Laboratories of Democracy; Outside Interference in Local Experiments
The Governors of Wisconsin and Ohio, Scott Walker and John Kasich, both supported bills designed to curb public sector union power. One (Wisconsin) won and one (Ohio) lost. Both were vehemently and expensively opposed by union money, much of it from out-of-state.
1. This exemplifies the practice of state-level experimentation - a strength of Federalism.
This appears to me to be a classic example of states testing different solutions to a common problem, in this case the unions' strangulation of state budgets. Walker's proposal excluded police and firefighters, Kasich's was all-inclusive. The perennial defense of taxes and budgets is that certain popular public services will be cut - libraries, police, firemen, schools, parks. (There is never talk of increasing efficiency and reducing duplication and waste in government office administrative expenses.) So by excluding some of these excuses for voting against the bill, Walker managed to get his to squeak through. Kasich did not. Two versions were tested; one worked and one did not.
These results provide other states with empirical outcomes they can study before trying similar efforts. Federalism and democracy in action.
2. This also demonstrates the potential for corruption of local legislating by imported money.
Much is being made of the Ohio loss as reflective of the public's discomfort with limiting public union's bargaining strength. These results also provide an opportunity to interpret their meaning and my interpretation differs somewhat from the current general opinion.
I believe the union leaders were mortified and shocked by the Wisconsin results and determined to win in Ohio to shift the momentum and to assert their power. They poured many millions of dollars into both efforts, printed professional signs for demonstrators and imported marchers from out of state. Although polls indicated significant support for repeal of the bill, the flooding in of outside protestors surely affected local voters' proclivities and possibly discouraged support for the bill. And now the unions are preparing to go back to Wisconsin, where they barely lost, to try and get Governor Walker recalled.
Perhaps demonstrators should prove their residency just like voters before being able to participate in a local protest.
1. This exemplifies the practice of state-level experimentation - a strength of Federalism.
This appears to me to be a classic example of states testing different solutions to a common problem, in this case the unions' strangulation of state budgets. Walker's proposal excluded police and firefighters, Kasich's was all-inclusive. The perennial defense of taxes and budgets is that certain popular public services will be cut - libraries, police, firemen, schools, parks. (There is never talk of increasing efficiency and reducing duplication and waste in government office administrative expenses.) So by excluding some of these excuses for voting against the bill, Walker managed to get his to squeak through. Kasich did not. Two versions were tested; one worked and one did not.
These results provide other states with empirical outcomes they can study before trying similar efforts. Federalism and democracy in action.
2. This also demonstrates the potential for corruption of local legislating by imported money.
Much is being made of the Ohio loss as reflective of the public's discomfort with limiting public union's bargaining strength. These results also provide an opportunity to interpret their meaning and my interpretation differs somewhat from the current general opinion.
I believe the union leaders were mortified and shocked by the Wisconsin results and determined to win in Ohio to shift the momentum and to assert their power. They poured many millions of dollars into both efforts, printed professional signs for demonstrators and imported marchers from out of state. Although polls indicated significant support for repeal of the bill, the flooding in of outside protestors surely affected local voters' proclivities and possibly discouraged support for the bill. And now the unions are preparing to go back to Wisconsin, where they barely lost, to try and get Governor Walker recalled.
Perhaps demonstrators should prove their residency just like voters before being able to participate in a local protest.
posted by alison @ 3:12 PM
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