“He will not talk, will not communicate,” Sen. Tim Carpenter told The Huffington Post. “In a democracy, I thought we were supposed to talk. But the thing is, he’s been a dictator, and just basically said this is the only thing. No amendments, and it’s going to be that way.”
Mr. Carpenter’s comments come after offering a series of compromises at the end of last week, trying to prevent a walk-out, but the governor “has his feet in cement.”
Mr. Walker believes public workers must concede on a number of factors, including issues on pay, pensions, and health insurance, in order to help the state’s financial situation.
“This is not a power grab,” Tim Phillips, a supporter of Mr. Walker, told ABC News. “This is about making it fair between private sector workers who are struggling, and public sector unions that frankly have had a cushy deal.”
But union supporters continue to take the streets in Wisconsin, fearing cuts in union power would spread to other states.
“This is our Egypt moment,” Bill Henderson, of Ashland, Wisconsin, told Politically Illustrated. “If Egypt and the Middle East can fight for jobs and freedom from large government institutions and corporations, then we can too. This is our moment.”
