Sunday, June 26, 2011

Biden's Boast

"Vice President Joe Biden, who was scheduled to speak at the Ohio Democratic Party’s annual dinner yesterday, has assailed moves by GOP governors in Wisconsin and Ohio to strip away collective bargaining rights from most public workers....

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Related: Labor Has Lost in Wisconsin

Mass. House Worse Than Wisconsin

Unions Surrender Rights in Massachusetts

Democrats Abandon Unions in New Jersey

Uh, Joe?

And nowhere do the (lack of) signs make it clearer:

"Annual budget protests lessen; Cuts still seen in Boston, elsewhere" by Andrew Ryan Globe Staff / June 26, 2011

Picket lines and protesters have been a rare sight this budget season at Boston City Hall.

Unlike past years, there have been no chants from municipal workers to “Stop the cuts!’’ and no demands from community groups to save local libraries.

 In fact, there has been hardly any noise....

The calm at City Hall does not mean Boston’s finances are necessarily good. But the budget crunch is not as bad as it has been in recent years. Fiscal observers attribute the change to deep cuts earlier in the recession, increased revenue, and a growing realization that lean times may be here to stay.

Unless you are a bank, well-connected corporation, or war profiteer.

Instead of deep cuts and mass layoffs, city officials talk more these days about trims, reducing payroll through attrition, and the potential for a limited number of layoffs....   

The euphemism fooling ya?

Intense financial pressure also allowed some municipalities to win concessions from labor unions that have made it easier to keep budgets in balance. In Boston, for example, municipal workers agreed to pay more for health insurance....

But it's all good because Democrats did it.

Budget shortfalls remain, especially in schools, which relied heavily on federal stimulus money that is running out.

In Boston, for example, about 18 schools are slated to close or merge as part of an effort to bridge a budget gap that officials estimated at $63 million.

Teachers have received layoff notices, but it will not be clear until the start of the next school year how many have lost their jobs....

That's only a couple of months away!

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Yeah, good thing Democrats are taking care of you.

Also see: Boston Globe Invisible Ink: Unions Win One in Tennessee

Shame on you, self-righteous Massachusetts! 

Next Day Update: Wisconsin justice says another choked her

Day After Next Day Update Update: Sheriff to look into Wisconsin judge’s charge