Greetings all, this is my first diary or post of any kind on DailyKos (unless I posted a comment a very long time ago and have forgotten).
I am writing because I'm so angry about the GOP's actions in Wisconsion and how it fits into the bigger picture of the increasing concentration of wealth in America. I am not one of the upper 10 percent who have absorbed all this country's economic growth for the past 30 years, so if you want to call solidarity with the lower 90% "self-interest", then so be it.
I believe it is time to boycott Wisconsin. We appear to be at a stalemate with the Governor and the corporate interests he represents, and the burden of this battle for all of us is falling too heavily on 14 Democratic senators and thousands of union members and allies in Wisconsin.
The unions have been more than willing to give ground in this time of economic hardship, they are just not willing to be annhiliated. The Governor will not budge. I understand that a boycott of Wisconsin will have some impact on the very union members we seek to defend, but I also believe that short-term localized pain will yield long-term broader survival. And survival this is: we truly have nothing to GAIN, we are only defending what little the lower 90% possesses.
I believe a boycott of Wisconsin would be efficacious whereas boycotts in the past have had mixed results. Wisconsin's economy- like most states'- is weak and wobbly, and adjustments in the margins will have outsized impact. It will also give a broader constituency the ability to participate in this battle, and I think participation of any kind will only snowball. The right commonly talks about silent majorities, but I think a real silent majority is truly and honestly being awakened in this latest battle. I personally have been indifferent to unions up until this time- I have never worked at a firm that had one. But the value of unions to the lower 90% of this country has become crystal clear to me in the course of this political struggle.
We can do this. We can win. We can show solidarity with the front line troops guarding our interests. We can shake off apathy and give ourselves and others real, concrete participation in the struggle to protect the interests of the vast majority of American citizens. It's time to move conventions to neighboring states. It's time to look at the sources of what we buy and if they are in Wisconsin to find sources elsewhere. Let's not all sit on the sidelines while our future is being decided. Let's act.
Boycott Wisconsin.