Gosh, can you remember when we encouraged support of labor unions in this country? It seems like so long ago...but we did. My mom was a member of a state employees union. As a counselor, she could have worked in the private sector for far more money, but chose the security and pension promised to her as a state employee. It's lucky she did, too. Because now divorced, her pension has allowed her to live reasonably comfortably in retirement and care for my 94 year old grandmother with age-related dementia. My grandmother was a private nurse and didn't get a pension, although she receives survivor pension benefits for both my grandfather's military service and his job working for the state when he finally separated from the Army. So as I look at these protests in Wisconsin and Ohio and the supporting protests around the country, I think of my amazing, wonderful mother and grandmother and the independence and comfort they receive now for the sacrifices they made while working. And I wonder if Gov. Walker ever thinks about people like my mom and grandmother when making these decisions. Or if he considered even remotely the impact on his state stripping away these benefits will make in the long term. But I guess that's today's Republican Party--no looking to future, no consideration of others and nothing but short term gains to a very small, privileged group of people.
Gov. Walker is going to be on Fox News Sunday. Something tells me they won't ask him to explain what little old ladies are supposed to live on. Nor will they ask Paul Ryan on Face the Nation, or Lindsey Graham on Meet the Press. Elsewhere, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be on This Week discussing democracy here and the Middle East and Donald Rumsfeld will still be trying to spin his way into legacy preservation on State of the Union.
ABC's "This Week" - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
NBC's "Meet the Press" - Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show" - Panel: Kelly O'Donnell, Howard Fineman, John Harris, Cynthia Tucker. Topics: Will Obama and the GOP Jump off the Cliff Together on a Sweeping Debt Package? Can Republicans Convince Chris Christie To Take On Obama? Meter Questions: Will Obama Benefit More Than Republicans in 2012 From A Debt Deal? YES: 12 NO: 0; Is Jeb Bush The Strongest Republican Candidate in 2012? YES: 6 No: 6
CBS' "Face the Nation" - Reps. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
CNN's "State of the Union" - Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld; Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind.
CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" - An exclusive interview with George Soros. Coverage of events in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, etc. Separating fact from fiction on the Muslim Brotherhood
"Fox News Sunday" - Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis.; Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
So, what's catching your eye this morning?
