Editorial:

In Madison, Wisconsin, a drama has been unfolding between Republi-can/Tea Party Governor Scott Walker and the Unions.  The governor has proposed to cut workers’ pay and benefits. But more alarming is his proposal to end the right of the Unions to represent state employees through collective bargaining.

    The governor says that cuts are needed to balance the state budget. In protest, Union members have rallied in front of the state capital, 68,000 this past weekend alone. If Walker has his way, the outcome of this showdown will reverberate across the nation. Several other Republican governors are getting ready to make the same proposals in their states.

    If this was just an issue about budget reform, Wisconsin wouldn’t be making world headlines. But this is not about budget reform/pension reform this about Union busting.  Nothing more, nothing less!

    The Unions in Wisconsin have already agreed to many of the budget reforms presented by Walker. Walker, however, wants to go further, and has rejected their proposal. He wants to strip the Unions of collective bargaining rights. Exempt from his proposal are the police and firefighter unions which had supported his election. Walker had previously delivered another quid pro quo to his corporate supporters by giving out tax breaks the first months he was in office.  Those tax breaks added to Wisconsin’s budget deficit, proving that Walker’s agenda is more politically motivated than it is about reducing deficits.

    So why does the governor want to strip the Unions of their collective bargaining power? The answer is simple: you strip the Unions of their power, you strip the Democratic Party of one of their cornerstones of support. This is nothing more than politics and this is nothing more than Walker using the pretense of the budget to go after the Unions and the Democratic Party.

    What is at stake in Wisconsin is Democracy itself. The United States is run by a two-party system. The Republican Party has always been the party of big businesses, big money, and has always championed the agenda of big business which is about less taxes, less government, and no unions.

    The Democratic Party has always been the party of the working class people, Union and non-Union alike. The Democratic Party has been the progressive party about human rights, social services, and ethnic minorities.

    The two-party system has been a part of the check and balances that have governed this country. By diminishing the power of the Democratic Party, the voices of the working class people and minority communities are diminished.

    Politics is always about power. The Republican Party, the party that is home to the anti-Hispanic movement, is making a power grab which, if successful, will take power away from the Democratic Party, away from Hispanics, and the working class. This is why the events in Madison, Wisconsin, are worth watching and why the Unions need our support at this time.

    It is not about Unions but about Democracy itself!