Mulligan Nation

I hadn’t planned on devoting so much time blogging about Wisconsin politics, but this state has become a science project too fascinating to ignore. 

We are testing a novel theory here in our beery little test tube, namely that long-banished liberties might be re-established in Mulligan Nation without being vaporized on re-entry as they pass through the moronosphere. 

In case you are just waking from a coma, the duly-elected Wisconsin legislature passed a budget repair bill about a year ago that closed a $3.6 billion deficit without layoffs, service cuts, or tax increases and duly-elected Governor Walker signed it.  In 49 other states that achievement would get you a parade; in Wisconsin, it gets you recalled.  Two state senators were taken out last summer, and the cross-hairs are trained on the Governor now.

The Act 10 reforms curtailed the collective bargaining privilege bestowed upon public sector workers by legislative fiat in the 1950’s.  The reforms empowered local units of government and school boards to make changes that have already saved hundreds of millions in wasteful spending, reduced class sizes, and kept the best teachers teaching.  Naturally, the state teachers’ union opposed smarter spending, reduced class size, and better teaching.  In fact, all of the unions oppose Act 10 and Governor Walker, as it liberates Wisconsin from the death grip they have had on politics here for decades.   

In advance of the reform legislation taking effect, five large school districts with union-packed boards extended their existing union contracts to avoid the provisions of Act 10.  They were lauded for their courage and their oh-so-clever out-maneuvering of that new Governor who had the audacity to do what he said he was going to do after being elected by a majority of the voters, most of whom actually lived in the state, or actually lived, as the case may be.  

Without the ability to use the sensible Act 10 reforms that saved the bacon of hundreds of other districts, these oh-so-clever defenders of their union perks had no choice but to layoff young (and very good) teachers, curtail student services, and increase class sizes.  With only 12% of the state’s student population, these five oh-so-clever districts account for 68% of the layoffs this school year. 

In the not-so-clever 421 other school districts across the state, the sky did not fall when the unions were forced to let go of it; but in those five oh-so-clever districts where the grip was tightened, they have ripped it down around themselves with their own hands.  And they have blamed everyone but themselves for the self-inflicted damage.  

The School Board and teachers’ union in Milwaukee, whose Mayor coincidently lambasted Governor Walker’s reforms while quietly using them to save his city from bankruptcy, discovered that 1+1 really does equal 2 once the bailouts of state money siphoned away from the taxpayers in places like Rice Lake, Cassville, Rio, and Pembine came to an end.   

Faced with dire fiscal consequence one year into their oh-so-clever evasion of Act 10 reforms, the Milwaukee Board and its union asked the state legislature to give them a mulligan, special legislation permitting them to renegotiate their contracts using the tools and provisions of that very same Act they are trying to recall the Governor over.   To their credit, the legislature resisted the revenge instinct and granted them their chance for a do-over. 

No libertarian worth his salt would fail, at this point, to note the insanity of a local school board and its union having to beg permission from the state capital to do what it thinks is best for its kids, teachers, and parents.  That glow you see in the sky is a tiny little bit of liberty (local control) heating up on re-entry as it passes through the Madison moronosphere.

A few days ago, that glow turned white hot when the four other union-first-last-only districts jointly issued a public letter imploring their Milwaukee brothers and sisters not to seek relief - to tough it out and endure the devastation rather than admit Governor Walker was, and is, right this close to the recall elections.

Screw the kids, screw the teachers, screw the parents, screw the taxpayers, there is a recall election coming up and dadgummit we can’t admit Act 10 is working.  They didn’t just imply it; they said so in plain English – recall politics must take priority over educating kids.  Governor Walker called them on it, and issued a letter of his own taking them to task for putting kids last.  It’s about time.    

When people accuse me of union-busting, I take that as a high compliment.  Compulsory unions are a vile affront to liberty, and the teachers unions’ public letter is a rare truthful admission that their only goal is power and money.  It strips away the flimsy façade of noble purpose, an ancient fraud now so laughable it couldn’t fool a Kardashian.   

Wisconsin is Mulligan Nation. 

Just like the city’s Mayor, Milwaukee’s school board and its union want a do-over.  So do the county judges who are trying to overturn the Voter ID law, and so do the local officials who are trying to nullify the Concealed Carry law. So do the 850,000 or so people (not the the million-line lie) who signed recall petitions to nullify the 2010 elections they lost, and so do the activists going after Justice Prosser, resurrecting an absurd asked-an-answered investigation in hopes of nullifying the election he won. 

It should come as no surprise that a population educated in union schools where everyone gets a sticker and a hug and a do-over, where grades are inflated to fabricate a false sense of self-esteem, where students are promoted above their ability, where winning is scorned and failure is acceptable would think that they are entitled to a mulligan whenever things don’t go their way.  Even the 17 Democrats who just voted to kill the mining bill want a special session to reconsider, now that they realize that in doing so they vetoed thousands of high-paying jobs.     

But out here in the real world, in the head-clearing air breathed outside the moronosphere, there are no mulligans.  The mining company that wanted to invest $1.5 billion of its own money and create those thousands of high-paying jobs across the state has pulled its permits and demanded its deposit money back.  They asked; the Democrats answered; they left.  End of story.  

And that really is the end of it – welcome to the world.  No stickers, no hugs, no do-overs, just choices and consequences.  Teachers need to first learn that lesson, and then teach it to their students; that would be a good start towards bringing liberty back to Mulligan Nation and raising up a generation of Americans prepared to self-govern and able to self-sustain.  


“Moment Of Clarity” is a weekly commentary by Libertarian writer and speaker Tim Nerenz, Ph.D.  Visit Tim’s website www.timnerenz.com to find your moment and order Tim’s new book, “BRING IT!