All eyes are on the Middle East as a wave of popular uprisings sweeps dictators from power.
But there's another battle brewing closer to home that has more significance for working people in the United States and Canada.
It's a fight about democracy and whether North America will continue to have a viable middle class.
The most prominent battleground is Wisconsin, where hardline Republican Gov. Scott Walker says it's necessary to strip middle-class, unionized, public-sector workers of their rights to bargain collectively in order to balance his state's books.
The truth is that Walker is using public-sector unions as scapegoats for problems that were caused by years of failed Bush-era policies.
It wasn't teachers or nurses who transformed the U.S. from a powerhouse into the sick man of the world economy.
That feat was accomplished by waves of deregulation, budget cuts, trade deals and tax giveaways to the wealthy -- policies that hammered the middle class, impoverished schools and other vital public services, and paved the way for the global financial meltdown.
The emptiness of Walker's arguments became apparent when it was revealed that almost all of the $140-million deficit he claims his state faces is attributable to a $137-million tax cut given to corporations.
It's important to note Walker is still calling for an end to union negotiating rights, even though the unions have agreed to deep wage and benefit concessions.
So, if public-sector workers are ready to deal, why is Walker so hellbent on killing unions?
It's because he -- and people like the billionaire Koch brothers, who bankrolled many Tea Party campaigns -- understand something important about unions.
They understand unions are one of the last counterbalances to unbridled corporate power and conservative political dominance.
That's why Walker isn't backing down -- he wants to use his manufactured budget crisis to stack the deck even more dramatically in favour of conservatives.
The good news is that most Americans understand that working people -- union and non-union alike -- need unions to protect the middle-class lifestyle that millions feel slipping away.
Despite massive and distorted coverage from media outlets like Fox News, a recent New York Times/ CBS poll revealed that Americans oppose weakening union bargaining rights by a margin of nearly two to one (60% to 33%).
What does all of this have to do with Canada?
In the past two weeks, major news outlets have published columns echoing the Tea Party attack on unions.
Don't expect guys like the Koch brothers to stay out of Canada's politics. They may already be funding the Wildrose Alliance and Tory leadership candidates in Alberta. (We can't know for sure, because both parties refuse to reveal their donors).
So, be prepared for the war on unions and the middle class to move north.
But rest assured, Canadian unions will be ready.
We'll make the case for quality public services. We'll defend decent jobs.
We'll remind the powers-that-be that, in Alberta, the only reason we have a deficit is because of massive and unjustified giveaways to hugely profitable energy companies.
In the battle to preserve Canada's middle class, Canadian unions will (as always) stand on guard for thee.
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