The most important protest
The last few weeks the world media thoroughly carried news from North Africa, and many readers around the world carried reports on the demonstrations, abdication of the dictator and the first steps toward full democracy. In the shadow of all these events should be one, seemingly unimportant, and a small protest in the U.S. state of Wisconsin.
About two weeks thousands of protesters took place in the main hall of the state of Wisconsin in Madison, and refused to leave the building after normal business hours. This was the beginning of one of the most important and most numerous protests in America in the last ten years. It all began in a seemingly innocuous.
Scott Walker, Republican Governor of Wisconsin, said that the state is in debt after a severe economic crisis, and that moving the adoption of measures and laws to reduce the costs of public enterprises and institutions in order to decrease the deficit. Maybe the American public and the citizens of Wisconsin to accept belt-tightening in the event that it does the main goal of these new policies. Protesting the tens of thousands of people in Wisconsin because of poor economic policies of current governor?
The real reasons for conflict and the Governor's policy, but protests brought together students, teachers and other citizens, can be found in the conflict on the line between Democrats and Republicans. The main point of attack the Republicans' traditional allies of the democratic parties, trade unions. Unions are very important part of American history, and played a major role in the fight for workers' rights of Americans, and then indirectly the whole world. Nevertheless, the data show that U.S. workers have less confidence in the unions, and the number of continuously decreasing over the past 50 years. Out of all fifty U.S. states of Wisconsin to be recognized as a bastion of the American labor movement, unions and nursing homes. Working day of eight hours, Saturday and Sunday as days off, the employee compensation in the event of an accident at work, the establishment of the first and still the most powerful union (AFSCME), the first sign of a collective agreement happened in Wisconsin, and with the percentage of public sector workers in Wisconsin who are still in the union at a healthy 32%. If we seek the roots of the American union movement is on in Wisconsin, and just because there happens first and strongest attack Republicans and big business to trade unions and their members. Unions and corporations have co-existed in the United States for many decades, and the question is why now this powerful attack on the fortress of unionism. Because the stakes are now higher than ever.
Early 2010. The final had become court decision in the case of Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission. According to the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States and corporate financing choices can no longer be limited by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. U.S. "big money" is a legitimate walked into the political ring and ready to fight his strongest weapons, money. The elections in 2010. year of the ten largest external source of financing the campaign, seven of them financed by the Republican vote, and all these sources are owned by billionaires and corporations, while the other three organizations, and the only major financial supporters of Democrats - the unions. Now it is easier to understand from where the attack on unions. They are the only remaining major Democratic Party financiers, and, if they lose power, the Democrats have to recoup money that they will miss among those same corporations and billionaires. If the attack succeeds in Wisconsin the rest of the United States will fall whisper.
The attack on the unions, under the pretext of budget savings implemented at three levels. Firstly, it takes away the possibility of trade unions collective bargaining with the employer (state), and thus union organizations reduced the bargaining power. Second, it prevents the trade unions to claim debts, and thus harder to trade unions can finance their activities, and tend to affect the new legislation. The third level is the law under which workers each year must elect their union back into existence. Less impact means that fewer and fewer workers to attend the regular assembly and the number of union branches will be smaller.
Perhaps overly generalising talk about attacking Republicans on the Democrats when some players have offered their names and thus facilitate the reconstruction of this story. Democrats with the most despicable recite the names of brothers Koch. The owners of Koch Industries are among the Democrats, and green activists and climate scientists, known as the most cruel face of American capitalism. The huge empire built on trade in energy products protect the investment of money in the fight against trade unions, academics, and liberal Democrats. Financing the 2010 elections. in Wisconson they might best investment so far. Scott Walker, a Republican who narrowly won the election for governor 2010th year through multiple channels funded by Koch brothers. Political mediocrity Scott Walker certainly his electoral victory did not achieve their political skills are already well-financed campaign. In his case, this is a collection of accounts that he submitted Koch brothers.
Some American political commentators go so far as to talk about the collapse of the democratic parties in the event that the Republicans are fully realize his plan. Although such forecasts are exaggerated Democratic voters and liberal voters in fear. If the Democratic Party trade union source of money dries up it will be forced to seek new donors, and probably in the ranks of corporations and big business which is now close to the Republicans. None of the donations do not come without a care, and that would mean that Democrats would probably have been forced to give up many aspects of their social policies and its overall policy to turn to the right. Already, Obama's universal health insurance under strong attack by right wing, but it could be just the beginning.
Opinion polls show that Obama has no more the kind of support as at the beginning of term, and Republicans are already employed feverish search for a quality opponent for the next presidential election. If the Democrats achieve dark forebodings, the U.S. will be the next presidential term could not go through, or rather continue through neoconservatism, only this time without a strong Democratic Party that would be a worthy opponent. That the United States, where the main water for large corporate capital, the military industry, and the fundamentalist Christian Right, that one day could perceive George W. Bush as a very liberal president. Although a long way to such an extreme turn of events, it is clear that the gathering in Wisconsin is of great importance to the United States, North America, and then the whole world.
While the eyes of the world in North Africa, in a small Wisconsin could potentially create the future of the world.
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