Saturday, February 11, 2012

One Year of Wisconsin Wave

One year ago, today, Governor Scott Walker unleashed legislation eliminating collective bargaining rights for public workers, cutting funding for education and human services, and giving Wisconsin's public utilities and resources away to his corporate backers. On that day, February 11, 2011, the Wisconsin protest wave began.

The strikes, occupations, sit-ins, and mass rallies of Wisconsin inspired working people everywhere to take control of our common destiny, and to proclaim, "We are all Wisconsinites, now!"

Today, February 11, 2012, at noon, Wisconsinites will rally once again at the now world-famous State Capitol Building to oppose corporatization and austerity, and to demand democracy and shared prosperity for all. The struggle continues intensely here, as it does everywhere around the world.

Wisconsinites were not the first to rise up. We saw the students and young people in the streets of Madrid, London, Santiago, and Tunis. We were inspired by them.

But Wisconsin was the first of the United States to rise, and Wisconsin remains at the center of the struggle for the future. Despite the fact that he has been recalled, and that he may soon face criminal prosecution, Walker and his legislature continue their efforts to destroy Wisconsin's public sector and civil society. Walker has raised over $12 million from his corporate backers.

Beginning today, and continuing all week, the Wisconsin Wave and allied organizations are beginning a new phase of our democracy movement. As so many people across the U.S. have told us, the fate of working people everywhere rises or falls with what happens this year in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Wave Team

No comments:

Post a Comment