The fact is I would rather the cop, firefighter, and teacher get paid than the banks (interest and debt payments), bondholders (same banks as well as politicians), well-connected corporations and concerns (they call them tax breaks when they are handed a taxpayer-funded check), and political pensions and perks. That's where your increased taxes are going, dear Americans (as well as Wall Street, wars, and Israel).
When you think about it, the cop, firefighter, and teacher protesting in AmeriKa are simply emulating their European, North African, and Middle Eastern peers.
"In Wisconsin, budget cuts prompt rage among state workers; Governor defends plan, saying: ‘We’re broke’" by Monica Davey and Steven Greenhouse, New York Times / February 17, 2011
MADISON, Wis. — As four game wardens awkwardly stood guard, protesters, scores deep, crushed into a corridor leading to the governor’s office here yesterday, their shouts echoing through the Capitol: “Come out, come out, wherever you are!’’
:-)
Behind closed doors, Scott Walker, the Republican who has been governor for about six weeks, calmly described his intent to forge ahead with the plans that had set off the uprising: He wants to require public workers to pay more for their health insurance and pensions, effectively cutting the pay of many by around 7 percent.
He also wants to weaken most public-sector unions by sharply curtailing their collective bargaining rights.
Walker said he had no other options, since he is facing a deficit of $137 million in the current state budget and the prospect of a $3.6 billion hole in the coming two-year budget.
“For us, it’s simple,’’ said Walker, whose family home was surrounded by angry workers this week. “We’re broke.’’
For months, state and local officials around the country have tackled their budget problems by finding trims here and there, apologetically resorting to layoffs, and searching for accounting moves to limp through one more year.
Events in Wisconsin this week, though, are a sign of something new: No more apologies, no half-measures. Given the dire straits of budgets around the country, other state leaders may take similarly drastic steps with state workers, pensions, and unions....
Madison schools were closed yesterday after many employees called in sick to help lobby. Thousands of teachers, state workers, and students filled a square around the Capitol, chanting “kill the bill’’ and waving signs.
And a public hearing on the issue that had started at 10 a.m. on Tuesday ran through the night and into yesterday afternoon.
For his part, Walker said he did not believe that most Wisconsin residents had a problem with his proposals. Walker said he has spoken with plenty of private employees who told of paying far more for retirement plans and health care than he is seeking from state workers.
Yeah, pit us against each other you puke.
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"Democratic legislators flee Wis. to help block anti-union measure" by Scott Bauer, Associated Press / February 18, 2011
MADISON, Wis. — A group of Democratic lawmakers blocked passage of a sweeping anti-union bill yesterday, refusing to show up for a vote and then abruptly leaving the state in an effort to force Republicans to the negotiating table.
As ever-growing throngs of protesters filled the Capitol for a third day, the 14 Democrats disappeared around noon, just as the Senate was about to begin debating the measure, which would end a half-century of collective bargaining rights for most public employees....
Elsewhere, some Democrats applauded the developments in Wisconsin as a long-awaited sign that their party was fighting back against the Republican wave created by November’s midterm election.
What in the world took 'em so long, and why must it be to repre$ent a $ignificant campaign contributor?
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And as in the Middle East, the protests are spreading:
"Signs of union unrest spread from Wisconsin to other states" by Michael Cooper and Katharine Q. Seelye, New York Times / February 19, 2011
The images from Wisconsin — with its volatile protests, the shutdown of some public services, and an exile by Democratic lawmakers, who fled the state to block a vote — evoked the Middle East more than the Midwest.
The parallels raise the question: Is Wisconsin the Tunisia of collective bargaining rights?
*********
Already, protests erupted in Ohio this week, where another newly elected Republican governor, John Kasich, has been trying to take away collective bargaining rights from unions.
In Tennessee, a law that would abolish collective bargaining rights for teachers passed a state Senate committee this week despite teachers’ loud objections. Indiana is weighing several proposals to weaken unions. Public workers in Pennsylvania, who are not facing an attack on their bargaining rights, said yesterday that they nonetheless planned to wear red next week to show solidarity with the workers in Wisconsin.
In many states, Republicans who came to power in the November elections, often by defeating union-backed Democrats, are taking aim not only at union wages, but at union powers as they face continuing budget gaps in the years ahead....
I notice Wall Street and wars never lack for funding.
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Time to divide with some controlled opposition:
"Tens of thousands protest in Wisconsin; Those for, against plan to weaken unions face off" by Todd Richmond, Associated Press / February 20, 2011
MADISON, Wis. — A state Capitol thrown into political chaos swelled with nearly 70,000 demonstrators yesterday, as supporters of Republican efforts to weaken the union rights of state workers challenged prolabor protesters face-to-face for the first time and GOP leaders insisted again that there was no room for compromise.
