Wisconsin Explodes After Passage of Union Bill

[FrankRep]

http://www.thenewamerican.com/images/stories2011/10aMarch/wisconsincapitolpolice-t-ap.001.jpg



After both houses of the Wisconsin legislature voted to approve a reform bill limiting some bargaining privileges of powerful government-sector unions, protesters exploded in a furious rage, with reported death threats to Republican lawmakers, and vandalism at the Capitol building.


Wisconsin Explodes After Passage of Union Bill (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6665-wisconsin-explodes-after-passage-of-union-bill)


Alex Newman | The New American (http://www.thenewamerican.com/)
11 March 2011


Flashback:

http://thenewamerican.com/images/stories2011/10aMarch/tna-cover-6.001.jpg (http://www.shopjbs.org/index.php/tna/subscriptions/1-year-standard-subscription.html)



Madison, Wisconsin — nicknamed Madtown — launched the fight between public-employee unions that want to continue the status quo, and taxpayers concerned over debt.


Wisconsin Erupts: Ground Zero for National Movements (http://thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6569-wisconsin-erupts-ground-zero-for-national-movements)


Alex Newman | The New American (http://thenewamerican.com/)
04 March 2011
...


Wisconsin’s Budget Crisis & Proposed Reforms (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6575-wisconsins-budget-crisis-a-proposed-reforms)

Runaway Wisconsin Democrats Face Trouble as Layoffs Loom (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6564-runaway-wisconsin-democrats-face-trouble-as-layoffs-loom)

Government, Unions, and the Battle in Wisconsin (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6531-govt-unions-and-the-battle-in-wisconsin)

Big, International Consequences in Wisconsin Union Battle (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6528-big-international-consequences-in-wisconsin-union-battle)

"Peaceful" Wisconsin Protestors? (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6548-peaceful-wisconsin-protestors)

Wisconsin Cops Refuse Orders, Join Protests (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6513-wisconsin-cops-refuse-orders-join-protests)

Rallies Across U.S. Back Wisconsin Protestors (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6501-rallies-across-us-back-wisconsin-protestors)

Wisconsin Protests Go National (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6476-wisconsin-chaos-go-national)

Wisconsin Assembly Passes Budget Repair Bill (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6467-wisconsin-house-passes-budget-repair-bill)

Wisconsin Protests: The Reforms, the Reality (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6458-wisconsin-protests-the-reforms-the-reality)

Wisconsin Teachers, Doctors Caught Lying Could Face Trouble (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/crime/6442-wis-teachers-doctors-caught-lying-could-face-trouble)

Tea Party Shows Support for Wis. Gov. Walker, Reforms (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6410-tea-party-shows-support-for-wis-gov-walker-reforms)

Wisconsin Gov. to Obama: Butt Out (http://thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6381-wisconsin-gov-to-obama-butt-out)

[nobody's_hero]

'When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When government fears the people, there is . . . uh, still tyranny.'

What a sad state we are in.

[crazyfacedjenkins]

HAHAHAHAHAH!! Fuck em all. That's what America gets for rejecting Ron in '08. I hope for mass chaos and destruction.

[teacherone]

HAHAHAHAHAH!! Fuck em all. That's what America gets for rejecting Ron in '08. I hope for mass chaos and destruction.

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/chill-hobbes_forum.jpg

[Galileo Galilei]

Walker rocks!!

[bwlibertyman]

F**king calvin and hobbes! Love it.

[HOLLYWOOD]

Give the government hoodlums a one way ticket to Greece, Spain, France. Buh Bye

[ItsTime]

People fighting for their own enslavement, what a sad state.

[Galileo Galilei]

People fighting for their own enslavement, what a sad state.

Walker is cutting out a cancerous growth.

[ItsTime]

The bill actually SAVED 1000s of union jobs. But of course that is over looked in all of this.

[jclay2]

Give the government hoodlums a one way ticket to Greece, Spain, France. Buh Bye

ROFL....HAHAHA

The idiot students in Madison don't even know what they are protesting. Probably signed up when Facebook protest confirmations started exploding.

