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    Wisconsin Democrats could stay away for weeks

    Scott Bauer, Associated Press – 27 mins ago

    MADISON, Wis. – Democrats on the run in Wisconsin avoided state troopers Friday and threatened to stay in hiding for weeks, potentially paralyzing the state government in a standoff with majority Republicans over union rights for public employees.

    The dramatic flight from the state stalled a proposal that seeks to ease Wisconsin's budget woes by cutting the pay, benefits and collective bargaining rights of many government workers. Democrats who stayed in Madison scored their own victory, forcing the state Assembly to adjourn until at least Tuesday without taking a vote.

    The party's two-front battle against the legislation is the boldest action yet by Democrats to push back against last fall's GOP wave, and it's taken hold even as the anti-union agenda pushed by new GOP Gov. Scott Walker spreads to other states.

    But the dramatic strategy that has clogged the Capitol with thousands of protesters clashes with one essential truth: Republicans told everyone months ago that unions would be one of their targets, and the GOP now has more than enough votes to pass its plans once the Legislature can convene. "This is not a win," said Rep. Robin Vos, the Republican co-chairman of the budget committee that has already endorsed the plan, of the adjournment. "This is just a reality we're living with. ... The bill's still moving forward."

    The 14 Senate Democrats left the state Thursday, delaying action in that chamber on the sweeping bill. Among them was Sen. Jon Erpenbach, who said Friday the group was prepared to be away for weeks, although he would prefer to end the stalemate sooner. "That really, truly is up to the governor," he told The Associated Press in an interview Friday at a downtown Chicago hotel. "It's his responsibility to bring the state together. The state is not unified. It is totally torn part."

    Meanwhile, the protests at the state Capitol entered a fourth day and continued to grow — to an estimated 40,000 people, the largest crowd yet. Many schools were closed again after teachers called in sick, including the state's largest district, in Milwaukee.

    The protests are so large that Capitol workers cannot safely move through the halls, with GOP Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald calling the situation "a powder keg."

    The throngs of protesters — including teachers, prison guards and many students — have been largely peaceful. Police reported just nine citations for minor offenses as of Friday. But tensions were expected to rise Saturday, when conservative tea party groups planned their own rallies. "You can't ignore this sustained and inspirational outpouring of people who are demanding changes," said Democratic Minority Leader Rep. Peter Barca, who called the Assembly's decision to adjourn for the holiday weekend a huge victory that will increase pressure on Republicans to change course.

    But neither Walker or the Republicans who took control of both the state Senate and Assembly in November appear ready to make any concessions. Walker called on Senate Democrats to "come home" and rebuffed a request to sit down with them to seek a compromise.

    The leader of the state's largest public employee said workers were prepared to discuss financial concessions but not to give up bargaining rights. Marty Beil, executive director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union, said protests would continue until Walker agrees to negotiate.

    Republicans aborted an attempt late Friday afternoon to hold a final vote on the bill without Democrats, who had been in a closed caucus meeting. Democrats sprinted into the chamber yelling to stop the vote, and the GOP leadership retreated.

    Protester Carrie Dainty said the delay made her hopeful. "They'll be back on Tuesday, and we'll be here until Tuesday," she said.

    It's not clear when the Senate Democrats will join them. Erpenbach said the decision to flee happened on the spur of the moment as Democrats gathered Thursday morning near the Capitol for a regular strategy meeting.

    An hour later, he threw a toothbrush, razor and some clothes into a duffel bag and a backpack and jumped into a car, heading for a prearranged meeting at a hotel in Rockford, Ill., just south of the Wisconsin border.

    The lawmakers were concerned that police could have detained them, even though the Wisconsin Constitution prohibits the arrest of state lawmakers while the Legislature is in session, except in cases of felonies, breaches of the peace or treason.

    From Rockford, the legislators headed in different directions, most of them traveling to the Chicago area or to other parts of northern Illinois, Erpenbach said. Since leaving Wisconsin, he said he had not spoken to any of his Republican counterparts.

    The Wisconsin walkout is similar to a 2003 confrontation in Texas, where Democrats were outnumbered by Republicans in a battle over congressional redistricting. The group got on a bus and fled for the Oklahoma border.

    Former Texas state Rep. Jim Dunnam said the group had an "end game" — they had to stay away for one week to kill the bill by running it up against a legislative deadline. But they also knew their efforts were only temporary because Republican Gov. Rick Perry would call them into special session all summer until a bill passed, which he did. "It was the toughest thing I've ever done politically," said Texas state Sen. Leticia Van De Putte, chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus. "It was not something we wanted to do. It was the last thing we could do to protect minority voting rights."

    In a sign that the commotion might be causing other problems for the governor, Walker pushed back the release of his two-year budget plan by one week, to March 1.

    The governor insists the concessions he is seeking from public workers — including higher health insurance and pension contributions — are necessary to deal with the state's projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall and to avoid layoffs.

    Eliminating their collective bargaining rights, except over wage increases not greater than the Consumer Price Index, is necessary in order to give the state and local governments and schools flexibility to deal with upcoming cuts in state aid, Walker said.

    Those arguments don't wash with Democrats who say the fight is really about political power and quashing the unions, whose members are longtime supporters of Democrats.

    Erpenbach (URP'-ehn-bahk) accused Walker of trying to rush the legislation, which was publicly unveiled only a week ago. "I'm not calling him a dictator. But this is dictatorial almost," Erpenbach said. "I don't think I've ever seen such a draconian piece of legislation come down from any governor, Democrat or Republican."

    Republicans had warned since last year's campaign that they would seek major concessions from unions. But for lawmakers in the minority, "The only other option we had to slow things down was to leave," Erpenbach said.

    Democratic strategist Chris Lehane called the walkout in Madison the boldest action Democrats have taken since midterm elections swept Republican to power in statehouses across the country.

    Walker "has been so strident that the way he's engaged ... has effectively given the Democrats the high ground in terms of how they're responding," Lehane said. "What Wisconsin is going through isn't all that different from other states," he added. "But the way it's being handled is."

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_wisconsin_budget_unions

    Seriously ??

    It seem as though everyone is again ignoring the '800 lb gorilla in the room' Nationally as well as in-state.

    In all this debate (or in this case, lack of debate) over reducing deficits, why are politician's remunerations (salaries) and perqs NOT on the table? Why not list and valuate pet-projects? As to public-employee unions, why are police/fire unions immune?(a question you might want to ask the Fitzgerald's) And the moneys raised for campaigning alone would help bolster state coffers! A 'smart' candidate could feasably run a successful campaign almost entirely through the internet, for a cost in the thousands, instead of millions! Many already utilize this medium, but still output millions for TV/radio. Unions everywhere have given large concessions to keep jobs in this state(WI), and they too have an electoral system, which can be utilized to replace self-serving officers and streamline their own bloat. Politics is NOT a career, nor is union leadership, they are public/membership service. We as citizens should be, through elections, choosing servants, not masters! Democracy is not immune to tyranny, but an informed public, as well as a politically balanced legislature, goes a long way towards protecting us from that scenario! Read, Learn, Vote!

