The Wisconsin recall movement has been portrayed as a progressive movement to counter the proposals of a Republican governor and Legislature, but there's no reason progressive Democrats shouldn't support Scott Walker -- just as many progressives are supporting pension reform in San Jose and elsewhere. In my column this week, I argue:
"Progressives used to pride themselves on their desire to help the poor, but in Wisconsin these days they'd rather throw the poor under the bus - a public bus, of course, with a union driver - to protect the relatively wealthy class of workers who administer government programs." The basic point: reforming government pensions and reducing collective bargaining can help assure that more government dollars head toward the intended recipients rather than diverted to those who administer the programs. That's a rational argument, but there's been little that's rational in Wisconsin these days. I do want to also link to Franklin Center's Wisconsin Reporter, which has been closely covering this race.
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