Walkers War in Wisconsin!

All we can possibly do, is hope and pray the protesting that is now spreading to many other states, will knock these Repbulican governer's on there backsides!!!!! Wisconsin has a shortfall, due to their governor cutting big corpations slack on what they had to pay in taxes....does this Walker guy ever confess, HE is part of his own states problem..........NO!!! I am amazed when one watches these men being interviewed, they have no shame, just no heart or soul for their agenda.. against the working class, getting. rid of unions, blah, blah, blah!!! I wonder if these guys really believe, just because most of us are the middle class worker bee's, that we all are brainless????? Thes guys need to be kicked to the curb for good!!!!!

PREPARE TO MARCH IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, IN YOUR CAPITOL! HELP ORGANIZE YOUR LOCAL PROGRESSIVE CHAPTER. THINK ABOUT A NATIONAL MARCH TO WASHINGTON ON MAY 3, COORDINATED WITH A NATIONAL WORK STOPPAGE, 2 DAYS OF PROTEST, WITH A MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS ON THE CAPITOL LAWN, PRESENTING "THE PEOPLE'S LIST OF SUGGESTIONS". WE MUST SAY SUGGESTIONS, INSTEAD OF DEMANDS, SO THAT WE WON'T BE PROSECUTED FOR EXTORTION BY THE REPUBLICANS. IF THAT DOESN'T WORK, PREPARE FOR AN INDEFINITE NATIONWIDE WORK STOPPAGE. INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE ARE NOTHING WITHOUT WORKERS. IF GHANDI DID IT, WE CAN DO IT! WE OWE IT TO OURSELVES, OUR FORBEARS, AND OUR CHILDREN. ORGANIZE NOW.

Walker manufactured a pseudo-crisis to use as a pretext to attack worker's rights. The tactic of using crises ( real but usually manufactured ) has been used by the right wing for decades.

Naomi Klein wrote a great book titled, "Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" http://www.naomiklein.org/shock-doctrine/the-book' where she lays out this strategy and its history.

Here is an article explaining how Walker, upon taking office, implemented Bush style tax cuts recently in order to manufacture a deficit.

_____________________________________________________________________

Wisconsin GOP Votes for Walker's Bush-Style Tax Cuts on Anniversary of Passage of Bush Tax Cuts - 5/22/2010

'Walker Refuses to Say How He'll Pay for Them Just Like Bush; How'd That Work Out for Everyone?' Asks OWN

Madison - The Republican Party of Wisconsin's formal endorsement of Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has come almost to the day of the anniversary of the passage of the second Bush tax cuts that helped hand over nearly $1 trillion of federal money to the top one percent of income earners. Walker's central campaign scheme is a $2-billion Bush-style tax cut plan for the rich and big business that he refuses to say how he will pay to finance.

Walker's unpaid tax plan is even less credible given the state's $2-billion deficit for 2011-13, according to the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports the unpaid Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 grew the federal deficit by $1.7 trillion [CBPP, 5/5/09]

"How appropriate Scott Walker's Bush-style tax cuts are fully-endorsed by the Republican Party of Wisconsin on the anniversary of the Bush tax cuts passed the Republican congress in 2003," said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. "It's unfortunate rank-and-file Republicans supported this disastrous plan, since like the Bush tax cuts, they'll be the ones paying to give the rich and big business even more of our hard-earned money."

Despite the grave budget projection, Walker has repeated four specific budget-busting schemes as the cornerstone of his agenda for Wisconsin:

* Slash income taxes for the top one percent of income earners who make more than $225,000 a year - two-year budget cost: $287 million.

* Reopen the "Las Vegas Loophole" which allows Wisconsin businesses to shelter their tax obligations to Wisconsin families through phantom "offices" in states without corporate income tax - two-year budget cost: $375 million.

* Repeal changes made to the capital gains tax deduction, despite the fact 70 percent of capital gains filings are from those earning more than $200,000 a year - two-year budget cost: $243 million.

* Shelter the assets of the wealthiest Wisconsinites even more by a radical end to tax paid on retirement income, regardless of income - two-year budget cost: $920 million.

