In a game of "chicken," two vehicles head straight at each other...the goal being to see who will chicken out first and turn to avoid a collision. However, this is a very risky game to play when your opponent has no intention of turning away... and is driving a steamroller.
Which is exactly what Wisconsin's runaway Democrats are finding out. The Wisconsin State Senate, eager to get back to the long-delayed work of the voters, has approved a resolution saying that the runaway state Senators can be held guilty of "contempt of the Senate" and "disorderly conduct."
Which means they can be picked up by law enforcement, "held against their will, chained, and brought back to the Senate chambers to vote" on Governor Walker's budget balancing bill.
Of course, they don't have to vote at all...all they need to do is be "present," much like a certain former state senator from Illinois who remains, to this day, rather commitment-phobic.
Frankly, we're hoping that the Democrats don't do anything mature and respectable like returning to their duties voluntarily. After they've cause so much trouble, we think it's only fair that we get to see them dragged into the Senate chambers wearing chains and handcuffs, while kicking and screaming.
Ideally while the Senate Republicans sing the "Bad Boys" theme from COPS.
"While you were gone, we put in new seats for you."
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28 comments:
So, you're hinting they're stock's gone up?
Detroit Pete, Good one!!
As I mentioned before I am in a union and if I went missing for two weeks or more I would be fired for not protecting my job and seniority. Actually it's only five days. And there is nothing the union could do about it. They would go along with the company.
I seem to recall something.. um .. yeah, it's called a "contract"
So shameful our government is full of people with some sort of immature,irresponsible, grade-school mentality!
It's always great to see Repubs that are dismissive of any constitutional elements that don't fit their myopic world view, or don't let them give handouts to their buddies.
The Wisconsin Constitution specifically states that Lawmakers, while in session, are exempted from arrest and civil process except in the case of treason, felony, or breach of the peace. The WI Dems have done nothing wrong, except for stop Republican activity which they feel is counter to the interest of the public.
The conservative Rasmussen Report has even shown these numbers, where 60% of Wisconsonians do not believe that public unions should lose the right to collectively bargain. This is because the only reason that the unions need to lose the right to collectively bargain, is because after coming into office, the Governor decided that instead of making the annual Wisconsin debt payment, he handed out an equal amount of tax breaks to the people who got him elected, and then setting the tab at the table of the public workers.
But you know, constitutions only matter when you think they're on your side.
Stupid Wisconsonian: "Disorderly conduct" is a "breach of the peace". You're welcome.
Well, about time. And I'd be equally disgusted even if I were more sympathetic to their politics.
Elections have consequences.
As to 'StupidWisconsonian', these soon-to-be-arrested-personalities might be immune if they were in session. But, um, they're NOT ' in session', they're a state away from the session, by choice.
And would somebody who embraces this notion (that it's just fine for any one faction to paralyze 'democracy' by boycotting their own elected duties and holding hostage the entire legislative process) please explain why this isn't a disastrous concept that should be nipped in the bud now? After every national election, should whichever party loses its majority abscond en masse to Mexico/Canada/Ibiza for the duration? Should they refuse to allow Congress to convene and issue ultimatums from hiding? Should incoming/outgoing Presidents adopt the same tantrum tactics?
Angry Hoosier Dad- You beat me to it. Apparently StupidWisconsonian's parents knew what they were doing when they choosing names.
Additionally, it's interesting to hear how a liberal frames the situation. Walker "handed out an equal amount of tax breaks to the people who got him elected". Yes, he gave tax breaks to businesses to help create jobs...which in turn creates (surprise!) more taxpayers.
And keep in mind, StupidWisconsonian, that giving "tax breaks" to business simply means that they pay less (leaving more of their own capital for the costs of business). It does not mean that they're receiving actual cash handouts of the kind that your alleged president has enjoyed giving to political cronies and cherry-picked industries (solar shingles, anyone?)
If the voters were pissed off last time, just wait until the next time around.
The other day, I heard some New York Times reporter on NPR waxing poetic about some survey that reported that 64% of Wisconsin citizens said they were willing to pay higher taxes to support state worker benefits.
Really? I have to wonder how that question was asked.
I'm willing to bet anything that it wasn't "Would you be willing to pay higher sales, property and income taxes so that state workers can have free Viagra?"
Andrew- We posted at the same time, but I wanted to give you a "thumbs up" for a nice summary of the ridiculous situation we'd be in if "fleedom" replaced "freedom."
John the Econ- Okay, now YOU posted at the same time I was posting to Andrew (apparently we all have coffee at the same time).
Like you, I'm highly skeptical of poll results (unless I can really examine how the question was asked) and I'd love to hear the results of a poll using your beautifully phrased question.
