Scott Walker's acolytes in the State Senate rushed a stripped-down, supposedly non-fiscal version of legislation that strips public employees of most collective bargaining rights last night. They did so without the 24-hour notice required by the State's Open Meetings Law. The relevant Fitzgerald claims the action passes muster, since the law allows two-hour notice in the event of an "emergency."
What was the emergency? The fiscal year hasn't ended without a budget. The National Guard hasn't been mobilized. There isn't a killer blizzard on the way. Why the rush? Oh, right; there are recall efforts underway that could swing control of the Senate to the Democrats. Oh, and a bunch of people who've never bothered to show up for a Spring election before have pledged to vote for JoAnne Kloppenburg. I hope they remember to bring their photo I.D. on April 5.
It will be interesting to see if J. B. Van Hollen thinks that partisan electoral concerns constitute an emergency for purposes of Wisconsin's Open Meetings Law. Does he care about the law (and his job), or is he just a partisan hack? More importantly, does he think that hitching his wagon to Scott Walker's team of Fitzgeralds will help or hurt his political career in the long run?
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12 minutes ago
3 comments:
No "open meetings" laws were broken. Republicans (rightly) feared violence if they publicized the meeting and the Democrats were AWOL.
I'm looking forward to the Republicans increasing their majorities when (and if) the recall elections come. When people really find out what the Democrats are all about, they will vote Republican in even bigger droves.
Polls have shown public opinion moving in the other direction.
Polls, we don't believe no stinking poll that tells us people aren't going to "vote Republican in even bigger droves". By now, it should be obvious to everyone that accepting reality isn't our strong suit.
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