[Legislative Fiscal Bureau, 2/23/09, 7/8/09, 1/25/10; "Upfront," WISN-TV, 11/8/09; La Crosse Tribune, 11/24/09]

One Wisconsin Now traveled to the first day of the state Republican Party of Wisconsin convention Friday asking convention goers to sign a "Responsible Budget Petition," that would reject tax cuts for the rich and big business - especially if Walker or his opponent were unwilling to document how they would pay for them. Walker's GOP cronies had One Wisconsin Now ejected from outside the convention activities.

"When is Walker going to answer the direct question: How with a $2 billion deficit can you pay for $2 billion in tax breaks to the rich and big business?" asked Ross. "The answer is that he has no answer."

http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/press/wisconsin-gop-votes-for-walker-s-bush-style...

Here's Rachel Maddow pointing out all the reasons why WI is great and why WI should be thanked. And I thank Rachel for putting together this clip. Enjoy!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#41674668

That definitely sounds like fascism, people need collective bargaining when up against the state or large corporations.

I think the good people of WI should take some of that energy and start a Recall campaign.......Maddow explained in her Bake Sale clip the other day that had Walker not just given the biggest corporations in WI millions in tax breaks that he wouldn't have had a deficit to complain about.

If a state or company makes an agreement in good faith with a union then they are obligated to follow through with it.
Citizens act like "they" are not the government, when they are.

The Citizens elected representatives who negotiated with the unions. Since the citizens didn't do THEIR due diligence to see what was going on, all of a sudden, some poor state worker who has worked to earn their pension, given up pay raises because California promised future pension benefits in lieu of raises, etc., is being told by the Citizens -- hey, no fair!

The contracts were made, the union members gave concessions, the state govt. gave concessions, and the contracts were made. We'll go along with hubby getting a pension based on what he paid into the system over the last 30 years, though. It would be more that what he's actually going to get. You all do know, don't you, that a public union member has no choice regarding pension contributions.

They are mandated, on top of Social Security -- right now at 8% of pay. If you all had set aside as much of your pay as the average state worker in California has done, over and above social security, you'd all have a nice nest egg, too. Because you didn't, don't blame the state worker because he was forced to.

http://forums.hannity.com/showthread.php?p=83800011

Fight fire with fire, Wisconsin! Wildcat strikes! See how well the Governor governs when all his workers walk!!!

What happened to all the civility the democrats Harped on last month?

Mr. hell no you can't! where are the jobs!

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: Funded by the Koch Bros.

google it

Straight from Mother Jones

Walker's plan to eviscerate collective bargaining rights for public employees is right out of the Koch brothers' playbook. Koch-backed groups like Americans for Prosperity, the Cato Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and the Reason Foundation have long taken a very antagonistic view toward public-sector unions. Several of these groups have urged the eradication of these unions. The Kochs also invited Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, an anti-union outfit, to a June 2010 confab in Aspen, Colorado;

Greetings everyone,

To my surprise, I have received quite a few messages either explaining to me How I have no idea (I can only assume they meant history, since they did not say WHAT it was that I had no idea what the hell I was talking about) what I was talking about, and a group of others, who seemed polite, but simply did not understand how propaganda works, I have decided, to respond to the latter rather than the former, since the former seemed to be irrational, as far as propaganda is concerned, perhaps it is stated best-how it works- by one of the greatest propagandist of the 20th century, he states:

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

Joseph Goebel's-Nazi Minister of propaganda

Remember, remember the 5h of November...

Love the poster! Update: WI Democrats could be out for weeks! Also, this is the third day in a row that Madison schools were closed! MPS (Milwaukee Public Schools) also were closed today. I'm upset with my Mayor, Tom Barrett, for not showing solidarity with the teachers union. He said last night on our local news "The teachers should go to school." That will come back to haunt him royally if he doesn't reconsider. He's running for re-election in 2012. His own wife is a teacher! Walker wants to take money out of the pockets of hard working tax payers because the state is "so broke" but he can find the cash to put cops on the street to find Democratic law makers. I guess the budget isn't in too bad of shape after all.

