Democratic politicians flee, union workers protest, and Tea Bagger governor sez the state is over 1 billion bones in debt. Interestingly, the state was due for a surplus of 120 million until...

http://climbingmtlyell.tumblr.com/post/3351212353/wisconsin-has-a-budget-surplus

Consequently, house speaker Boner is siding with the guvner. I don't see much of a future for Walker.

I saw the article on MSN.com, but this is a bit of a way off main stream blog to get you information off of. Is there anything off of any mainstream media to support this?

Sounds like a fairly disfunctional state, just like Washington.

I saw an AP post or two about it. I can't seem to remember them mentioning the monetary crap though other than the alleged budget surplus. A google search solves that.

Umm, Hank, this has nothing to do with state workers having their health insurance rates increased. They're protesting because the governor wants to turn Wisconsin into a right-to-work state.

These are all union members out there.

Taking the skin off the backs of working people is not the way to balance your budget. Time to close all the corporate loopholes that allow them to escape taxes. Seattle times this morning on the chairman of Chase with a 17 million bonus after we bailed em out. How about the fat cats returning the favor and bail mainstreet out! Wisconsin is just another example of a dissapearing middle class which is losing it's voice.

Spin it how you want, Hank. We're going to be seeing a lot more of this down the road I think. There is a lot of global unrest right now.

WI is different than most states in the fact that in early part of the last century ( 20's or 30's ? ) they passed civil service laws that have built in many of the protections that are part of the union contracts ( as in WA ). The collecting of the union dues by the union rather than the WI state government bearing the cost is a little thing. That the state employees will have to pay a much larger share of retirement and medical is a large issue but that is going to happen to get the government wages in line with WI private sector cost. It is a issue all states are facing one way or another especially in the pension area.

The recertification of union representation each year is a huge issue in the new WI governors proposal is aimed dead at the teachers union which has managed to piss off a huge portion of the WI voters right or wrong. The one that is seldom been reported and really set things off in WI is that all raises ( after current base ) above inflation must have voter approval. No more of the governor agreeing to a new contract wage structure with out voter approval and that is a monster the unions do not want.

Interesting concept that those paying the bill have some say in how much.

I have never had to have anyone negotiate my contract for me. Unions has a use back in the day. They helpd to standardize work weeks and a framework of basic labor laws. Thanks! Americans owe them a debt of grattitude.

Trade unions seem to be fairly good, except for the LAZY B (Sorry Lonnie). I see them generally acting as bullies, and having dealt with the teacher's union as a school board member, they tend to create more ill will than promote it. It is time for the unions importance to decrease, IMHO.

Just for all the Class Warfare Clowns in Pungentopolis, here's something from a guy that lives, works (and therefore pays taxes), and votes in Wisconsin. Also remember, the Wisconsin overwhelming threw the Union Boughten Democrats out on their collective azzes at the election cycle, whic is very rare for Wisconsin.

From Wisconsin:

"For those not from WI , here are the Cliff notes. There are 300,000 public employees in unions that have bought and paid for Democrats to run the state into a gaping hole. In the last few months of Diamond Jim Doyle's(Democrat) and the state legislature Democrat control, they tried to ram through long term contracts that would further reward the public employee unions. It didn't work as the taxpayers in WI realized that a wholesale change in state government was needed since a combination of union sweetheart deals and the general economy had caused the state to go broke. Governor Walker was overwhelmingly elected, along with a complete reversal of Dem control of the state senate and assembly, on a platform of stop the bleeding and bring fiscal control and responsibility to state government, including asking the public employee unions to share the cost of the largesse that had been accorded them by their bought and paid for Democrats.

Now, less someone think the union members are being asked to suffer their benefits gutted, here's the reality. Currently, the average salary of these employees - mostly teachers - is $56,000/year plus benefits, putting the average salary plus benefits of the failing(but that's another issue) Milwaukee school system, as an example, over $101,000 per year.

What is included in the Governor's Budget Repair bill is a requirement for these teachers to go from paying 0.2% per year towards their pension -( at the average wage of $56,000 per year, a teacher can retire after 30 years at 65% of their annual salary at retirement - $36,000 per year on average) - to a "whopping" 5% per year. They are also being asked to increase their contribution to an absolute "cadillac " health insurance plan from a current 4-5% to 12.5% of the cost. How many taxpayers would absolutely love to have the deal that is in this bill??

In my opinion, the response here by the unions, some of the union members and the Democrats, boarders on criminal. The people that pay the bills in this state, the taxpayers, have spoken. But thousands of these "teachers" and their union cronies are taking off from work, closing down many school districts including the two largest - Milwaukee and Madison, and pretend to speak for the vast majority of Wisconsin residents who spoke last November at the ballot box. As far as I am concerned, the teachers that failed to show up for work so they could demonstrate should be fired. There is no shortage of qualified teachers waiting for these jobs. In my city of 10,000, we had an opening for one high school teacher this year and had over 400 qualified applicants. Enough said!