    ---

    It has been stated that the Wisconsin teachers pay nothing into their pension plans. Sounds like the pubs want them to pay 5 % of their gross pay into their pension plans. I have worked as an engineer for the government for 30 years and we paid 7 % of our gross into our pension plans. We have had good health benefits but had no vision or dental coverage available till recently and the dental plans offered are useless. Still i fell blessed to have been gain fully employed all these years. After 1984 Federal employees retirement benefits are strictly the money the employ pays into the plan which is matched by the government for up to 5% of their gross pay. So essentially Federal employees hired after 84 pay at least 50% of their retirement benefits. I don't see the problem with state employees paying 5% towards their retirement. I also feel that state and federal employees should not be unionized. We need to be fair but the state, local and federal budgets should be brought under control. The Wisconsin governor is doing the right thing and it is not easy.
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

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    Madison protest: Unions are angry – but Wisconsin should go even further
    Chris Edwards Chris Edwards – Fri Feb 18, 10:13 am ET


    Washington – Chaos in government. Tens of thousands of angry protesters in the streets. Schools closed. Yes, Wisconsin looks a lot like Egypt this week. But while Arabs are fighting to end extraordinary overreach by government, Wisconsin union protesters are fighting to preserve it. At the heart of the dispute is a bold plan by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) to curtail collective bargaining by most but not all of his state’s public-sector workers, including teachers. That is a long overdue reform – but the governor’s plan doesn’t go far enough! A dozen or so states, including Virginia, where I live, do not allow collective bargaining in the public sector at all, and these states are doing just fine without it.

    ANOTHER VIEW: Wisconsin anti-union bill is a shameful attack on workers' basic rights

    The government union issue is coming to the forefront because states, facing huge deficits, are desperate to reform their budgets and cut pensions. Wisconsin is just one of several states where legislatures, empowered by Republican victories last fall, are finally tackling one of the root causes: the ability of public-sector unions to squeeze taxpayers for exorbitant benefits. In states that have unionized workforces, needed reforms are facing huge and aggressive anti-reform lobbying campaigns by the unions.

    In 2010, 36 percent of state and local workers were members of unions, which is five times the union share in the US private sector. Yet prior to the 1960s, unions represented less than 15 percent of the state and local workforce. At the time, courts generally held that public-sector workers did not have the same union privileges that private workers had under the 1935 Wagner Act, such as collective bargaining.

    The rise of public-sector unionsThat changed during the 1960s and 1970s, as a flood of pro-union laws in dozens of states triggered a dramatic rise in public-sector unionism. Many states passed laws that encouraged collective bargaining in the public sector, as well as laws that imposed compulsory union dues.

    Today, the union shares in government workforces vary widely by state. About 26 states have collective bargaining for essentially all state and local workers. A further 12 or so states have collective bargaining for a portion of their state and local workers, and the remaining 12 states do not have public sector collective bargaining. At the same time, 22 states have 'right-to-work'.

    These differences in unionization between the states affect fiscal policy. Statistical studies find that unionized public sector workers earn a wage premium of about 10 percent over non-unionized public sector workers. This is important because employee compensation represents half of all state and local government spending.

    Aside from inflated wages, public sector unions have pushed for excessive pension benefit levels, which are creating a fiscal crisis for many governments. That’s another reason unions are so angry in Wisconsin: Governor Walker is demanding that state workers carry more of the burden for their health and pension plans.

    High cost of 'generosity'
    Defined benefit pension plans are available to about four-fifths of state and local workers but just one-fifth of private workers. And public sector plans are typically about twice as generous as remaining private plans. That generosity has led to a $3 trillion funding gap in public sector pensions. That gap will create a huge burden on future taxpayers unless benefits are cut, and unions often stand in the way of such reforms.

    Unions increase government costs in other ways. They often protect poorly performing workers, and they usually push for larger staffing levels than required. Unions typically discourage the use of inexpensive volunteers in government activities, and they create a more bureaucratic and inefficient workplace.

    Unionism seems to coincide with poor state government management. States with higher public sector union shares tend to have higher levels of government debt. And the states with higher union shares do more poorly on grading by the Pew Center regarding the quality of public sector management.

    Public sector unions are powerful special interest groups. The teachers unions, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, and the Service Employees International Union have more than seven million members combined. They have well-financed political war chests and are very active in political campaigns.

    Inconsistent with freeedom
    Unions certainly have free speech rights to voice their opinions about public policy. But collective bargaining gives unions the exclusive right to speak for covered workers, many of whom may disagree with the views of the monopoly union. Thus, collective bargaining is inconsistent with the right to freedom of association.

    In states such as Virginia, teachers and other government workers may form voluntary associations and lobby the government, which is fine. But collective bargaining – or monopoly unionism – gives a privileged position in our democracy to government insiders who focus on expanding the public sector to own their personal benefit.

    Wisconsin’s proposed union reforms are on the right track. But state governments should repeal collective bargaining in the public sector altogether, following the successful policies of Virginia, North Carolina, and other states. That would give policymakers the flexibility they need to make tough budget decisions on pensions and other fiscal challenges facing their states.

    Chris Edwards is the director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute. He is the author of "Downsizing the Federal Government," and editor of Cato Institute’s www.DownsizingGovernment.org.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110218/cm_csm/364368

    comments

    These teachers are not protesting for liberty, freedom or to change the government. Rather, they are protesting because they want things to remain the same. They simply don't want anyone to mess with their pay. Well, the truth is that none of us ever wants to experience a pay cut. It is not a lot of fun. But sadly, states like Wisconsin are so broke that they have to find cuts somewhere. Someone is going to have to make a sacrifice. The teachers in Wisconsin just want to make sure that it is not them.

    States like Wisconsin have to do something or else they will collapse financially. Wisconsin is facing a $3.6 billion budget deficit (which for that state is huge), and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and the Republicans in the legislature are attempting to make some tough cuts.
    In particular, they want public employees to pay a little more towards their health care premiums and pension programs. In fact, what the Republicans are proposing would still leave Wisconsin public employees contributing far less to health care and pensions than their private sector counterparts.

    But we have got to do something. Spending by the U.S. government is spinning wildly out of control. Back in 1970, the U.S. government only spent about 200 billion dollars for the whole year. Well, this year the federal government is going to spend somewhere around 3.6 trillion dollars, and Barack Obama's newest budget proposal calls for U.S. government spending to increase to 5.6 trillion dollars by the year 2021. If the government continues to spend money at such a rapid pace it is going to completely wipe out our entire economic system....

    As the U.S. economy continues to decline, we are going to see a lot more riots like we have seen in Wisconsin. Once the American people realize that the "good times" are over, all hell is going to break loose.

    Already the anger and the frustration of the American people is starting to boil over. Unfortunately, that anger and frustration is focused in 1000 different directions. The ruling elite and the establishment media are constantly encouraging us to hate one another.
    America today is like a big, fat spoiled baby that is about to have its favorite pacifier permanently taken away. America is going to whine and cry and complain like there is no tomorrow.