[ihsv]

If they were tea-partiers fighting for liberty, imagine the field day the media would have with these "death threats" and the "furious rage" of the protesters.

[Zippyjuan]

They sort of cheated to get the bill passed. The claimed purpose is to save money and help with the budget but to get it passed the way they did it they had to remove everything which mentioned any money so they could get it through on a simple majority vote. Otherwise it would have required a 2/3rds vote.

[HOLLYWOOD]

ROFL....HAHAHA

The idiot students in Madison don't even know what they are protesting. Probably signed up when Facebook protest confirmations started exploding.

Yeah, we're all waiting for John Stossel to do an hour on this after the "Storm of Ignorance" settles, and the result proves jobs saved. etc etc. The country has become what the psychologists call "Narcissus Society". I call greed and ignorance and both need to be exposed... we will enjoy the results on this one. Let's see how the Leftist/Progressive/Socialists weasel excuses.

If they were tea-partiers fighting for liberty, imagine the field day the media would have with these "death threats" and the "furious rage" of the protesters. You forgot: Racist, Redneck, Old Hating White People and Corporations!

Oh, AND... George Bush

[Galileo Galilei]

They sort of cheated to get the bill passed. The claimed purpose is to save money and help with the budget but to get it passed the way they did it they had to remove everything which mentioned any money so they could get it through on a simple majority vote. Otherwise it would have required a 2/3rds vote.

The bill saves money in an indirect sense. Sort of like repealing the 17th amendment would help with the federal deficit.

[Danke]

They sort of cheated to get the bill passed. The claimed purpose is to save money and help with the budget but to get it passed the way they did it they had to remove everything which mentioned any money so they could get it through on a simple majority vote. Otherwise it would have required a 2/3rds vote.

Yeah, it's not "cheating" to hide out in another state and shirk your responsibilities as an elected representative.

[FrankRep]

They sort of cheated to get the bill passed. The claimed purpose is to save money and help with the budget but to get it passed the way they did it they had to remove everything which mentioned any money so they could get it through on a simple majority vote. Otherwise it would have required a 2/3rds vote.

The Democrat Senators ran away (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6564-runaway-wisconsin-democrats-face-trouble-as-layoffs-loom) and no budget reform was possible.

[ssantoro]

ROFL....HAHAHA

The idiot students in Madison don't even know what they are protesting. Probably signed up when Facebook protest confirmations started exploding.

Attorney General: "Brawndo's got what plants crave."
Secretary of Energy: "Yeah, it's got electrolytes."
Joe: "What are electrolytes? Do you even know?"
Secretary of State: "It's what they use to make Brawndo."
Joe: "Yeah, but why do they use them to make Brawndo?"
Secretary of Defense: "'Cause Brawndo's got electrolytes."

[hugolp]

Give the government hoodlums a one way ticket to Greece, Spain, France. Buh Bye

No thanks. We have too much of them already. You can keep them.:rolleyes:

[denison]

Give the government hoodlums a one way ticket to Greece, Spain, France. Buh Bye

no need, they're right at home in america. just send then to michigan.

[AlexMerced]

Attorney General: "Brawndo's got what plants crave."
Secretary of Energy: "Yeah, it's got electrolytes."
Joe: "What are electrolytes? Do you even know?"
Secretary of State: "It's what they use to make Brawndo."
Joe: "Yeah, but why do they use them to make Brawndo?"
Secretary of Defense: "'Cause Brawndo's got electrolytes."

That movie is hilarious

[Zippyjuan]

The Democrat Senators ran away and no budget reform was possible.

The Unions actually agreed to the cuts proposed to help balance the budget but then they continued to try to get rid of the unions so that was the real target in the first place.

http://politico-junkie.blogspot.com/2011/03/uk-even-after-wisconsin-union-agrees-to.html

UK: Even after Wisconsin union agrees to wage and pension concessions, Republicans vote to strip them of their right to collective bargaining

PJ: Public opinion supported the public employees unions in their ability to retain their collective bargaining rights after the unions agreed to other concessions (demanded by the Governor). The Governor and the Republican led legislature succeeded in stripping them of those rights anyway. But the story will not end there as the State is already seeing a recall effort grow against the Governor.

