EDITOR: Gov. Scott Walker got recognition in a recent New York Times story where he said: "We can no longer live in a society where the public employees are the haves and taxpayers who foot the bills are the have-nots."
It is appropriate that the story was in the business section, as that is not a statement about governing or about making life better for the citizens of our state or dealing with our fiscal problems. Rather, it is another way to promote the strategy of his corporate backers and outfits like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commers to divide and conquer:
Encourage working people to see other working people as the enemy, not the powerful interests who have gotten us in this mess in the first place. Portray as evil the only institution that has consistently worked to improve wages, benefits and working conditions for our workers -- labor unions. Make the masses see public employees as the "haves," the other, and ourselves as the poor taxpayers who are the "have-nots." Never mind that public workers are taxpayers, too, and that among the so-called have-not taxpayers are those who make millions and billions and would like to be the have-alls.
Walker's legislative agenda is all about suppressing the vote, fulfilling the corporate wish-list, refusing to implement desperately needed health care reforms and destroying the unions -- reducing all workers to have-nots. He wasn't elected to make life better for you.
Darlene A. Lee,
Wausau
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20110125/WDH06/101250307/LETTER-Walker-will-try-to-destroy-labor-unions