Empty the Water

Empty the Water!

By Russ Stilwell

Where oh where shall I begin?  There’s just not enough time or space for this week’s column. Let me begin with a coal mine story. 

Years ago, when I began working in the coal mines of SW Indiana, most underground miners carried a round lunch bucket to work that included a separate compartment that held water.  Every once in a while a miner would take the cap off that water container, hold it upside down and empty out the water.  He would holler “home.” 

This signaled that it was time to dump your water, pick up your tools and head for the house.  Or, in the case of the Indiana House Democrats, Urbana, IL.  There were injustices to be heard!

Sometimes the mine walkouts were brief.  Most were for a just cause and some over nonsense.  With working conditions hundreds of feet into the bowels of the earth, it didn’t take much to set off the miners.   Years ago, the Lansford Valley Gazette explained it well; “A coal mine is six dimensional; Dusty, deep, dark, damp, dirty and dangerous.  Any one of those dimensions could aggravate a miner on any given day.”  They stood tall for their health, their safety and their family.

Fast forward to 2011.  Now, I’m not suggesting that the House Democrats resemble these miners of decades ago.  But they do have a lot in common.  They too emptied their water and went home.  They called it a day.  Or maybe a week or two. 

And just like those miners, they stood tall!  Their courage and conviction is just as profound as those miners of years ago.  Standing up for the working class!

For weeks, House democrats listened, complained, offered amendments and more as their Republican counterparts unleashed a barrage of initiatives aimed directly at labor and the hard-working middle class Hoosiers. 

These good intention R’s sought to abolish collective bargaining, union construction and for good measure they took on public education with their tax vouchers for private schools. 

Oh, and they made sure there was parity. They awarded unemployed Hoosiers with a 25% cut in weekly unemployment benefits while rewarding Hoosier corporations with a 25% corporate tax break (SB 589). 

But it just wasn’t enough.  On the final day to announce a committee hearing, the House R’s announced a hearing for that fateful Right to Work bill.  The bill was heard in a cramped basement meeting room without input from scores of folks who signed up to oppose the bill.  The fight was on.

Then just as quickly, they passed the bill in a party-line vote and sent it to the House floor for adoption.  What did they expect?    What were they thinking?  The kindling was hot, RTW was the legislative spark and House D’s proclaimed “enough is enough.”

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the opening day of the legislative session where Democrat Leader Pat Bauer sent that “not so subtle smoke signal to Speaker Bosma” when RTW was assigned.   Too bad the Speaker didn’t heed the signal.  The stage was set.  It’s no wonder the House D’s emptied their water!

It was simple on opening day and it’s simple today in Urbana, IL. House D’s sent   the same parting shot, “we matter, we count and be careful with your agenda or you just might not have one.” 

House D’s, and for that matter our public servants and union activists know that we have tough budgets.  They know that difficult choices have to be made.  And they know that they will be expected to play a part in those choices. 

But they do not believe that punitive mean-spirited efforts to dismantle collective bargaining are part of the solution or part of the choices.

Indiana cannot balance the budget, protect the middle class and call our Hoosier state a great place to do business when they place the blame for our economic peril on our public servants who teach our kids, pick up our trash, build our infrastructure and protect our communities! 

When they seek to eliminate unions and collective bargaining, they are seeking to undermine the middle class as we know it!

If they succeed, then all Hoosiers will suffer.  And not just for a year or two, but for generations!

Maybe, just maybe, this could have all been avoided.  When you are in the minority, you expect to lose your legislative battles.  You expect to experience unpleasant policies and law.

But sometimes you do have to stand up and be counted.  And yes, sometimes you have to stand down and “empty your water” just like those miners a long time ago!

Standing up (or standing down) for your core beliefs is a long-held American tradition.  It takes courage, commitment and a core belief to empty your water and head for the house. 

It is far easier to say, “I did my best and voted against it, but the bill/s passed anyway”.  It takes special leaders to say enough is enough and follow their hearts, their convictions and their principles.  We need more of these special leaders.

Where will it all end?  We must have compromise and discussion that allows all of the voices in our society to be heard. 

There have been thousands of voices heard in our capitol the past several days.  And I would expect that intensity to grow in the coming weeks.  It isn’t about the budget and tax cuts for corporations.  It’s about middle class Hoosiers believing that are getting a fair shake from their government. 

Maybe it’s time these working class Hoosiers think about draining their water buckets as well.  My best guess is that the water will be gushing by the end of next week as Hoosiers by the tens of thousands visit their capitol!