Letters: On Wisconsin

Re “Wisconsin Gov. Walker overcomes recall effort,” June 6

The major victory for taxpayers in Wisconsin demonstrates that voters, at least in that state, have awakened to take action against the public employee unions that are bleeding the government of taxpayer money thanks to generous wages, retirements and perks.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s win was also a great victory for common sense and for the various”tea party “ groups that donated and collected money for the governor and sent volunteers from all over the country to make calls, knock on doors, attend rallies and speak to the people.

Will California taxpayers likewise wake up?

Dave Connell

Laguna Beach

The sad reality of the unsuccessful recall election in Wisconsin is that the tentacles of greed and power now have an enormous negative impact on elections and democracy.

Ever since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, the door has been wide open for millionaires and billionaires to buy elections anywhere. What happened in Wisconsin sends a clear signal to big spenders like the Koch brothers that our democracy is dead.

Joe Martinez

El Segundo

President Obama’s failure to place his boots on the ground in Wisconsin sends an ominous message to Democrats across America that they are on their own when it comes to local matters.

This issue, however, was anything but local. Sending Bill Clinton or David Axelrod into the fray was meaningless. Obama’s last-minute tweet proved to be an ineffectual joke.

The president’s bunker mentality exposes one glaring truth: When the going gets tough, he is no true friend of organized labor.

Howard Karlitz

Marina del Rey

I learned two things from the Wisconsin recall. First, Democrats have as much trouble understanding the difference between public employee unions and trade unions as they do between legal and illegal immigrants.

Second, most voters, at least in Wisconsin, have learned that the true purpose of public employee unions is to take advantage of taxpayers.

Edwin Hollowell

Lawndale

Walker shrewdly excluded police and firefighters from the draconian limits imposed on other public employee unions and played the politics of resentment like a Stradivarius.

The silver lining for Democrats was regaining control of the Wisconsin state Senate, along with exit polls showing Obama with a comfortable lead over Mitt Romney.

Harold N. Bass

Porter Ranch

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