When Liberals Try to Imitate The Tea Party

As a former resident of Wisconsin before retiring in Florida, and still a proud "Cheesehead," I can write this piece with a sense of pride and high degree of understanding. I have family living in the Milwaukee area and am able to keep current on all the political news, although for the past several years, the topic of conversation has revolved mostly around “man-made” global cooling. For the benefit of the global warming alarmists, there is no global warming in Wisconsin.

 

The recent success of the Green Bay Packers brought everyone in the state together. There was a feeling of pride and good will. However, that euphoria soon turned into the shocking scenes we are now observing in Madison and other parts of Wisconsin, where thousands of people are angrily protesting a legislative bill addressing the budget cuts necessary in order to keep the state government afloat.

 

Republican Governor Scott Walker has taken a much needed stand against the unions in identifying the state's budgetary insanity, created by past Democrats, in bankrupting the state. Newly elected Republican leaders said they expected Wisconsin residents would be pleased with the savings the bill would achieve — $30 million by July 1 and $300 million over the next two years to address a $3.6 BILLION budget shortfall.

 

A sense of urgency by voters and much needed reforms for responsible fiscal direction are the reasons Republicans changed the political landscape in Wisconsin. For the first time in decades, Republicans control the executive and both legislatives branches of government.

 

So what's the rub, Wisconsin Democrats?

 

You got trounced in the last election and are now whining that you're being picked on unfairly. You blame all of the economic problems on others without accepting any responsibility ... never mind you were in charge all those years and despite having been warned that Wisconsin's economic house of cards was unsustainable.

 

Now, you are sending thousands of protesters to clog the hallway outside the Senate chamber and line the streets around the capitol building beating on drums, holding hateful signs deriding Governor Walker and pleading for lawmakers to "kill the bill." Several protesters also demonstrated outside the homes of some lawmakers, disturbing their right to privacy.

 

A large portion of the protestors are teachers, who think nothing of going AWOL from their teaching jobs. Some are using their “sick days.” Excuse me, but when I went to school, teachers taught their students not to lie. Several Wisconsin schools have closed during the course of this week's demonstrations, with some teachers dragging their students along with them to Madison. My son David, who decided   to attend the protest on Thursday, asked several of the students why they were there. They had no clue, but nevertheless seemed to enjoy the day off from school.

 

When confronted by thousands of unruly and hateful demonstrators around him, David, one of the original Naples Tea Partiers before moving back to Wisconsin last month, had a great answer when a television reporter asked him if he felt outnumbered. He said, "I have nothing to fear ... I'm a Marine ... 25,000 to one ... I like my odds."

 

David witnessed first hand some of the hateful rhetoric by many of the protestors. I find it truly ironic that just a few short weeks ago, and since the tragedy in Tucson, President Obama and other liberal pundits self-righteously lectured conservatives that hate speech had no place in America if civility is to become the new standard for political discourse.

 

"Violent political rhetoric comes almost exclusively from the Right," proclaimed Eugene Robinson, as he made the rounds on the national talk show circuit. Bill Maher spoke of love and said, "the Right-wing loves ... wouldn't it be fun to kill the people we disagree with. Left-wingers don't talk that way."

 

Oh really? What happened on the way to Madison?

 

David reported that it was common to see signs with Governor Walker's face in cross hairs, along with pictures of Walker dressed and disguised as Hitler. He was hung in effigy by one person. Slogans like "Walker Needs To Die" and "Don't Retreat ... Reload" were proudly displayed.

 

Here, take a look if you don't believe David. Go to:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71gsnLfsbbM

 

The unions are saying that the bill they are protesting would prohibit public employees from the collective bargaining process. Wrong! Unions still could represent workers, but could not seek pay increases above those pegged to the Consumer Price Index, unless approved by a public referendum. Also in the bill, unions could not force employees to pay dues and would have to hold annual votes to stay organized. In exchange for bearing more costs and losing bargaining leverage, public employees were promised no furloughs or layoffs.

 

Now we see the problem. Along with the unions, teachers and other public workers are not willing to accept responsibility in order to fix what they have created ... an unsustainable nightmare of entitlements and retirement benefits. With a liberal, it is always a problem of someone else’s selfishness. It is all about the union and maintaining power over their workers, and through them, the populace. The new union motto should be ..."Join the union ... lose your individuality ... don't be responsible."

 

Here is the really disgusting part of this whole scene in Wisconsin: In attempting to put a halt to the legislation being proposed, Democrat state Senators have fled Wisconsin in order to avoid voting on the measure. How brave of them! Shirking the Constitutional duty that they swore to uphold means nothing to a Democrat any longer. To a progressive, any means to a justified end is apparently acceptable.

 

As I write this, the demonstrations in Wisconsin are still going strong, while the Wisconsin State Police are trying to hunt down the Democrat politicians in hiding. Even President Obama is encouraging them not to surrender to the “assault on unions.” Such a mockery of our form of government has never before reared such an ugly head. But, you know what Mr. President? Wisconsin is a microcosm for the grim financial straits that exist in almost every state in America. Which state will be next? Your home state of Illinois might be next. How are you going to deal with it? Your days of rewarding the unions’ gluttony, failure and irresponsibility might come to a screeching halt if the Tea Party has anything to say about it. But, rest assured. Our demonstrations will not be a bit like the tumultuous farce now taking place in Wisconsin.

 

Barry Willoughby

Naples Florida Tea Party