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OpEdNews Op Eds    H4'ed 6/4/12

The Implications of Tomorrow's Recall Election in Wisconsin

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A little over two months ago a state panel set tomorrow as the date for the recall election of Republican Scott Walker, Governor of Wisconsin. The importance of this recall election can not be overstated, with implications not only in Wisconsin, but nationwide.

Walker's actions as governor, particularly his taking on the public unions in his state and stripping them of their long standing right to collective bargaining caused thousands to descend on the state capital, Madison and protest in the winter of 2011. Thousands more protested in the other 49 state capitals in solidarity with the teachers, firefighters, police and other public employees and their supporters in Wisconsin.

Walker, a recipient of Koch Bros. and other corporate financial backing in his 2010 run for the governorship has reportedly received some $25 million in Koch Bros. and other corporate funding to fend off the challenge by Democrat Milwaukee Mayor, Tom Barrett in tomorrow's recall election.

The latest polls are too close to call with only 3% undecided.

Two weeks ago a video was released showing Walker and a billionaire backer during his 2010 campaign openly discussing his intention to take on the public unions, cripple them on collective bargaining with the ultimate intent of destroying them completely and making Wisconsin a non-union right to work state. [1]    

So Walkers assault on the public service unions and their collective bargaining rights is really an assault on all the working men and women in Wisconsin.

If Walker is not recalled and retains the governorship, it will be a strong signal nationally for other governors that taking on the unions and collective bargaining in their states will be fair game, broadening the anti union corporatist push to destroy all unions, lowering wages, benefits and otherwise further decimating the middle class in this country.

Conversely, Walker's recall will give a strong impetus for public unions nationwide to fight to retain collective bargaining in their states and withstand the harsh austerity measures being inflicted on all states by the great recession, (this caused of course by the financial industry's meltdown in 2008 from packaging sub prime mortgage backed securities while knowingly and fraudulently selling them to unsuspecting state pension funds, public utilities and the like without the financial industry being held accountable for damage they created).

It is Walker and his ilk, that have benefitted from corporate largesse underwriting their electoral campaigns and once in office have gone after the public unions and collective bargaining and using them as the scapegoats rather than taking on and going after the real perpetrators, the fraudulent financial speculators that are responsible for causing the fiscal stress in the states.

That's the real scandal not only in Wisconsin but nationwide that has failed to be thoroughly and properly investigated by the Justice Department and the A.G.'s in the states.

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Dave Lefcourt Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Retired. The author of "DECEIT AND EXCESS IN AMERICA, HOW THE MONEYED INTERESTS HAVE STOLEN AMERICA AND HOW WE CAN GET IT BACK", Authorhouse, 2009
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