The Protests that Failed Miserably - Unions march on Wisconsin - with 300,000 union members in the state - (after having drop out option), crowds bolstered by out-of-state interests (Photo Politico
New York Times: With 99% of the precincts reporting in, Scott Walker has won the Organized Labor backed Recall, making history as the only Governor to survive such a challenge. No matter how one parses the recall effort by Organized Labor, the sheer magnitude of Walker’s win in Wisconsin is a clear indicator of how tired the nation is of left of center politics, big government and the tax and spending that goes along with the whole kit-n-caboodle. Walker received 53.2 percent of the vote, compared to Democrat Tom Barret’s 46.3%, a third candidate, Hari Trivedi won .6% of the vote, giving Walker a clear victory with 6.9% of the vote (at 99% reporting). (New York Times statistics - see county by county graphic.)
County by Country Wisconsin turned Red - Graphic from NYTimes
Understanding the make-up of Wisconsin in political speak, one sees similarities in the political landscape that makes Wisconsin a sister-state to other “liberal” leaning states such as Massachusetts. In other words, they should have seen it coming – but blinded by political ideology and a sense of entitlement and the inflated value of union organizations, the left pressed on and hit the brick wall of reality - and the people who vote. The entire effort began when Walker offered the state employees, the option of opting out of union membership – and passed a law giving union members said option. It was a call to arms as union and Democrat activists from across the nation flooded the State of Wisconsin Capital to protest, the Democrat State Legislators fled the state to nearby Illinois in order to avoid casting votes (which they did not have a majority so – to whit it was more for show), - it was a circus culminating in an effort by Unions and State and national Democrats to recall the Governor because he had the nerve to offer people a choice.
Apparently, Organized Labor has missed a few clues along the way that they are not the most popular group in the nation – In a “Trust in Institutions” poll by Gallup, Unions or organized labor, received an approval of 19%, right behind televised news at 23%, public schools at 38% and ahead of Congress at 17% - the most trusted institutions: The Military, Small Business, Organized Religion and the Police. The poll was conducted in July of 2010, prior to the 2010 elections, and one can bet the house, that the situation has not improved. There is a general distrust of Organized Labor and the media, that pervade a larger percentage of the nation, than one would, at first glance consider.
However, the truth is in the proverbial pudding: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, once the law allowed individuals to choose between a Union or no 16,000 dropped the union, leaving Wisconsin with 339,000 union employees – that’s a 14 plus % loss since 2010. In addition:
The Unions’ as lobbyists “At $10.75 million, We Are Wisconsin, a political action committee largely funded by Washington-based unions, spent the most of any special interest group during the 2011 recalls, according to the liberal-leaning Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which tracks campaign spending.”
And finally, the rub: ”And therein lies the rub for many union critics, who say unions’ role in protecting workers’ rights has eroded, replaced by greed on behalf of union members — which, in the case of public unions, comes at the expense of taxpayers.
According to the BLS, on average, the country’s public sector union workers earned $153 more per week last year than their non-union counterparts — $922 instead of $769.”(The Quincy Wisconsin Journal).
What the Labor Leaders (degreed professionals) missed was the fact that the nation has been paying attention, and when offered a choice between paying union dues, most of which goes to political causes, or not – some members (or 14% in this case) opted out of paying those “dues”.
In a nutshell: Walker is also a credit to the State – there’s been an increase in jobs, a decrease in personal taxes, and there’s a balanced budget – in other words, he’s doing his job as Govenor, and the recall was merely a nuisance propagated by out-of-state union organizers who put the state of Wisconsin through a costly recall – the people rejected the effort, case closed (Of course, the case is never closed with the ideologically challenged).
One can, no matter what part of the nation, find those who are weary of the Government Spending, the Debt and Deficit, the way the nation in general is in a malaise, and finally, the people are tired of being treated like idiots. From news organizations that believe they are peoples only outlets, to repetitive chants from labor and committed ideologues (politicians and the press that adores them), it is, what it is – rejection.
Finally, it does not matter if one is form the left or the right, what matters is this rejection is final and complete – the populace in general have had it, and Wisconsin is, in this estimation the first clue as to what is coming in the general election. It is not so much that on the Presidential contest that Romney is perfect – what counts in the minds of the general voter is that Romney is not Obama. Romney is a careful centrist Conservative, while the President is more left of center, and not ashamed (nor should he be) of his ideology – (except when on the campaign trail in Middle America). Therefore Romney, by character, will not appeal to those who are “far right” – but he’ll have their vote, but he will appear to those who are centered, and those include old time Democrats in the Clinton mold. What has happened, in spite of the press making excuses for the President (Read: Politico article here) and fawning over a “rock star” instead of a President, is that the people rejected the policy while no one apparently was paying attention, and as a result the entire brand. Apparently, no one was paying attention in Wisconsin either, and the results are evident.
End notes: Although a proud daughter of a Union Organizer, (Amalgamated Meat Cutters), and a union member at one time (International Ladies Garment Workers), it was glaringly apparent to anyone with a pulse, even in the 1970’s that labor organizers served a purpose, when it came to employment and conditions that were so desperate for some that Unions offered a “safe haven” from dangerous occupations – then Acts were passed and regulations, such as OSHA, which mandated safety in factories, while the factories began to disappear for more appealing (lower tax) nations, so went the unions and members who actually needed a union. Today, with few exceptions (firefighters, police, first responders, anyone working in meat-packing, need a union, not to be the political mouthpiece of a particular party, but to take those dues and make those members who serve their state or city, or where conditions are dangerous, and ensure their trust by taking care of their members in realistic terms. There are other unions, however, that appear to be redundant – anyone with a desk job, for example, in the real world, stands in danger of getting a paper cut, or fired if they fail to perform, therefore, those government employee unions, and teachers unions are somewhat ridiculous – as are unions protecting sports figures who make salaries that are beyond six figures.
It is the Teachers Unions specifically that are of most interest, specifically due to the ability for incompetent teachers to gain tenure, while competent teachers are hamstrung by union rules from advancing, both in terms of economics and privileges. Giving teachers nationwide the opportunity to opt out of not one, but two unions, would serve both the state and local governments as the dwindling numbers that would come with an option, would produce competent and competitive teachers – better serving our children, rather than, as the recent case seen around the world – an ideologically challenged teacher screeching at a student for not agreeing with her politically with no basic of facts to back up her diatribe. (Tenure: suspended with pay). video here – suspended, on the tax-payers dime, and obviously teaching a political ideology rather than teaching. It is no wonder, therefore, that there is a direct correlation between the emergence in Philadelphia of the Teacher’s Union and test scores declining with the growth of organized labor’s in the nation’s schools. There simply are no standards – when it comes to competence and it shows. Not all teachers, by any means, are “bad teachers” – in fact, one would hazard to guess the majority are there fighting tooth and nail to educate the nations children’s, despite the insanity – and despite the yolk of organized labor hanging about their necks.
Wisconsin today, the nation in November, it will be the people, not the ideologies from either side, who stand up and decide which way the government will run in the future – those are the middle of the road sensible non-blinded by either side of the aisle, individuals who voted to give Scott Walker the ability to continue his term as Governor.
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