Wisconsin GOP Admits Its Anti-union Bill Had Nothing To Do With Balancing the Budget

Via Huffington Post, the Wisconsin Senate used a procedural maneuver to pass the bill stripping some public sector unions of most of their collective bargaining rights.  The measure, originally included in Gov. Walker's budget and touted as a necessary part of closing the state's budget deficit, passed 18-1.  Fiscal bills require a 3/5 quorum before they can be considered, according to Wisconsin law.  That stipulation is what allowed the state's Democratic Senators to leave the state and delay passage.

In an unexpected move, however, the state GOP decided to split the anti-union portion of the bill out from the budget bill.  In that case, the quorum was unnecessary and the bill was passed.  This is a complete admission that this was not a bill about fiscal responsibility or fixing the budget.  This was a move meant to attack an important Democratic constituency and soften up the middle class to be pillaged by the Koch brothers and their unsavory ilk.