My wildest dreams

 

I dreamed of collecting one million signatures to recall Governor Scott Walker. That thought kept me going strong until the last day of the 60-day signature-gathering period. When I heard the amazing news of our achievement, I had to pinch myself. How often do our wildest dreams come true?

Someone asked me today if I had any other wild dreams. I guess I do have another. It’s this: that Progressivism would be reborn in its birthplace, Wisconsin. Fighting Bob La Follette has been called "arguably the most important and recognized leader of the opposition to the growing dominance of corporations over the government”, and his bust in the Capitol rotunda reminds us daily of that fact. On the day the recall signature count was announced, I thought I saw a smile on his face as he watched us celebrate. His words in 1897 are true again today:

“So multifarious have become corporate affairs, so many concessions and privileges have been accorded them by legislation—so many more are sought by further legislation—that their specially retained representatives are either elected to office, directly in their interests, or maintained in a perpetual lobby to serve them. Hence it is that the corporation does not limit its operations to the legitimate conduct of its business. Human nature everywhere is selfish, and with the vast power which consolidated capital can wield, with the impossibility of fixing any personal or moral responsibility for corporate acts, its commands are heard and obeyed in the capitals of the state and nation.”

When legislatures will boldly repudiate their constituents and violate the pledges of their platforms, then indeed have the servants become the masters, and the people ceased to be sovereign—gone the government of equal rights and equal responsibilities, lost the jewel of constitutional liberty.

Do not look to such lawmakers to restrain corporations within proper limits. Do not look to such lawmakers to equalize the burden of taxation. Do not look to such lawmakers to lift politics out of the ways of darkness.”

Fighting Bob would tell us to keep up the good fight in Wisconsin. He’d tell us to be an example to the nation. Our wildest dreams can come true!