"In a Democracy, people get.........

"In a Democracy, people get the government they deserve." Alexis de Tocqueville

But wait, those of us that live in Wisconsin, surely don't deserve what has befallen us. Do we? The answer to that, is .....yes. Joanne Kloppenberg was about to lose to David Prosser in the State Supreme Court race by a gigantic margin--probably 2-1. Then the budget protests started and people who knew nothing about that election got involved and almost, almost, just nearly barely, pulled out a win for Kloppenberg. Oh, so close that 7000+ votes hidden from view on election night turned the tide and a win for Prosser. Oh well, maybe we'll try again next time.

The next time is near, very near. What is at stake? The entire future direction of Wisconsin is at stake. Gov. Scott Walker and his majority of Republicans in both houses of the state Congress just passed a budget bill that, and this is from Republican leaning new outlets, cuts aid to public schools, promotes money for private schools, cuts aid to the poorest in Wisconsin, forces public employees to hand back some of their pay, attacks unions (both public and private) and gives tax breaks (read lots of money) to businesses and the richest in Wisconsin. What paved the way for this? The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that, essentially,the bill passed by Republicans was legal and that the lower court that ruled that the Republicans had violated Wisconsin's open meeting law and invalidated the law was wrong and overturned that decision. Do you have to even ask which side of the 4-3 decision David Prosser was on? (By the way, Prosser wrote a separate majority opinion that basically says that regarding legislative rules, if the legislature violates one of its rules, that in effect, changes the rule. True. Read it.)

So what is the next opportunity for changing things? Oh, that is very near. Oops, maybe not as close as you might like. There were going to be recall elections July 12th. Six Republicans and three Democrats were to face a mid-term re-election challenge. But the Republicans decided that they could delay these elections if there were too many candidates in the election and that election was changed into a primary election instead of a final election. So, they got Republicans to gather enough signatures to run as a Democrat, forcing a Democratic primary on July 12th and pushing the main election back to August. This would give Republicans more time to mount a defense (read money) of their seats and more time for time passage, in that as time passes, voters will lose steam and fervor over what brought about the recall elections in the first place.

If you are now thinking "Oh, good I can sit back and wait to vote until August.", you need to change your thinking. Recalling six Republicans takes money and volunteers. Those are needed now. Money is needed to combat big Republican money which is coming in large amounts. Volunteers are needed for canvassing and phone calls. There are also three Democrats that are defending themselves against a recall election. They need the same things, money and volunteers. What is at stake? Walker's agenda is not done. Changing Wisconsin to a "Right to work state" which threatens all unions and threatens all workers' salaries will be coming soon. Tapping into the Wisconsin Retirement System pension fund that is doing quite well is on the agenda. Giving corporations and businesses even more incentives (read money back to them) for running a business in Wisconsin is definitely going to be emphasized. Redrawing congressional districts to favor Republicans is coming up soon too. Challenge anything Walker does and the State Supreme Court will back Walker up. What is at stake? Check out the importance of the Prosser election and the 4-3 conservative majority on the state Supreme Court. What else could be done? Look for social changes that would douse same sex unions, restrictions on abortions, including health care for the poor, support for religions that may not be yours (besides support for religious, private schools via vouchers), restrictions on voting (already here), further cutbacks to education, increases to college tuition, and, and, and.....

The recall elections need a Democratic sweep to change Madison, to stop the radical agenda that has already been passed and will be pushed for in the future. Some are waiting for a recall effort on Scott Walker, which cannot occur until he has been in office for at least one year, or next January. Waiting until then will allow an unfettered reign by Walker and the Republicans to push through anything....anything....anything for the next eight months.

ABSOLUTE POWER

Many people believe that if the executive branch is controlled by one party, the legislature should be, at least, partly controlled by the other party. That is not the case for the next two years if nothing changes. The Republicans have absolute power and a Supreme Court to back them up. "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely..."--Lord Acton

In a Democracy, people get the government they deserve. What do you deserve? If you deserve better, act! If you haven't liked the past six months, you will hate the next 18 months.

Get the real government you deserve.