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By demonizing pleasure, we set ourselves up for unfulfilling sex lives.
Opinion: Let’s talk about sex
Published March 27, 2024

Walker should take a hike

Wisconsin’s proposed anti-union bill pits government and corporations against workers.

The Wisconsin state Legislature is making a power grab in the name of economic austerity and demonstrating its corruption.

On Jan. 31, the Legislature created a $137 million deficit by giving tax breaks to corporations. Following this, a bill designed to deny public sector union workers rights to negotiate working conditions was introduced.

This bill would reduce the stateâÄôs tax base âÄî how does that help balance the state budget? ItâÄôs a bad bargain that doesnâÄôt pass the smell test.

Even though public union workers are willing to make concessions, the Republican majority in the Wisconsin Assembly voted to take away workersâÄô rights to bargain for fair working conditions and benefits.

President John F. Kennedy gave the right for public employees to have unions through an executive order in 1962. Since then, states have written legislation that supports this and have become obligated to bargain in good faith with unions. Contracts with unions have been negotiated and signed by both public employers and public employee unions.

In good economic times, public unions have had good benefits. But state governments failed to maintain adequate reserves during the good times for times like these.

How far will these legislators go once they have reneged on contracts with people who help keep the state government running? What is next? Would they dismantle the civil service system? They could pick organizations off one by one.

If unions are eliminated, there would be no threat of workers unionizing to keep wages and working conditions up for nonunion workers.

The people of the world are watching this.

In North African countries, oppressed people are attempting to throw off their tyrannical governments. In Egypt, agitators were employed to disrupt peaceful demonstrations. These people are exercising their right to protest against a corrupt government.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker admitted to Ian Murphy, a journalist from the Buffalo Beast who posed as David Koch âÄî a large donor to WalkerâÄôs campaign âÄî that he had discussed putting plants in the crowd of protesters to turn public opinion against them.

Walker has already harmed WisconsinâÄôs economy by creating an immense budget deficit. Raising taxes for people who are wealthy must have been out of the question.

IsnâÄôt it the duty of elected officials to represent the best interest of the people, not just corporations?

The middle class pays most of the taxes. Corporations have been shrinking the middle class by shipping jobs out of the country. This has reduced peopleâÄôs taxable income and therefore the tax revenue that pays for projects that build and maintain public infrastructure.

Destabilizing public employee unions will certainly promote labor unrest. Financial instability is likely to follow in the form of more bankruptcies and mortgage defaults. PeopleâÄôs lives are involved here. Now the governor is callously threatening to lay off workers.

LetâÄôs not forget these words from the Declaration of Independence: “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these [unalienable rights], it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.”

Boycotting these legislatorsâÄô corporate donors seems a good way to use the power of people to undermine these jerks.

Once again, politicians are attempting to dupe the public into thinking they would benefit from legislation that is against their own interest.

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