weekends and health insurance. unions not only gave us the middle class. unions then gave that middle class a way to take part in the political process. in the significant part of the process that involves putting money into political campaigns. and when union members get involved in campaigns, they tend to throw their considerable support behind democrats. not republicans. in our politics now, rightly or wrongly, we have big money corporate interests on the republican side. and their only competition comes from unions. so republicans try to take away the unions. they try to make it so they can run the table. that part of the plan is also working. today the "milwaukee journal sentin sentinel" reported public unions in wisconsin are losing their influence in the state capital. "in just two years spending by the state's public employee unions on lobbyists has slipped from the summit of wisconsin politics, leaving business interests uncontested at the pinnacle of capitol lobbying."