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It isn’t exactly Tunisia, Egypt or Libya, but Americans are
watching an uprising of their own unfold and wondering if it’s going to set the
tone for a lot more trouble ahead.

“These passions are going to run so hot that we don’t know
where they’re going to come out and we run the risk of something tragic
happening here,” said Dale Schultz, a Republican lawmaker in the normally
serene state of Wisconsin.

In normal times, Wisconsin may be best known for its popular
cheddar, passionate football fans and people who combine the two – attending
sporting events in elaborate hats shaped like enormous wedges of cheese.

But like many other U.S. states, Wisconsin is short of money.
So its governor has introduced legislation to reduce benefits for public
employees and curtail their bargaining rights in future negotiations with the
state.

Thousands of irate workers took to the streets and occupied the
building that houses the Wisconsin legislature. Media reports said that
supporters around the country and even around the world called in orders to a
local pizza delivery restaurant to help keep them well fed.

A photo purported to be from Cairo’s Tahrir Square became an
online hit, with the image of a protester displaying a sign that reads: “Egypt
supports Wisconsin.” Lawmakers from the union-friendly Democratic Party fled to
neighbouring states to deny the Republican governor the quorum he needs to get
his plan approved.

The drama wasn’t just a modest domestic version of the
incomparably more serious uprisings in the Middle East. It was a signal to
Americans that the painful budget cuts familiar to people in many nations are
about to hit them too.

Lawmakers in Washington are fighting over how to reduce federal
government spending.

State and city governments across the country are in much bigger
trouble because they can’t borrow to cover their budgets as easily as Uncle
Sam.

Public payrolls are an obvious place to look for savings but
there is a broad consensus that all kinds of cuts are coming.

There will probably be plenty of anger ahead, even after Libya,
Tunisia and Egypt have settled down.

Jonathan Mann presents
Political Mann on CNN International each Friday at 18:30 (CAT), Saturday at 3pm
and 9pm (CAT), and Sunday at 10am (CAT).