Today I'm going to walk you through an analysis of the logic behind protesting the Budget Repair bill that I think anyone regardless of political orientation can follow.
First, some facts taken from Scott Walker and his Administration. I've placed some citation sources in the margin for areas I thought might be helpful.
Campaign Promises
The cornerstone of Scott Walker's campaign promises were on numerous items including stopping the train, cutting taxes, cutting spending, and creating 250,000 jobs. He also made numerous smaller promises none of which are relevant to this discussion one way or another. These promises are pretty standard Republican election points, the only thing particularly interesting is that the number of jobs promised is very ambitious – but good for him. Set your sights high. We need jobs.
State of the Budget
In Scott Walker's State of the State address, he referred to the budget in dire terms:
“First, let me be clear: we have an economic and fiscal crisis in this state that demands our immediate attention. The solutions we offer must be designed to address both job creation and our budget problems.” - Scott Walker from State of the State
Focus of the Walker Administration
Scott Walker was also very specific about jobs in his State of the State address. I call your attention to the emphasized text in the quote below:
“Coach Vince Lombardi once said, "Success demands singleness of purpose." We are defining success for this administration by our ability to shape an environment where 250,000 jobs are created. Every action of our administration should be looked at through the lens of job creation.” - Scott Walker from State of the State
About the Budget Repair Bill
Scott Walker makes it clear that the 'budget repair' bill is about saving the state money and addressing the long term fiscal consequences of an unsustainable benefits system.
Governor Walker describes the proposals as modest but says they'll address the immediate needs in Wisconsin's economic crisis, helping balance a $137 million budget shortfall this year.
"I think it needs to be very realistic about what the alternatives are. You're talking about massive layoffs at both the state and local level. For those who might ask, 'Why not bargain for this?' Again, we're not negotiating over a budget," - Scott Walker, February 11
Procedural Points
The following procedural facts about the bill are worth noting
First, The schedule for the bill is blindly fast by legislative standards – one week in the legislative process.
Second, The bill is 144 pages.
Third, Assembly Democrats were not warned of the bill or given a chance to read it in advance it's arrival on the floor.
The only thing I want readers to take away from the procedural points is that the bill was being rushed, in theory due to the emergency nature of the budget crisis.
About Collective Bargaining
It is very hard to find any coherent stance on collective bargaining from Scott Walker, himself. Whenever asked about it, he answers with 'The State is broke' or he confuses negotiation about the upcoming budget in the legislature with the union's right to negotiate labor conditions. A typical example of this confusion can be seen in his answer to Good Morning America:
“The bottom line is we are trying to balance our budget and there really is no room to negotiate on that because we’re broke,” Walker told ABC’s Good Morning America.
This is confusing because Unions would have no ability to negotiate with him about the budget anyway. Collective bargaining does not give the unions say over legislation.
In his most recent speech he claimed the negotiation process itself was broken, but failed to say how or to connect that 'broken process' with any direct financial impact on the current budget emergency.
Union Offer for Resolution
On February 19th, the Unions proposed a counter-offer that granted Scott Walker all financial concessions from union workers and all changes to their benefits the Governor had asked for. It did, however, require him to leave collective bargaining intact.
“Mary Bell, president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, and Marty Beil, executive director of AFSCME Council 24, said in a conference call with reporters that workers will do their fair share to narrow Wisconsin’s budget gap.” - Newsroom America
This offer was refused.
None of the above facts or statements are in dispute. These are readily available from numerous sources, not just the ones I used. The interpretive point I'm making comes below where we examine what's being done in light of these facts.
So to be clear:
Scott Walker wants, and I quote, "Every action [of my administration] viewed through the lens of job creation." He has stated on record the budget repair bill is about balancing the budget and dealing with a financial crisis. He has reinforced the notion that this is a crisis by pushing this bill through faster than virtually any other legislation in years.
A crisis (plural: "crises"; adjectival form: "critical") (from the Greek κρίσις, krisis) is any event that is, or expected to lead to, an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, community or whole society. Crises are deemed to be negative changes in the security, economic, political, societal or environmental affairs, especially when they occur abruptly, with little or no warning. More loosely, it is a term meaning 'a testing time' or an 'emergency event'. - Wikipedia
This 'crisis' language is important because it undermines any effort by the Governor to hold out for long term indirect aspects of this budget repair bill; You can't say it's an emergency, but we don't like the color of the life raft you sent to pick you up and expect to be taken seriously. If he want s to hold out for long term nuances or political elements, then we're not in an emergency and his methods become deceptive. If we are, then his reasons for holding out become equally inauthentic.