BBC

Wisconsin: Republicans pass public-sector union curbs

The US state's 14 Democratic senators had sought to prevent the move by fleeing the state, leaving the chamber short of the number needed for a vote.

But Republicans used a procedural move to allow them to vote on the measure in committee instead


Mr Walker argues the move is needed to help tackle a $3.6bn budget gap over the next two years.

But critics say it is intended to weaken the power of the unions, which tend to back the Democrats in elections.

The Democrats had called earlier on Wednesday for Republicans to compromise over public-sector unions' bargaining rights.

But Mr Walker's proposal was approved by a special conference committee after it was stripped of financial measures, meaning a quorum was no longer needed in the Senate. No Democrats were present to vote against the legislation. Republican Senator Dale Schultz cast the only no vote.


http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_a05349be-3be1-11e0-b0a1-001cc4c002e0.html

Union leaders offer concessions

Top leaders of two of Wisconsin's largest public employee unions announced they are willing to accept the financial concessions called for in Walker's plan, but will not accept the loss of collective bargaining rights.

Mary Bell, president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, and Marty Beil, executive director of AFSCME Council 24, said in a conference call with reporters that workers will do their fair share to narrow Wisconsin's budget gap.

Walker's plan calls for nearly all state, local and school employees to pay half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health care premiums. That would save $30 million by June 30 and $300 million over the next two years, the governor has said.



The sides were willing to compromise- but not the Republicans.

[FrankRep]

The Unions actually agreed to the cuts proposed to help balance the budget but then they continued to try to get rid of the unions so that was the real target in the first place.

Let me repeat. The Democrat Senators ran away (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6564-runaway-wisconsin-democrats-face-trouble-as-layoffs-loom) and no budget reform was possible.

[TheNcredibleEgg]

The Wisconsin bill strikes me as a total cop-out (pun intended.)

Excluding police (and firefighters) was ridiculous. They should have been included before teachers. Walker's decision to exclude them makes me think he is running the NeoCon 101 playbook. Don't mess with the police or military - but everything else is ok.

[Acala]

The Unions actually agreed to the cuts proposed to help balance the budget but then they continued to try to get rid of the unions so that was the real target in the first place.

http://politico-junkie.blogspot.com/2011/03/uk-even-after-wisconsin-union-agrees-to.html




http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_a05349be-3be1-11e0-b0a1-001cc4c002e0.html


The sides were willing to compromise- but not the Republicans.

Unions are a major source of funding for the democratic party. The republicans are bombing the enemy's supply lines. It will sweep the country.

So I agree that there is political motivation for this. However, public employees should not have any "rights" when it comes to their job. It is a privilege to work for the taxpayer and it should be the job of the government to squeeze the best deal possible out of public workers on behalf of the taxpayer. If the public workers don't like it, they know where the exit is, or can be shown. And I am a government worker (non-unionized).

[ssantoro]

The Wisconsin bill strikes me as a total cop-out (pun intended.)

Excluding police (and firefighters) was ridiculous. They should have been included before teachers. Walker's decision to exclude them makes me think he is running the NeoCon 101 playbook. Don't mess with the police or military - but everything else is ok.

I agree, all public unions should be included. Collective bargaining should be for the private sector only.

[Zippyjuan]

Let me repeat. The Democrat Senators ran away (http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/usnews/politics/6564-runaway-wisconsin-democrats-face-trouble-as-layoffs-loom) and no budget reform was possible.



No compromise was possible? Really? And this was just two days ag March 9th.

http://dailyreporter.com/blog/2011/03/09/democratic-leader-calls-for-budget-bill-compromise/


Democratic leader calls for budget bill compromise
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Senate Democrats on the run in Illinois are calling on Republican Gov. Scott Walker to resume talks with them to compromise on a collective bargaining bill.

