Yea just like when they're in math class. :zz:

WI voters who have not put away retirement money the last few years because of the economy and now had to scramble to get day care for their kids while they work and pay for the off day/healthcare and pension are as they say it 'drinkin mad'. This has nothing to do w/private unions (yet) and everything to do w/the 'we pay your retirement/health care and you work only 75% of the year government workers. Forget about Egypt we're in a revolution! At least we're a peaceful people and no matter what happens no reporters will get raped! Much less by 200!

I love politics via technology in 2011 :D

Looks like the citizens of Wisconsin are not going anywhere, and there's Twitter rumors that Walker has sent the State Police out to try and find a Democrat (allegedly holed up at Henrici's in Rockford) to bring them back to the State House tomorrow, so they can have a vote.

Walker deliberately left the cops and firemen out of the union busting, and they have turned on him, siding with the demonstrators and protesting with them while off duty.

Teachers in WI some of poorest paid in nation: 49th in starting pay, only 26th with experience.

Meanwhile, 3,000 showed up today in Ohio, where they are trying to union-bust, too.

Repubs trying to union bust so they can control voter turnout and financial contributions to 2012 election.

Yea cause you're in WI! Get a f'n clue! WI voted the new GOP Gov Walker in to do what he's doing. Go worry about KY and your creation park. If it doesn't involve high-speed rail the Dells WI could be a second park.

It's not about paying 50% more for one's pension
 

Good reporting by Ezra Klein on this, reviewing Wisconsin budget, Walker's union-busting reasons (Goal of GOP Govs for 2011 is taking the unions out of financial picture in 2012), etc.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezr..._for_wisc.html

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezr...l?hpid=topnews

the protesters are obviously racist.

You never cease to amaze me. Stay out of my state! Scott Walker is the best thing that has happened to WI and these changes need to happen(BTW- this is just the start). If only you had a clue of what he is dealing with from our lovely Gov Doyle. They can still collectively bargain for salaries. They have to contribute 5.8% of their pay to their pension and pay 12% of the total health insurance premium. Those are huge concessions. Please. I would be elated if my employer paid me those benefits. The only reason this is an issue is that the teachers are not going to be required to be part of the union. Last I checked having a choice is not necessarily a bad thing. The Walker supporters will show up tomorrow (because they actually work for a living) while most of the teachers and union workers will go home because it will be Sat (their day off). I have great respect for the government workers that showed up for work and feel that the dems are making themselves look like complete idiots. Imagine if the Republicans left the country when the OBAMACARE health plan was being debated?

"Your state" is the front page story on all American news outlets, some internationals, and what is happening there is related to what is happening in Ohio, Florida, etc. and Washington.

Nobody has to "stay out of your state" and ignore the story.

But not for what their current contracts say they can. All their collective bargaining rights are being eliminated, except being able to bargain base pay only and only up to the consumer price index. That is virtually nothing. Pennies.

First: Walker is arbitrarily cutting benefits, without sitting down and talking to the Unions about what they can give or sacrifice. That's his right, I suppose. Although I would think he'd bargain, because during his campaign he said he'd work with unions, and now he's not. He's a liar, but most politicians are. Nothing wrong with cutting benefits when there is a deficit, and the unions said they are willing to work with him. Why Walker is ignoring that is a puzzlement. This isn't much of an issue, really.

Walker did sneak this bill in last Friday, unannounced, and literally try to sneak it through with little debate. Why? The second reason, below:

Second: the most important thing, the thing completely unrelated to any "deficit" busting, and why 30,000 are in the capital, is Walkers sneaky plan for elimination of collective bargaining. That's straight up Union busting, plain and simple. That has zero to do with any deficit. Nothing at all.

Why is Walker trying to bust up the unions? Because the unions were the three biggest contributors to the Democratic party the last election cycle. The Republican Governors Association has instructed the Govs to try and union-bust in 2011, prior to the next election cycle, to eliminate Democratic financing in the top ten corporate contributors to candidate financing (the other 7 are private Republican donating corporations) Control the money, control the election outcomes.

Don't you find it funny Walker has exempted police and fire from his union-busting? Why police and fire, but not prison guards? Because those are the two unions that contributed to his campaign. It's just political campaign payback.

Except the off-duty police and fire unions are siding with the unions under attack.

There is far more to this story than Wisconsin's deficit. It's about the organized Republican attempt to union-bust across every state they can before 2012. And that is why this story is getting detailed national attention.

And by the way? Many of the Green Bay Packers - union men - are supporting the teachers.

They are busing union support up from Chicago. Jesse Jackson & Co. etc.

This will get ugly tomorrow and watch which side is peaceful.

On Wisconsin!

Hopefully other States will pick up on uncle mo and join in.

If you are worried about Wisconsin's deficit, is anybody angry that Walkers' special session just gave new tax breaks to corporations, causing $120 million in unfunded new deficit from 2011 to 2013?

And Tea Partiers from other states, with Andrew Breitbach.

So far the Police Chief has complimented the protestors on being so calm and well-behaved. We'll see what happens when outsiders join in, yes.

UMad campus is liberal but violent they are not. If anything bad occurs tomorrow it will be the outsiders.

I don't see any need for outsiders to physically be there.

Update: Fox says Jesse Jackson has already been there all day today. No problems.

HuffPost reporting:

The teacher unions are the biggest racket in history. Good teachers should want no part of it. It celebrates andf promotes mediocrity while doing zero to reward excellence. Unions were invented to protect from unsafe working conditions, police and firefighters require this protection, teachers, come on. They are paid poorly because they work 180 days a year. If they want more pay they should get jobs that require you to work 260 days a year like the rest of us, not hold the taxpayers hostage.

This is an unusual take. So you are saying that if the unions are effectively busted then the former members wont vote or contribute in the 2012 elections?

http://blogs.the-american-interest.c...madison-blues/

:tro::tro::tro::tro:

Unions are great for people in unions and terrible for everyone and everything else. In 1915 they were essential. Now for the most part they are just a drain on the rest of us.

:tro:

i dont agree with public servants having a union. police, fire, health, and teachers have no business ever striking, or ever putting the public they serve in danger-or in a teachers case, uneducated.
teachers make damn good money for the hours they work, they have great vacation, sick days, time off, and great bennies. all for working less than six months out of the year. where do i sign up??

the leadership doesn't represent the membership.

I had a roommate who was a teacher in the public school system. She worked from 7AM every morning (she left for work at 6:30) until about 11PM at night (when she got home she went straight to grading papers and preparing lessons). Between end-of-year stuff and preparing for the upcoming year, she only had about one month where I'd say she wasn't working. Great gig.