The proper course of action that stands out would then be to solve the budget emergency by accepting a compromise deal with the Unions and taking the money they offer to save jobs. Since no fiscal impact of collective bargaining has yet to be articulated by the administration, if there is a battle over state unions, fight it later. But that's not what Governor Walker is doing. Scott Walker's annual budget is due by tomorrow and he holds out for the entire repair bill package warning of 'dire consequences' if his bill is not passed:
“Walker said in a speech broadcast live statewide Tuesday evening that if lawmakers don't pass the bill up to 1,500 state workers could be laid off by July with another 6,000 forced out of work over the next two years.” - Channel3000.com local Madison news
If you're scratching your head right now and feeling a little confused, then you still have common sense.
Only two possible conclusions can follow if the Governor insists on laying off Wisconsin workers for non-budgetary elements in the bill. Either Scott Walker lied in his campaign to his voters about his goals, lied after his election about his administration's priorities, and lied about the purpose of the bill and is executing a pre-planned political agenda that severely calls into question the legitimacy of his administration...
..or we have another equally ugly possibility.
Extortion – ex-tor-tion – noun – The crime of obtaining money or some other thing of value by the abuse of one's office or authority.
Scott could be simply making a severe criminal mistake.
Conclusion
The only ethical option Scott Walker has at this point without discrediting everything he says he stands for is to take the union concessions and compromise and save Wisconsin's jobs while balancing the budget as he said he would. To do so makes him the governor the people elected in November.
Instead, Scott Walker has presented Wisconsin with an ultimatum that, through the lens of job creation, looks a lot like unnecessary job destruction. This ultimatum is not grounded in failure of Democrats to be present or the unions to produce the funds he needs, but rather reside in his stonewalling on non-budget political elements of his self-identified budget repair bill.
The ability to balance the budget with all union concessions in place lies at Walker's feet. To not accept the deal leaves the emperor with no clothes. Every promise from his campaign trail to his State of the State falls flat if he holds out for political gain by turning to job termination instead of taking the union's full concessions.
Your call, Governor, but tread lightly. This scorched earth war for political ends plays with real people's lives and will have real consequences.
First, some facts taken from Scott Walker and his Administration. I've placed some citation sources in the margin for areas I thought might be helpful.
Campaign Promises
The cornerstone of Scott Walker's campaign promises were on numerous items including stopping the train, cutting taxes, cutting spending, and creating 250,000 jobs. He also made numerous smaller promises none of which are relevant to this discussion one way or another. These promises are pretty standard Republican election points, the only thing particularly interesting is that the number of jobs promised is very ambitious – but good for him. Set your sights high. We need jobs.
State of the Budget
In Scott Walker's State of the State address, he referred to the budget in dire terms:
“First, let me be clear: we have an economic and fiscal crisis in this state that demands our immediate attention. The solutions we offer must be designed to address both job creation and our budget problems.” - Scott Walker from State of the State
Focus of the Walker Administration
Scott Walker was also very specific about jobs in his State of the State address. I call your attention to the emphasized text in the quote below:
“Coach Vince Lombardi once said, "Success demands singleness of purpose." We are defining success for this administration by our ability to shape an environment where 250,000 jobs are created. Every action of our administration should be looked at through the lens of job creation.” - Scott Walker from State of the State
About the Budget Repair Bill
Scott Walker makes it clear that the 'budget repair' bill is about saving the state money and addressing the long term fiscal consequences of an unsustainable benefits system.
Governor Walker describes the proposals as modest but says they'll address the immediate needs in Wisconsin's economic crisis, helping balance a $137 million budget shortfall this year.
"I think it needs to be very realistic about what the alternatives are. You're talking about massive layoffs at both the state and local level. For those who might ask, 'Why not bargain for this?' Again, we're not negotiating over a budget," - Scott Walker, February 11
Procedural Points
The following procedural facts about the bill are worth noting
First, The schedule for the bill is blindly fast by legislative standards – one week in the legislative process.
Second, The bill is 144 pages.
