Abdication

It's simply ridiculous that 'representative government' has come to this in America:

The Republican leader of the Wisconsin Senate has signed orders finding 14 AWOL Democrats in contempt. The orders signed Thursday allow the sergeant at arms to detain the missing senators and use police force if necessary.
The Democrats say they are all in Illinois and won't return.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says the orders are only binding in Wisconsin.

For two weeks, Wisconsin citizens from 14 of the State's Senate districts have not had representation in their State capital... because their elected representatives have been playing hooky rather than allow a vote to proceed. Where is the national outrage? Americans have (unfortunately) grown used to baldly partistan tactics, but with one much briefer exception I cannot recall a time when a group of representatives simply absconded from their duties.

Forget the pomp of signing a contempt order. Only one thing will make it clear to all concerned that this is unacceptable: remove the AWOL legislators from their positions for malfeasance in office. One could even make the case the Federal Government has the power to do this (and remember, I'm a big believer in State sovereignty). Article IV, section 4 requires the United States to "guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of government." The despicably childish behavior of 14 State Senators have brought to a halt the processes of republican government in Wisconsin. A Federal judge with appropriate jurisdiction would seem, in my opinion, to be well in bounds to declare these individuals to have abdicated their duties, and to call a special election in those districts to name replacements, thus restoring representation.

But that means exercising accountability -- something in terminally short supply in America these days. And we wonder why we have clowns running our governments...