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LabMan

The recent gathering of huge crowds came about when the people realized that "the good life" may be threatened through pay cuts,and benefit reductions,by losing their collective bargaining power,never realizing that they should have been in the streets years ago when the constitution started coming under attack,when more and more information was forthcoming on the 9/11 massacre,the financial meltdowns,the proof that the mid-east wars were based on lies,that U.S imperialism was on the rise worldwide,causing ill will from every corner of the globe,they never realized that our population was being replaced through illegal,and legal immigration,most of the country de-industrialized leading to the destruction of the middle class,the list goes on and on,but always trusting the mainstream media,they just did not know.

Reinhardt

Perhaps a battle between left/right is what is needed! But, in my opinion, the people are the right, and government is the left. It does not matter what party they belong to. If they are government, they are the enemy! People also need to fially wake up to the fact, that these government scum are employees of the people. That means they are subject to the same hiring/firing plans advocated by government. They are also subject to the same reduction of benefits that they say are needed to reduce the deficit. No bargaining rights? Ok, let us start with gobernment. If you don't do as the people wish, you are fired, no questions asked. National/state referendums should be held to decide the salary and benefits of Reps/Sens. They should also be forced to accept the same health care options that they force onto their constituents. Congress and state legislatures should return to the part time duties, as was the practice long ago. Weed out the leeches and termites, and you MIGHT finally get a government you can trust to represent America, not big business or israel.

yancey ames

Exactly right.

Reinhardt

In case no one has noticed, this is an unabased attempt to stamp out unions, and for total control over peoples lives. Some might also believe that it is an attempt to force people onto Obamas welfare, health care. Once people are forced to give up bargaining rights, ALL other benefits/rights will disappear. Wages will drop, so health care will be unafforable. More foreclosures will follow, and kids will not be able to aford college tuition. Only the "elite" will have those "rights"! Company towns "could" reappear. Think back to the early days of this nation, when there were no unions to represent the people. They were slaves to their employers, and killed by police if they even talked about joining a union. Thousands of people died in the coal fields, and cities so that others could have a "decent" live style. Anyone who advocates a return to that type of living is anti-American!

JamesinUSA

In other words, Newt aint worth tits on a boar hog!

Luke

Now is a good time to remind all those out there who have yet to figure out just what sort of greasy, stinking, treasonous, backstabbing, diseased, psychopathic personality type this Newt Gingrich slab of neo-con garbage is - and remember, this neo-conned poisoned GOP is floating this worm's name as a possible 2012 choice. Gingrich has been pushing the idea that states should be allowed to declare bankruptcy, and while he is 100 in favor of stealing our tax dollars to give to his criminal jewish banker pals to bail them out of the mess that they themselves created,and he is also 100 percent in favor of blowing $12 billion plus a month on criminal wars that Israel lies us into, and he is 100 percent opposed to any cuts in foreign aid to Israel, he wants zero of those tax dollars to be divided up among the states to help them with their financial woes. Gingrich wants the states to declare bankruptcy, and this lets them renege on the pensions and benefits for state workers - which they spent their ENTIRE CAREERS working for to earn, people. That is a contract between the states and those workers who earned those benefits. So, regardless of what anyone might think about state workers or federal workers - setting a precedent for allowing governments or private companies (some of whom are already doing it) to shaft their workers - AFTER those workers spent their entire lives working and earning those benefits is something that will negativity affect every man, woman and child of European descent in America. One last comment - are we seeing state and federal elected officials across this nation volunteering to take pay cuts and pay and/or benefit reductions? Remember - a sizable percentage of these rats are already millionaires and independently wealthy, BEFORE they assumed office - so, we all know that they, far more than we can afford cuts in income. Oh, and who's fault is this economic and financial catastrophe, anyway? Granted, stupid voters who keep returning these same thieves and criminals to office over and over and over - are partly to blame. But, when the rubber hits the road - this nation is in the miserable shape it is in because of the blue suits inside the District of Criminals - and that is where the buck stops.

Reinhardt

Nice idea, but the author obviously does not know much about unions. A "general strike" as envisioned would be virtually impossible. Most, but not all, union contracts have a no strike clause during the term of the contract. If a union were to walk out on a "wildcat strike", they would be subject to legal proceedings, and/or termination. There are alternatives though, such as "sick outs" as practiced by cops, nurses, and firemen. Another tactic they should check into, depending on local laws, is the picketing of the residences of the offending politicians. They hate to be embarassed in front of neighbors!

Brockhurst

My paternal great grandfather was gunned down by Pinkerton agents and Kentucky National Guardsmen during a strike in 1925. This has happened in the US before.