A few dozen police officers stood between supporters of Governor Scott Walker, a Republican, on the muddy east lawn of the Capitol and the much larger group of prolabor demonstrators who surrounded them. The protest was peaceful as both sides exchanged chants of “Pass the bill! Pass the bill!’’ and “Kill the bill! Kill the bill!’’
“Go home!’’ union supporters yelled at Scott Lemke, a 46-year-old machine parts salesman from Cedarburg who wore a hard hat and carried a sign that said “If you don’t like it, quit’’ on one side, and “If you don’t like that, try you’re fired’’ on the other.
The fascist attitude really turns this Tea Party Patriot off. Sig heil, Scottie.
The governor, elected in November’s GOP wave that also gave control of the state Assembly and Senate to Republicans, set off the protests last week by pushing ahead with a measure that would require government workers to contribute more to their health care and pension costs and would largely eliminate their collective bargaining rights.
He says the concessions are needed to deal with the state’s projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall and to avoid layoffs of government workers.
“We did have an election and Scott Walker won,’’ said Deborah Arndt, 53, of Sheboygan Falls. “I think our governor will stand strong. I have faith in him.’’
At a rally organized by Tea Party Patriots, the movement’s largest umbrella group, and Americans for Prosperity, supporters of Walker carried signs with a fresh set of messages: “Your Gravy Train Is Over . . . Welcome to the Recession,’’ and “Sorry we’re late, Scott. We work for a living.’’
“We pay the bills!’’ Tea Party favorite Herman Cain yelled to cheers from the pro-Walker crowd. “This is why you elected Scott Walker and he’s doing his job. . . . Wisconsin is broke. My question for the other side is, ‘What part of broke don’t you understand?’ ’’
Nearby, nearly two dozen cabs blocked a major intersection near the Capitol. The driver of the lead cab leaned out of the window and played a trumpet, while others attempted to honk their car horns in synch with a chant from prolabor protesters: “This is what democracy looks like.’’
“One of the reasons the company decided to support the protesters is because the members of this company started off striking their employer for better wages and that employer . . . refused to allow them to bargain collectively,’’ said John McNamara, the marketing director of Union Cab.
Senate majority leader Scott Fitzgerald reaffirmed yesterday that Republicans have not been swayed by the prolabor protesters who since Tuesday have filled the Capitol with chanting, drumbeats, and anti-Walker slogans.
“The bill is not negotiable,’’ Fitzgerald said inside a heavily guarded Senate parlor at the Capitol.
“The bill will pass as is.’’
Storming the Bastille mean anything to you, s***ter?
Fitzgerald said Republicans have the votes needed to pass the so-called budget repair bill just as soon as 14 Senate Democrats who fled the state on Thursday and remain in hiding return to the State House. The missing Democrats have threatened to stay away for weeks and remain more resolved than ever to stay away “as long as it takes’’ until Walker agrees to negotiate, Senator Jon Erpenbach, a Democrat, said yesterday.
“I don’t think he’s really thought it through, to be honest,’’ Erpenbach said.
Democrats offered again yesterday to agree to the parts of Walker’s proposal that would double workers’ health insurance contributions and require them to contribute 5.8 percent of their salary to their pensions, so long as workers retained their rights to negotiate with the state as a union.
Fitzgerald said he was unimpressed, given that the offer was something the GOP has rejected for months. The restrictions on collective bargaining rights are needed so local governments and the state will have the flexibility needed to balance budgets after cuts Walker plans to announce next month, he said.
Walker, who was spending time with his family yesterday and wasn’t expected to make an appearance at the Tea Party-organized rally, also rejected the Democrats’ offer. His spokesman, Cullen Werwie, said the fastest way to end the stalemate was for Democrats to return and “do their jobs.’’
Senator Tim Cullen, a Democrat from Janesville, refused to say where he was yesterday but said he didn’t expect the Senate to meet again until Tuesday. Cullen said he was watching yesterday’s rallies on television with some friends.
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Storming the Bastille mean anything to you, s***ter?
Fitzgerald said Republicans have the votes needed to pass the so-called budget repair bill just as soon as 14 Senate Democrats who fled the state on Thursday and remain in hiding return to the State House. The missing Democrats have threatened to stay away for weeks and remain more resolved than ever to stay away “as long as it takes’’ until Walker agrees to negotiate, Senator Jon Erpenbach, a Democrat, said yesterday.
“I don’t think he’s really thought it through, to be honest,’’ Erpenbach said.
Democrats offered again yesterday to agree to the parts of Walker’s proposal that would double workers’ health insurance contributions and require them to contribute 5.8 percent of their salary to their pensions, so long as workers retained their rights to negotiate with the state as a union.
