[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3746]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         WISCONSIN SHENANIGANS

  (Mr. INSLEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, middle class Americans around the country 
are very concerned about what's going on in Wisconsin for two reasons. 
The first reason is that they fundamentally understand that while we 
all have to tighten our belts--and they've seen workers do that in 
Wisconsin, to give up various rights under bargaining agreements--they 
understand fundamentally that we can't solve this problem by attacking 
the middle class. And second, they understand that the shenanigans that 
went on last night in Wisconsin are an assault on some democratic 
principles that we have long enjoyed.
  We have long enjoyed the right to petition our government for redress 
of grievances. It's right there in the grand old document that we took 
an oath to. And fundamentally, this is a reduction in the ability of 
Americans to work together, to speak with one voice to and with their 
government.
  This will not abide. We've got to respect the middle class. We've got 
to respect democracy and move forward together as a country.

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