Lessons We Need to Take from Wisconsin

If you haven’t been following the Wisconsin flap, good for you but I see the dispute there as a microcosm of American politics today at every level. 

The problem in Wisconsin is the same as the problem at the federal level and in every other state.

1.      We have too much debt.

2.      We spend more than we take in.

3.      We have a crushing structural problem with unfunded liabilities.

4.      We have a temporary economic and unemployment situation that cries out for more support of our safety nets – I did not say entitlements.

These problems have been with us for some time and are the direct result of the failure of political leadership.  Perhaps you understand these points:

·         Legislators are now the product of radical political parties that taken together represent a minority of citizens – but a majority of voters.

·         Radical political leadership – inside and outside of government – is focused on their own ideology and their control of government to the exclusion of the interests of the community.

·         Radical political parties, opportunist legislators and political activists are expert at getting us to take sides, distracting our attention from core issues and providing cover for their corruption and incompetence.

Governor Walker took office on a wave of voter dissatisfaction and demands for fiscal reform.  Rather than focus on balancing the budget, Walker has created a national brouhaha – with the active help of Democrats and union leadership – that does nothing about our core problems.  It is not that he is wrong about the need to address public sector unions – even liberals agree that reform is needed there – the problem is that the governor’s approach is unnecessarily divisive and the issue is way down on the list of things that need immediate attention.  This is Nancy Pelosi politics.

We are now locked nationally in a battle about public sector unions when we should be talking about jobs, nation ruining fiscal structures and government competence. 

Even the President weighed in saying, "I don't think it does anybody any good when public employees are denigrated or vilified or their rights are infringed upon."  This is a classic piece of lawyerly conflation, red meat for his base and divisiveness for political gain.  Nobody has denigrated or vilified public employees but several governors are intent on weakening public sector union bargaining power, probably for political gain primarily.

Both sides think they can win the public opinion battle and both sides know that the flap will fatten their coffers – they’ll make even more money if they lose.  Who cares that people are out of work and the nation is broke?  Don’t you know that 2012 is coming?  “After that, we’ll get serious about our problems.”

There are now active recall campaigns going on in Wisconsin against legislators in both parties.  These, of course are all backed by the radicals that got us here and keep us here.  They are on the right track however.  Voters everywhere should vote all of these bums out of office – again and again, if necessary – until we find some legislators that represent our interests.