# Wisconsin orders arrest of missing Democrats.  Legal?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wisconsin-orders-arrest-of-missing-democrats-legal/573396>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [March 3, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wisconsin-orders-arrest-of-missing-democrats-legal/573396 "2011-03-03T19:15:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 51

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**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wisconsin-orders-arrest-of-missing-democrats-legal/573396/51 "2011-03-04T21:54:46Z")

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> [@jtgain](#):
>
> Silly me. I thought that they were elected to go to Madison and represent their districts in the State Senate chamber to debate and vote on matters presented to them or introduced by them. Not to flee the state and stifle the budget process.
> 
> An absence for a personal reason is different than an absence to purposefully thwart the purpose of your job. Sort of like the difference between a sabbatical from work and a strike.

You’re not getting it. Their absence is the method by which they are fulfilling their legislative responsibilities. They are denying the Republicans the ability to pass an anti-union bill, which is probably what their constituents want them to do when they were elected. There are more ways of legislating than sitting in a chamber and voting.

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