Wisconsin vote spurs death threat, protests, legal questions

Wisconsin Rep. Cory Mason, center, D-Racine, talks to protesters in the rotunda of the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., Wednesday, March 9, 2011, after demonstrators retook the Capitol building.

/ AP Photo/Andy Manis

Republican state senators in Wisconsin last night pulled a legislative maneuver that allowed them to pass a controversial anti-union measure -- but the battle over union rights appears far from over.

Protesters are still flooding the Madison capitol battle in protest of the bill. Democratic lawmakers are questioning the legality of the Republicans' move. Recall efforts against several politicians are underway. And political groups are all the while raising money off of the events.

And the conflict is taking a dangerous turn -- Republican Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzergerald's office announced that the GOP leader received a death threat in an e-mail today, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Below is an excerpt from the e-mail:

"This is how it's going to happen: I as well as many others know where you and your family live, it's a matter of public records. We have all planned to assult (sic) you by arriving at your house and putting a nice little bullet in your head. However, this isn't enough. We also have decided that this may not be enough to send the message. So we have built several bombs that we have placed in various locations around the areas in which we know that you frequent..."

A spokesperson for Fitzgerald told the Journal Sentinel that the e-mail was turned over to state's capitol police, and that the GOP leader has been the target of other threats in recent weeks, including protesters who banged on the windows of Fitzgerald's house at 6 a.m.

Protesters have been demonstrating in Madison and elsewhere in the state since mid-February, when the state legislature first took up Republican Gov. Scott Walker's so-called "budget repair bill." The measure was intended to help close the state's budget gap but included controversial elements, like a provision to scale back public workers' benefits and dramatically limit their collective bargaining rights.

Democratic state senators fled the state to deprive the state Senate the quorum needed to pass any spending-related bill. In a press conference today, Walker called the senator's departure a "dirty trick." (Watch at left.)

In order to proceed without them, Republicans last night removed the more overt spending elements and passed a pared-down bill.

The newly-approved legislation includes elements that would seem to impact the budget, such as the provision requiring public workers to pay more for health care and pensions, though the bill is ostensibly not budget-related. It also included the limits on collective bargaining rights -- the part of the bill that has drawn the loudest outcry.

The bill was expected to pass in the state Assembly today, but protesters packed the capitol building this morning and blocked access to the Assembly vestibule, Wispolitics.com reports. The Assembly was slated to take up business at 11 a.m. and had been expected to quickly pass the new bill. However, Assembly Republican leader Jeff Fitzgerald released a statement saying the session would be delayed until the building was properly secured.

Walker said this morning he would sign the bill into law "as quickly as I can legally."

Democrats are questioning whether the bill was passed legally in the state Senate, however. Last night, as state Senate Republicans voted on the bill, Democrats present screamed that the Republicans were violating the state's open meetings law, which requires 24 hours notice for a public meeting of the conference committee.

"This is a violation of law!" Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca screamed as Republicans ignored him, the Journal Sentinel reported.

Assistant senate minority leader David Hansen told CBS' "The Early Show" this morning that Democrats are "going to move forward. We're going to continue the fight."

Meanwhile, liberal groups are mobilizing their supporters against Republicans in the state. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America raised $200,000 since last night alone (and a total $750,000) to air a television commercial in support of the unions. The commercial also goes after Republican state senators facing recall elections. All eight Senate Republicans vulnerable to recall efforts as well as six Senate Democrats are facing recalls.

MoveOn.org also announced this morning that they raised more than $325,000 overnight to support the recall efforts and have raised more than $825,000 overall.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also sent out an e-mail to its supporters that says, "This is a blatant attack on Wisconsin's middle class workers, and Democrats will NOT stand by silently as it happens." The e-mail asks supporters to sign a petition and includes a link soliciting contributions.

21 Photos

Wisconsin protests

[Adler315]

I've posted this on another thread, but would be happy to ruffle some feathers here as well: These so-called 'austerity measures' that we're seeing across the country, with so-called 'conservative' Wisconsin, Ohio and New Jersey lawmakers at the vanguard of legislation ostensibly designed to 'balance the budget,' will ultimately have a very salutary effect on true democracy and true political activism in America - but not because this is the kind of bitter medicine that lower-class, lower-middle-class, and middle-class American workers and the union rank and file need to swallow in these troubled economic times, as the neoconservatives would have you believe. The stoicism and the tolerance that the American people have often demonstrated over the years, their compliance with the rules and regulations, their 'that's just the way it is' mentality in the face of systematic abuse and injustice, can be puzzling, often confounding, even maddening at times - but 'new breed conservatives' like Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Chris Christie of New Jersey ("Meet the new boss, same as the old boss") are committing the age-old error of thinking that they can push the American worker around indefinitely while lining the pockets of special interests at the same time. By the way, just try and ask a Wal-Mart employee about fairness on the job without the protection of collective bargaining: it would be like trying to strike up a similar conversation with a California grape picker before C?sar Estrada Ch?vez and the UFW fought the good fight - and I ain't talking evangelical Christianity here, my brother. Si, se puede!

By the way, if you can't express yourself with courtesy in responding to these comments, please don't bother - and don't expect anyone to take you seriously.

[nyclposter]

So lets examine here.....

Public unions represent public workers.
Public workers get paycheck from gov.
We the people pay tax to the gov.
Public union tries to extort more money from employer...ie...the taxpayers.

Clear as day folks, public unions=bad news for tax payers.

See how easy that was boys and girls. Now, I would like to know how the liberal protesters have 3 weeks to protest when this conservative cant find time to go food shopping??

Or lets examine how violent the left has been this week or lets talk about the death threats. Gee, the left is so educated and civil. pfft...

