Larry Pratt -- We Are All Badgers Now

WE ARE ALL BADGERS NOW

By Larry Pratt
March 29, 2011
NewsWithViews.com

The epic battle that seized Wisconsin, and gripped America, over powers for public sector union bosses has ended. But its consequences will extend far beyond the Badger State. The Republicans in Madison fought a battle on behalf of all freedom-loving Americans. Gun owners had a dog in that fight as did all others who want to take back their government from the Ruling Class.

Public sector unions support big-government Democrats (and a few like-minded Republicans). The unions get their money to support these politicians from -- in most cases -- compulsory dues. This means that a pro-Second Amendment member of a government sector union has no say when his dues are used to support anti-gun politicians.

These politicians, in turn, make sure that compulsory public sector unionism flourishes so they can continue to rake in millions of dollars into their campaign coffers. So the incestuous relationship continues.

But you and I as taxpayers get taken to the cleaners in the process. States will be looking for bailouts to fund their government sector (underfunded) pensions for their workers. Why are they underfunded? Because the politicians that depend on them for their campaign slush funds would never think of asking them to pay for their own pensions. Not even close.

In Wisconsin the government union members have only had to pay about one third of what their fellow citizens in the private sector pay for their pension funding. The money left over for the government unions is then available for financing socialist politicians who keep this whole Ponzi scheme going.

But in Wisconsin, it is worse still. The state teachers union (WEAC) has a health insurance plan that provides the same benefits as private sector plans that cost only 80 percent of WEAC’s plan. Where does the extra 20 percent skim go? Why, to fund big government politicians, of course, not to pensions or health benefits.

And it is not just the teachers union that produces the 20 percent skim. All government sector unions in Wisconsin have stipulated that WEAC be the sole supplier of health insurance for their members.

That’s why the battle to stop this extortion in Wisconsin was so important. Their new law now prevents public sector employees from being forced to pay union dues, which is exactly what Indiana did six years ago. When Governor Mitch Daniels eliminated their extortion requirement by Executive Order, membership in government sector unions fell 90 percent over six years.

"Follow the money" is the saying that applies here. For the union bosses, the inability to continue shaking down unwilling participants will spell their doom. The same will be true for the Democrat politicians who are the primary recipients of this graft.

One of the benefits of the new Wisconsin law is that anti-Second Amendment politicians will have to be more responsive to gun owners rather than the socialist union bosses who had them on the dole.

It is likely, also, that the Republicans will enact some kind of concealed carry legislation. After all, they and their families have been receiving many, credible death threats. You may not have heard about this -- thanks to the Democrat media -- but Governor Scott Walker and the Republican legislators and their families have been threatened numerous times.

I suspect that even legislators with doubts about “mere citizens” carrying concealed firearms now realize that bad stuff happens and -- even when the cops are around -- that relying on the police may not be enough. Citizens, and not just legislators, need to be able to protect themselves.

Subscribe to the NewsWithViews Daily News Alerts!

In any case, I say we are all Badgers now. Here is to the Governor, the Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Speaker of the House Tom Nelson. They are a profile in courage, having resisted the repeated acts of intimidation launched against them by the leftist thugs who surged through the Capitol building in Madison. In the face of physical intimidation and death threats, the Republicans in Madison did what they were elected to do.

How refreshing. They deserve a 21-gun salute.

Erich Pratt is the Director of Communications for Gun Owners of America, a national gun lobby with over 300,000 members. GOA is located at 8001 Forbes Place, Springfield, VA 22151.

Larry Pratt has been Executive Director of Gun Owners of America for 27 years. GOA is a national membership organization of 300,000 Americans dedicated to promoting their second amendment freedom to keep and bear arms.

He published a book, Armed People Victorious, in 1990 and was editor of a book, Safeguarding Liberty: The Constitution & Militias, 1995. His latest book, On the Firing Line: Essays in the Defense of Liberty was published in 2001.