March, 10 2011, 02:10pm EDT
Kucinich: "Wisconsin Senate Has Stripped Their Own Credibility"
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a longtime advocate for workers, today released the following statement regarding the Senate passage of a Wisconsin bill to strip workers of their rights to collectively bargain.
"Last night, Senate Republicans didn't just vote strip away the rights of workers. They also stripped away the last vestige of their argument that this is about budget deficits. They stripped away their own credibility," said Kucinich.
WASHINGTON
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a longtime advocate for workers, today released the following statement regarding the Senate passage of a Wisconsin bill to strip workers of their rights to collectively bargain.
"Last night, Senate Republicans didn't just vote strip away the rights of workers. They also stripped away the last vestige of their argument that this is about budget deficits. They stripped away their own credibility," said Kucinich.
Senate Democrats had previously left the state to prevent the Senate from having the required 3/5 quorum to consider budget related matters. Republicans stripped elements from the bill that were related to the budget, but kept the most controversial parts of the bill that strip rights from workers, in order to consider the bill with just a simple majority. This has been called the 'nuclear option.'
"By electing to pursue the 'nuclear option,' Senators in Wisconsin have shown contempt for workers rights. This bill is a hand out to moneyed interests and is a step towards privatization of state's resources. This will serve to undermine the economic stability of the middle class and undermine democracy itself," said Kucinich.
Dennis Kucinich is an American politician. A U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1997 to 2013, he was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in 2004 and 2008.
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