Love the poster! Where can I buy it!

http://www.wasb.org/images/stories/PDFs/collective_bargaining_data/1011%20Teache...

Wisconsin Teacher Salaries - as you can see they make very little money

It's on like Donky Kong!

The funny thing is that while this idiot of a Governor is going around panicking about the state's fiscal problems - he's probably also going around saying that tax cuts are the way to go.

The Republicans are making no sense whatsoever. You talk about a fiscal crisis and you want to cut taxes - especially on business and richest Americans? What a joke of a party.

Republicans: "We're all about jobs and the middle-class!....

Dr Evil voice: "Riiiggghhhhtttt...."

The only reason Rightingers stay competitive is because they locked in and captured a large base of easy to control self-ignorant low class people this country has to offer. Unfortunately, lies and more lies can win you elections in this country.

From what I have read and seen it seems more like the "People's War" and/or "Walker's Folly" ...

Someone on another post on this subject said that Walkers actions were an effort by Republicans at busting the unions. Said this was a political action by Walker more than financial. The Democrat Party and Obamas campaign arm supports and is aiding these rallies, or riots depending on who is talking. I would argue that this is a reaction to the Nov 2 election changing the leadership of some states to Republican and an effort by the Democrat Party to further cement its relationship with the unions in preparation for the 2012 elections.
On the news I see where the average Wisconsin teacher receives $89,000+ in salary and benefits and the natl average is $61,000+. Couple this with the modest request by the governor for the union folk to shoulder a slightly larger percentage of the healthcare contribution and retirement and we are left with collective bargaining as an issue. While I am not in favor of removing collective bargaining rights of the union people I am also not in favor of these rallies (riots if you will) the way they are being conducted. This is irresponsible on the part of the unions and the state legislators. I am loosing any sympathy I have for their cause.

Here is the full context of FDR's August 16, 1937 letter in which he clearly states he does not support public sector unions.:

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My dear Mr. Steward:

Reading your letter of July 14, 1937, I was especially interested in the timeliness of your remark that the manner in which the activities of your organization have been carried on during the past two decades "has been in complete consonance with the best traditions of public employee relationships." Organizations of Government employees have a logical place in Government affairs.

The desire of Government employees for fair and adequate pay, reasonable hours of work, safe and suitable working conditions, development of opportunities for advancement, facilities for fair and impartial consideration and review of grievances, and other objectives of a proper employee relations policy, is basically no different from that of employees in private industry. Organization on their part to present their views on such matters is both natural and logical, but meticulous attention should be paid to the special relationships and obligations of public servants to the public itself and to the Government.

All Government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service. It has its distinct and insurmountable limitations when applied to public personnel management. The very nature and purposes of Government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with Government employee organizations. The employer is the whole people, who speak by means of laws enacted by their representatives in Congress. Accordingly, administrative officials and employees alike are governed and guided, and in many instances restricted, by laws which establish policies, procedures, or rules in personnel matters.

Particularly, I want to emphasize my conviction that militant tactics have no place in the functions of any organization of Government employees.Upon employees in the Federal service rests the obligation to serve the whole people, whose interests and welfare require orderliness and continuity in the conduct of Government activities. This obligation is paramount. Since their own services have to do with the functioning of the Government, a strike of public employees manifests nothing less than an intent on their part to prevent or obstruct the operations of Government until their demands are satisfied. Such action, looking toward the paralysis of Government by those who have sworn to support it, is unthinkable and intolerable. It is, therefore, with a feeling of gratification that I have noted in the constitution of the National Federation of Federal Employees the provision that "under no circumstances shall this Federation engage in or support strikes against the United States Government." successful.

I congratulate the National Federation of Federal Employees the twentieth anniversary of its founding and trust that the convention will, in every way, be successful.

