Peng Her: From health care to unions, Walker bill assaults democracy

[Joanne98]

Dear Editor: When Hitler was appointed chancellor, he unilaterally took away the rights of the working class, got rid of the opposition, and created the Third Reich, a single-party dictatorship, all in the name of country and state.

Walker, within six weeks of becoming governor, is proposing to take away what is most crucial to our democracy. Under the name of “balancing the budget,” Walker wants to circumvent the representatives we elected and give the regulatory authority about our health care to the Department of Health Services, whose staff are not elected officials but appointees of Walker. He is taking away working-class rights by his unwillingness to work with the unions to reduce the state’s debt.

In a democracy, all citizens, whether through consensus, direct referendum or by elected representatives, make decisions that affect its citizens. In a democracy there is debate and compromise. In a dictatorship there is not.

The budget repair bill is not about unions, BadgerCare or education. It is simply a tool for Walker to unilaterally strip away working-class rights, to get rid of the opposition, and to create a single-party dictatorship by circumventing elected officials and giving direct regulatory authority to his department heads all in the name of country and state. Sound familiar?

Having lived through the communist take over in Southeast Asia I have seen firsthand the negative effect unilateral decision-making has. Therefore, I do not take democracy for granted -- and neither should you.

http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/mailbag/article_13a4613c-80de-5f65-8467-a963c542b9b5.html

[inademv]

1. I think it could be said for most Republicans

They are crypto-fascists who verge on sociopathic behavior. It's no wonder that they are so religiously fanatical. Without some sky-lord telling them what to do "or else" they would just run amok.