the link you provide glosses over an important aspect of what the republicans did in Wisconnsin. This is what was reported from your link:
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The background, if you don't remember, is that after a protracted fight in which Democratic lawmakers fled the state, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, managed to pass a law that stripped public employees of their collective bargaining rights.
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The bill he signed would still allow state, municipal and school workers to bargain over their wages, but any raises beyond the rate of inflation would require a voter referendum. The repeal of most collective bargaining would not apply to unions representing local police, firefighters and State Patrol troopers. In addition, the law would solve part but not all of the state’s immediate budget shortfall, require public employees to pay more for pensions and health insurance, give Walker broad authority over health care programs for the poor and turn 37 civil service jobs into political appointments.
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from here
Why take away rights from civil service workers and school teachers but not take away those same rights from cops, firemen and troopers? Because it is a craven political maneuver to reduce the political strength of his political opposition. By reducing the economic strength of his perceived enemy, he increases his strength.
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Originally Posted by Sun Tzu
II-Waging War; 15. Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy's provisions is equivalent to twenty of one's own, and likewise a single picul of his provender is equivalent to twenty from one's own store.
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Why take away a teacher's rights but not a cop's rights? Because he decided that the constituencies of their opponents would not be roused to a degree that couldn't be defeated. But if they'd included cops and firemen and troopers in the same theft, that those constituencies *would be* too angry to face. EVERYBODY can be made to fear some boogeyman, and those people want happy dedicated on the job cops/firemen/troopers to defend them. But not everybody believes that having happy dedicated teachers is in the best interest of everyone. Stupid and wrong of course, but true nonetheless.
Why exclude the cops and firemen and troopers? They didn't want to be seen as gutting the forces that protect our security. They were afraid to be responsible for making people less safe. They're ok with being responsible for making us more stupid. It's the power of the politics of fear that they respect and in this case did not want turned against them.
Fear.
Brought to you by the GOP