Very Sincerely Yours,

FDR

And again

May 8, 1937, in which Roosevelt stipulated: “The right to bargain collectively is at the bottom of social justice for the worker, as well as the sensible conduct of business affairs. The denial or observance of this right means the difference between despotism and democracy

And, again for the RWers who keep posting FDR quotes against Public Unions

The desire of Government employees for fair and adequate pay, reasonable hours of work, safe and suitable working conditions, development of opportunities for advancement, facilities for fair and impartial consideration and review of grievances, and other objectives of a proper employee relations policy, is basically no different from that of employees in private industry. ---FDR

Sounds like he supported Public Unions.

Rode up to the Capital this morning and people are still there. Those people claiming there are riots are lying. The most subversive thing I've seen in the last few days was the couple giving out free hot coffee from a bike vendor cart (possibly inciting an assault on free market capitalism). There is a noticeable police presence with smiling and amiable officers everywhere, but I haven't seen a single person arrested for anything. An impassioned, peaceful protest that has been very pleasant.

"If you break the public unions in Wisconsin you can break them everywhere."
--Rachel Maddow

If we loose the right to collectively bargain then soon businesses will be taking advantage of the people.

My friends Unions are not some figure head but your brothers and sister standing together fighting for the rights of all working peoples.
Unions are our police force protecting our laws, imagine our streets without the police, yes there is laws but if there is no one to enforce those laws! you get my point.
Unions are needed more than ever. Like to repeat History say 1920.

Sure is lucky that state police were not impacted by the measures proposed. Otherwise, the state police may have refused to go out and find the democrats who are standing up to this tyrant in the only way possible.

Make NO mistake: THIS IS THE WAR of American citizens against the Corporatocracy. It's time to take it to the streets for our way of life, the middle class, and the American dream.
It is time to take it to the streets in support and solidarity with American working families from coast to coast.

Remember when the GOP spent all of its times screaming about job killing bills and we're doing the will of the American people? Well now that we can plainly see that this is BS, I hope more protest come up like those in Wisconsin, these people need to understand that Americans want jobs, we want homes, we want low gas prices, we want our children to have great education and health care, we want our leaders to act that they give a damn.

I cannot believe the stupidity of some people. For the wacko spectrum of the Right and deluded Libertarians, a disclaimer: I do not identify my self with any party that is or ever was.

I was raised to love the truth, not opinion, the difference is one is backed by verifiable evidence that can be tested with statistics, cross examination and can hold up to tests forensic and historical. Opinion, like religion is the last refuges of scoundrels and sycophants, might I add that it is not properly used anymore.

Opinion was only used AFTER one accepted verifiable truth, No veracity, no opinion- it is just shit. Like Hindotka down there,

That aside,

To the hopelessly deluded: Ayn Rand and her ilk sold you asses a bill of goods. You are not going to be apart of the rich, even if you support them by selling out and stabbing your own, No amount of brown nosing and anti union rhetoric is EVER going to get you millions. Hard work and pluck: statistically slim. People are getting arrested for selling flowers, not bribing the right official. That is what i happening in Wall Street and Washington, The only way you can get what you want is fi you already have seven to eight figures at your disposal, How many chair jockeys have that kind of cash just lying around. Or a law firm that can get government lawyers to look the other way, while Wall street is raiding your 401k?

Union workers got your asses the weekend to have time off. Union workers got your asses the right to a living wage. And Union workers gave you an inroad into not being on the street after 65. Dont forget Union workers ended Child labor. you got health care at your job kiss a union worker you pigs.

Yes the images a of worker is that of a lazy person, you jackals couldnt tell the difference between propaganda and fact if it bit you in your ass. oh yes there are bad apples and it was exposed as the mob, but they were few. monst union workers are hardworking and loyal to their j0bs.Teachers, Firefighters, Paramedics, garbage workers? you dont like them,

Imagine our country with our them. Really use the braincells you have left and imagine a world without them, overworked underpaid people are far less efficient than those who are. Dont believe me. Show me a scholarly journal or a statistical analysis.

Are you guys all employed by Public sectors unions? This isn't private sector unions, It public sector . FDR was against public sector unions and for good reason. Government jobs are already less competitive compared to private sector counterparts.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/worth-recalling-fdr-was...