Stunned...

I just sitting here, listening to tonight's news, and I am stunned. I cannot think of a time when our government has disappointed me more. If you've been following the news, our governor, Scott Walker, has been trying to "balance the state budget" with a bill that effectively strips public workers of their right to collective bargaining. Call it what you will, it is a blatant attempt to bust the unions in Wisconsin and an attack on the working class and the Democratic party. Scott Walker is an idiot.

Our 14 Democratic State Senators have fled the state in an attempt to get the Republicans to negotiate. They remain in Illinois right now.

Today, the Republican Majority, called a session without a public notice (which is the LAW) and voted on a reformed bill - one that took out all of the actual financial aspect and only addressed the collective bargaining issue. They passed this bill. This, after Gov. Walker spending the last two week LYING about the reasoning behind the bill and trying to get us all to think it was always about the budget. Sickening. Absolutely sickening.

Now I am a bright woman. I know that sometimes in order to keep state spending in tow there has to be some concessions made and even some programs changed or even cut. But I also don't think it is the snow plow driver or school teacher's right to collective bargaining that is messing up the budget. The unions offered to make the suggested financial concessions but Walker would not have it.

I am stunned. This is also happening in other states right now. In Indiana, Democratic senators have also gone into hiding in an attempt to stop a quick vote and a hope there can be some negotiation. It's happening in Ohio, Iowa, and other union friendly states. This is an attack on the middle class in America. It is our own government starting a class war. And doing it in the name of "budget reform".

I am proud of Sen. Bob Wirch and Rep. Peter Barca who are my representative. Sen. Wirch is somewhere in Illinois right now. Rep. Barca stood up during the vote and was shouted down by the Senate Majority Leader. If you haven't seen the video of that moment do look it up. It is a brave and angry man in the face of total governmental disregard.

Time will tell how this plays out. I can tell you there are recall petitions being swung on both sides but overwhelmingly, I have heard only that everyone is outraged by the actions of our governor and these Republican leaders who do not seem to want to listen to the thousands of people who have been protesting at our state capitol for a month now. Apparently, the voice of the people means nothing when you are in the hallowed majority. Well, shame on them. Shame. Recalls are coming and true Democracy will be back.