Posted on 02/17/2011 10:17:17 AM PST by milwguy
Law enforcement are now searching for Democratic senators boycotting a Senate vote on Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair plan Thursday in an attempt to bring the lawmakers to the floor to allow Republicans to move forward on the bill.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said that Democrats were "not showing up for work" and that police were searching for them to bring them to the floor. He said the last time such an action had happened was in the 1990s and said he was not sure how much authority law enforcement officials would have to compel Democrats to show up.
"That's not democracy. That's not what this chamber is about," Fitzgerald said of the boycott to reporters.
Sen. Tim Cullen (D-Janesville) confirmed Thursday that Democrats will boycott the Senate action today on the budget-repair bill in efforts to block a quorum and keep the measure from passing. He said Democrats hope delaying the bill will give more time for union demonstrators who are protesting the bill's cutting of almost all union bargaining rights for public employees.
Because 20 senators of the 33-member house are needed to be present to pass a fiscal bill, the body's 19 Republicans will not be enough to pass the budget repair bill without at least one Democrat present.
"They can't pass this bill if there's not a Democrat in the chamber," Cullen said.
Cullen said the decision was made by other Democrats at a meeting at which he was not present.
Fitzgerald said he hadn't seen a Democratic senator so far Thursday and also questioned whether Democrats are boycotting the proceeding.
The Senate convened at 11:30, with 17 Republicans but no Democrats present. After a prayer and the pledge of allegiance, action was immediately disrupted by demonstrators in the gallery shouting, "Freedom, democracy, unions."
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
Teachers: we care about kids. give me my money.
Democrats: we care about our state. give us our guaranteed votes.
In some states, like MN, if a public employee agrees to forgo their defined benefit pension and just get the money back that they put in, the government will only give them half their money back and keeps the rest.
I know a lot of people that would happily drop out of the defined benefit plan if they could just get back the money they put in with a little interest.
In Maryland the Democrats have figured out the secret recipe to elections: Public sector unions, illegals(relatives vote), criminals (ex-cons), minorities, homosexuals, early voting in Dem districts. They offer taxpayer candy to all as use it to get their voters to the polls..
So now Democrats here regularly raise taxes(big increase too), photo-speed cameras, cell phones driving, tuition discounts to illegals, same sex marriage, free college for certain people (especially new immigrants), living wage laws that jack up the cost of ANY public sector project, without a worry of a backlash. The vote is completely controlled with tax $$$.
YMMV. Conservative teachers absolutetly love outspoken Conservatives. :) Especially when they have to hide their own conservativism.
So, it could be said that the Democrat Legislators are “shutting down the government.”
So far, yes.
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