Democratic Minority Leader Mark Miller sent Walker and the GOP leaders of the Senate and Assembly a letter Wednesday accusing the governor of keeping the lines of communication closed even though possible deals are available.

Democratic Sens. Bob Jauch and Tim Cullen had been working with Walker’s administration on a possible deal as recently as Sunday. Jauch said Walker should be willing to compromise instead of forcing Senate Republicans to “run through a gauntlet” and vote for the original bill that takes away most collective bargaining rights from public workers


From March 7th:
http://dailyreporter.com/blog/2011/03/07/walker-rebuffs-democrats-request-for-meeting-%e2%80%a8/

Walker rebuffs Democrats’ request for meeting 
(UPDATE)


MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Democrats who fled the state nearly three weeks ago asked Monday for a meeting with Gov. Scott Walker to talk about changes to his plan to eliminate most public workers’ union rights, a request the governor dismissed as “ridiculous.”

Walker said he and his administration have been in communication with at least a couple of the AWOL Senate Democrats about a deal that could bring them back, but the lawmaker who asked for the meeting, Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller, “is firmly standing in the way.”

That accusation led to a flurry of angry responses from Democrats who said Walker was misrepresenting the talks.

The sometimes-angry exchange suggested that any resolution to the stalemate was farther away than ever.

“Right now, I’m so damn mad at his misrepresentation of the truth and the public should be as well,” said Sen. Bob Jauch, one of two Democrats who had talked last week with the Senate Republican leader about possible compromises.

[Stary Hickory]

What unions do not get is that this is just the beginning, things are not going to get any better...only worse. Financially what the unions want is unrealistic and dangerous for state budgets and the taxpayers.

What unions want...and DEMAND simply cannot be. So at this point they are wasting their energy, so much of bloated government at the state levels was only possible due to the temporary deception that inflation and borrowing can provide.

We are now int he process of sobering up, and all that out of control government growth is no more sustainable than the bloated housing market was a few years ago. Unions are sucklings at the teat of big government....but big government has to lose some weight...means some sucklings might go hungry.

[Stary Hickory]

The Wisconsin bill strikes me as a total cop-out (pun intended.)

Excluding police (and firefighters) was ridiculous. They should have been included before teachers. Walker's decision to exclude them makes me think he is running the NeoCon 101 playbook. Don't mess with the police or military - but everything else is ok.

Why before teachers? Teachers are not sacred in fact...they force us to pay them, force us to pay for the schools where they work...and then they don't even teach our kids, they feed them propaganda designed to perpetuate their lifestyles. I have nothing but disdain for public schools and unionized teachers.

That being said I think the same should have been done for ALL workers, including firemen and policemen.

[Acala]

No compromise was possible? Really? And this was just two days ag March 9th.

http://dailyreporter.com/blog/2011/03/09/democratic-leader-calls-for-budget-bill-compromise/


From March 7th:
http://dailyreporter.com/blog/2011/03/07/walker-rebuffs-democrats-request-for-meeting-%e2%80%a8/

Democracy really sucks when you are in the minority. The democrats got exactly as much mercy as they give when they are in the majority. A pox on both their houses.

[TheNcredibleEgg]

Why before teachers? Teachers are not sacred in fact...they force us to pay them, force us to pay for the schools where they work...and then they don't even teach our kids, they feed them propaganda designed to perpetuate their lifestyles. I have nothing but disdain for public schools and unionized teachers.

That being said I think the same should have been done for ALL workers, including firemen and policemen.

Oh, I think all public sectors should be included also.

I was just saying that if I was worried about any public backlash - I would have exluded teachers way before police. But somehow Walker feared the police mostly. Or else - he really favors excluding them - which strikes me as Neocon thinking.

[Philhelm]

They sort of cheated to get the bill passed. The claimed purpose is to save money and help with the budget but to get it passed the way they did it they had to remove everything which mentioned any money so they could get it through on a simple majority vote. Otherwise it would have required a 2/3rds vote.

On the other hand, the Democratic representatives were more than welcome to be there in order to vote.