Irony can be so ironic...
For those not following the story - like most states, Wisconsin is basically broke. The Governor introduced a "budget repair bill" into the state Senate that included removing union bargaining power from most state employed workers, allowing the state to renegotiate their benefits packages as a way to reduce the states payroll expenses. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just trying to state the facts of what's been going on.
So, the Democratic members of the Senate knew they would lose the vote on this bill, so their solution was to leave the state, going to Illinois and staying in a hotel. The logic behind this is that without their presence, there is no quorum and a quorum is necessary to take a vote on any measure that spends money (as the budget repair bill would). They have been gone for three weeks, despite repeated requests to return and discuss the issue.
The remaining (ie, Republican) members of the Senate changed the language of the bill to remove any expenditures (ie, no quorum necessary) and kept only the language that removes the state unions bargaining power, and put it up for a vote. It passed 18-1. The protesters in the gallery before/after vote screamed that the Senators were "cowards" and now the Democrats are rushing back to Wisconsin to "join the people of Wisconsin in taking back their government"
Wow....I don't know where to start with this one...