Stupid Wisconsonian sounds an awful lot like Stupid Liberal doesn't she? By the way, tell me exactly why teachers working for the government NEED a union? Who is the big evil corporation they need protection from? Liberals all worship at the alter of government. Mindlessly doing whatever they are told. Most of the protestors in WI don't even know why they are there. When asked on camera how they would benefit from this protest not one gave a cogent, coherent response. But in their defense they were probably all high.
Robert, in all fairness, the 3 or 4 people who were protesting and actually coherent may not have been interviewed, or the responses clipped because the silly stoner types are much better TV. Certainly the guy w/ the white beard and snowy ball cap (Bumbles BOUNCE!) or the one in the Yeti suit were priceless!
The Tea Party has been invaluable as an organized (sorta) effort to bring attention to the fact of how corruptly our government operates...time to trim the fat, we got a few new horses in the barn, lets keep it going!
Detroit Pete,
Bumbles BOUNCE!, Oh my God!!That made me laugh out loud. That was perfect.
Thank you!
Hoosier-
Breach of the Peace:A doctrine used to prevent aggressive and vengeful lawmakers and executives from arresting members of the legislature under a pretext to prevent them from taking actions that might be found displeasing.
So clearly, they are protected, constitutionally, from the sort of legislative quackery that the Repubs and Teabaggers in WI are trying to pull.
Stil-
I always seem to forget that completely obvious maxim. Less taxes means more jobs. That's why Ohio, where corporate taxes where abolished, is doing better then ever before. Wait, that's completely incorrect. They have a 9.5% unemployment rate and their own budget crisis that they're dealing with.
The tax break handouts where already figured into the WI general operating fund, so when he handed them out, that money had to come from somewhere and it came from making the annual debt payment. That doesn't sounds like fiscal responisbility to me.
Soldiers would be court martialed and face possible jail time for this behavior. People like me would have been fired weeks ago.
Sorry, I don't care WTF they are voting on, these pathetic brats should be in Madison doing their jobs or should be sent packing, or even to jail. They were elected by a trusting public to work, not to hide like like Bin Laden.
StupidWisconsonian,
If Rebublicans had done this during the Obamacare vote, you would have gone ape shit, wouldn't you? You would have been screaming bloody murder, and neo-journalists like Olbermann or Matthews would be flinging spittle at the cameras.
There was a time when unions were vital to the fair treatment of the common worker, but sorry dude (dudette?), the REAL working class does not make 75 bucks an hour to sit on their asses after their quota has been met. We have to work all day, AND we have to (GASP!) pay for part or all of our benefits. The gravy train MUST end or our country will become another Greece, or worse, another Libya.
Colby,
I agree with you. I would have had a huge issue with republicans staging a walkout. I had a big issue with the republican filibusters during healthcare reform. Doesn't mean I disagree with their legal right to do such things.
Teachers, librarians, trash collectors, and toll collectors don't have quotas. I'm not sure where you got that idea from but it, and the fact that these public workers make $75 an hour is absurd. The average WI teacher makes just under $30 in pay an hour, that's including an average take home income of 45K, 8 monthes of work at 50 hours a week.
Lastly, there's no gravy train! The situation in Greece is completely different then what is happening here. In Greece, HAIR STYLISTS got 6 weeks a year of vacation time and government retirement at age 58. No one in their right mind is asking for that here in the states. And speaking of Libya, that's disgusting. Despite how much I dislike your political beliefs and thing that the teabagger philosophy is hypocritical, I know that neither Repubs or Dems will ever start killing protestors en masse to keep a regime going. The fact that you can compare American freedom to Libyan tyranny shows the little respect and understanding you have for the great freedoms and protections we have here in the US.
I'm getting really tired of all the talk from the left about Walker trampling on public worker rights. There has been no mention of all the Civil Service protections these employees have and will continue to keep. Seniority will still rule the day. Managment will continue to find it very difficult to fire poor performers or discipline rule breakers. The real fight in Wisconsin comes from the union leaders over automatic dues deduction. In this circle jerk, state and local governments are required to take money from public employee paychecks (whether the employee likes it or not) to give to the unions to spend on electing politicians who will vote for the higher taxes to pay the benefits demanded by unions. Unions know that they cannot survive if they have to collect the fees themselves.
Stupid (I'm skipping your middle and last names to conserve energy) - Way to completely misunderstand (or misrepresent) the "Breach of the Peace" argument. Your quotation isn't in the Constitution, it's merely an interpretation. The actual Constitutional language specifically denies immunity for "Breach of the Peace" - which includes (surprise!) Disorderly Conduct. And so your runaway anti-democracy Democrats are guilty as charged, and fully liable under the law. Next case, bailiff!