As far as the current stunt by the Democrats, to leave the state and prevent a vote on the bill, if this wasn't so stupid, it would rank as outrageous! Of course, now the Democrats are screaming that this is union busting - and they are getting support from the Obama administration on this tack - and all the Democrats want is to get the Governor to sit down and "negotiate". This ranks right up there with Saddam Hussein, who when captured in his dirt hidey hole on that farm in Iraq classically stated ' I am Saddam Hussein and I'm ready to negotiate'! The time for negotiation is long past! Further, with all of the Democrat blather and the union demonstrations, they have not offered nor brought forth one, not one single idea, concept, or offer in regard to the state's fiscal crisis. They are pathetic at best!

If, in fact, this results in the unions being marginalized, that may be the best thing for our students as many teachers off the record recognize and acknowledge that in many cases, the union is responsible for the failing systems due to the fact that bad teachers cannot be eliminated, and in fact are rewarded and protected under the current unionized system. Imagine what an "outrageous" concept that would include teachers being paid based on performance, would bring to our schools!"

Of course the example JohnQ uses involves teachers allegedly making too much money. No wonder American kids are so fukin' stupid -- education isn't valued by right wingers.

They are just lucky they're allowed to have Unions. You should see what the starting pay for ID and MT school teachers is. You should see what Idaho state employees make in general -- it's sickening.

A school board in Texas rejected a text book for only one reason.

It depicted a woman not wearing an apron and was therefore promoting "secular humanism."

True fact.

Hey KK & McSwizzilStick, you prove my point, i.e., Libtards such as yourselves don't know the difference between the current Unionized F'ed Up Academia & Real Education. All yah ever do is reguritate the same dumbass left wing Pungentopolis class warefare koolaide. Do you Tards have more than two active brain cells that have NOT been burnt out on "Recreational Pharmacy Items???"

Every body that bitches about out of control Health Care Costs should take a firm grip on their ears, pull their collectives heads out, and start looking at and comparing just how out of control Academic Costs are for the Piss Poor Results. You can even use that United Nations Ranking Crap to see something that obvious. But I digress, go smoke another joint and use up your remaining two lame-ass brain cells.

Libtards =

Will that do???

You're spouting Faux Newz propaganda out of every pore. Blame the unions -- they ruined America. Blame higher education -- damn college professors brain-washed America's youth.

Academic costs are really not all that bad. At the time that I graduated from my university, I was paying about $2,600 a semester. I ended up paying out of pocket about 10 grand to get a bachelor's degree. Many state universities are the same. What again was your point about over-priced higher education?

Dare I ask what in your mind is a real education? Does it involve getting a GED and going to work immediately after high school?

What is your point? Based upon your argument I can surmise that in your eyes education = communist liberalism.

For what it is worth...lots of variation in state averages on various websites. Regardless....pretty sure I would not want to work as hard as teachers have to for the salaries.

IMO, the 9 or 10 month argument is lame....what kind of job can a person find for 2 months.

Idaho Teacher Average Salary: http://www.teachersalaryinfo.com/average-teacher-salary-idaho.html

Montana Teach Average Salary:
http://www.teachersalaryinfo.com/average-teacher-salary-montana.html

Washington Teacher Average Salary:
http://www.teachersalaryinfo.com/average-teacher-salary-washington.html

I think one thing being lost in the Wisconsin discussion is the savings from the Gov's proposal to increase employee share of pensions and health care is very small...certainly not enough to balance future budgets. Similar to current National budget...you can eliminate ALL of the discretionary funding, but it will not come close to balancing the budget.

However, it is a start. It seems that Wisc. govt. employees could "afford" to pay more for pensions and health care, but this should be negotiated....not achieved through decertication of the union.

Rich people (read republican) don't care about public education because...........................................THEIR KIDS DON'T GO TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS!!!!!!!

Hey Hank,

Question #1: What percentage of people in the state of Wisconsin do GOVERNMENT UNIONS represent?

Question #2: Why would a GOVERNMENT UNION have a public image that is quickly convoluted by people who are not represented by said union?

Question #3: When was your poll was taken?

http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/18/bad-publicity-good-results/


As for your Idaho teacher salary average, you're wrong again.

Idaho teacher starting salary: $27,500
Idaho teacher average: $41,150
U.S. median income in 2004: $44,603

http://teacherportal.com/salary/Idaho-teacher-salary

Once again, you're doing a remarkable job of spinning facts.

The only people who care about polls like that are politicians...

If everyone was polled about, say, steelhead protection, the 97% of the people who have never fished for them, never eaten one, never even seen one, would be hard pressed to support tax dollars to help them.

That doesn't mean that our minority position on it ought not be listened to.

Fish on...

Todd

Obummer shure knows where to find votes.