If you haven’t heard about Scott Walker’s budget repair bill, you must have found a particularly impervious rock under which to live. You might be tired of the Facebook statuses, the Tweets, the signs, the speeches. Or, you may be feeling invigorated by the tremendous show of democratic action and political participation. Probably unsurprisingly to many, I am opposed to this bill. It’s an unnecessary attack on the structure of employer-employee relations in the state. Hard choices need to be made to address the staggering budget deficit, but this is not the way to do it. Yes, program budgets are going to be reduced, and yes, that will be hard. But we can also raise revenue by closing tax loopholes that are not benefiting the economy.
This will deleteriously affect state employees’ ability to provide for themselves and their families. The argument that public employees are overcompensated is false; compared to their private sector counterparts, they receive less in compensation. From DNR rangers to nurses, the employees of this state make Wisconsin great. As the daughter of a professor and a high school teacher, and a product of public schooling, I can also assert that teachers exert an amazing effort on behalf of the students of this state. At this university, TAs help make UW one of the best in the world – 17th, to be exact. This bill would not only undermine Madison’s ability to attract such wonderful people to its graduate programs, it would also detrimentally affect their working conditions and compensation. Professors here at Madison oppose this bill, arguing it undermines the competitiveness of the University.
You have been inundated with opinions about this bill and have had time to form your own, so I would like to turn my focus to the protests themselves.This is the first major protest I’ve attended, and though it has been an amazing experience, to be perfectly honest I was a little wary going in. This bill has inspired strong emotions, and people are understandably upset. However, the atmosphere on Capitol Square was anything but hostile. It felt like a festival; there was chanting, signing, drums and music. People brought their children, complete strangers were striking up conversations, and there were plenty of high-fives. A women in the Rotunda was holding a “I Support Walker” sign, yet nobody was heckling her.
Outside the building, people were walking around the square, chanting and chatting. It felt like a parade, but without the candy. The fire fighters and police officers – unions not targeted by Walker’s bill – who turned out to protest were instant celebrities. The bill failed to divide state employees, reaffirming the importance of solidarity and the danger of precedent.
Organizers had signs and buttons for protesters, while others brought their own. There were some really creative signs, such as “UW brain drain? Who will Teach Me How to Bucky”?, “If you can read this, thank a teacher!” and quotes from Bob Lafollette, like “An Injury to One Is an Injury to All”. There were signs referencing Star Trek and Star Wars, and I even saw one beautiful painting of a man crying out, arms raised in the throes of emotion. However, some of the signs were less constructive – comparisons of Walker to Hitler, death threats and one that read “Don’t Make Wisconsin a Communist State”, which I find somewhat ironic. Then there were the frequent references to the recent Egyptian revolution, which are also problematic.
Scott Walker is not Adolf Hitler; he is not going to start a targeted mass genocide. Scott Walker is also not Hosni Mubarak; he did not come to power through military muscle and establish a police state. I appreciate the point that by silencing workers this bill is authoritarian and repressive in nature, but there is a commensurability problem. I will agree, however, that the ability of the Egyptian people to overthrow a dictator of 30 years with 18 days of protests was an inspiring event, and I applaud their precedent and their efforts. We should draw on that energy, but also recognize the different contexts. And that, folks, is the closest you’ll probably ever come to hearing me defend Scott Walker.
So here’s to everyone who has turned out to protest, every professor who has expressed their support and every person who has taken the time to formulate a well-reasoned position on this bill. I will continue to protest this bill, be at the Capitol, by calling legislators, and in conversations with people who will engage with me in debate (or politely ignore me) and in writing. The Republican coalition may be splintering, which I take to mean that we have to press on. Even if this fight lasts until 2012, it is a fight worth fighting. By standing together, we are a powerful, positive force for change. The echoes of the chants in the Capitol will be heard for years to come around the globe.
Elise Swanson ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science and English
