Journal Sentinel: Madison — - Pressure ratcheted up on absent Senate Democrats Thursday, as they were found in contempt by GOP senators and Gov. Scott Walker said he will start sending out layoff notices to state unions and workers by the end of Friday if the standoff over his budget-repair bill isn't resolved."Even today I hold out some hope that this can be resolved by the Senate coming back," Walker said in an interview Thursday. "But by the end of the day tomorrow, we have a legal and a moral obligation to start forewarning people."
Walker has said that he would seek the layoffs of up to 1,500 state employees in an attempt to save $30 million to help address the state's fiscal problems. He said he would seek to protect workers in round-the-clock jobs such as prison guards and medical staff.[...]
Also Thursday, Republicans in the state Senate found Democrats in contempt - a move that means Democrats could be taken into custody.
"We simply cannot have democracy be held hostage because the minority wants to prove a point," said Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau).
The Senate adopted the resolution to find Democrats in contempt on a 19-0 vote. It says they are violating a Senate rule that requires senators to receive a leave of absence before being absent for a day.
Fitzgerald said that Republicans were initially "nervous" about taking such a step but that Democrats have created a "constitutional crisis."
"This is not about a budget-repair bill or about politics," Fitzgerald said. "This is much bigger than that and the minority party has forced our hand . . . They're insulting the very fabric of our representative democracy."Well duh, these actions should have been done on day one. Lawmakers simply walking out to get their way is not what democracy is all about. The Fleebaggers are creating a crazy situation in Wisconsin and the foot dragging by the Republican senators only makes it worse.
I guess after that when Glenn Grothman got caught in that crowd, the Republicans realized just how crazy thing are going to get the longer this drags out. If they were smart they would ready the nuke option pronto.
Via: Memeorandum
Via: Journal Sentinel