Wisconsin house republicans force vote.

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When I was in college, I had to take a Western Civ. class. On one of the tests, we had to compare and contrast the differences between Rome's Democracy and Greece's Democracy. To my surprise, myself and one other student, out of about 30 were the only ones that could point out the key differences. Now, I see lefty union types on TV making the same mistake, some of them even teachers. I really don't think the public unions in Wisc. see themselves in the ignorant light that they have shed on themselves. But, I do have my Halloween costume figured out. Get a red shirt (or purple), a drum, a sign with some tyrant reference, some decorative beads, my copy of Rules for Radicals and a megaphone. Scary.

What is the difference?

ruveyn

Key difference, mob rule democracy versus representative democracy . Ancient Greek citizens primarily organized in a large Athen's square for voting purposes whereas citizens of Rome voted for a politician to represent them in the political arena.

What I gather from this Wisc. mess, is that the people of Wisc. had their voices heard during their last election. Those representatives are now going on with the business of managing the state. The Wisc. Gov. decided to take on public unions, to save some tax payer money which a majority of the voters trusted him with more than any other candidate. The Democrats, did not have enough votes to stop it and decided to leave their post and hatch a plan to gain national exposure and sway the voters. Cue the purple shirts and their hate filled speech.

And, what is at the heart of this issue is that this Public Union will no longer be able to force members to join this Public Union and will no longer be able to deduct fees directly from pay checks. Collective bargaining is just a side show. I agree that on benefits the bargaining should stop because it is being used to fatten people's paychecks as a compliment to the wage bargaining, along with the obvious conflict of interest that the Wisc. Democrats are displaying. The left wants women to have the "choice" to abort a child but not a choice in joining a state public sector union. But, hey, Unions don't produce anything, they represent. So, if democracy is under fire, then you union members get together at your next union meeting and try to vote out your leaders and see what happens. What rules have to be followed?

I'm a little biased. I married into a family of educators and they act like the rest of us are just second class citizens.

In Michigan, the new Republican governor has just given himself the power to disincorporate towns and dissolve local governments, replacing them with a "manager" hired by a corporation under his control.

Almost nothing on the news about THAT.
This is the way America ends, not with a bang but a whimper.

Source please.

In no State can a governor grant himself powers not specified by law or the constitution of the State. A governor is the chief executive of the state, not an autocrat. If this governor has acquired a power it was first granted by the legislature.

ruveyn

Source: MSNBC

Link please, though considering it is from MSNBC, I already question the credibility.

I'm afraid I'm not that technologically savvy, sorry.

What sources would you consider credible? Perhaps I can find another, less horrifying, angle on the story.

Michigan is even more broke than Wisconsin and they have munis that are failing BIG TIME, too. Since a USSupreme Court ruling over 100 years ago, the Feds have had zero interest in the creation, alteration and dissolution of any governmental subunit below the state level - that is entirely the business of the individual states. MANY of Michigan's metro areas could also make good use of some Ontario-style municipal amalgamations.

From what I understand, Michigan is the only USA state to lose population in the 2010 USCensus, too.

Mike