Class War in Wisconsin

Almost all large and mid-sized cities in the USA have a building towards the center of town called, "The Armory". We often know about the Armory in our city because these old buildings are oft the home of concerts and other large public events.

What most people don't know is the history of these buildings called, "The Armory". Armories were built in the 1870s and 1880s as a place to stash weapons and train militia for the purpose of putting down strikes with violence. Specifically, the building of Armories were a state by state response to the Great Railroad Strike of 1876.

Although it has been a lot of years since armories were used for their original purpose, Wisconsin State Governor, Scott Walker warned Wisconsin's public sector workers a few days ago that he is prepared to use the Wisconsin National Guard to suppress actions by workers and their unions in response to his bill to end collective bargaining rights and impose draconian benefit cuts:

Once again armories can be used for the original purpose! Why am I not thrilled?

Wisconsin's public sector workers are however, fighting back.

Today, in Madison Wisconsin, around 15,000 demonstrators have blocked up the Wisconsin State Capitol Building while calling on legislators to "kill the bill". Additionally, the Madison, Wisconsin school district had to cancel school today when 40% of the district's staff called in sick.

Wisconsin and the Rest of the USA:

Virtually all 50 states are having their own versions of "Wisconsin" going on right now. Depending on local circumstances, the local remedies proposed by state governments range from wage freezes and deep benefit cuts (such as here, in Oregon), to cancellation of public workers' collective bargaining rights, to legislation which would allow states to declare bankruptcy in order to void commitments to workers and citizens.

Included in every state are plans to cut vital safety net programs, cut K through 12 education and prohibitively raising the cost of a university education to levels increasingly allowing only the well-off to send their kids to college.

Workers and The Public vs. Private Sector Myth:

Right-wing state and municipal level politicians will tell the public that that the attack on public sector workers is because public workers are paid way too much. According to such types, public sector workers and their unions have been given this "red carpet" treatment because they've supported Democrats... According to these right-wing types, the same logic applies to those on the rolls of safety net programs. According to these right-wing types, it is the poor and government workers who have been "stealing" the money which the "rest of us hard working people" have worked so hard for.

Here, the right-wing is doing all it can to drive a wedge between the public sector and private sector workers. Thus, right-wing types will deny or gloss over the fact that the UAW agreed to wage cuts up to 50% for Chrysler and GM, that the right wing and centerists in Washington D.C. are gearing up for another trade agreement (with South Korea) which inevitably will lead to more job loses, that organized workers in the private sector are being faced with unprecedented and draconian cuts from their (generally profitable) private sector employers as well.

The right wing isn't leading an attack on public sector workers; instead, it's leading an attack on everybody who works and lives off a pay check.

The Big Picture:

If one were to take a wide look at things, one might suspect that many governments, here at the local level, across the USA, and in many places throughout the world, are actively doing all that they can to increase unemployment, wage devaluation and poverty throughout the world. The word "austerity" is everywhere, or so it seems...

I think the "big picture" view of things is right.

Back to Wisconsin; if Scott Walker and his Republicans have their way, "Main Street, Wisc." will erode quite a bit. Wage and benefit cuts hitting public sector workers will lead to a lot less currency rippling through the Main Street economy (harming retail and public sector related employment), Wisconsin's unemployment rate will jump as other public sector workers are laid off and programs canceled, and if you want to multiply the Wisconsin effect by 50 states, the quality of life and the economy of the lower 80% of the rest of us will deteriorate to even worse standards.

"It Ain't Over til It's Over":

The "Big Picture" is however, not inevitable.

If we think like Egyptians, we can comprehend a world where people who are mobilized and determined can upset any regime, no matter how powerful the regime seems. If we realize the obvious truism that the world works day to day, hour to hour, because billions of people make this world work through their labor, then justice can become a force to be reckoned with.