Does Power Still Reside With The People

English: Great Seal of the state of Wisconsin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With Wisconsin’s Paul Ryan named VP for Mitt Romney, what does the state of Wisconsin mean to the national elections?

WHAT BEGAN IN WISCONSIN WILL END WITH WISCONSIN
by MIKE FLYNN 11 Aug 2012

The rise of the tea party and the 2010 elections were about one thing: restraining the growth of the federal government. Voters, still reeling from TARP, saw the stimulus boondoggle, the auto bailouts, and a government take-over of health care and rose up to yell, STOP. It didn’t really settle any issues; it just cauterized the wound and put the brakes on government growth. This election will center on a more philosophical debate about the relationship between government and the people. That debate began last year in Wisconsin.

In 2011, WI Gov. Scott Walker, seeking to plug a systemic budget deficit, pushed a series of reforms to address the protected status of public sector workers. They would have to contribute more to their pensions and benefits, and local officials would have greater flexibility to negotiate benefits with workers. Predictably, the public sector unions, whose officials relied on a steady stream of dues money from workers’ paychecks, went nuclear.

What ensued was an 18-month political saga to answer whether government serves the taxpayers or its public sector employees. Public sector unions wield unprecedented power in states across the country. With millions in dues from members’ paychecks, unions spend massive amounts on campaign contributions and lobbying. They are the real “third rail” of American politics. They almost never lose when they go to war.

Read more at Breitbart about the meaning Wisconsin has brought to the national election. Wisconsin or bust.

WUPN: Wisconsin is now front and center. Will reform in federal government take hold in Washington? Will Washington be business as usual? We shall see after the November elections.