Must be real nice being a liberal free loader. Gee, I wonder where all those t shirts the lib union members were wearing were made?? China perhaps?? Oh yeah....the left and unions support the USA workers and taxpayers.....pfft...

[noloyalisti]

The rich are gouging us again in oil. How many times are we going to let these slimewads get away with this? It's time to make them pay the dues they owe.

If we get the rich to pay what they own to us we will have NO (zero, nada) budget issues. It's just that simple.

[Nmmrng]

by forsanity1 March 10, 2011 6:56 PM EST
Sorry Nmmrng -- but nobody who takes bids is "required to take the highest". Did you mean the lowest?

Think about it. If they had to take the highest, light bulbs would be listed as seven grand each... (hmmm, maybe the US Military does have this requirement?... just kidding, I am loving my military folks).
------------------------------------------
I am sorry for singling you out, forsanity1, but,

when you are the seller, you definitely want to take the highest bid! Good thing you aren't in charge of selling the power plants.

[forsanity1]

Nmmrng -- I did misread your point.

I was thinking of the purchaser. I was wrong on that point.

And it doesn't hurt to admit it, being human and not perfect and all...

[GoodSkater]

Does it disturb anyone but me that the political activists, if they really cared about people and believed in what they claim they believe in, could donate their money to pay down government debt or for any good use other than campaigning for causes via television ads? Do distorted and biased messages from activists, instead of a reasoned approach, always have to be the norm in this country anymore? The union behaviors, along with the actions of the elected Democrats who fled their responsibility to vote,are disgraceful. This trend of people violently rejecting the results of an election or vote that does not favor their side has to be stopped at any cost or the U.S. will crumble into a mob-rule regime. The irony is enormous given President Obama's contempt for the Congressional minority after his election. At least the Tea Party proponents are consistently civil, win or lose; it's a shame that comparison is not highlighted by the bulk of America's media. And I have seen no reporting covering the job titles, average wages or cost of benefits of the government employees compared to those of the average non-government worker in Wisconsin. Surely, someone, somewhere has an interest in the pertinent facts, the ones that an opinion should be drawn from rather than from histrionics and political party loyalties.

[Nmmrng]

by USA__Is-back March 10, 2011 6:35 PM EST
We'll see Nmmrng. We'll see. They were HEAVILY involved in the Wisconsin governors election, even though they are from Kansas. Now why would they do that? Also, don't you find it strange that the selling of the public utilites with a NO BID option is in this bill? The first bill proposed by the Koch financed governor? Why not sell them to the HIGHEST bidder? Nothing wrong with that is there? Why a NO BID option?
------------------------------------------
From what I have been able to find out, these plants are losing money and the state is hot to get out from under them. They were only able to sell one in the past decade and it became a political witch hunt with the Republicans accusing the Democrat governor of all sorts of impropriety. There were charges and indictments and court rulings. The current bill comes from things learned in that experience and the fact that no one is bidding, thus the state would be required to accept a bid that might be way low. This bill allows them not to have to adhere to the bidding process and lets them try to get the best sale they can. As far as I have been able to find out, there has been no involvement from Koch industries.

[Nmmrng]

And also, Daviod Koch has always been interested in politics and was a Libertarian vice-presidential candidate in the 70's.

[Nmmrng]

If they are required to accept bids they have to take the highest. If only one bids, they are stuck at whatever is bid. Without the bid requirement, they can actively sell and try to get the best price.

[hhandyman]

is thier any truth to the gossup that all the union opeated pizza parlers are boycotting wisconson cheeze products due to this overbearing of workers rights? or the truckers union not going to transport any wisconson products nationaly for the same reason? guess i get my chedder from walmart and what ever country its selling from today?? ghee all because of over zellot right wing oh well we need to loose weight anyway.

[AVoiceofR3ason]

OK folks here's an interesting thought from both sides of the aisle (Pro and Anti-Union).

Walker has technically gotten his way. The pressure is on him now to deliver the goods. He'll either be right, or he'll fail. But at the moment, he's on the hook.

[forsanity1]

This is very true.

I have said the same thing. He seems like a "star" now, but if he does not deliver, somebody is going to hold him accountable. And it will not end well for him politically.

Heck, maybe he can write a book. Everyone writes books these days... why in hell are the libraries closing.... ah, I digress.

[Nmmrng]

by AVoiceofR3ason March 10, 2011 5:48 PM EST
I have not problem with firefighters and police being exempt. These folks put their lives on the line everyday. You can't pay them enough for what they do.
--------------------------------
If you go to the FBI statistics of deaths on the job you will not see a cop anywhere in the top ten. But you might see some ordinary jobs like truckdrivers and such. And when it comes to debilitating injuries, these guys aren't even on the same planet as a normal plumber or carpetlayer or construction worker. If you see them as heroes that is fine. But, they are far from in the most dangerous jobs.

[AVoiceofR3ason]

I agree truckdrivers or plumbers may sustain more injuries from on the job, but for the most part, people do not shoot at them for their profession, nor does there work take them into buildings that are ablaze. Because there are many more truckers, plumbers and construction workers than police or firemen the numbers will obviously be higher.

[Nmmrng]

When you die does it matter if it was a bullet or a hood ornament that killed you? You are just as dead. What a moronic thing to say and statistics are per a certain amount equal for each occupation. You hear of a cop killed in Chicago, but 5 others died that day that you won't hear of because it wasn't as glamorous.

[keithlakey]

Republicans. Bad for Wisconsin, bad for democracy, bad for America. Recall every Republican before they sell all of the US to the Koch brothers and their right-wing buddies.

[Nmmrng]

The way jobs have been lost in Wisconsin they should start trying to get Koch to locate some industry there.