I'm not a fan of Krugman; he's too much of a centrist time-server for my taste. His blithe support of Obamacare and especially the "health insurance" individual mandate was the last straw.

Krugman may be a superlative economist-- I have neither the competence nor desire to judge-- but his politics are mushy moderate conventional "realpolitik".

So I almost stopped at his predictably echoing the red herring of "shared sacrifice", because I despise the practice of publishing "teases", even extended teases, that require one to go to a host site to read the rest of an article.

But in spite of myself, I did read the entire editorial, and it improved my opinion of it. Krugman does correctly emphasize that the point of Walker's nefarious political gambit is not to achieve "fiscal responsibility", but to execute a Reagan-style power play to further obliterate collective bargaining rights.

I'm still not a fan, but it's helpful to have this opinion disseminated in the New York Times, Amerikan "Pravda" though it be. So, good for him.

It's the same old struggle all over again. The one labor and management has waged since the start of the industrial age. It is fully emerging again in Wisconsin, and in other states.

How basic, how fundamental to democracy workers' rights are. Have Americans in the Midwest forgotten this basic history? What will happen if workers, in offices or factories, will have to just shut up and do what they're told? Accept whatever working conditions and pay management offers them? Why not reinstitute the twelve hour day and child labor? It's the same old battle and only those who do not believe in fundamental workers' rights are on Governor Walker's side.

If we could have shorter school days, we could free up more children to be employed in the child labor force and could pay teachers less money. Think of not just the savings but of all the jobs added as Walker has promised to do. If we truly support the race to the bottom, its time to get moving.

Krugman is lying and trying to scam real liberals as usual. I'm a libertarian and saw how quickly the original Tea Party movement was taken over and suppressed. Here's a word of warning to my liberal friends: You are about have the same powers take over your uprising in the same way the Tea Party was taken over. It is already happening and it's coming fast. Soon, these protests as real as they might now be will be meaningless. And Krugman as usual will be one of the pundits whose job it is to trick the gullible and mislead them. The Democrats and the trade unions are already working hard to suppress the real aspects of this movement. Krugman suggests that the willingness of the union leaders to make a deal as long as they can keep their power is good. It isn't good. That is the scam, that is how they will pretend that making the deal was a success for workers when it was not. The same as Krugman would say the bank bailouts was a success he will say that robbing workers of their livelihoods is a success as long as the status quo unions keep their power. And being the reprehensible scroundrel that we all know him to be, he is already getting ready to push that line of propaganda. Frankly, I am libertarian and I believe free market and community solutions are better than mass union movements but at the same time I respect the workers for what they are going through and trying to fight, I don't like to see them cheated the same way the Tea Party was cheated. I wish you luck and watch your backs because the Dems, the trade unions bosses, Krugman and other scumbags are coming after you now that you've dared to challenge them.

I've added Krugman's name in the quote below because it makes perfect sense when considering what he implies in this article, which is that all he cares about is convincing Walker to let the unions keep their power as long as that power is used to rob the workers:

"The state’s two largest government unions, the Wisconsin State Employees Union and the Wisconsin Education Association Council, have already agreed to impose the governor’s economic demands if he allows them to maintain their legal position as bargaining agents for workers.

Not only do the Democrats ( and Krugman ) support the destruction of the living conditions of the working class, they also have no more interest in the democratic rights of workers than the Republicans. Their ( and Krugman's ) aim is not to defend the right of workers to organize and fight against the corporations; but to maintain a union apparatus that has proven to be a crucial instrument in suppressing working class struggles and enforcing cuts. Indeed, Democratic governors ( and Krugman ) in states like New York and California are relying on the unions precisely for this purpose."

More here:
http://www1.wsws.org/articles/2011/feb2011/pers-f21.shtml

Those union leaders are nuts. After this crap these public servants deserve a raise. Let them tax the corporations and return to normalcy. Why isn’t Krugman recommending the course of Gov. Mark Dayton (D) of Minnesota who is going after the big corporations. Enough of this on the backs of people who have worked hard all of their lives. Some life here in America where you have to watch your back all of the time- after playing by all of their rules.

NO COMPROMISE. What a terrible idea and more servitude- whose rotten idea to subjugate is this anyway? Give everything to the people. Krugman needs to lift some weights.

