Republicans Remain Firm As Wisconsin Democrats Shirk Their Job

Democrats continue to ignore the results of the November election that elected Republicans in great numbers, counting on them to restore some semblance of fiscal responsibility. Catering to their major contributors, the government employees' unions, they continue to be no'shows in order to prevent voting on major fiscal cuts involving the unions.

As FDR once said, "All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management. The very nature and purposes of Government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with Government employee organizations. The employer is the whole people, who speak by means of laws enacted by their representatives in Congress. Accordingly, administrative officials and employees alike are governed and guided, and in many instances restricted, by laws which establish policies, procedures, or rules in personnel matters."

Excerpt: Wisconsin Assembly Democrats sent Republican Gov. Scott Walker an alternate proposal that would keep the budget-balancing measures of his bill but strip its most controversial provisions, including a move to eliminate the state's 170,000 public workers of most collective-bargaining rights.

The proposal was rejected by Republicans in the Assembly and Mr. Walker had no immediate comment.

Republican lawmakers had expected the bill to pass the Assembly Thursday. Final passage on the bill remains far from certain, as the state's 14 Senate Democrats remain in northern Illinois, halting action in the Senate. On Thursday morning, Senate Republicans dispatched state troopers to the homes of the absent senators but did not find any of them.

Back in Wisconsin, tensions flared from the state Senate to the Assembly, as Democrats accused Republicans of cutting off discussion on Mr. Walker's bill by limiting the number of amendments. The Democrats have presented more than 100 amendments over two days, in the hope of stalling a vote.

Read full WSJ article here.