Wisconsin Badgered

Governor Scott Walker finds himself under siege these days. Thousands of people from outside the state have decided to make a stand against proposed hikes in insurance premiums for state workers.

Democrats have no chance of stopping the bill legally, so they left the state to hide out, preventing Wisconsin's elected Legislature from having a quorum to do business. It is a low and cowardly tactic.

Governor Manchin shepherded these through in our state last year and we didn't have the radicals, Communists, and would be Bolsheviks raising Cain. As a matter of fact, Governor Manchin was praised for his pragmartic thinking. Must be Governor Walker's Republican registration and Tea Party support that bring the Communists out.

Obama has weighed in, on the side of the unions of course. Walker has struck back by hinting that 12,000 state employees could be without a job if the Democrats do not return to Madison to help pass the state budget and other critical legislation. Meanwhile, hordes of bizarre looking protesters have come in from all over.

Where do these people think that money comes from? Why does a GOP governor get hounded while Democrats get a free pass for doing the same things? State governments are going bankrupt, but some government employees think they deserve a pass. They think they can avoid economic realities. Speaking as a state worker, I am not happy that I have to pay more in premiums for my own health insurance. However, I get it. It's the way of the world that prices rise. It's also a fact that the beginnings of Obamacare have caused a lot of the problems that have resulted in higher premiums.

Meanwhile in West Virginia, austerity measures have drawn praise instead of condemnation. Governor Manchin and the Legislature shepherded through hefty premium hikes last year. Retirees will see their premiums go up under a plan crafted by State Senator Brooks McCabe, a Charleston Democrat. No protests in Charleston greet these measures, just the recognition of a grim reality forced on us by the advent of Obamacare and his other works. We in West Virginia know that our health care is better than a lot of people, even with a premium hike. Wisconsin's governor faces the protests that he does because he is a Republican. And he is right.

Those people in Wisconsin better look out. When President Reagan fired the unionized air traffic controllers, his popularity went up.