As far as "Less taxes mean more jobs," yeah - that's part of the equation but not the whole equation. Lowering taxes on businesses helps, but it's not a magic bullet. However, the obverse is quite uncomplicated: more taxes on business mean fewer jobs. Don't believe me? Let's keep an eye on Illinois, whose business economy is set to plummet as soon as the Wisconsin 14 have to turn in their credit cards and stop ordering room service.
You assert "The money had to come from somewhere" which seems to presuppose that the government owns all of everyone's money, and so failing to take some of it means that "it has to come from somewhere." No it doesn't. It means that states and countries need to stop spending money that they don't have. Being unable to control your spending habits is not a license to steal more.
As far as public employees in Wisconsin go, you can cry me a river about how tough they have it. You say the average teacher makes $45K in "take home." Nice weasel-wording. Because they average $74,843 once you figure in their boatload of benefits. Suddenly that grueling 8-month work year doesn't sound so bad, does it? And it's surprising how far $45k will go when you don't have to spend a dime of it on all of the expenses the rest of us have.
Finally, you tickle my funny bone when you suddenly start saluting the flag and talking about the great freedoms and protections we have here in the US. After all, your alleged president has just renewed the Patriot Act (and made it larger, and more invasive) which you liberal shmuckwads previously said had ended freedom as we know it. But under Obama, Napolitano, and Eric "Black Panthers are MY PEOPLE" Holder, the Patriot Act is some great stuff, huh? No loss of freedoms after all!
Seriously, Stupid - it's like you don't know anything about anything.
Earl- Yes, exactly. Following the money trail answers the questions and simplifies what the fight is really about. The public sector unions are against democracy in their ranks... and against the taxpayers and voters, which makes them anti-democracy in general.
"Stupid..." and all the other liberals would be absolutely screaming bloody murder if the Republicans of ANY state legislature were to do what the Demo_rats in WI and IN (and elsewhere?) are doing. I don't recall the US Senate Republicans filibustering Obamacare, but even if they did, at least they were THERE doing it. I'm reminded of the poster from ThePeoplesCube.com with Barack Hussein as Uncle Sam saying "I want YOU to shut the hell up! Dissent is only patriotic when WE do it!"
..just follow the trail of manure.
Priceless!
Classic! Keep up the great work!!
Steve
Common Cents
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com
Message to the 14:
Dear Whiners,
Elections have consequences; do the job you were elected to do or resign.
A note on taxes: You can't really "tax" a business. Any and all taxes on a business are simply passed on to the consumer. It's a leftist fantasy that business will always "absorb" higher business taxes. Where do they think the money to pay for those taxes ultimately comes from? It's not the business owner, but the consumer. Raises the taxes to a point to where the consumer will no longer buy the product, and the business will cease, or, as we've have been seeing much of lately, move elsewhere.
I still want to know who the teachers need protection from?
John the Econ- Good point. When costs to a business go up, those costs are passed along to consumers. Anyone doubting this simple equation obviously hasn't purchased gasoline recently.
Robert- The teachers are unionized to protect them from their demanding, evil, and unreasonable employers: taxpayers.
That the Teabaggers and their ilk are beginning to overstep themselves by believing that they are anything but a small minority. Their tactics expose their agenda and their lack of devotion to the Constitutional process. And think this will lead to a self inflicted disaster for them, but it is by no means a sure thing. Hitler parlayed a vote of 34% and the backing of corporate interests into becoming a dictator. Anyone who thinks Walker, Palin, Gingrich and the lot wouldn’t be emulative of Hitler is naive.
Atlanta Roofing- Thank you for the thoughtful post which so eloquently reminds all of us to keep deadbolt locks on our doors because some people (apparently in Atlanta) don't take their medications as often as the doctor recommends.
The Tea Party "tactics" you refer to pretty much begin and end with going to the ballot box. And that "small minority" just put a new party in charge of the House of Representatives (and wait until you see what this teeny-weeny group accomplishes in 2012!)
By the way, last time I looked, accomplishing your goals by voting pretty much defines the Constitutional process, as opposed to running to another state, causing millions of dollars of destruction to public buildings, or threatening to kill your opponents like at least one Democrat recently did (see today's cartoon commentary and link).
Also, I've got to ask - if you're in the roofing business, are you getting any of that swell "solar shingle" money that Obama is giving away? Apparently anyone with a triple-digit IQ can get a pretty sizeable handout. So if you didn't, well...just remember that when you're nailing shingles, the pointy end of the nail goes down.
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