State residents hardly can be surprised Walker wants to take drastic actions. He said as much in the campaign, but Walker didn’t make clear his plan included limiting the rights of most public employees to collectively bargain. And he should have.
…This newspaper, which endorsed the governor in his race against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, has a tradition of supporting fiscal conservatism on the local, state and national levels. We think Walker is on target in his intention to reduce a massive projected deficit. And frankly, it’s difficult to imagine every public employee union in the state would have agreed to the changes Walker seeks. Still, bypassing labor without even trying only muddies the waters.
…Walker’s line in the sand between groups of public employees was drawn deeper still with his announcement Feb. 11 that he’d readied the Wisconsin National Guard to respond as needed to any unrest. This disingenuous move to put the focus on working men and women, assuming they’d act out in a violent or unruly manner, reflects poorly on the state’s chief executive.
What we have seen is not violence, but rather a groundswell of protest and pro-union support, most of it peaceful — if heated — as Wisconsin’s budget woes take center stage here and on the national scene. We respect the voices of those protesting peacefully, even as we can’t help but wonder how many of the outraged bothered to cast a ballot during the November election.
From Green Bay Gazette editorial: Walker on target, but approach troubling
Great explanation, especially the first two paragraphs. The last paragraph is awkward – the part about wondering how many “bothered to cast a ballot…”. At first I thought GBPG was suggesting a person has no right to protest if they did not vote. But perhaps it was just a little kick in the pants, which would be appropriate. People do need to understand what they are voting FOR by NOT voting.