I keep asserting that WI Governor Scott Walker is acting like a dictator and sidestepping the deliberative democratic process -- he sprung this bill upon the Wisconsin citizenry and the elected democrats in both the Assembly and the WI State Senate. They have had no time to debate, to negotiate, to compromise, to deliberate. And, he admits that he refuses to negotiate anything. He will not allow amendments. His stance is to take it or suffer the consequences of layoffs and the implied threat of martial law. Democratic WI State Representative Gordon Hintz barely kept his cool in the Assembly Chamber a few days ago, when he passionately and justifiably called out his colleagues for obviating the democratic process by calling the Dems to a vote on the bill after having already started voting without them, for not furnishing them with the actual bill before the press, for not allowing them to offer amendments, and for generally disregarding their positions as elected representatives of their constituencies.
The response I keep hearing from Republicans is:
Well, now you know how we felt having the healthcare reform law shoved down our throats.
Are you kidding me?
I remember months and months of legislators sitting thru townhall after townhall after townhall to listen to their constituents both praise and denounce the healthcare reform law.
I remember how Obama changed his stance on the healthcare reform law over and over and over again as a vain attempt to get the Republicans on board, to get them to negotiate, to get them to engage in the democratic process.
The Dems conceded item after item after item -- which angered the majority of the public.
You could make the argument that they actually sacrificed the demands of their constituents to try to meet the demands of the Republicans.
But, this was all a ruse. The Republicans were never going to engage in the democratic process, were never going to compromise, were never going to concede anything, were never going to negotiate.
Their only intent was to water the bill down until even the public hated it, and it pleased no one, and then to vote against it.
If they had left it intact, so that it was a law that really helped large numbers of people, the public wouldn't stand behind the current efforts to repeal it.
And, remember how all the Republicans were feigning support for not touching Medicare for seniors?
That's because it's a program that really helps people, and they love it, and the Reps knew that.
The Republicans knew exactly what they were doing.
If we had created the single payer Canadian type system, which everyone really wanted, and then people saw how much they were benefited by it, the Republicans would never be able to pull the stunt they are pulling now, trying to repeal it.
The public wouldn't stand for it.
It makes me so sad to see how people have been duped into voting against their own best interests and into voting on behalf of the best interests of the corporations, which care only about making a profit and enslaving them.
Oh, and remember how WI Governor Scott Walker changed his stance on the emergency budget repair bill over and over and over again in a vain effort to get the Dems to come to the table to negotiate, to deliberate, to compromise, and to engage in the democratic process.
Oh, wait, that never happened.
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