Sometimes,
even the worst of people get it right. Speaking to ABC's "Good Morning
America," Wisconsin's extreme right-wing Governor Scott Walker actually
said something that makes sense: "It's time to tell the truth to the
American people."
If only! If only Walker would tell the truth about why he's trying to bust the unions and who's paying the bills.
No
matter how hard he and Fox News try to frame it as an attempt to solve
Wisconsin's budget problems, Walker's legislation is nothing but a
heavy-handed attempt to shut down unions by taking away their
constitutional right to collective bargaining. That's what the protests
in Madison, now spreading to other states, are all about.
Does
Wisconsin have a short-term budget deficit? Yes, but only because of the
$141 million in special-interest tax breaks Walker pushed through in
January. Does Wisconsin have a long-term problem? Yes, because of a
projected shortfall in public employee pension obligations. But state
employees, who willingly worked 14 furlough days last year to help the
state balance the budget, have already agreed to the financial
sacrifices demanded by the governor: contributing more toward their
health and retirement coverage -- which translates into a 7 percent pay
cut.
What they will not, and should not, accept is the second
half of Walker's bill, which has nothing to do with the budget: an end
to collective bargaining. Unions first won that right, in Madison, 75
years ago, with formation of the first chapter of AFSCME, the American
Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. Today, it's the
only opportunity workers across the country have to fight for themselves
and their families. They may not get everything they want in
negotiations, but they should at least have a seat at the table.
But
here's what the mainstream media will never tell you. If workers have
already agreed to his budget demands, why is Governor Walker stubbornly
insisting on breaking the backs of the unions? Because that's what the
Koch brothers told him to do. And, in Wisconsin, as well as many other
states, what the Koch brothers want, the Koch brothers get. And they're
willing to pay handsomely for it.
Remember the names Charles G.
and David H. Koch, because you're going to hear a lot more about them.
By day, they are major polluters, heads of the energy and consumer
products conglomerate Koch Brothers, based in Wichita, Kansas. By night,
they are one of the most powerful and secretive forces in American
politics -- whose stated goal is to get rid of all government
regulation. They have, in fact, used a big chunk of their oil money to
found and fuel a right-wing political machine so vast, so widespread,
and so influential that it's known in political circles as the
"Kochtopus."
Like any self-respecting octopus, the Koch boys
operate with many tentacles, their principal one a faux-grassroots,
corporate-funded organization called Americans for Prosperity. In 2009
and 2010, AFP provided most of the funding for tea party rallies
nationwide. They bused people to Washington to protest President Obama's
health care reform and global warming legislation. They paid for buses
to Glenn Beck's rally at the Lincoln Memorial. They put up the money for
Proposition 23, an unsuccessful effort to overturn California's strict
climate change laws. And, all the while, they fueled a relentless series
of vicious, personal attacks on President Obama.
The Kochtopus
was also active at the state level, supporting Republican candidates for
governor who would embrace their anti-government agenda. And they found
their poster boy in Scott Walker, always willing to dance to the Koch
brothers' tune -- and take their call, even when it's fake.
Because
of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, allowing unlimited and
unreported corporate campaign contributions, it's impossible to trace
all the money the Kochs poured into Wisconsin. But we do know that Koch
Industries was Walker's second-biggest contributor. Their PAC gave $1
million to the Republican Governors Association, which spent $4.3
million attacking Walker's opponent. The Koch-funded American
Legislative Exchange Council advised Walker on his union-busting
legislation. And Koch Industries have opened their own lobbyist office
in Madison.
But don't say Scott Walker isn't grateful. Buried
deep inside the governor's so-called "budget repair" bill is a totally
unrelated provision allowing no-bid sales of state-owned heating,
cooling, and power plants. And, in Wisconsin, guess who's the leading
customer for buying power plants? Koch Industries.
Follow the money. In Wisconsin, it leads to Charles and David Koch.
This article first appeared - and Mr. Press' other articles can be
found at www.billpress.com