    For decades the financial "gloom and doomers" have been warning about what would happen to this country if we didn't get our house in order, but nobody wanted to listen. Everyone just kept piling up more debt as if it would never be a problem.
    When the U.S. economy does totally collapse, it is going to make the riots that we have seen in Egypt and throughout the Middle East this year seem tame by comparison.

    What we are witnessing right now in Wisconsin are just the "birth pains". The American people don't want to "tighten their belts". In fact, most Americans have absolutely no idea what "hard times" would even look like. When things go from bad to worse we are going to see temper tantrums in this country like we have never seen before.

    So get ready. Unless there is some kind of dramatic transformation in this country, in the years ahead we are going to see some horrific economic riots.

    It would be nice if we had a brighter future to look forward to, but we don't do ourselves any favors by living in denial...
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

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    This is a critical moment in the nation’s battle to dig itself out of debt and free itself from the iron grip of public union monopolies. As you know from reading this blog, the Wisconsin showdown has been a long time coming. I remind you that there are many brave workers exposing the corruption and costs of compulsory unionism. Today’s syndicated column gives an overview of the Big Labor battle in Wisconsin — now spreading to Ohio and Indiana, where the DNC/OFA are organizing the community of grievance-mongers kicking and screaming against overdue reforms.

    Like someone famous always says: Change is never easy.

    ***

    Apocalypse Now: Wisconsin vs. Big Labor
    by Michelle Malkin

    http://michellemalkin.com/2011/02/18...-vs-big-labor/

    Welcome to the reckoning. We have met the fiscal apocalypse, and it is smack dab in the middle of the heartland. As Wisconsin goes, so goes the nation. Let us pray it does not go the way of the decrepit welfare states of the European Union.

    The lowdown: State government workers in the Badger State pay piddling amounts for generous taxpayer-subsidized health benefits. Faced with a $3.6 billion budget hole and a state constitutional ban on running a deficit, new GOP Gov. Scott Walker wants public unions to pony up a little more. He has proposed raising the public employee share of health insurance premiums from less than 5 percent to 12.4 percent. He is also pushing for state workers to cover half of their pension contributions. To spare taxpayers the soaring costs of Byzantine union-negotiated work rules, he would rein in Big Labor’s collective bargaining power to cover only wages unless approved at the ballot box.

    As the free-market MacIver Institute in Wisconsin points out, the benefits concessions Walker is asking public union workers to make would still maintain their health insurance contribution rates at the second-lowest among Midwest states for family coverage. Moreover, a new analysis by benefits think tank HCTrends shows that the new rate “would also be less than the employee contributions required at 85 percent of large Milwaukee_area employers.”

    This modest call for shared sacrifice has triggered the wrath of the White House-Big Labor-Michael Moore axis. On Thursday, President Obama lamented the “assault on unions.” AFL-CIO and Service Employees International Union bosses dubbed Walker the “Mubarak of the Midwest” while their minions toted posters of Walker’s face superimposed on Hitler’s. Moore goaded thousands of striking union protesters to “shut down” the “new Cairo” while the state’s Democratic legislators bailed on floor debate over the union reform package.

    Education Secretary Arne Duncan spurned the opportunity to condemn thousands of Wisconsin public school teachers for lying about being “sick” and shutting down at least eight school districts across the state to attend capitol protests (many of whom dragged their students on a social justice field trip with them). Instead, Duncan defended teachers for “doing probably the most important work in society.” Only striking government teachers could win federal praise for NOT doing their jobs.

    Yes, the so-called progressives truly believe that bringing American union workers into the 21st century in line with the rest of the workforce is tantamount to dictatorship.

    Yes, the so-called progressives truly believe that by walking off their jobs and out of their classrooms, they are “putting children first.”

    If ever there were proof that public unions no longer work in the public interest, this is it. Big Labor dragoons workers into exclusive representation agreements, forces them to pay compulsory dues that fatten Democratic political coffers and then has the chutzpah to cast itself as an Egyptian-style “freedom” and “human rights” movement.

    Meanwhile, union leaders elsewhere are quietly forcing their low-wage members to share the sacrifice in order to preserve teetering health funds. In New York state, Skidmore College campus janitors, dining service workers and other maintenance employees received late notice from the SEIU that 4.15 percent of their gross earnings will now be deducted from their paychecks to cover the cost of the health plan provided through the behemoth 1199 SEIU Greater New York Benefit Fund. (If the name sounds familiar, it’s because this is one of several privileged SEIU affiliates that has received an Obamacare waiver.)

    These workers are forced to join the union in order to preserve their jobs, and unlike non-union workers, they are locked into a single health plan. The SEIU has now decreed that they must pay new fees to include spouses on their plans and has hiked employee co-pays for doctor visits and prescription drugs.

    What’s necessary for New York union workers is necessary for Wisconsin union workers — and for the rest of the protected union worker class in bankrupt and near-bankrupt states across America. The “persuasion of power” so ruthlessly and recklessly exercised by the SEIU and its thuggish allies must be broken by the moral courage of fiscal discipline. It’s now or never.
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

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    continues http://michellemalkin.com/2011/02/18...-vs-big-labor/

    Update: A reader who is a teacher in Minnesota shares his union’s Wisconsin protest recruitment organizing e-mails with directives from the president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO:

    I just received a forward from our union president which I have included below that made me sick. This was sent to my school district email and is a perfect example of how the unions manipulate and stronghold educators.

    The original email is from Shar Knutson, President of the Minnesota AFL-CIO.

    A number of you have asked about additional ways to show solidarity with Wisconsin workers and we want to provide them to you.

    Here are some events happening in the next 72 hours in Western Wisconsin and in Madison. We have tried to provide as many details as possible:

    [center]Friday, February 18

    Rally in Madison

    Minnesotans are invited to travel to Madison and rally with workers at the Wisconsin State Capitol at Noon.
    AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka will be among the speakers at this rally.

    *Please note: You will likely need to park and walk several blocks to and from the Capitol. Here is a general link for driving directions that will lead you close to the Capitol: [ http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.js...lFpfNQ%2FPDm9x
    ]http://bit.ly/eLIAgp

    Saturday, February 19

    Picket/Visibility Event in Hudson

    We are urging union leaders, staff, members and supporters to show their solidarity with Wisconsin workers at a 10:00 a.m. visibility event on the Carmichael Road bridge over I-94. Please plan on picketing from 10 a.m. until Noon.

    A park and ride lot is located near this location. For more information: [http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.js...ts/stc5505.htm

    Saturday, February 19 and Sunday, February 20

    Canvass in Western Wisconsin

    The Wisconsin AFL-CIO is organizing in-district canvassing in River Falls, Eau Claire and La Crosse from 9:00-1:00 p.m. Saturday and Noon-5:00 p.m. Sunday. Locations are listed below.

    RIVER FALLS: 430 Crescent Street
    (private residence)
    EAU CLAIRE: Eau Claire Labor
    Temple; 2233 Birch Street

    LA CROSSE: IAM
    District 66; 1307 Market Street

    Ongoing advocacy Continue to send [http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.js...Y2%2BGfkB%2Fn8
    ]emails to your legislators if you live in Wisconsin.

