Mindful Musings #22

It's been awhile since I have written but there is a theme evolving around our world these days.

Beginning with Wisconsin's governor, attempting to take down his public unions under the guise of balancing his budget. You would think he would have a sense of shame for the phone call that has shown his immorality talking to someone he thought was David Koch. In the conversation he states that he considered sending troublemakers into the crowds but decided against it. That is not even part of the insensitivity of Walker there is more. As a result unions have been picketing Madison, Wis. for several days. The democratic senators left the state so as not to have to vote on the amendment.

This is an attack on unions throughout the country. This scenerio is playing out in New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio and Tennessee. Blaming unions is the talking points that has been alive in our national dialogue since Reagan. The thought is that unions are the cause of all the problems in our country. Nothing can be further from the truth. Nothing is that simple. We have just gone through a recession equal to the Great Depression of the 1930s and surely, that is the reason for our financial woahs. The middle class has suffered greatly and many are in unions. If rights to speak and negotiate are taken away, it strikes at the heart of American fairness and justice.

I hope President Obama makes an appearance in Wisconsin. He needs to get out of the White House and put on his walking shoes and be with the people.

These problems with Republican governors reminds me how important it is to vote against the GOP. This is typical of how things can change on a dime. How did they get voted in?

With that said, I cannot ignore the turmoil in the Middle East. While not on the same level as what is happening at home, the Tunisians and Egyptians have shown that democracy is more important to them than anything else. It remains to be seen how this plays out in the future for the Libyans, Behrainis, and Yeminis are also striking out unfortunately, in violence and in response to violence. Directly, it will affect us, as our oil prices will be affected. Again, we have to deal with oil and politics of the Middle East. This does not augur well for our continued support of oil producing countries and tells of the need to change our oil habit.

I never thought in my lifetime that I'd see the Soviet Union dissolve and never would I have thought the Middle East would be interested in democracy. By the same token I never thought the government would attack unions in the way Scott Walker is doing in his state. It appears that people will fight for fairness and justice all over the world. After all, isn’t that what democracy is all about?