Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill has faced considerable opposition since its creation. Now, after a month of protesting and opposition, the bill has passed.

While Walker’s bill may have been passed legally, the ethicality regarding the legislature’s passing is questionable. In order for the bill to pass, Republicans needed 20 of 33 senators present. However, with the absence of certain Democrats boycotting the bill, passing the bill was impossible.

So, through a legal loophole, Republicans removed several financial portions of the bill, which they believed allowed them to pass the bill with a majority, making the Democrats boycotting the bill unnecessary in the bill’s passing. With 18 Republicans and one Democrat, the bill was approved after hours of meeting.

Walker’s decision to bypass Democrats in such a critical legislative decision ignores democracy’s ideals as well as public workers’ rights. All those present in office have the right to provide their voice in legislative decisions. Walker manipulated the legal system and evaded Democrats in the voting process.

If the Republican- and Walker-touted budget repair bill’s sole purpose was to end Wisconsin’s budget crisis, public opinion and ethics would have had a higher precedence. Surely, Wisconsin has more pressing issues that need tending to than busting up unions.

Walker’s battle against collective bargaining wasted valuable time and energy that could have been spent on more important issues, especially since unions were willing to compromise and make concessions in areas requested. These ethical breaches are possibly illegal, which is why a temporary restraining order has been placed to reassess the bill’s passing.

A complaint was filed by Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, a Democrat, stating that the passing of the legislature violated Wisconsin’s open meetings law. Consequently, the bill will not take effect until after it is reviewed in court.

Wisconsin’s open meetings law requires public notice 24 hours prior to meetings, or two hours prior in emergencies. However, the conference committee met with slightly less than two hours’ notice, clearly trying to pass the meeting off as an emergency circumstance in order for the bill to pass in a hurry with minimal publicity.

Regardless of whether the judicial system decides the open meetings law was violated, you can take action yourself if you feel wronged by the actions of your politicians. State Senate recall petitions are being promoted and signed across the state, with both Republicans and Democrats potentially on the chopping block, and efforts to recall Gov. Scott Walker are planned for next year.

There are eight senators eligible for recall from each party, and campaigns are active against all 16. These recall committees have 60 days to collect an amount of signatures equal to 25 percent of the votes cast in the gubernatorial election in that district, meaning campaigns need anywhere from 12,000 to 21,000 names to apply.

If you’re from one of these districts, you can visit recall campaign websites to find out how to volunteer your time or sign petitions.

Whether you support or oppose this legislation, standing idle in this pivotal moment is a direct insult to your inherent rights. Take action, speak up and stand for what you believe in, because these decisions will impact the rest of your life.