump on Wisconsin if they felt like it. But why should incredible riches be more important for a very few over the needs of our children, public safety, and infrastructure? If the Democratic opposition had stuck to what used to be their principles with even a modicum of contemporary republican fury when gwb was wildly cutting taxes, throwing people down bottomless holes and waging wars while ripping up both the constitution and banking regulations, we might not be in such a fix as a nation today.

When a radical majority sweeps into power on the back of a crisis through irresponsible demagoguery and immediately tries to ram through a wildly unpopular agenda while passions are still high, it is the opposition's duty to say "slow down!" The Wisconsin 14 are representing their constituents and many, many others through their unorthodox action. Every poll shows a majority of Wisconsinites rejecting the republican plan and because of the republicans' refusal to negotiate in good faith and find a compromise, preventing a quorum is the only avenue left to the loyal opposition. When thousands of people show up to protest the scapegoating of teachers, firefighters, and all the rest, it may be time that you people shouting "come back and do your job" realize that you've been duped. The Democratic Senators are doing their job.

What you easily manipulated people are really saying is, "I don't believe in democracy, I only want my side to win" because that is what happens in a democracy, there is more than one point of view. Even if "your side" is willing to do incredible harm to you. You believe that schools and health care for all is socialism and taxing the rich instead of letting them rob you even more is class warfare? I invite you to try living in a third world country where your libertarian utopia exists, if you think the rich there will let you into their palatial estates. I doubt it. Me? I'm sticking with the idea that society has responsibilities, dignity for workers is a worthy goal, and vast inequalities of wealth are incompatible with a free and democratic society.

So, the other side of the story is that gop bullies are so used to Democrats just rolling over and letting them wreck the country that they don't know what to do now. They have been reduced to threatening to take their parking spaces away and other petty slights. Government is not always like going to the factory or office, sometimes doing your job as a legislator means resorting to other means of fighting for what's right. Granted, scotty and his gang can make it look like the fourteen are on vacation, but none of you cried foul when gwb ran away from the carnage he caused in D.C. to his ranch all the time. It should be laid pretty bare now that these republicans are not your friends and have no interest in doing what's best for you. Stop parroting the people who are paid handsomely to deceive you and manipulate you and think for yourself.

Meet the new boss, worse than the old boss

Such is life. I learned the lesson that new bosses are worse than the old pretty early. Same in the workplace as in government. There are historians today that judge Richard Nixon as the last liberal President we ever had, myself included. Nixon objectively governed to the left of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and now Obama. Watergate, COINTELPRO, and invading Cambodia and Laos? Chickenfeed compared to the vile crimes perpretrated by the bush administration. And I have a feeling now, after watching scotty not so hotty's bile filled lie fest about how badly he's going to harm all the children in this state and their teachers, librarians, etc. that someday very soon we're going to look at the bush years as paradise compared to the fascist hell awaiting to be inaugurated by the next psychopath in chief.

I never understood why the crybaby conservatives had such a problem with Governor Jim Doyle. It may just have been simple partisanship. Federalism is all well and good but as goes the nation, so go the states. In fact, states get hit far harder than the nation because they have more social responsibilities and must balance their budgets. The mobility of capital and ease that business can hold state governments hostage make governing very difficult for even capable statesmen. People are rightfully angry, life has been getting nothing but harder for a long time but when they vent their rage at the wrong target, the one party we have that actually believes in government and society, then it shouldn't be suprizing that what we get is worse. Republicans do go out of their way, and spend incredible amounts of money, obscuring this fact but there it is. This is the first time that I have seen it up close and personal just how much damage they can do at the state level. While they haven't won yet in crushing public sector unions, I don't hold out much hope that we the people can stop them.

When bush was squatting in the white house and working all of his evil, it seemed so remote. And for good reason, he was implementing fascism in a rather lowkey way, only politically aware people were threatened with being traitors and only those actually engaged were shouted down with the fury. Bank robbers coming in guns blazing in broad daylight makes for exciting television and movies, but is lousy for getting away with it. And that is what the bush m.o. was all about, ripping off the country for his corporate friends without a lot of attention. Sure it was blatant, and lots of people felt the hurt of budget cuts but a critical mass never really formed, even after public opinion turned but it was like shadowboxing, there was no way to really strike back at the robbers. That is to say nothing of the wars,  Maybe it is the closer scale in Wisconsin, or the fact that scotty targetted a group that actually is organized, publically sympathetic for all the non-sociopaths out there, and almost all of us benefit from teachers and all the victims. Here the connection between the robbery and the damage was a lot more visible too, if the thugs can get away with it here then we may as well just accept that democracy, freedom, and hope really are extinct.