    Please call the legislative hotline at 1-877-753-5578 to ask your State Senator to vote NO on any bill that attacks workers and the middle class instead of creating jobs, and NO on any bill that forces cuts that will sink our economy even lower.

    Spread the word.

    Use Facebook, twitter and good old-fashioned word of mouth to make sure that your friends and neighbors have [ http://act.aflcio.org/salsa/track.js...GfkB%2Fn8]seen the ads and are taking action.

    I know that working people will not sit idle while our rights are taken away. We stand united against this legislation with our brothers and sisters across the border in Wisconsin and across the country.

    Sincerely,
    Shar Knutson
    President, MN AFL-CIO
    ***

    Yesterday, I published a letter of support for GOP Gov. Scott Walker from a public school teacher in Tennessee. http://michellemalkin.com/2011/02/17...ls-out-unions/



    Another teacher e-mailed me her letter of support from California:

    Dear Gov. Walker:

    I am so sorry you are getting pounded by those teachers, students and Unions. As a teacher in California I got into trouble with the Unions myself when I only asked a simple question.

    I repeatedly tell everybody I know that they are crazy to give any more money to education/teachers/teacher’s unions. Here in Los Angeles all we do is throw money at education and here we are at the bottom in the country. We only graduate 40% of our high school students and they can’t even read, do not know history or math, and more importantly cannot do any critical thinking.

    What I see in the Los Angeles classrooms is pretty much just ideological brainwashing by a huge majority of their teachers. And yes, teaching their students to protest and to march. In my humble opinion this is child abuse.

    Please stand strong and do not let these Union thugs beat you down. So many of us stand behind you.

    Sondra Barnes, Van Nuys, CA
    ***

    Update: Gov. Walker has issued a police order for the AWOL Dems. http://www.biztimes.com/daily/2011/2...ratic-senators


    Update: Via Ben Smith, a majority of Americans side with Gov. Walker and even go further in opposing the entire public union racket:

    Poll: Public unions a hard sell

    A new poll from the Washington-based Clarus Group asked:

    Do you think government employees should be represented by labor unions that bargain for higher pay, benefits and pensions… or do you think government employees should not be represented by labor unions?

    A full 64% of the respondents said “no.”

    That includes 42% of Democrats, and an overwhelming majority of Republicans; only 49% of Democrats think public workers should be in unions at all.

    That’s on the fundamental right to organize, before you get to wages and benefits. And that puts Scott Walker in a pretty good political place.
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

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    The Dems in the WI Senate have abdicated their positions; change the locks on their office doors, disconnect their taxpayer-funded cell phones, cancel their state-issued debit cards. Immediately.

    We don’t require that you vote for conservative, fiscally-responsible proposals, or that you even like them, but you WILL be present as the wheels of democracy roll on or you WILL be replaced.

    ---

    A great quote from Speaker Boehner:

    “The President of the United States has a unique opportunity and responsibility to lead this nation. President Obama has acknowledged the challenges we face, but – thus far – he has done nothing to offer solutions. Now, worse, his political organization is colluding with special-interest allies across the country to demagogue reform-minded governors who are making the tough choices that the President is avoiding.

    “This is not the way to begin an ‘adult conversation’ about solutions to the big challenges facing our country. Rather than inciting protests against those who speak honestly about the challenges we face, the President and his advisers should lead.

    “When the American people watched the people of Greece take to the streets to protest cuts to unsustainable government programs, they worried it might foreshadow events in our nation’s distant future – but today, we see the same sort of protests on the streets of Madison, fueled by President Obama’s own political machine.

    “Rather than trying to ‘win the future,’ the President’s political allies are trying, desperately, to cling to a failed past by fighting reforms our nation needs to liberate our economy from the shackles of debt and create a better future for our children and grandchildren. The President should make it clear to his friends that the people of Wisconsin, and states across America, can handle their own affairs without Washington special-interest money and meddling.
    ---

    I am huge on this break-the-unions thingie. I used to fret about unions quite a bit back in the day when the blue-collar thugs in Detroit were having fun sabotaging cars and laying out on Mondays and Fridays while getting fatter and fatter contracts every year. We’re talking here of the 1970s. And those thugs were earning more money than the overwhelming majority of the American citizens who had no options but to buy their garbage and subsidize them.

    Then along came Japan! The unions started losing ground, and I pretty much forgot about them. Sure, the teachers’ unions were always a problem, because they were such a force against improvement in public education. But other than that, I didn’t think much about the unions.

    Lately, though, it is a new ballgame with so many public employees unionized and the unions so brazenly in bed with the Democrat Party. It is a little bit of an irony that such a great, unfair advantage for the Dems is also a great vulnerability for them. Break the unions and we break the Democrat Party. Deservedly so…it is as crooked as it can possibly be, as is seen in the president’s politically motivated wading into this thing in Wisconsin.

    Absolutely! Break the unions! I am unashamed to be unabashedly anti-union. The country is being raped by the unions who have brought states and cities to the brink of bankruptcy.

    Now is our moment! Smash their kneecaps! Crush these goons! And let’s end the grip of the Leftist educrats along with them. Return power in education to the people and the parents through a complete voucher system!

    ----

    Staving Off the Entitlement Flu : http://rightingourconsent.blogspot.c...ement-flu.html
    Every state should introduce similar legislation and make the Dems and their benefactors defend their position of getting more than everyone else without paying for any of it.

    ---

    Anybody have a link showing how much these spoiled children make?
    Here you go. http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/lbstat/newasr.html

    In the real world, when an employee wants to get a raise, that employee performs that job the best way possible to prove added worth to the company. When a union wants something, there is a strike or some other bullying/ intimidation tactics used to get additional money and perks. Nothing of real value is added. Unions have been demanding “protection money” for so long there is little left to take. There is no way to have a tax increase solve the deficit problem in this climate. At this point there is no lunch money for the bully to steal. Teachers have tarnished any sort of professionalism they had by colluding with union thugs. Why would anyone on their right mind want to leave their children with any teacher who was demonstrating in Wisconsin or anywhere else? Not only are parents not getting their moneys’ worth for their children, a public education may be doing a lot of harm. Now I have a clearer picture of why our public education system has not improved at all over the decades

    ----

    Communism didn’t need to rain down nuclear warheads on us or invade us militarily. All they needed to do was infiltrate the unions and the democrat party. Capitalism vs. Communism right here on our own turf.

    Right out of the 1963 Communist Goals as read into the Congressional Record. Amazing how successful they’ve been and how few people are even aware of it.

    ---

    I just got back home from Madison after going to the Badger hockey game. I drove through the area at 5pm and could see the capitol…and it seemed like any other day.

    I get the impression the media is hyping how big the crowds are now.

    Anyway, in driving back after the game, I once again felt ripped off as a taxpayer when I saw at least three school buses lined up on a side street to the capitol.