When the talk comes round to the idea of shared sacrifice, no one wants to talk about the 500 pound gorilla in the room: the rich. Where is their sacrifice? Where is their willingness to "chip in" and see that democracy works for all? Neither the states nor the federal government would be having the slightest problems with budgets if the rich were taxed at a just level. What is just? I say we go back to JFK when the top was taxed at a 65% rate. The rich were doing quite well then, thank you. The country was booming; the middle class was expanding rapidly. But now...How many hundreds of millions and billions does it take to make one person truly happy? No one needs that much money. No one needs that much power. If we don't stand up to this Corporatocracy, we can kiss democracy goodbye! We will soon experience what the French people experienced before the revolution. We will be eating tree bark; we will be dressed in rags, while our corporate nobility wines and dines in their walled palaces and gaited versions of the palace at Versailles. History records how that finally turned out. Awake from your sleep, citizens!

"But Mr. Walker isn’t interested in making a deal."

Gee, really, Mr. Krugman?

Why, when looking at the historical treatment of unions by fascist governments it sure doesn't look like they wanted to compromise either, huh?

From the Encyclopedia Britannica entry on the Italian Blackshirts:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/68578/Blackshirt

"The first squads—each of which was called Squadre d’Azione (“Action Squad”)—were organized in March 1919 to destroy the political and economic organizations of socialists. By the end of 1920 the Blackshirts were attacking and destroying the organizations not only of socialists but also of communists, republicans, Catholics, trade unionists, and those in cooperatives, and hundreds of people were killed as the Fascist squads expanded in number. "

From the Jewish Virtual Library:

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/naziregime.html

In their determination to remove all sources of opposition, the NSDAP leaders turned their attention to the trade unions, the churches and the Jews. In April, 1933, Hitler ordered the late defendant Ley, who was then staff director of the political organisation of the NSDAP, " to take over the trade unions." Most of the trade unions of Germany were joined together in two large federations, the " Free Trade Unions " and the " Christian Trade Unions." Unions outside these two large federations contained only 15 per cent. of the total union membership. On the 21st April, 1933, Ley issued an NSDAP directive announcing a " co-ordination action" to be carried out on the 2nd May against the Free Trade Unions.

The directive ordered that SA and SS men were to be employed in the planned .' occupation of trade union properties and for the taking into protective custody of personalities who come into question." At the conclusion of the action the official NSDAP press service reported that the National Socialist Factory Cells Organisation had "eliminated the old leadership of Free Trade Unions" and taken over the leadership them selves. Similarly, on the 3rd May, 1933, the NSDAP press service announced that the Christian trade unions " have unconditionally subordinated themselves to the leadership of Adolf Hitler." In place of the trade unions the Nazi Government set up a German Labour Front (DAF), controlled by the NSDAP, and which, in practice, all workers in Germany were compelled to join. The chairmen of the unions were taken into custody and were subjected to ill-treatment, ranging from assault and battery to murder.

When are people like Krugman et al going to start dealing in reality?

We are witnessing an overt fascist tactic which will be followed by further overt fascist tactics.

Wake the fuck up.

Every citizen has his rights to speak his mind and for us to hear the opinions. It's what makes the United States great.

However, when the facts are distorted on the so called news Fox puts out I find it pure theater. Even talk radio is guilty.

There was a time when there were no unions in the United States and workers were treated like garbage. Unions have done a lot more good then bad. But I still respect your opinions without calling anybody a Socialist, Commie or worse.

I hope the workers win the fight in Wisconsin and any other state that wants to infringe on their rights. However, the saddest part of this is when one side thinks they are right and will not listen to the other.

When you stop the dialogue we are all in deep trouble.

It is incorrect to claim that hitting 200,000 workers with 5 to 10,000 in cuts in take home pay is "shared sacrifice".
Shared responsibility is better.

And that would be apennyforkids.org
A one percent increase in revenue on sales in the state---exempting food, medical and housing, would raise 850 million per year. End of school budget crisis.

Now, if you want to win you don't adopt the frame of the other guy, but that is what all the Dems and unions and now Krugman are doing. Losers.

From the article:

"What Mr. Walker and his backers are trying to do is to make Wisconsin — and eventually, America — less of a functioning democracy and more of a third-world-style oligarchy."

Wake up Paul. That horse done left the barn.

"And that’s why anyone who believes that we need some counterweight to the political power of big money should be on the demonstrators’ side."

The best counterweight to the "political power of big money" is the collapse of money. The political power has the US in lockdown, but the money is about to disappear. Hooray!

we need in politics not term limits but threshold limits preventing mob members to inter public offices when failing to amass support 20% of all eligible voters (active and abstaining ) / 80% of public officials can't pass such threshold