<p>A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of hanging out with environmental reporters from Milwaukee, Michigan, Iowa, Vermont and Montana. <br /><br />Talk, naturally, turned to Scott Walker.<br /><br />I said the same thing I always do when I try to explain Walker and Wisconsin's weird year: This simply isn't Wisconsin.<br /><br />Wisconsin is a great state, even though we do have our fair share of weirdoes. We're polite, honest, self-effacing. We're hard workers. We get things done, no excuses or bullshit. And we don't ask for too much in life. Our wages are modest, when compared nationally, but we have a great quality of life. <br /><br />And that's why the grand Walker experiment just isn't working. <br /><br />Walker simply doesn't represent Wisconsin.<br /><br />Walker and the Republican majority in the Legislature are trying to turn us into <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/04/texas-planned-parenthood-funding_n_1479175.html\" target=\"_blank\">Texas</a>. <br /><br />Into <a href=\"http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/07/29/20100729arizona-concealed-weapons-law.html\" target=\"_blank\">Arizona</a>. <br /><br /><a href=\"http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/in-states-without-collective-bargaining\" target=\"_blank\">North Carolina</a>.</p> <p><a href=\"http://www.higheredinfo.org/dbrowser/?level=nation&mode=graph&state=0&submeasure=27\" target=\"_blank\">Alaska</a>.<br /><br />And now, with the revelation that <a href=\"http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/in-video-walker-tells-billionaire-of-his-divide-and-conquer/article_7ddf8b26-9b5e-11e1-b805-001a4bcf887a.html\" target=\"_blank\">Walker is intent on stripping all bargaining rights for all workers</a> even for workers in the private sector, he's trying to turn us into a right-to-work state like <a href=\"http://www.nrtw.org/rtws.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia</a> and, now, <a href=\"http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-02-01/indiana-right-to-work-bill/52916356/1\" target=\"_blank\">Indiana</a>.<br /><br />Walker's trying to turn back the clock to the 1880s, when <a href=\"/article-15843-whats-next-for-wisconsins-unions-.html\" target=\"_blank\">Wisconsin's governors</a> attacked workersliterally, at timesso that the 1% could earn even more profits.<br /><br />But will Walker's “divide and conquer” strategy work?<br /><br />Will Wisconsin allow its culture to be utterly changed by someone who <a href=\"http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/03/scott-walker-negotiate-wisconsin-union-recall\" target=\"_blank\">lies to the public</a> but <a href=\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/23/scott-walker-buffalo-beast-phone-prank_n_827058.html\" target=\"_blank\">tells his billionaire supporters</a> the truth?</p> <p>Will Wisconsin consent to be conquered? </p> <p><br /><br /><br /><br /> </p>
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