    Nice to see the schools use my taxes so wisely.
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

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    Since unions do collective bargaining, mostly for manufactoring jobs, why are they needed since most of these jobs have gone overseas.

    Me

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    See also : http://directorblue.blogspot.com/201...-disavows.html


    Neither side budging in Wisconsin union fight
    SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press Scott Bauer, Associated Press – Mon Feb 21, 7:25 pm ET
    MADISON, Wis. – No resolution appeared imminent Monday 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.

    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. Thousands more braved cold winds and temperatures in the 20s to march again on Monday, waving signs that said "Stop the attack on Wisconsin families" and "solidarity."

    The 14 Senate Democrats who skipped town Thursday to indefinitely delay a vote on Republican Gov. Scott Walker's bill stripping most collective bargaining rights from nearly all public employees remained missing in action for a fifth day.

    Walker refused to back down and again called on the Democrats to return and vote on the bill

    "For those 14 Senate Democrats, you've had your time," he said. "It's time for them to come back and participate in democracy."

    The Democrats have been far from in hiding. They've done numerous television interviews and two of them even participated, via telephone from an undisclosed location, in a brief meeting to schedule the Senate's session on Tuesday.

    "You have shut down the people's government, and that is not acceptable," Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said to them during the meeting.

    Both the Senate and Assembly planned to be in session on Tuesday to take up the bill, but at least one of the missing Democrats needed to show up for a vote to be taken in the Senate. Assembly Democrats planned to offer dozens of amendments that could push a vote into Wednesday or later.

    Although Tuesday's list of items, including the resolution honoring the Packers, is largely bipartisan, Fitzgerald hinted that he might try to push some more controversial ones later, even if the Democrats aren't back. Among the possibilities is a vote on the question of whether voters should be required to show identification at the polls.

    Democratic Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller said Democrats were waiting for Walker to compromise.

    "It's right in front of the governor," Miller said. "He just needs to pick it up and allow us to move on. ... This is a no-brainer."

    Under one deal, the unions said they would accept paying more for benefits as Walker wants but still retain their collective bargaining rights. Another compromise offered by Republican Sen. Dale Schultz would remove collective bargaining rights just for two years.

    Walker has repeatedly rejected both offers, saying local governments and school districts can't be hamstrung by the often lengthy collective bargaining process and need to have more flexibility to deal with up to $1 billion in cuts he will propose in his budget next week and into the future.

    As he spoke under heavy guard at a late afternoon news conference inside his conference room, thousands of protesters could be heard through the doors blowing whistles, banging on drums and chanting "Scott Walker has got to go!"

    "This guy is power drunk and we're here to sober him up," said Bert Zipperer, 54, a counselor at a Madison middle school who was among the protesters. "He wants to do it unilaterally without any compromise. He wants to be a national conservative hero and he thinks he can get away with this."

    The emergency plan Walker wants the Legislature to pass would address this year's $137 million shortfall and start dealing with the $3.6 billion hole expected by mid-2013. The benefits concessions would amount to $30 million this year, but the largest savings Walker proposed comes from refinancing debt to save $165 million.

    That portion must be done by Friday for bonds to be refinanced in time to realize the savings by June 30, the end of this fiscal year.

    Walker said not passing the bill by Friday would make even deeper cuts necessary and possibly result in laying off 1,500 workers over the next four months.

    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. The Madison School District was closed Wednesday through Monday but was expected to reopen Tuesday.

    Districts in central Wisconsin were also closed Monday, but that was because of 10 to 12 inches of snow. Milwaukee schools were shut down for a pre-scheduled midsemester break. Those closures, on top of Monday being a previously scheduled furlough day for state workers, resulted in another large crowd Monday but an official estimate was not yet released.

    At noon, guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine took to a stage on the Capitol steps to fire up the crowd. He said he flew in from California to lend his voice to the protest.

    "The future of workers' rights will be decided in Madison, Wisconsin," he said. "You're making history here."

    He joked that he could hardly play the guitar because his fingers were numb. He sang a song with the refrain, "For the union men and women standing up and standing strong!" Each time he repeated that lyric, the crowd roared.

    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 would face a vote of membership every year to stay formed, and workers could opt out of paying dues.

    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're willing to accept.

    But Walker and Republicans are showing no willingness to budge while the Senate Democrats say they are prepared to stay away for weeks if that's what it will take.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110222/...VpdGhlcnNpZGVi

    States around the nation are wrestling with massive budget deficits -- and most of them stem significantly from public sector pension obligations. Walker campaigned on a commitment to confront the public sector expenses and the voters in traditionally liberal Wisconsin endorsed that agenda.

    Democrats found themselves in the minority, so they have embraced the logic of the cowardly knights in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" -- "Run Away!" A critical mass are now hiding out of state.

    ---

    "Neither side budging in Wisconsin union fight"
    Don't you just love how reporters love to misrepresent situations or things that are happening? When you read the title of the article, it gives you the impression that there is some kind of fight going on and that eventually one side or the other will win. That couldn't be farther from the truth. The union supporters have absolutely no shot at stopping this legislation, period. So it doesn't matter if they are willing to budge. Republican Gov. Scott Walker is a politician with a backbone. He isn't going to cave. Unlike most politicians, he is doing exactly what he said he was gonna do, when running for office and it is why I have great respect for the man.

    ---

    Collective Bargaining, paid more to do less. Explains it all, doesn't it?
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

  9. #8
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    When Calvin Coolidge was governor of massachusetts, he had to fire the whole state police force in order to get some control back over the civil workers union.

    Imagine civil employee unions being so powerful that they can control the police, the fire fighters, and the teachers. In other words, those people do what the UNION tells them , not the government and the people they work for.

    Reagan, when he was president, had to fire almost all the air traffic controllers, when they threatened to stage a massive " sick out" and endanger the lives of everyone in an airplane.

    And now these teachers are trying the same thug tactics by endangering the education of our children.

    This is an outrage, Public service employees don't need unions in the first place. And even if unions are going got exist, there should ABSOLUTELY be firm limits imposed on any such unions power to disrupt the public or endanger it's safety.

    Governor Walker should give these teachers the same , fair, 48 hr warning to get back to work that the air traffic controllers got.

    And then FIRE every single one of them who has violated their contract by faking a sick day. Every single one.

    And then sanction every doctor who wrote false prescriptions for non existent illnesses.

    ---

    I live in MPS and I was disgusted to find last Friday that it shut down. My daughter was upset that she'd have to go to school for an extra day this summer. The test scores for these kids is absolutely horrible and my property tax increases for education is maxed EVERY YEAR with no positive results. I work in health care and have to pay to have health insurance and I just had to work out a payment plan with my doctor today so that I could pay my bills. These teachers pay nothing..it's covered 100% and they want sympathy from me? How many years have the "negotiations" gone on with no results other than increased benefits? ...and they even tried to get rogaine payed for by their insurance last year!! This needs to end.

    ..and why is there no mention here of the doctors that were there handing out excuses for these teachers for being out of work last week and into this week (date range specified by the protestors..including the option for a future date so they can stay and protest) for anxiety and emotional stress after a 20 second interview (to keep the lines moving). There will be no repercussions on these teachers for walking out on the kids...pathetic.

