Saturday, September 15, 2012

Walker Thinks US Constitution Is "Backwards"

Like most of the freedom-loving people of Wisconsin, I was celebrating the glorious news that our constitutional rights still mean something.

But not everyone was celebrating.

Scott Walker, the Grinch that would have stole Christmas and everything else not nailed down acted like an immature little brat at the news:
The people of Wisconsin clearly spoke on June 5th. Now, they are ready to move on. Sadly a liberal activist judge in Dane County wants to go backwards and take away the law making responsibilities of the legislature and the governor. We are confident that the state will ultimately prevail in the appeals process.
First of all, the case had nothing to do with the bought election. It had to deal with our constitutional rights.

The decision by the Honorable Juan Colas was quite clear that Walker's union-busting law was unconstitutional as that it violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments of Free Speech, Freedom of Association and the right to Equal Protection.

Apparently, Walker thinks people having rights is "backwards."

Then Walker shows how little he understands on how government is supposed to work. The governor is part of the executive branch of government and thus has no responsibility or even authority to make laws. The governor's job is to enforce the laws that are in place, like the Constitution, not to make them.

This mentality had been a problem throughout Walker's career as Milwaukee County Executive and obviously has continued into the governor's office. Instead of acting like an elected executive, he has treated both of these positions as an omnipotent position of being a king or emperor.

Fortunately for us in Milwaukee County, we had a County Board which, more or less, understood the roles of the different branches of government and kept Walker, again, more or less, in check.

Unfortunately for the state, Walker doesn't have the adults needed to keep him in check and thus we have things like him again overreaching his authority and costing the state hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs.

Thirdly, the ruling does not infringe on the legislature's authority to create laws. Judge Colas did his job by making sure that the laws that the legislatures did pass is constitutional and voiding the ones that aren't.

Again, Walker is merely expressing his annoyance and frustration of the whole checks and balances design of our government that helps protect citizens like us from would-be despots like him.

Sad to say, I think Walker is correct in his line about the appeals process. The Republicans will try to ramrod this through to the State Supreme Court as soon as they humanly can. And there, Judge Colas' ruling will be overturned. However, it won't be overturned because his decision was wrong in any way, but because the Prosserized Court will just rubber stamp it like they did with the first ruling against Act 10, where Prosser didn't even read the decision or do any research on the law before he denied the public their rights.

I tell you this, gentle reader, not to depress you or to rain on your parade. But you deserve to know the truth. Just as you deserve to know that it won't end with the State Supreme Court.

Once Prosser does his rubber stamping, the unions will be free to take it to Federal Court (which they probably should have done in the first place). And that is where one of Walker's greatest shamings will take place (the other being his indictment hearing).

So celebrate the moment for as long as you can, as I plan on doing, but be prepared for more, albeit temporary, disappointment.

Also, be ready to keep on fighting. This war is far from over.

3 comments:

  1. Late Friday evening, I thought I heard panic buttons being pressed in GOP offices throughout the Capitol!

    As in Milwaukee County, I worry that the Walker administration will fight this in court on the taxpayer dime well beyond the point at which the fight becomes a waste of money ("Wisconsin is broke," right?). I hope the legislature we elect this fall will keep an eye on the purse strings. Walker will use public resources to fight public will as long as he can.

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  2. Walker, the college dropout, lecturing on the Constitution is priceless. This man isn't just deluded, he lives within a cocoon of delusion. He needs to spend less time speaking with God --like I really believe that-- and more time conversing with attorneys who can explain the Constitution to him as well answer basic legal questions such as: What happens when I break the law multiple times?

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  3. Scotty Boy reminds me of:

    http://www.theonion.com/articles/area-man-passionate-defender-of-what-he-imagines-c,2849/

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