A review of this week's protests

A quick review of this week's events on Political Heat. I have never been more proud of my hometown. Fight on, working men and women of the state -- SOLIDARITY.

(Dictator) Scott Walker kicks unions out, changes state workers' bargaining rights (February 12, 2011)

What Walker is essentially saying is that, rather than come up with a package that will be agreeable, at least to some extent, between both government leaders and the union that represents government workers (from teachers to snow plow drivers to prison guards), he will instead come up with his own package without any input from the very workers he employs as governor of this state.

Simply put, it's Dictator Walker's decision, and ONLY his decision, which matters. State workers can only depend upon his benevolence to have a decent wage, pension or health care plan.

Walker ignores other options, puts burden on public service employees (February 13, 2011)

Walker isn't considering any of these ideas, nor any other like them. It's simply cut, cut, cut. Such an attitude does little to change our state's financial crisis, and does NOTHING to fix the people's personal economic difficulties. If fixing the economy AND the budget are goals of the Walker administration, why does Walker think that worsening economic conditions for public service employees will help families across the state?

Stand up for the rights of public service workers (Dane101) (February 14, 2011)

They’re the people in our state who do the grunt work, who serve the people not for the glamour, not for the pay, but for the belief that what they do benefits the greater public good. They’re the people we think of when we need help, when we cannot fend for ourselves, when our loved ones need more assistance than we’re able to shell out on our own.

To reward them for their hard work, for the sacrifices they make every day working a mostly thankless job, Scott Walker has determined that their contributions to their pensions and health care benefits should go up, to nearly one-fifth of their total wages. Because they chose such noble professions, our governor has decided that it’s their backs that the burden of balancing the budget ought to be placed upon.

Scott Walker tramples upon workers' rights (February 15, 2011)

Is this the leader the state elected? There have been no negotiations made, no agreements passed, between state workers and the government. Striking a blow to five decades of precedent, this governor has decided that it’s his rule that matters, and if public service employees don’t like it, that’s tough. His behavior is barely shy of dictatorial.

Pictures of today's rally (February 15, 2011)

What these protests mean (February 17, 2011)

...the protests of this week give us something to believe in again. In Madison, I'm reminded that the people haven't lost hope, haven't given up on the ideal that the American dream is still alive, that an employed man or woman can provide for their family and ensure security in their lives through their employment. Win or lose this battle, fellow Wisconsinites (and Americans elsewhere), our voices cannot be silenced so long as we stand united.

Ours is a noble, just cause -- and one which must not end this week, nor this month, nor this year. It's a cause that's worth defending for generations to come -- the cause of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Salute Runaway Dems (February 17, 2011)

Our state’s Democrats are doing the right thing. They understand that a vote is imminent; they realize that their fight is probably going to be lost. But they also know that within some fights, principles must be preserved, values of how we govern and how we treat one another ought to be respected.

Scott Walker trampled on those values when he stripped public employees of their collective bargaining rights, a move that violated more than fifty years of precedent. The move by Democrats to prevent this precedent from being established, to prevent the rights of workers to be denied, is just.