I am living through a period that may one day be written about in the history books.
I feel compelled to chronicle it in some small way.
My state, the State of Wisconsin, is in debt. Deeply in debt. There is a law that prohibits the state from running a deficit. They are required to have a balanced budget. Yet, here we are.
A new governor was elected last November. His name is Scott Walker. He is from Milwaukee and was the county executive there before running for governor. He promised to rid the state of unnecessary encumberance. He stopped a "high speed" train from being installed. The federal government (which is currently TRILLIONS of dollars in debt) was going to "provide" funding for this rail line that would connect a few of our major cities. Never mind that there was no data that indicated this type of transportation would be welcomed or used by the general population. In fact, studies showed that the project would run at a deficit and would, after its initial boost to the economy and jobs for the duration of the construction, cost the state a lot of money.
He also promised to bring the budget into balance. He has not blamed his predecessor, Gov. Doyle for the monetary woes of the state. He has just stepped up and looked for ways to cut the budget. Now.
He has come up with a plan that is called the budget repair bill. It would eliminate the "right" of public employee unions (except for police and fire fighters) to bargain collectively for anything but wages, and that those wages would be kept within reason. Public employees actually have enjoyed raises during tough economic times because of the power of the unions in these collective bargaining functions. Public employees have also enjoyed "Cadillac" health care plans and retirement plans that cost them very little. Needless to say, this costs the state a small fortune. The bill would require the public employees to pay 12.6% of these costs. The private sector requires their employees to pay substantially more, appr
oximately 25%.
Because of all of this, the public school teachers have begun to throw temper tantrums. They have called in sick at their schools to go to the capitol to throng the hallways there to make demands that the bill be killed. This has shut down entire school districts, leaving parents to scramble to change their schedules. They have likened the governor to Hitler. They have carried signs that say that he is the Mubarek (a recently ousted Egyptian dictator) of the midwest. According to a friend of ours, they have made it impossible for her to do her work for the Sergeant at Arms in the capitol. They have pulled her hair. They have grabbed her legs to stop her from going up the stairs to do her job. They have spit upon her.
These are civilized people who just "care about the children"? I don't think so.
The president of the United States, Barak Hussein Obama, has openly supported the unions. His campaign arm is organizing people to join the protest at the capitol. He is encouraging anarchy. It has been said that he was a part of a group of radicals from the 60's and 70's who wanted to bring about transformative change. He has been called a socialist by many. This is just the latest piece of evidence that he means the US harm. He is injecting the power of the presidency into the affairs of the state of Wisconsin.
Wars and rumors of wars.
These are the kinds of things that the Book of Mormon and the Bible have warned us about. Something wicked this way comes.
I am praying that our Republic will survive.
