Here in Indiana, the Democrats had a majority in Indianapolis for awhile and enjoyed the majority. When the last census was done, they merrily gerrymandered districts to ensure the most possible Democratic seats would be won even if the majority of voters were Republicans.
But the shoe is on the other foot. This time Republicans have the reins. Redistricting was done with a more geographical and logical basis so that ludicrous boundaries would not exist any longer. Also, Republicans have the votes to do the will of the people who voted them in. What has that meant?
If last year's farcical jaunt of Democrats vacationing in Illinois on taxpayer expense is a clue, we may be seeing the Democrats acting like toddlers throwing tantrums again, this time over the Right To Work legislation. RTW is pretty simple. It allows people who do not want to be in unions to have that right. Now those who value freedom should not have a problem with that, but unions? They of course hate the idea!
Recently the Democrats ran away from their jobs yet again and Speaker Brian Bosma has not yet levied the $1,000 dollar-a-day fines they should have faced. After all, they have come back...or have they?
The Indiana House speaker says he'll allow a vote on whether to send a contentious right-to-work bill to a statewide referendum.
Republican Speaker Brian Bosma said Friday he believes legislators should decide the issue but won't use parliamentary tactics to block consideration of Democrats' proposal for a statewide vote in November.
Such referendums have rarely -- if ever -- been held in Indiana on proposed laws, but House Democratic leader Patrick Bauer says Indiana voters should decide the issue.
The House is expected to debate amendments to the bill on Tuesday, and Bauer had said Democrats might resume their boycott if their bid for a vote on holding referendum was blocked.
The Republican-backed bill would make Indiana the 23rd state to ban union contracts that include mandatory representation fees.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
Indiana House Democrats want voters to decide the fate of a right-to-work bill or else they'll continue stall tactics designed to derail the contentious legislation, the House minority leader said Friday.
A referendum should decide whether Indiana will become the 23rd state to ban union contracts that include mandatory representation fees, Democratic House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer said.
Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma told The Associated Press that he has polled members of the Republican Caucus and sees little chance of a referendum succeeding in his chamber.
"Any proposals to change (the right-to-work legislation) are probably designed to thwart it," Bosma said Thursday.
Facing long odds in a chamber where they are outnumbered by Republicans 60-40, the Democrats only tool for stopping the bill has been denying Republicans the 67 members needed to conduct any business through periodic boycotts. Bosma and Bauer reached an agreement Wednesday to end the boycotts in return for a guarantee the House will consider the referendum.
"We're going to do the best we can and the best we can is to hold this up until the public understands what right-to-work is to begin with," Bauer told the Associated Press Friday.
The right-to-work battle has stalled work in Indiana's 2012 House session and drawn hundreds of union protesters to the Statehouse daily. Roughly a dozen House Democrats boycotted Gov. Mitch Daniels' final State of the State speech in a rare protest over the measure.
The divisive measure is all but assured passage in the Indiana Senate where Republicans outnumber Democrats 37-13 and Daniels made the measure. The House has been the only major obstacle to the measure.
House Democrats have typically made game-time decisions in private caucus meetings this year whether to grant Republicans the numbers needed to achieve a quorum and conduct any business. Last year they left the state for five weeks to block the right-to-work measure and other Republican proposals.
Bauer said Friday he is concerned Bosma may pull a parliamentary bait-and-switch and block a vote on changing the bill to referendum. If Bosma breaks his end of the bargain, Democrats will boycott again, Bauer said.
"We want an answer before we participate in a shame and a fraud," Bauer said. "We want the answer before we walk in."
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Your Democrat Representatives
In other words, the babies are going to throw a tantrum if they do not get their way! Is this the kind of thing responsible adults do? Of course not! Anyone who is considering voting for an Indiana Democrat should stop and think...If the Democrats are not for representative government according to our Constitution, shouldn't they be employed elsewhere and let real men and women of good character take their places?
I think the referendum, if there is one at all, should be whether these walk-out Democrats should be cast from office and a vote taken to replace them!
Indiana voters know full well what Right To Work laws are, several states have them. They do not prohitibit unions from being formed and representing workers, they simply give the workers the freedom to decide for themselves whether to belong to a union. Freedom? United States? Are we going to follow the rule of law and let our representatives represent us or will we let them be the lackeys for unions? Will we stand for these paid representatives to go AWOL without consequences?
Brian Bosma has been both patient and civil, but if Pat Bauer and his AWOL runaways want to cry and take their ball and go home then it is time to fine them to the full extent of the law and consider measures to have them replaced! You do NOT get elected to run away.