Fitzgerald said he was unimpressed, given that the offer was something the GOP has rejected for months. The restrictions on collective bargaining rights are needed so local governments and the state will have the flexibility needed to balance budgets after cuts Walker plans to announce next month, he said.
Walker, who was spending time with his family yesterday and wasn’t expected to make an appearance at the Tea Party-organized rally, also rejected the Democrats’ offer. His spokesman, Cullen Werwie, said the fastest way to end the stalemate was for Democrats to return and “do their jobs.’’
Senator Tim Cullen, a Democrat from Janesville, refused to say where he was yesterday but said he didn’t expect the Senate to meet again until Tuesday. Cullen said he was watching yesterday’s rallies on television with some friends.
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Related:
"In Washington, the fight in the weeks ahead will focus on budget policy and the looming need to raise the federal debt ceiling. But the push by Republicans for spending cuts and new austerity is already shaking state capitals, including Madison, Wis., and Columbus, Ohio, where labor unions have begun protesting efforts to reduce benefits and weaken their collective bargaining rights....
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Good thing the administration has your back, 'eh teach?
"Teachers urged to accept reforms" by Kristen Wyatt, Associated Press / February 17, 2011
DENVER — Over skits and snacks yesterday, hundreds of teachers from around the country got a soft sell from the Department of Education on becoming more open-minded about new pay and evaluation systems.
Wrapping up the first national summit of teachers unions, school administrators, and board members representing some 150 districts from 40 states heard glowing reports from districts that have already shifted how they evaluate and train teachers.
The summit was billed by Education Secretary Arne Duncan as a groundbreaking effort to build trust between unions and the leaders who are sometimes their adversaries.
Participants heard from the dozen school districts how they achieved pay-for-performance teacher compensation and other changes that align with what federal education officials say are needed reforms.
Those changes are even more necessary now as states continue to grapple with massive budget shortfalls and scores of teachers face layoffs again this year, Duncan said.
But ALWAYS PLENTY of MONEY for WARS, WALL STREET, and ISRAEL!
Duncan told reporters in a conference call that schools should ban “last hired, first fired’’ policies backed by unions, just as districts should not lay off only older teachers because they are paid more.
Also see: Boston Globe Bashes Boston Teachers
“If you have to make tough calls, you have to figure out for the most disadvantaged communities how you keep your best talent,’’ he said.
Later, Duncan told union members that he would support them in states where governors have vowed to shut down teachers’ collective bargaining rights. Duncan mentioned Wisconsin, where some 10,000 protesters descended on the state Capitol yesterday to protest Governor Scott Walker’s proposal to all but eliminate the bargaining process for most public employees....
The summit was a whirlwind pitch covering 10 points federal educators want schools to consider, from evaluating teachers in new ways to handling layoffs demanded by budget cuts.
“There’s so little time — they couldn’t really go in depth, so they act like this is the easiest thing in the world, and we know that that’s not so,’’ said Earl Rickman, school board president in Mt. Clemens, Mich., which recently agreed to a merit-pay system with its teachers union....
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"Wisconsin governor shows optimism; Plan to weaken unions draws 6th day of protests" by Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press / February 21, 2011
MADISON, Wis. — Governor Scott Walker predicted yesterday that Wisconsin would lead states across the country in weakening unions that have negotiated compensation packages taxpayers can no longer afford, and his opponents rallied for a sixth day in the Capitol in an attempt to avoid that fate.
Democratic lawmakers, union leaders, and rank-and-file teachers and firefighters called on Walker to back off his plan to eliminate most collective bargaining rights for public employees.
They argued the unions had already agreed to cuts in their health care and retirement benefits that could reduce take-home pay for many workers by about 8 percent, and it was time for the Republican governor to compromise....
The sweeping measure led to massive protests that started Tuesday and have gained steam, including an estimated 68,000 people who turned out Saturday. Most opposed the bill, but the day marked the first time that a significant contingent of Walker supporters showed up to counterprotest.
Hundreds of protesters gathered inside the Capitol yesterday. The demonstrators banged on drums and danced in the Capitol Rotunda while they chanted, “This is what democracy looks like’’ and “union busting!’’
The crowd swelled throughout the day. Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the state AFL-CIO, told the crowd the protests would continue until the proposal was killed.
Another large protest is expected today, when many state workers are being furloughed to save money....
Walker denied the bill was an attempt at “union busting’’ and said the measure is needed to deal with the state’s projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall for the two-year period that ends June 30, 2013....
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"Democrats, GOP continue standoff in Wisconsin; For now, Senate plans to review other business" by Scott Bauer, Associated Press / February 22, 2011
MADISON, Wis. — No resolution appeared imminent yesterday to the stalemate over union rights in Wisconsin, leaving Senate Republicans resigned to forge ahead with less-controversial business such as tax breaks for dairy farmers and commending the Green Bay Packers on winning the Super Bowl.