    -----

    Wisconsin senators' absence raises questions on tactic
    Eric Johnson – Sun Feb 20, 6:04 pm ET

    CHICAGO (Reuters) – As demonstrators wrangled on Saturday over Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's move to weaken public unions, analysts weighed the consequences of 14 Democratic senators' decision to flee the state to stall the bill's consideration.

    Their absence means the State Senate, controlled by Republicans, lacks the necessary quorum to act on the proposal.

    "This is seen as an extreme action you can interpret in two ways," said Larry Sabato, Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

    "Either they are trying to unfairly deny the people's vote in November or they feel that things are so inequitable that they have been forced to use these tactics."

    "In doing so, Democrats might end up losing a giant public relations battle in addition to this legislative stand-off," Sabato said.

    Democratic leaders say the senators were forced into the action by Republicans -- who won control of the governorship and legislature last fall -- seeking to rapidly introduce legislation while breaking legislative rules. Republicans deny that and say the legislation is necessary to create needed flexibity in dealing with the state's imminent fiscal woes.

    Tens of thousands of state workers and their supporters have demonstrated against the proposals this week, and many have added their signatures to a sign in the State Capitol that showed solidarity with the absent senators.

    "I think they are doing exactly what they need to do by staying away," said Julie Rothenbach, 42, a mother and teacher-in-training from Milwaukee after signing the poster. "And if that's what it takes to slow this thing down and let our voices be heard, that's okay with me."

    Professor Mark Copelovitch of the University of Wisconsin said the Democrats' move was a local version of the U.S. Senate filibuster, a tactic once minimally used that he called now "systematic.

    Defenders say such tactics protect minority rights and prevent majorities from ramming through legislation without due deliberation. Critics contend they can hinder the legislative process and implementation of policies voters support.

    "As far as the constitution goes, there is nothing that expressly forbids their actions," Copelovitch said. "But if the same thing that is happening in Wisconsin spreads to other states, there could be explicit rules written to forbid it."

    Senator Jon Erpenbach said Friday that the senators were prepared to be away for weeks, and Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca said he didn't know when they would return.

    "Sooner or later all 14 will have to return--they are away from their states, homes, and businesses," said Sabato, adding that a vote is inevitable and the mathematics is not on the side of the Democrats.

    "The upside is that they have brought a lot of attention to their point of view. The downside is they are setting themselves up for a big failure in public relations at some point," Sabato said.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_wiscon...st_legislators

    anymore of the elected who vacate should be barred from returning. either side. bye bye

    ---

    So this is Obama's new America of hope and change: entitled state employees clinging to the support of the irrelevant Jesse Jackson while encouraging their representatives to flee from their duties and stall a democratic process because they don't agree with the possible outcome. Bravo, Barry, for weighing in on the side of the obsolete unions along with your lefty-goons Reid and Pelosi. Thanks for continuing to remind us how out of touch with the people and the realities of today you really are.
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

  10. #9
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    Wisconsin governor warns of layoff notices
    Updated: Feb 22, 2011 - 10:13AM


    AP MADISON, Wis. -Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker warned Tuesday that state employees could start receiving layoff notices as early as next week if a bill eliminating most collective bargaining rights isn't passed soon.

    Walker said in a statement to The Associated Press that the layoffs wouldn't take effect immediately. He didn't say which workers would be targeted but he has repeatedly warned that up to 1,500 workers could lose their jobs by July if his proposal isn't passed.

    "Hopefully we don't get to that point," Walker said.

    Senate Democrats walked out last week rather than vote on Walker's bill that would force public workers to pay more for their benefits. He also wants to eliminate collective bargaining for nearly all workers except concerning salary increases that aren't greater than the Consumer Price Index.

    The proposal, designed to help Wisconsin plug a projected $3.6 billion budget hole, has led to eight straight days of massive protests that grew as large as 68,000 people on Saturday.

    Security was tight in the Capitol on Tuesday morning as both the Senate and Assembly were scheduled to be in session. The Republican-controlled Assembly planned to start debate and possibly vote on the bill later in the day, although Democrats planned to push for adoption of more than 100 amendments.

    The Senate has been stymied in its ability to vote on the bill after the 14 Democrats walked out on Thursday, making it impossible for the remaining Republicans to take up the measure. Walker and Republican leaders have repeatedly called on the Democrats, who escaped to Illinois, to return and get back to work.

    Democrats have said they won't come back until Walker is willing to negotiate.

    Public employees have said they would agree to concessions Walker wants that would amount to an 8 percent pay cut on average, but they want to retain their collective bargaining rights. One Republican senator also has floated an alternative that would make the elimination of those rights temporary.

    Walker has repeatedly rejected both offers, saying local governments and school districts can't be hamstrung by the often lengthy collective bargaining process. He says they need to have more flexibility to deal with up to $1 billion in cuts he will propose in his budget next week and into the future.

    It's a high-stakes game of political chicken that has riveted the nation and led to ongoing public protests. Neither Republicans nor Democrats are budging: Walker says he won't negotiate, and the 14 missing Senate Democrats say they won't return until he does.

    "We'd love to come back today," said Democratic Sen. Jon Erpenbach, one of the 14 who went to Illinois. "We could be up there this afternoon and pass this if he would agree to removing the language that has absolutely nothing to do with balancing the budget."

    Republicans planned to forge ahead with other business Tuesday, including a resolution honoring the Green Bay Packers for winning the Super Bowl and a bill extending tax breaks to dairy farmers. Those bills have bipartisan support, but Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has tried to put pressure on Democrats by threatening to take up more controversial matters, such as a GOP-backed proposal requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.

    "You have shut down the people's government, and that is not acceptable," Fitzgerald said to Democrats during a brief meeting Monday setting the Senate's agenda for Tuesday. Two Democratic senators participated in the meeting by phone.

    Democrats counter that Walker could compromise and put an end to the stalemate.

    "It's right in front of the governor," Miller said. "He just needs to pick it up and allow us to move on. ... This is a no-brainer."

    As Walker spoke under heavy guard at a late Monday afternoon news conference inside his conference room, thousands of protesters could be heard through the doors blowing whistles, banging on drums and chanting "Scott Walker has got to go!"

    "This guy is power drunk and we're here to sober him up," said Bert Zipperer, 54, a counselor at a Madison middle school who was among the protesters. "He wants to do it unilaterally without any compromise. He wants to be a national conservative hero and he thinks he can get away with this."

    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 would face a vote of membership every year to stay formed, and workers could opt out of paying dues.

    The emergency plan is meant to address this year's $137 million shortfall and start dealing with the $3.6 billion hole expected by mid-2013. The benefits concessions would amount to $30 million this year, but the largest savings Walker proposed comes from refinancing debt to save $165 million.

    That portion must be done by Friday for bonds to be refinanced in time to realize the savings by June 30, the end of this fiscal year.

