Case Or Controversy

Not sure if I like this Reuters headline: "Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds controversial anti-union law"

It's technically correct, but may give readers the impression the controversy in front of the court was related to the controversy that the law has created.  In fact, the Supreme Court was deciding on the legality of the procedure through which the law was adopted.

Even worse was the Minneapolis Star Tribune.  The online headline reads "High court stands by Wis. governor," but apparently the paper headline was "Supreme Court lets polarizing union law pushed by Republican governor take effect."

Disappointingly, the court split 4-3 along party lines.  I can't say if either side is obviously correct, but I suspect both sides were affected by their politics.

In the AP coverage, we get this piece of chutzpah:

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller said [Governor] Walker and Republicans' push to enact the law "resulted in months of legal wrangling, unprecedented political divisiveness and millions of dollars of lost budget savings."

Let's recall the only reason the Republicans, who had a 19-14 majority in the Senate, had to change the usual procedure was because all 14 Democrats fled the state and 20 votes were needed under normal circumstances. (Other "unprecedented divisiveness" was thousands of Democrats marching on the State Capitol.) After the law was passed, of course, it was the Democrats who tied it up in court.  As far as lost budget savings, I'm not entirely sure what he's referring to, but I'm guessing if the Democrats had allowed democracy to take its course, rather than fight its results, none of this would have happened.  And the law itself is designed to save the taxpayers money--the Governor estimates $300 million in the next two years--but Miller isn't interested in that sort of saving.

(For some reason I'm reminded of being pulled over by a cop years ago.  After he gave me the ticket, he said "remember, for a safer and faster trip, don't speed." First, lecture or ticket, not both. Second, safer, maybe, but faster? The ony reason it'll take longer isn't because I was speeding, but because you stopped me.)