You taxpayers are paying them for this?
Also see: What is Your State Legislature Doing Today?
Whoopie Pie War
It's all s***, isn't it?
As the standoff entered its second week, none of the major players offered any signs of backing down in a high-stakes game of political chicken that has riveted the nation and led to ongoing public protests that drew a high of 68,000 people on Saturday.
It is more than political chicken; people are fighting for their very lives.
Thousands more braved cold winds and temperatures in the 20s to march again yesterday, waving signs that said “Stop the attack on Wisconsin families’’ and “Solidarity.’’
************
Thousands of those affected and their supporters marched on the Capitol for a seventh straight day. Hundreds of them have been sleeping in the rotunda every night and several districts have had to close after so many teachers called in sick....
By jove, Americans, I think you've got it!!!
Districts in central Wisconsin were also closed yesterday, but that was because of 10 to 12 inches of snow. Milwaukee schools were shut down for a scheduled midsemester break. Those closures, on top of the day being a previously scheduled furlough day for state workers, resulted in another large crowd yesterday.
Walker’s plan would allow unions representing most public employees to negotiate only for wage increases, not benefits or working conditions. Any wage increase above the Consumer Price Index would have to be approved in a referendum.
Unions also would face a vote of membership every year to stay formed, and workers could opt out of paying dues.
Then this is about union busting.
The plan would also require many public employees to cut their take-home pay by about 8 percent by contributing more of their salaries toward their health insurance and retirement benefits, concessions the unions have said they are willing to accept.
Did the WALL STREET BANKERS take a CUT in pay this year?
See: Wall St. bonuses down in 2010, to $20.8b
Oh, I stand corrected, sorry.
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"Democrats try to block curbs on Wis. unions; File a barrage of amendments in Assembly" by Scott Bauer, Associated Press / February 23, 2011
MADISON, Wis. — While Wisconsin remained the main front in the national debate over union rights, similar battles were taking shape in other states. In Indiana, House Democrats walked out of the State House yesterday....
A similar debate in Ohio drew thousands of union protesters yesterday, prompting officials there to lock the doors to the State House.
In Wisconsin, if lawmakers take no action on the union bill by the end of the week, the state will not be able to refinance debt that Walker had counted on for $165 million worth of savings under the legislation.
Oh, ONCE AGAIN the STATE'S BOTTOM LINE is the BANKS!
The governor warned that not doing that would force even deeper cuts and possibly lead to 1,500 layoffs by July....
I'm tired of Chicken Little tactics.
The roar of protesters in the Capitol rotunda, many of whom were banging on drums and chanting through megaphones, could be heard while both the Senate and Assembly met....
Unlike last Thursday, when the Senate galleries were filled with protesters who disrupted action by shouting, only about a dozen people showed up under heavier security to watch the action yesterday.
Behaving JUST LIKE the DICTATORSHIPS AmeriKa criticzes!
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And the JIG is UP, guvna!!!
"Prank call fools Wis. governor; Walker discusses tactics with liberal online newspaper" by Ryan Foley, Associated Press / February 24, 2011
MADISON, Wis. — On a prank call that quickly spread across the Internet, Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin was duped into discussing his strategy to cripple public employee unions, promising never to give in and joking that he would use a baseball bat in his office to go after political opponents.
Walker believed the caller was a conservative billionaire named David Koch, but it was actually the editor of a liberal online newspaper. The two talked for at least 20 minutes — a conversation in which the governor described several potential ways to pressure Democrats to return to the State House and revealed that his supporters had considered secretly planting people in pro-union protest crowds to stir up trouble.
Yeah, we call them AGENT PROVOCATEURS HERE!!
The call also showed Walker’s close relationship with two billionaire brothers who have poured millions of dollars into conservative causes, including Walker’s campaign last year.
Thom Hartmann is always railing at them, and maybe he has a point.
Walker compared his stand to that taken by President Reagan when he fired the nation’s air-traffic controllers during a labor dispute in 1981.
“That was the first crack in the Berlin Wall and led to the fall of the Soviets,’’ Walker said on the recording.
He didn't really say that, did he? If so, he is a nutcase!
The audio was posted by the Buffalo Beast, a left-leaning website based in Buffalo, N.Y., and quickly went viral....
And here you are, dear reader.
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Related: Governors around US plan tough budget cuts
Residents face $20b retiree health tab
Also see: The Massachusetts Model: Municipal Health Mess
Towns to Pay Health Tax For Public Servants
Memory Hole: Massachusetts' State Budget
Mass. State Budget: Screwing Cities and Towns
Massachusetts Sales Tax Swindle
Just wanted you to see where all the money is going here in Massachusetts.
