"Credible Threat"

Last night there was another truncation of our democratic process here in Wisconsin. A single lawmaker decided that there was a "credible threat" to the safety of those in the state capitol from protesters that had assembled both outside and inside the building. Thousands wanted to speak to the issue before the committee, regarding the proposed "Rigth-To-Work" law that has been proposed. Each person was allowed one minute to say their piece, but the three lawmakers did not want to listen to unanimous opposition to the policy their financiers had concocted. Notice the language that these lies are couched in. The word credible usually means that there is a strong reason to believe something, or that the threat has been vetted. There was one protester who refused to leave the building, otherwise, not a single arrest. A lone, raving, toothless old man, who was probably homeless and didn't want to spend another night in below zero temperatures outside. That is the one arrest made all day and perhaps he was the credible threat. The only threat that I think he posed, was that the Capitol Police and the hundreds of officers brought in to "control" the "situation" were getting overtime pay (because they have a strong union)and the threat was that our tax dollars were paying their overtime. Several thousand (The number keeps growing, as more reasonable approximations of the crowd come out.) Wisconsinites had gathered to tell our legislators that their proposal is bad for our state, but they could not be bothered to listen.

Facts, like the fifty percent increase in workplace deaths in "Right-To-Work" states, the higher levels of child poverty and premature death in states that have this sort of legislation on the books, the fact that the war on unions dates back to the seventies, when union membership was about one third of the workforce and how as union membership has fallen to under 9%, the real value of take home pay has dropped for the average worker precipitously. The near elimination of the "middle class". all of these issues need to be addressed, but the words, even though they will be entered into the public record fell on deaf ears. The whole hearing was perfunctory. The minds of the corporate controlled legislature has already been made up.

We are told that corporations do not want to locate here because one of the "first questions" they ask when considering opening a new facility in our state is "Do they allow unions?" This just sounds like fiction. We had a criminal enterprise lease a substantial part of the Northwoods for exploring the mineral content of the bedrock, even though our state allows unions. Many of our enterprises have been purchased by large multi-national corporations, even though we allow unions. I was alive at the time when unions were at their peak and I can tell you that there was a far better standard of living than we enjoy today. The right wing of our political system has decided that "A rising tide lifts all boats.", but for those who are looking closely at our current situation, we realize that the rising tide is mostly being funneled into the pockets of the oligarchs. The only credible threat posed at this time is from the proposed legislation.