If not now when?

Today has been an insane day for me quite of few things have popped up and it has my head spinning but I can’t let this day end with out shouting in the darkness about what happened yesterday . Last night in a surprise move the Wisconsin Senate passed a bill stripping state unions of most of their rights. In an exercise of grand hypocrisy the measure was able to be passed because it has no fiscal impact. To get all biblical on you what happened last night was the hardening of the Pharaoh’s heart. I know this is melodramatic but my frustration on this is too raw. All across the country legislators are looking at two sets of obligations, one which hundreds of thousands of city/state workers have made a deal to work in an environment rife with bureaucracy, low wages, and high political and educational bars of competency for what, job security and health care. On the other side are obligations to banks bailed out after causing the worst fiscal crisis in 50 years. For some reason it is perfectly reasonable to argue that someone scrapping out a 100k dollar salary benefits included is living a life of excess and privilege, while someone making 500k a year not including bonuses is not even rich. Our national discussion about debt, deficits, and spending has so devolved that we are trying to plug a 1.3 trillion dollar shortfall by looking at making cuts to 530 billion dollars. We can’t raise taxes, we can’t end subsidies to the most profitable industry of all time(oil) we can’t enforce the rules regarding speculation on the price of food and fuel and now we can’t expect any measure of job security.

During the bailout we were told that we couldn’t claw back the billions in bonuses because it would violate contracts, and that violation would scare the “best and brightest” from the financial sector. Yet somehow scaring the best and brightest from the public sector seems like a smart move. Look I’m not saying we currently have the best and brightest in the public sector, but why would even the mediocre and competent stay in this environment. Teachers, Firefighters, and police officers are the most talked about, with good reason, but beyond them there is and entire horde of college educated, experience trained professionals working for the government. I’m talking scientist, engineers, lawyers, architects, accountants, and medical staff all working for the government making society as we know it possible. People complain about potholes, has anybody considered the logistics required to coordinate all that is necessary to repair all the road issues in a major metropolis. How about the revenue required to accomplish such a task.

What happened yesterday was Wisconsin’s government reneged on a deal, if they had reneged on the deal they made with the banks there would have been consequences, interest rates would rise and it would have made it more difficult to become whole. However there are consequences on reneging on workers too. By reneging on that deal there is one powerful consequence that should not be left unsaid. The workers still have the power to strike. If this is no longer a fiscal matter, then we are not talking about saving money we are talking about respecting the work done day in and day out by dedicated workers. If not now then when?

Solidarity #wiunion