The Elected Government Of Wisconsin Passes A Labor Bill

That's what elected governments do. They govern, because voters send them to the state capitol to govern.

Even when there is an angry mob screaming at them:

You are cowards!" spectators in the Senate gallery screamed as lawmakers voted. Within hours, a crowd of a few hundred protesters inside the Capitol had grown to an estimated 7,000, more than had been in the building at any point during weeks of protests.

"The whole world is watching!" they shouted as they pressed up against the heavily guarded entrance to the Senate chamber.

They were screaming at the wrong people. Their advocates had fled the state, and abdicated their duties.

All 14 Senate Democrats fled to Illinois nearly three weeks ago, preventing the chamber from having enough members present to consider Gov. Scott Walker's "budget-repair bill" - a proposal introduced to plug a $137 million budget shortfall.

Walker said Wednesday night that Democrats had three weeks to debate the bill and were offered repeated opportunities to come back, but refused.

But, tucked away in the middle of the article is a tiny little gem:

Within hours of Wednesday night's vote, protesters had seized the Capitol's lower floors, creating an ear-splitting free-for-all of pounding drums, horns and whistles. Police all but gave up guarding the building entrances. But Wisconsin teachers unions urged their members to go to work on Thursday rather than join in the re-energized demonstrations.

Because now, if the teachers wildcat strike, the local school systems can fire them, and replace them with other teachers, honored to have the job. And not likely to stand with the teachers union.

Now, the union leadership is faced with collecting voluntary dues from the membership, because the obligatory deduction from the paycheck will soon be a thing of the past. This should be interesting, finding out just how many state employees are willing and voluntary union members.

The lower house, the Assembly, will pass the bill on Thursday, and Gov. Walker will sign it. The Dems will certainly attempt to litigate it into the ground, since they always litigate to get their way, especially when they know they don't have the votes to prevail on their own.

Good luck with that...