Third, Assembly Democrats were not warned of the bill or given a chance to read it in advance it's arrival on the floor.
The only thing I want readers to take away from the procedural points is that the bill was being rushed, in theory due to the emergency nature of the budget crisis.
About Collective Bargaining
It is very hard to find any coherent stance on collective bargaining from Scott Walker, himself. Whenever asked about it, he answers with 'The State is broke' or he confuses negotiation about the upcoming budget in the legislature with the union's right to negotiate labor conditions. A typical example of this confusion can be seen in his answer to Good Morning America:
“The bottom line is we are trying to balance our budget and there really is no room to negotiate on that because we’re broke,” Walker told ABC’s Good Morning America.
This is confusing because Unions would have no ability to negotiate with him about the budget anyway. Collective bargaining does not give the unions say over legislation.
In his most recent speech he claimed the negotiation process itself was broken, but failed to say how or to connect that 'broken process' with any direct financial impact on the current budget emergency.
Union Offer for Resolution
On February 19th, the Unions proposed a counter-offer that granted Scott Walker all financial concessions from union workers and all changes to their benefits the Governor had asked for. It did, however, require him to leave collective bargaining intact.
“Mary Bell, president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, and Marty Beil, executive director of AFSCME Council 24, said in a conference call with reporters that workers will do their fair share to narrow Wisconsin’s budget gap.” - Newsroom America
This offer was refused.
None of the above facts or statements are in dispute. These are readily available from numerous sources, not just the ones I used. The interpretive point I'm making comes below where we examine what's being done in light of these facts.
So to be clear:
Scott Walker wants, and I quote, "Every action [of my administration] viewed through the lens of job creation." He has stated on record the budget repair bill is about balancing the budget and dealing with a financial crisis. He has reinforced the notion that this is a crisis by pushing this bill through faster than virtually any other legislation in years.
This 'crisis' language is important because it undermines any effort by the Governor to hold out for long term indirect aspects of this budget repair bill; You can't say it's an emergency, but we don't like the color of the life raft you sent to pick you up and expect to be taken seriously. If he want s to hold out for long term nuances or political elements, then we're not in an emergency and his methods become deceptive. If we are, then his reasons for holding out become equally inauthentic.
The proper course of action that stands out would then be to solve the budget emergency by accepting a compromise deal with the Unions and taking the money they offer to save jobs. Since no fiscal impact of collective bargaining has yet to be articulated by the administration, if there is a battle over state unions, fight it later. But that's not what Governor Walker is doing. Scott Walker's annual budget is due by tomorrow and he holds out for the entire repair bill package warning of 'dire consequences' if his bill is not passed:
“Walker said in a speech broadcast live statewide Tuesday evening that if lawmakers don't pass the bill up to 1,500 state workers could be laid off by July with another 6,000 forced out of work over the next two years.” - Channel3000.com local Madison news
If you're scratching your head right now and feeling a little confused, then you still have common sense.
Only two possible conclusions can follow if the Governor insists on laying off Wisconsin workers for non-budgetary elements in the bill. Either Scott Walker lied in his campaign to his voters about his goals, lied after his election about his administration's priorities, and lied about the purpose of the bill and is executing a pre-planned political agenda that severely calls into question the legitimacy of his administration...
..or we have another equally ugly possibility.
Extortion – ex-tor-tion – noun – The crime of obtaining money or some other thing of value by the abuse of one's office or authority.
Scott could be simply making a severe criminal mistake.
Conclusion
The only ethical option Scott Walker has at this point without discrediting everything he says he stands for is to take the union concessions and compromise and save Wisconsin's jobs while balancing the budget as he said he would. To do so makes him the governor the people elected in November.
Instead, Scott Walker has presented Wisconsin with an ultimatum that, through the lens of job creation, looks a lot like unnecessary job destruction. This ultimatum is not grounded in failure of Democrats to be present or the unions to produce the funds he needs, but rather reside in his stonewalling on non-budget political elements of his self-identified budget repair bill.
The ability to balance the budget with all union concessions in place lies at Walker's feet. To not accept the deal leaves the emperor with no clothes. Every promise from his campaign trail to his State of the State falls flat if he holds out for political gain by turning to job termination instead of taking the union's full concessions.
Your call, Governor, but tread lightly. This scorched earth war for political ends plays with real people's lives and will have real consequences.
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