Reinhardt

I am about as anti-communist as they come. I grew up hating communists, and still do. However, we have to recognize the fact that they do exist, and will probably never be eliminated. Freedom to think is absolute, even for communists. On the whole, I can say for a fact, that the overwhelming majority of union members are NOT communist. That's not to say they are not there. Communists are everywhere. Unions, government, religion, schools, veteran groups, etc.. You get the picture! What is going on in Madison is not communist inspired, nor communist led. Everyone will benefit if the union people win, just as they have in the past. Case in point. As we have seen in Eygpt, Tunisia, Libya! The will of the people can, and do change things. For example, in Saudi Arabia, the King recently announced huge benefit changes for the people. Resut of his love of the people? No, it was because others fought for them, just as unions do. If the unions win in Madison, you can bet that non-union people will benefit, because corporations/governments don't want them to go union. I am proud to be union, although I was not always that. I was as stroungly anti-union as anyone could be. After eight years in the military, with two years in Viet Nam, I came home to the private sector. It did not take me long to change my views of unions. I agree with the view that communists should be removed. However, don't punish 100 for the crimes of 1. That's the way they do it in israel and communist countries!

Conrad

We should never tolerate the use of force against peaceful protesters. To expel these Communists from this building is OK but, the Police should never use force if the protesters are peacefully and properly assembled. However, if the voters approve it they could make Communism an illegal activity.

Reinhardt

The question I posed before remains unanswered. What sacrifices are the "ruling elites" going to make to reduce the budget problem? It's Power 101! Nothing less! I personally think this is good for the country. It will wake up Americans to the GOP agenda of trampling on the working class. Perhaps Mubarak and Gaddafi will find room in their tents for Governor Walker, Kasich, Bush, Palin, Obama, Komrade Klinton, and all the other anti-Americans.

yancey ames

I concur. The guv should take a 50% pay cut to set the example - and then all kinds of pigs at the trough should be pushed away.No more corporate welfare, no more mega spending for huge postal offices, no more excessive taxpayer funded pensions, no more foreign aid, no more slush funds for our intelligence agencies, no more social security for immigrants who have not paid for it, on and on. Not all of these things are state matters, some are federal but the principle is clear - money for roads and national defense, nothing for the rest. As for education, people can educate themselves if they really eant to - I sure as hell did!

Reinhardt

With all the comments about cutting costs, etc., I fail to see any comments that show how the officials will make their own personal sacrifice for austerity. How much is the Governor of Wisconsin going to cut from his benefit package? How much are the members of the GOP in the Wisconsin Assembly going to cut from their pay/benefit packages? I think we all know the answer to those questions! It's power, not economics!

yancey ames

http://buchanan.org/blog/barack-hussein-alinsky-4611 I side with Buchanan on this one. I lived for many years in California, where one of the big reasons for the enormous public spending is the extortionate salaries paid to unionized public employees. Jerry Brown was primarily responsible for creating this problem. It has literally bankrupted the once Golden State, along with illegal immigration. As for unions, I do not like them. Their purpose has always been to raise wages above market levels and to guarantee a high standard of living to people with generally substandard educational levels. In plain English, they aren't worth it. None of that is to condone corporations exporting American jobs overseas to take advantage of Chinese coolie labor. That should be a death penalty offense, in my view. But the hard fact is that the grease monkeys working in Detroit and other industries have been getting vastly overpaid for far too long. American business has to remain competitive and excessive labor costs hinder that process. The problem is particularly severe in government because the homeowner has to pay for these public union benefits by being taxed out of his home. I believe that American jobs should be protected from outsourcing and Third World labor costs but the gouging at the public trough has to end. I say - fire the pinko educators, cut their salaries and benefits in half and make them get work in the real world where they must produce to get paid.

Reinhardt

Although I now live in Texas, I am a former resident of Wisconsin, and a former union member. Which union is not relevant, but it was an 1100 member local of the private sector. That said, I fully support the people of Wisconsin who are protesting in Madison, and agree with the article as it was written. The Wisconsin Governor is out for power, and to fulfill a promise made to break the unions. Nothing less! Collective bargaining rights have no bearing on spending. The unions have said they are willing to make sacrifices, but the GOP wants them gone. Period! They claim that unions are breaking the budget of the state. Bulls--t! Here in Texas, unions are pratically non-existent, and the budget is a mess. Guess which party is in control? No one group, organization, or person can be blamed for the mess, but the unions have no control over how money is spent by Congress, or state Legislatures. I was an elected official of my former union, and I used to tell the membership to remember one thing. The GOP was out to screw the working man, and the Democrats were out to screw everybody! The only people they could rely on, and trust, were themselves. Three cheers to the people of Wisconsin for starting the Second American Revolution! It makes up for the shame of being the birthplace of the GOP!

yancey ames

This article misses the mark. In actual fact, middle class Americans are being taxed out of their homes to support these public unions. I used to live in California, where people were literally being taxed to death to pay for teachers, administrators and others who were getting two to three times what they would have commanded in the private labor market. These unions need to be broken - badly. As for the standard of living of the American worker, it rose in the nineteenth and early twentieth century faster in eras of declining union activity than it did in eras of rising unionization. America's economic decline is being caused by outsourcing and deindustrialization. It will not be saved by preserving public unions living high on the back of the taxpayer.