    Walker said not passing the bill by Friday would make even deeper cuts necessary and possibly result in laying off 1,500 workers over the next four months.

    http://www.aolnews.com/story/wiscons...591824/?cid=10
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

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    Isn’t it good to see Republicans playing hardball with delinquent Democrats?

    Perfect: http://www.fox6now.com/witi-direct-d...,7489629.story

    State senators who miss two or more session days will no longer get paid through direct deposit. They’ll have to pick up their checks in person on the Senate floor during a session.

    The new rule is aimed at forcing the return of 14 Senate Democrats who have been hiding in Illinois since Thursday. They fled the state to stall a vote on an anti-union bill, and have threatened to stay away until Republican Gov. Scott Walker agrees to compromise. Tuesday’s vote was along party lines. The three Republicans on the Committee on Senate Organization voted for it and the two Democrats opposed it.
    The requirement also applies to expense reimbursement requests.

    The state legislature should post those for public view ASAP.

    ---

    Wisconsin: one out of three eighth graders can read! Yay, teachers!
    Posted by: Phineas on February 22, 2011 at 6:25 pm


    Well, isn’t this special? With teachers union members demanding the right to keep better medical and pension plans better than almost anyone else has in Wisconsin, and with Democratic state senators Fleebaggers showing their support by running away from their jobs in order to block representative democracy, it’s nice to know that these teachers truly earn their money and benefits.

    I mean, what’s wrong with a 66% illiteracy rate among Wisconsin 8th-graders? ( http://pajamasmedia.com/tatler/2011/...re-illiterate/ )

    Jeez, what do you people expect — that our children should actually know how to read and write?

    http://sistertoldjah.com/archives/20...-yay-teachers/

    by the fact that you can’t flunk a grade any more it’s really not surprising.

    I work in a school dist in S.C. and I can speak for the fact that teachers don’t teach the way they did when I was in school… these teachers from the first day of class teach the standardized test, because that’s all that counts in the eyes of the federal govt.

    it’s sad really……but to hear the teachers and the school districts, “it’s all about the kids” when in fact it’s all about the money

    ---
    Cut and run fever hits Indiana House Democrats
    Posted by: ST on February 22, 2011 at 5:10 pm


    Why? Because they’re slaves to union bosses, too. Via the Indy Star: http://www.indystar.com/article/2011...t|IndyStar.com

    Gov. Mitch Daniels signaled this afternoon that Republicans should to drop the right-to-work bill that has brought the Indiana House to a standstill for two days and imperiled other measures.

    Daniels told reporters this afternoon that he expects House Democrats will return to work if the bill dies. It would be unfortunate if other bills are caught up in the turmoil, he said.

    He will not send out state police to corral the Democrats, the Republican governor said.

    The Democrat minority has right to express its views, he added.

    The governor clung to his view that this is not the year to tackle right to work.

    Earlier — Democrats trigger Statehouse showdown

    Seats on one side of the Indiana House were nearly empty today as House Democrats departed the the state rather than vote on anti-union legislation.

    A source tells the Indianapolis Star that Democrats are headed to Illinois, though it was possible some also might go to Kentucky. They need to go to a state with a Democratic governor to avoid being taken into police custody and returned to Indiana.
    We’ll remember that, Mr. Potential Presidential Contender. http://www.nationalreview.com/campai...ight-work-bill What a disappointment.

    Ed Morrissey, commenting on the left’s penchant for cutting and running while in the minority, hits the nail on the head: http://hotair.com/archives/2011/02/22/madison-indiana/

    The true test of a representative democracy comes not in an election, but in the aftermath of an election. If the losing party or parties in the election recognize their loss and continue to participate in self-governance, then representative democracy works. When the losing side refuses to participate and boycotts governance, especially in such a manner that vital legislative work gets obstructed, then representative democracy itself is threatened. …

    The fleeing Democrats have essentially stolen the will of the public and their right to self-governance. Wisconsin voters elected Republicans to majorities in both chambers and Walker as their executive by convincing margins. The minority in representative democracy has a right to be heard, but do not have the right to stop the process of governance by shutting down the legislature. In essence, those state Senators who went on the lam have attempted to overturn the last election through unprecedented and illegal obstruction and dereliction of duty. They have demonstrated the haughty arrogance of those who refuse to accept their role as public servants and instead make themselves into autocrats.

    If Republicans overreached with their budget-repair bill and unfairly restricted the rights of unions, then let Democrats go on record opposing the bill and make it the centerpiece of the next legislative election in Wisconsin. Under the circumstances, though, the Democrats who have tried to hijack democracy in order to dictate terms should be the ones who fear the next election the most.
    He goes on to suggest that these fleeing Democrats be called “Fleebagggers.” I’m down with that.

    Until this past election, the NC state legislature has been controlled by Democrats yet I can’t recall a single time when Republicans in the General Assembly walked out rather than face an up or down vote on a bill. And you better believe there have been a LOT of bills that were signed into law over the last century here by whoever the Governor was at the time that were deeply unpopular with the GOP. Nevertheless, they stuck around to vote. Because that’s what they’re supposed to do.

    Democrats in two state legislatures in this country (and there may be more coming) have decided “to hell with the process – if we don’t like a bill and can’t do anything about it, we just won’t show up for work.” I suspect that most people who voted for these petulant union suck ups had big labor ties and are probably ok with their elected representatives cutting and running from their respective state Congress on this issue. They don’t mind that no state business in their respective state legislatures can be completed without them being present, effectively holding hostage all legislation no matter who it does or does not benefit.

    This is the selfish side of the “compassionate” left that they don’t want you to see. It’s quite ugly, isn’t it?

    The blogprof opines: http://theblogprof.blogspot.com/2011...lee-state.html

    The Democratic Party is neither democratic nor do they represent the taxpayers. Their constituents are instead the government unions that continue to bilk taxpayers to do a bad job and not only get ironclad job security, but higher wages and free healthcare and retirement pension for life. They need to be reigned in exactly because of what is happening in Wisconsin and now Indiana.
    Finally, on a related note: It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that our nation’s liberal newspaper of record, the New York Times, has a ‘gotcha’ article today about how evil Koch money is supposedly “playing a role” in the Wisconsin showdown. What do they not tell you? How Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a key fundraiser for Democrats, is attempting to raise money for Wisconsin state Senate Democrats. He’s not the only one. They also don’t tell you that, naturally, big union money is a key contributor to the continuation of these protests – as is always the case. They also don’t tell you that Organizing for America, the political arm of President Obama himself, has greatly aided in orchestrating & keeping alive the pro-union protests in WI. http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/22/th...esident-obama/

    If the NYT was truly interested in following ALL the money trails, the information isn’t exactly that difficult to find. Of course, you have to look at New Media blogs to find out because liberal fishwraps like the Times only care about how conservatives and their causes are funded. Natch. Because they want to pretend that “big money” doesn’t exist in the Democrat party, in spite of little inconvenient truths that prove otherwise.