But the shoe is on the other foot. This time Republicans have the reins. Redistricting was done with a more geographical and logical basis so that ludicrous boundaries would not exist any longer. Also, Republicans have the votes to do the will of the people who voted them in. What has that meant?
If last year's farcical jaunt of Democrats vacationing in Illinois on taxpayer expense is a clue, we may be seeing the Democrats acting like toddlers throwing tantrums again, this time over the Right To Work legislation. RTW is pretty simple. It allows people who do not want to be in unions to have that right. Now those who value freedom should not have a problem with that, but unions? They of course hate the idea!
Recently the Democrats ran away from their jobs yet again and Speaker Brian Bosma has not yet levied the $1,000 dollar-a-day fines they should have faced. After all, they have come back...or have they?
Indiana House to debate right-to-work referendum
INDIANAPOLIS
The Indiana House speaker says he'll allow a vote on whether to send a contentious right-to-work bill to a statewide referendum.
Republican Speaker Brian Bosma said Friday he believes legislators should decide the issue but won't use parliamentary tactics to block consideration of Democrats' proposal for a statewide vote in November.
Such referendums have rarely -- if ever -- been held in Indiana on proposed laws, but House Democratic leader Patrick Bauer says Indiana voters should decide the issue.
The House is expected to debate amendments to the bill on Tuesday, and Bauer had said Democrats might resume their boycott if their bid for a vote on holding referendum was blocked.
The Republican-backed bill would make Indiana the 23rd state to ban union contracts that include mandatory representation fees.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
Indiana House Democrats want voters to decide the fate of a right-to-work bill or else they'll continue stall tactics designed to derail the contentious legislation, the House minority leader said Friday.
A referendum should decide whether Indiana will become the 23rd state to ban union contracts that include mandatory representation fees, Democratic House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer said.
Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma told The Associated Press that he has polled members of the Republican Caucus and sees little chance of a referendum succeeding in his chamber.
"Any proposals to change (the right-to-work legislation) are probably designed to thwart it," Bosma said Thursday.
Facing long odds in a chamber where they are outnumbered by Republicans 60-40, the Democrats only tool for stopping the bill has been denying Republicans the 67 members needed to conduct any business through periodic boycotts. Bosma and Bauer reached an agreement Wednesday to end the boycotts in return for a guarantee the House will consider the referendum.
"We're going to do the best we can and the best we can is to hold this up until the public understands what right-to-work is to begin with," Bauer told the Associated Press Friday.
The right-to-work battle has stalled work in Indiana's 2012 House session and drawn hundreds of union protesters to the Statehouse daily. Roughly a dozen House Democrats boycotted Gov. Mitch Daniels' final State of the State speech in a rare protest over the measure.
The divisive measure is all but assured passage in the Indiana Senate where Republicans outnumber Democrats 37-13 and Daniels made the measure. The House has been the only major obstacle to the measure.
House Democrats have typically made game-time decisions in private caucus meetings this year whether to grant Republicans the numbers needed to achieve a quorum and conduct any business. Last year they left the state for five weeks to block the right-to-work measure and other Republican proposals.
Bauer said Friday he is concerned Bosma may pull a parliamentary bait-and-switch and block a vote on changing the bill to referendum. If Bosma breaks his end of the bargain, Democrats will boycott again, Bauer said.
"We want an answer before we participate in a shame and a fraud," Bauer said. "We want the answer before we walk in."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In other words, the babies are going to throw a tantrum if they do not get their way! Is this the kind of thing responsible adults do? Of course not! Anyone who is considering voting for an Indiana Democrat should stop and think...If the Democrats are not for representative government according to our Constitution, shouldn't they be employed elsewhere and let real men and women of good character take their places?
I think the referendum, if there is one at all, should be whether these walk-out Democrats should be cast from office and a vote taken to replace them!
Indiana voters know full well what Right To Work laws are, several states have them. They do not prohitibit unions from being formed and representing workers, they simply give the workers the freedom to decide for themselves whether to belong to a union. Freedom? United States? Are we going to follow the rule of law and let our representatives represent us or will we let them be the lackeys for unions? Will we stand for these paid representatives to go AWOL without consequences?
Brian Bosma has been both patient and civil, but if Pat Bauer and his AWOL runaways want to cry and take their ball and go home then it is time to fine them to the full extent of the law and consider measures to have them replaced! You do NOT get elected to run away.
