The real issue in Wisconsin along with defending the rights of teachers and public employees to collective bargaining is: How is Obama's war economy working for you? It's about survival, lives and livelihoods... End the wars; tax the rich; cut and freeze prices- not wages; defend workers' rights. Why are Obama, Democratic Party politicians and the labor leaders backing them, skirting these real issues which cannot be separated from defending workers' rights in this situation because this issue of workers' rights being denied would not even be on the table if the budget problems weren't providing the excuse for this attack on collective bargaining in the first place? Join the struggles in the streets and in the state capitols. Bring your own leaflets and signs to meetings and demonstrations.
What is with this crap that some Democrats and labor leaders have concocted that is some way this Attack on workers' rights has been initiated by Republicans in order to break the partnership between labor and the Democratic Party?
In fact, for these Democrats and the labor leaders pushing this line, if workers take up this line they can kiss any chance of victory good-bye because protecting this partnership between labor and the Democratic Party is not going to win many supporters simply because it was Obama and the Democrats who unleashed the attacks on the working class in the first place so why would anyone want to defend the continuation of such a "partnership?"
Workers' rights and livelihoods being protected require working people fight all those attacking labor, which includes Democrats and Republicans. When Obama froze the wages of federal public employees he gave the green light to further attacks on working people, their rights and livelihoods.
Does it make any difference if a Republican takes away your rights and livelihoods or a Democrat does this?
In fact, Democrats want a "compromise" to this fight that will leave workers with a reduced standard of living as prices for basic necessities are shooting upwards--- everything from food to gas and electricity.
If anything, workers should be demanding "roll-back and freeze prices; not wages and benefits; leave our rights alone."
There is no way to wage this fight other than taking on both Obama and the Republicans because they are all attacking workers rights as part of an attempt to force concessions from workers because we can't afford to pay for wars and social programs and in its very essence, when public employees are being attacked it is our social programs under attack because it is the public employees without whom our social programs can't exist.
Obama is increasing funding for wars as he cuts the programs working people require to live through this economic crisis.
We can't address part of the problem and pretend the rest of the problem isn't connected and doesn't exist.
Why are the Democrats and some labor "leaders" trying to confuse what is at issue in Wisconsin and other states? Because they are more interested that Obama wins in 2012 than in defending the rights and livelihoods of working people. The rights and livelihoods of working people are in no way tied in with Obama winning in 2012 simply because Barack Obama is Wall Street's man in charge.