Curmudgeon's Corner

Elections Have Consequences

Posted by Al Campbell on March 10, 2011

Wisconsin, Political, Quality of Life

We have each been witness, to the degree we’ve desired, to a significant chapter in the history of our state over the past many weeks.  We have watched as one side abdicated its responsibilities and chose, instead, to leave the state in some form of self-induced exile.  We have watched as the other side finally chose to initiate what some will call a ‘nuclear’ option in the vote taken last evening by the Senate to approve a recast bill that significantly erodes the rules that govern organized labor in the public sector.  There is no ‘right’ to organize in the public sector; there is a ‘privilege’ to organize that is granted, if desired, by the populace.

Today will see the Assembly taking up the same bill.  There will be debate but there can be no amendments as was the root cause of the extended 61 hour Assembly ‘debate’ a few weeks ago.  The Republicans have the necessary votes so it would seem passage is a foregone conclusion.  The Democrats will likely try to establish that this entire action was illegal under the rules of the Senate; that may or may not be the case but I suspect the Senate Clerk, whose job it is to monitor these things, was correct in ruling this could go forward in the manner it did.

This may well work to engage more people in recall efforts, if they can be more engaged than already seems the case.  The recall efforts affect both sides of the aisle but seem more organized by and funded by outside groups in the case of those trying to oust Republicans.  If we have learned anything, it is that Democrats are better at this kind of thing than are the Republicans.  The grass roots arena has once again defaulted to the Democrats to the dismay, I’m sure, of many Republicans.

I am reminded of the phrase invoked by many after candidate Obama was elected to be President Obama.  The phrase was, and is, “elections have consequences”.  That saw blade cuts in both directions and we are being reminded of that now.  It is viewed differently by the side that lost, even though that might seem hypocritical.  It is reality; when one ‘wins’, everything seems wonderful; when one ‘loses’, nothing seems wonderful.

We are now soon to be facing the aftermath of this thing I’ll call a political debacle.  It was a debacle because the government of and by the people was not permitted to function as it was conceived to do no matter who held the majority.  The idea that whiny members of one party thought they could win by removing themselves from the debate is ludicrous.  I don’t care which party that was; it is ludicrous whenever it is invoked and should not be tolerated by us voters.  Maybe we need to be looking at some form of state constitution amendment to preclude such shenanigans from occurring again.  Once that genie is let out of the bottle, nothing is ever the same again.  Don’t be surprised if this gambit is played again.

We still do not have a budget repair bill, and we have yet to see the debate concerning the actual biennial budget bill.  There are huge financial holes that have to be dealt with and that doesn’t happen if one or the other house of government is rendered impotent by some of its members.

It is way past time for adults to take over, but I fear this charade will continue because it gives those who thrive on such things the ‘bully pulpit’.  National groups should not be permitted by us Wisconsin citizens to influence the actions our elected representatives take.  This is our state, not their state.

It is time we make that statement loudly and clearly.