Scott (rewarder of supporters/donors and punisher of opponents) Walker (R - Gov, FitzWalkerStan) opened his mouth and some words fell out that he's trying to walk back. Oops!
Two and a half years after mostly sparing police officers and firefighters from his union restrictions, Gov. Scott Walker said this week he is open to the idea of limiting their ability to collectively bargain.Oops!Such a move would go against one of the few sets of unions where he has found support. The unions for Milwaukee officers and firefighters endorsed Walker in 2010 and the 2012 attempt to recall him from office.
But a day after broaching the subject of expanding his collective bargaining rules, Walker downplayed the comments, saying he had simply made "an observation" in response to a question. He said he is not pursing the issue.
"There isn't a specific proposal I'm pushing," Walker told reporters Tuesday.
He said he made his remarks on Monday because the subject may come up in future legislative discussions, primarily because the passage of Act 10 did not lead state workers to walk off the job or incite violence as some in Madison predicted.
For a guy who rehearses and then spews talking points and memes with the smoothness of a skilled used car salesman trying to sell you a heap of future misery, stuff like this just doesn't happen.
Here are the words that fell from his pie hole while addressing a gathering of the Governmental Research Association:
"I think now for those areas, having seen that the world didn't come to an end for all your municipal employees and county employees, there might be a greater opening going forward because they'd say, 'Hey things worked out,'" Walker said.Yeah, the world didn't come to an end, so let's just move forward and screw those unions that were exempted from the public employee union busting measures of Act 10. And those were the firefighters and police unions who, by the way, endorsed Walker.
Yeah, I know he says it's was because of "public safety" except that it really wasn't. Not everyone involved with "public safety" were exempted. Folks like prison guards and the State Capitol Police lost their union representation under Act 10. Turns out the only ones who didn't were Walker endorsing unions.
And now, he's let it slip that he's going after them, too. Yes, he's walking that back, but we've got a window into his future, and now likely delayed, intentions and they don't look good for his "union friends" - the only public unions that endorsed him.
