On Tuesday, 03/01/2011 as Governor Scott Walker introduced his budget bill that will damage Wisconsin Schools, take away from those less fortunate and will reward the rich and the powerful, citizens were denied entry to their State Capitol by a barricade of concrete, fences, state troopers and many other law enforcement officers. It was absolutely appalling to see what Governor Walker is doing to the citizens of Wisconsin.
As a former U.S. Army military police officer, former county sheriff''s officer and a retired state trooper I was so angry at what I was observing that I even considered being disobedient for the simple reason of screaming for "democracy and fairness". What actually restrained me from doing so was not the professional demeanor and appearance of my former colleagues of the Wisconsin State Patrol, but rather the restraint being shown by the thousands of Wisconsinites, comprised of doctors, nurses, teachers (who rushed to the protest immediately after school), law enforcement officers, fire fighters, correctional officers, probation & parole agents, social workers, psychologists, clerical workers, blue collar workers, steel workers, builders, electricians, plumbers, students and so on that displayed their frustration of being shut out of their government at work, but they did so in a peaceful manner.
This Governor and Legislative Majority are dismissing the protesters as mostly from "out-of-state" and now are defying a court order to open the State Capitol to the people. Governor Walker has a reputation from his days as County Executive of Milwaukee County to "divide and conquer" the people he is suppose to represent. Even in his political arena he is known to communicate threats to those close to him to remind them, "you are either with me or against me." He will tell those who choose to be the latter just what he will do to crush them if that is their choice.
I am ready to tumble this "Dictator". I hope you are as well.
We now know that here in Wisconsin we will probably not see bipartisanship in our legislature for years to come. The republican majority have lost the trust of their democratic minority and a great number of Wisconsinites. The republican majority is also showing all Wisconsinites just what it will look like with regards to an employer - employee relationship in the workplace without collective bargaining. The republican majority is withholding the pay of democratic senators and has threatened withholding the pay of legislative staff employed by the senate democrats and they have even gotten so petty as to restrict copy machine access to democratic legislative staffers who are still trying to handle their daily activities of serving the people of their legislative district.
Governor Walker and the Republican Majority are like the selfish kids on the block who will not share their toys and they own the block through their "bully" tactics. They are also like the selfish kid who constantly changes the rules because the game is not going quite their way.
Let me close with this message to Governor Walker and the Wisconsin Republican Majority; when you become the party of taking rights from citizens and you deny less fortunate people of critical assistance and you attempt to pit one group of people against another group of people for the purpose of fighting your battles so you can remain safe and clean, you will become the political party of the minority and it will take you quite sometime to regain trust with the voters.
Posted by Steven Williams
Political Legislative Coordinator
AFSCME Council 24 AFL-CIO
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