The Wisconsin GOP has been especially bold in their plans to hand the state over to corporations. Even among them, however, there has been a border of ‘too far.’ Where the border was drawn, as far as worker rights are concerned, seemed to stop at “right to work.” Even Scott Walker said that he does not plan to introduce such legislation, knowing it would be his destruction. What “right to work” does is allow an employer to fire anyone at anytime for any reason or no reason at all. It assumes that working is a right granted to you by corporations. Even Willie Lynch fan and billionaire Diane Hendricks, whose corporation paid no state corporate taxes from 2005-2008 (the last year available to report), was recently caught asking Walker when Wisconsin would become a “right to work” state. And while it may be true that Walker himself has denied has such plans, the rest of the GOP seems to be moving forward.
In a video, taken in December of 2010, the Fitzgerald brothers, who were preparing to become GOP leaders in both houses of the legislature discuss whether or not WI will become a “right to work” state. Both brothers state that “right to work” is certainly something many Republicans in Wisconsin want. Keep in mind this is before the “budget repair bill” which destroyed Collective Bargaining and, combined with other horrible legislation, led Wisconsin from being one of the best states to survive the recession, to the absolute WORST state in the country for employment in 2011. While Wisconsin continues to lose jobs, however, some GOP Representatives have already confirmed that “right to work” legislation is drafted and ready to go.
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Watch the video here:
On Monday night, Wisconsin Assembly Representative Chris Kapenga (R-ALEC) held a listening session with Jim Sensenbrenner. This meeting was held in Delafield, Wisconsin, a very polarized and conservative town. It seems, however, that even some conservatives were not happy with what they heard. One attendee was so furious she even alerted the media. When asked whether Wisconsin would become a “right to work” state, Kapenga said ”We have right-to-work legislation in (three) different offices ready to go. If we had done it earlier, when we wanted, then Prosser would not have been elected. Right now is not the right time. We have to wait until it is politically feasible.”
I find this disturbing for many reasons. The first reason is that, while Scott Walker says he does not plan on such legislation, he has never stated he would not sign it if it reached his desk. This leaves him in a very comfortable position as all he has to do to pass “right to work” and not break his word (although that doesn’t seem to matter much to him), is have the GOP pass it without him asking for it and then sign it through. I also find it concerning that Kapenga admits that the people do not want “right to work” and the only reason they did not pass it in 2011 was so that Justice Prosser could be elected. As a representative you are supposed to make decisions based on what the people want. NOT what will harm or hurt a fellow candidate. PERIOD. Perhaps Kapenga, in one quote, showed exactly what is wrong with the GOP in Wisconsin and why Scott Walker and the rest of this fascist regime must go. They no longer represent the people, everything they do is in ‘strategy’ and how to hand the corporations everything possible and still maintain power.
We must continue fighting and let everyone know what will happen if we do not win, here in Wisconsin. The time is now and the place is here to show the nation that ‘divide and conquer’ just is not how we do things. Remember, in this very state, McCarthy had strong supporters as well. Wisconsin did it once with him, we can certainly do it again with Walker. We can see to it that this last year and a half becomes nothing more than a dark period in Wisconsin history. A time when the media, politicians, and a small group of misguided citizens attempted to legitimize that which was simply ruthless and inhuman. The time is now. Let’s see to it that they fail, just like McCarthy. Let’s continue fighting.
Segway Jeremy Ryan has become a full-time member of the protests at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Formerly a businessman, he gave up his business to join the fight for the middle class in the State of Wisconsin. He rides a Segway due to a heart condition. Through videos and writings he has informed hundreds of thousands of people about what was going on at the Wisconsin State Capitol once the mainstream media had mostly abandoned the protests. He has been arrested over 31 times for silently filming or holding up a sign in the Capitol.
The Wisconsin GOP has been especially bold in their plans to hand the state over to corporations. Even among them, however, there has been a border of ‘too far.’ Where the border was drawn, as far as worker rights are concerned, seemed to stop at “right to work.” Even Scott Walker said that he does not plan to introduce such legislation, knowing it would be his destruction. What “right to work” does is allow an employer to fire anyone at anytime for any reason or no reason at all. It assumes that working is a right granted to you by corporations. Even Willie Lynch fan and billionaire Diane Hendricks, whose corporation paid no state corporate taxes from 2005-2008 (the last year available to report), was recently caught asking Walker when Wisconsin would become a “right to work” state. And while it may be true that Walker himself has denied has such plans, the rest of the GOP seems to be moving forward.