When going gets tough, Dems go AWOL to protect revenue from unions
Fox News:
What the Democrats are really fighting for is to keep the revenue stream open for union contributions to their election campaigns. It is about money for Democrat elections mare than it is about the workers. It certainly is not about looking after the tax payers.
If you can't beat them, run.Go after the ones protesting since they are not doing any work anyway.
That's what a total of 49 Democratic legislators in Wisconsin and Indiana have done, walking away from their jobs in protest over bills that would strip or curb the collective bargaining powers of public-sector unions.
The last-ditch effort by Democrats to block austerity-driven budget proposals by Republicans, who control the legislatures and the governor's mansions in those states, has captivated and divided the nation, inspiring thousands of labor supporters to protest and inflaming critics who regard the lawmakers' absence as irresponsible and reckless.
The budget showdowns are being watched closely in other states -- Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania -- where Republican governors are also targeting unions. A similar debate in Ohio drew thousands of union protesters Tuesday, prompting officials there to lock the doors to the Statehouse.
In Wisconsin, 14 Senate Democrats were the first to go AWOL, fleeing to Illinois last week after Republican Gov. Scott Walker refused to compromise on his plan to strip public unions of nearly all of their bargaining rights. Walker says the bill, which would also force union members to contribute more to their health and retirement benefits, is needed to help solve the state's looming budget deficit. But Democrats see it as an all-out assault on unions, their staunchest campaign ally.
Meanwhile, a Senate committee passed a rule Tuesday that if senators miss two or more sessions, they cannot get paid until they return to the Senate floor, a rule that effectively cuts off government paychecks to the fugitive lawmakers. But the paychecks will be there for the senators once they return.
Walker tried to turn up the pressure on missing Democrats on Tuesday, saying if lawmakers can't pass the measure by the end of the week the state won't be able to refinance debt to generate $165 million in savings. He warned that state employees could start receiving layoff notices as early as next week if the bill isn't passed. However, existing union contracts could forestall the layoffs for weeks or months, and Walker wouldn't say which jobs he would go after first.
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What the Democrats are really fighting for is to keep the revenue stream open for union contributions to their election campaigns. It is about money for Democrat elections mare than it is about the workers. It certainly is not about looking after the tax payers.
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