Maybe it is just a product of the Twitter-verse, where we absorb copious amounts of unprocessed information. Maybe it is a side effect of people getting swept up in the moment. Or maybe it is a result of intentional distortions of the truth. But over the past week of protests that have enveloped the Capitol, there has been an overwhelming amount of information coming from our little isthmus, and it is time to set some things straight.
Claim from protesters supporting Gov. Scott Walker: State workers are fat cats enjoying privileges private sector workers could only dream of. This is a lie by omission. State workers usually do receive better health and pension benefits, but if you compare state workers' total compensation package to private sector workers of the same level of education, across the board they make an average of 11 percent less, according to the Economic Policy Institute. State workers with college degrees make on average almost 25 percent less.
Claim from numerous Tea Party speakers: State workers refuse to bargain. This is a lie once again. The unions' priority is the preservation of their collective bargaining rights. They just want the security to fight for their jobs in the future. State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, has said flat out the unions will accept the financial components Walker has proposed so long as they can maintain their ability to collectively bargain.
Claim from the governor himself: The thousands of protesters at the Capitol don't speak for the rest Wisconsin. This is a valid point, but to say the bill has strong levels of support is also a lie. We Ask America, a polling and survey organization that tends to lean conservative, released a poll Friday showing only 43 percent of Wisconsinites support the Budget Repair Bill, while nearly 52 percent disapprove. It is one thing for Republicans to say it is their job to legislate for Wisconsin residents—but conservatives can't say they have support on this particular issue because Walker talked to one factory worker in Hudson.
Claim from U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.: The protesters are rioters. Well if you take the isolated snippets of signs shown on The Sean Hannity Show or Glenn Beck, that's an understandable assumption, but a wrong one. When Tea Party counter-protesters showed up Saturday, both sides rallied peacefully. And while there were crude and insensitive protesters with signs comparing Walker to Hitler, these people are an incredibly small minority of protesters, and represent the unions no more than people comparing President Obama to Hitler represent the Tea Party.
Claim from College Republicans on campus: The voters have spoken and they put the Republicans in power. This is absolutely correct, Walker and his fellow Republicans in the Legislature were swept into office last year by a fair vote of the people. But that doesn't mean that they are showing the correct level of respect for the people of Wisconsin or the government bodies they represent. State Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, made this point clearly (and loudly) on the Assembly floor after Assembly Republicans tried to vote on the bill before Democrats even realized they had to be in the chamber. This is in addition to efforts to cut off public testimony at the Joint Finance Committee.
Claim from state Senate Democrats: We are standing up for our constituents. The bogus claims aren't limited to Walker and his allies. If you listen to certain Democrats, such as state Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, you'll get the impression that they are performing a heroic act in fleeing the state for Rockford, thus preventing the Senate from reaching quorum. But this is just a childish response that lowers them to the level of their political opponents. In effect, state Senate Democrats are reverting to the same tactics U.S. Senate Republicans used when filibustering health-care reform. Even in the face of legislation like the Budget Repair Bill, this is simply not responsible governance.
It's been a long week. In fact, it could possibly continue to be a long few weeks. And as the state Senate Democrats continue to play keepaway with quorum, it is more likely that
Walker will continue to keep pushing these messages of spoiled state workers, false public support and the irrationality of unions. It's important to keep in touch with reality, particularly in this case, where reality overwhelmingly sides with Wisconsin's state workers.
Todd Stevens is a senior majoring in psychology and history. We welcome all feedback. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
