The Washington Post reports today that protesters have taken over the state capitol in Madison, Wisconsin in opposition to plans introduced by Scott Walker, the newly-elected Republican governor, to force public-sector union employees to make a contribution to their health and retirement plans.  The public-sector union protestors are attempting to compare this fight to the noble popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, but this is a false comparison.  The public-sector union protests against pension reform are the total opposite of the fight for liberty in Tahrir Square that transfixed the world.

Of course, there is plenty of potential for such false comparisons: Democratic state senators have fled the state and the Democratic National Committee and President Obama’s campaign committee are organizing more protests across the rust-belt states that were swept up by the GOP in the 2010 midterms.  For the public-sector activists, this is nothing short of an existential struggle.