...it is about power.... trying to make America a less functioning democracy, and more of a third-world-style oligarchy.
In principle, every American has an equal say in our political process. In practice, some of us are more equal than others. Billionaires field armies of lobbyists; finance think tanks that put the desired spin on policy issues; funnel cash to politicians with sympathetic views (ie- Koch brothers, in the case of Mr. Walker in Wisconsin).
On paper, we’re a one-person-one-vote nation; in reality, we’re more of an oligarchy, in which a handful of wealthy people dominate.
"Instead of making the tough choices necessary to help their states weather the current crisis with some semblance of the social safety net and basic government services intact, Republican governors are instead using it as an opportunity to advance several longtime GOP projects: union busting, draconian cuts to social programs, and massive corporate tax breaks. These misplaced priorities mean that the poor and middle class will shoulder the burden of fiscal austerity, even as the rich and corporations are asked to contribute even less.
"It's ironic... the fiscal crisis in Wisconsin, as other states, was largely caused by increasing power of America’s oligarchy. It was super-wealthy players, not the general public, who pushed for financial deregulation, and thereby set the stage for the economic crisis of 2008-9, a crisis whose aftermath is the main reason for the current budget crunch.
And now the political right is trying to exploit that very crisis, using it to remove one of the few remaining checks on oligarchic influence.
Anyone who cares about retaining government of the people, by the people, should be on the side of the demonstrators.
Wisconsin Power Play - NYTimes.com