    Moving right along …

    http://sistertoldjah.com/archives/20...use-democrats/
    Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

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    16 States Going to War on Unions
    The Daily Beast – Wed Feb 23, 11:52 pm ET


    NEW YORK – With Wisconsin locked in a union battle, The Daily Beast looks at the 15 states that could blow up next and crunches the numbers to find whether they're really on shaky financial footing—or playing politics.

    Revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt have toppled despotic governments, while Libyans are on the verge of doing the same. The stakes are not as high in Wisconsin and the 15 other states that have proposed or are expected to propose various levels of de-engagement from both public- and private-sector unions, but the spirit of the demonstrations throughout the Midwest has been as fierce as those in the Middle East.

    At issue in the U.S. are the collective-bargaining rights of unionized public employees. States facing budget shortfalls and high debt payments want to curtail workers' collective-bargaining ability to in part gain flexibility in dealing with financial crises. Protesters in Wisconsin have found plenty of support and will be joined in solidarity Saturday by protests in every state capital. By our count 16 states have proposed legislation similar to the bill cleared for vote last Wednesday by Wisconsin's Republican legislators, which would strip public-sector union workers of the right to bargain collectively about any on-the-job issue besides wages.

    Political action from Democratic legislators and union supporters in Wisconsin, which in 1959 became the first state to allow public-sector collective bargaining, has spread to Ohio and Indiana (whose governor shelved a "right-to-work" bill), and got us wondering whether these states are really on shaky financial footing, or whether this is all so much political wrangling.

    Looking solely at the 16 states that have proposed or are considering laws to trim union rights, we first accounted for 2009 debt-to-GDP ratios, using Census numbers and data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Then we accounted for the percent of pension and health-care liabilities that are unfunded for each state, based on a study by the Pew Center on the States. Finally, because not all workers would be affected by proposed legislation, we accounted for the percent of people in public-sector unions out of total government workers in each state, with data from Unionstats. The average was taken for each category and each state's data were compared to the average, with equal weighting for each of the three categories.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/dailybeast/1...ZzdGF0ZXNnb2lu


    State troopers sent to find Wisconsin Democrats
    TODD RICHMOND and SCOTT BAUER, Associated Press Todd Richmond And Scott Bauer, Associated Press – 45 mins ago
    MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin state troopers were dispatched Thursday to find at least one of the 14 Senate Democrats who have been on the run for eight days to delay a vote on Republican Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to strip collective bargaining rights from nearly all public employees.

    Meanwhile, after more than 43 hours of debate, Democrats in the state Assembly agreed to limit the number of remaining amendments and time spent on each in order to reach a vote on the union rights bill sometime later in the day.

    The early morning action was designed to force a vote on Walker's bill that has made Wisconsin the focus of a multiple state effort to curb union rights.

    The Senate convened for long enough to make a call of the house, which allows for the sergeant at arms staff to go to missing lawmakers' homes with police. The lawmakers can't be arrested, but Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said he hoped the move would pressure them to return. He would not say how many Democrats were being targeted, but said it was more than one.

    "Every night we hear about some that are coming back home," Fitzgerald said.

    But Democratic Sen. Jon Erpenbach, who was in the Chicago area, said all 14 senators remained outside of Wisconsin on Thursday morning and would not return until Walker was willing to compromise.

    "It's not so much the Democrats holding things up, it's really a matter of Gov. Walker holding things up," Erpenbach said.

    Tens of thousands of people have protested the bill for nine straight days, with hundreds spending the night in sleeping bags on the hard marble floor of the Capitol as the debate was broadcast on monitors in the rotunda. Many still were sleeping when the deal to only debate 38 more amendments, for no more than 10 minutes each, was announced shortly after 6 a.m. The timing of the agreement means the vote could come as soon as noon Thursday.

    "We will strongly make our points, but understand you are limiting the voice of the public as you do this," said Democratic state Rep. Mark Pocan of Madison. "You can't dictate democracy. You are limiting the people's voice with this agreement this morning."

    Democrats, who are in the minority, don't have the votes to stop the bill once the vote occurs.

    Passage of the bill in the Assembly would be a major victory for Republicans and Walker, but the measure still must clear the Senate. Democrats there left town last week rather than vote on the bill, which has stymied efforts there to take it up.

    The battle over labor rights has been heating up across the country, as new Republican majorities tackle budget woes in several states. The GOP efforts have sparked huge protests from unions and their supporters and led Democrats in Wisconsin and Indiana to flee their states to block measures.

    Republicans in Ohio offered a small concession Wednesday, saying they would support allowing unionized state workers to collectively bargain on wages — but not for benefits, sick time, vacation or other conditions. Wisconsin's proposal also would allow most public workers to collectively bargain only for wages.

    In Ohio, Republican Senate President Tom Niehaus denied protests have dented the GOP's resolve, saying lawmakers decided to make the change after listening to hours of testimony. He said he still believes the bill's core purpose — reining in spending by allowing governments more flexibility in dealing with their workers — is intact.

    Senate Democratic Leader Capri Cafaro called the changes "window dressing." She said the entire bill should be scrapped.

    "We can't grow Ohio's economy by destroying jobs and attacking the middle class," Cafaro said. "Public employees in Ohio didn't cause our budget problems and they shouldn't be blamed for something that's not their fault."

    Wisconsin Democrats have echoed Cafaro for days, but Walker has refused to waver.

    Walker reiterated Wednesday that public workers must make concessions to avoid thousands of government layoffs as the state grapples with a $137 million shortfall in its current budget and a projected $3.6 billion hole in the next two-year budget.

    The marathon session in the Assembly was grand political theater, with exhausted lawmakers limping around the chamber, rubbing their eyes and yawning as Wednesday night dragged on.

    Around midnight, Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, accused Democrats of putting on a show for the protesters. Democrats leapt up and started shouting.

    "I'm sorry if democracy is a little inconvenient and you had to stay up two nights in a row," Pocan said. "Is this inconvenient? Hell, yeah! It's inconvenient. But we're going to be heard!"

    The Ohio and Wisconsin bills both would strip public workers at all levels of their right to collectively bargain benefits, sick time, vacations and other work conditions. Wisconsin's measure exempts local police, firefighters and the State Patrol and still lets workers collectively bargain their wages as long as they are below inflation. It also would require public workers to pay more toward their pensions and health insurance. Ohio's bill, until Wednesday, would have barred negotiations on wages.

    Ohio's measure sits in a Senate committee. No vote has been scheduled on the plan, but thousands of protesters have gathered at the Statehouse to demonstrate, just as in Wisconsin.

    In Indiana, Democrats successfully killed a Republican bill that would have prohibited union membership from being a condition of employment by leaving the state on Tuesday. They remained in Illinois in hopes of derailing other parts of Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels' agenda, including restrictions on teacher collective bargaining.

    And in Oklahoma, a Republican-controlled state House committee on Wednesday narrowly approved legislation to repeal collective bargaining rights for municipal workers in that state's 13 largest cities.

    ___

    Associated Press writers Ryan J. Foley in Madison and Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report. The Assembly deal was announced shortly after 6 a.m. while the troopers were sent after the Democrats at 7 a.m.


    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_wisconsin_budget_unions
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