Wisconsin politics

Is anyone else bothered by the situation in Wisconsin? If I left the state in order to avoid doing my job because I did not like the way it was going, I would be fired. Same if I went to protest at the capital for three days and my place of employment had to be shut down while I was gone. What happened to it being about "the children" like I hear every time a referendom comes up? What about the parents who had to find day care on short notice or miss work? I dont understand how they get away with this stuff, if their unions are that strong, then they are making the point of how badly things need to be changed. I hope parents are pressuring administrators to discipline those involved. As for the legislators, we have a representative democracy, if you have the votes you are representing the will of the people, if not, suck it up. I hope the voters remember who is doing their job and who acted like spoiled brats and refused to play when they could not get their way. The govenor wants to reconviene, it sounds like they can act on anything non budget related without the dems, I hope they take full advantage of it.

It's a shame the way it being handled. I also don't think those teachers have much to complain about considering what is being offered. The Governor is doing exactly what he promised in his campaign, yet there is protest. I think unions have done nothing but cause problems with education.

The teachers unions don't know how good they have it. Currently paying almost nothing toward their pensions (what are pensions anyway????) and their healthcare. Times are a changing, and they are squealing like stuck pigs to hang onto the way it used to be. The Federal Gov't and the states just can't afford it anymore. I hope Scott Walker (WI Governor) stands his ground. We need more like him and Chris Christy from NJ.

Poll Question: Should government employees even have unions for collective bargaining?    

How about the ears of the dems that left the state? There is a process, and I see them as sore losers, Remember, Barack told us as he rammed healthcare down our throats that elections have consequensces. The dems lost because of their policies and spending, and now they are thumbing their noses at the process. If we can selectively ignore the process when it is not to our advantage, than what do we have left?

teachers in our district have an average salary of about 55k, thats for 9 months of work, add in christmas break, spring break, all the busht other days..and then they retire on a great state pension, if you aquire all your sick days and dont take vacations, that to gets thrown in a big fat check at retirement time.....you ever hear a teacher complain??? they would complain about the rope at their hanging

The main problem here is "liberal" democrats want crap for free! The state is broke as of the other liberal states of Ohio, and Illinois. Go figure!! Tax payers have to chip in on the state income to allow other adderess to come out.For example, If the state has 1 billion dollars in debit, and you only have 500 million only coming in, well you gonna have to find more income to fix the other 500 million. It is easy add and subtraction. There are many things you need and crap you dont. Time to trim the fat in these states.

Tom, the teachers have reaped hugh bennifits paying off democrats with donations, essentially recieving unfair treatment in their favor, and they never complained about the unfairness, now they backed the wrong guy and they are upset about unfair treatment. The average teacher can retire at 50 with a 50,000 year retirement bennifit fot life, most will be recieving retiremnet income for 30 years. For you or I to get thet we would have to have saved 1.7 million prior to retirment, so the average teacher is effectively retiring a multi-millionaire, do you or will you have 1.7 million saved at retirement? I will not and yet my tax dollars are going to insure that teachers will, and I pay that all year round, not just nine months worth like the teachers work. why do I have to pay them first and more then I may ever have? Tell me how this is fair? The Wisconsin govenor is not eliminating collective bargaining, just putting in some checks and balances. Like the housing crisis, government has created and artificial retirement bubble for its employees that cannot be maintained. time to burst the bubble.

My personal opnion these union's are the big issue

horkn wrote: As far as the taxes thing, that logic sounds like it might work, but then why are the rich still getting much richer and the poor and middle class only going down hill?    These tactics have been proven time and time again that that theory does not hold up in practice.

The tax code is supposed to pay for government services, not to determine who is rich and who is not or to re-distribute wealth.You can have prospeity or try to have income equity, but you will never get both. you have to punish producers to pay those with less money and that will always reduce the reward for producing. You may be to young to remember life under Jimmy Carter, he was kind of Obama light. His policys left the country with double digit unemployment, and high inflation. Home mortgages where up near 20%. It was not a fun time. Reagan came in and dropped the top tax rates, Unemployment went down below 5%, the economy grew, and government collections increased. how do you drop rates and increase income, you make it up on volume. It has been done by others including JFK and it works every time. It will never work to redistribute income, the only way to bring to bring people up is to employ them and then not punish them with excessive taxes once they are. Our system may not be perfect but but we still have the richest poor in the world.

heres thre fcn thing, when times are good and everyone is squeezing the system, we all have a right to capitalize....when times are not going so good its time to make some concessions.
fck those teachers or any state employee, you can aquire 1000 hours comp time over the course of 20 years and get paid at your current rate, not at the rate when you were making half of the money when you aquired the comped days. use them or lose them.
I dont know what people are thinking when a state says were broke, its means "we dont have any fcn money", plain and simple
not to hard to understand, take a concession or compete for a 12.00 an hour Autozone job.
I was reading an article about taking a vacation during the school year and missing school days, all the teachers did was bitch about the extra work it was for them to put together the curriculum for that student while he was away.
these boys down here, which I know a ton of them would not take concessions when they were employed at LTV steel, they robbed that company blind, I see them all the time, painting houses, installing windows, talking about the good old days.
Im not anti-union, but im smart enough to recognize when someone says their broke, their not bull***************ting you

its really funny when I talk to these guy that were employed by LTV, I remember working down there for OEM warranty work and being pulled aside and the guys down there telling me not to work so hard because your making us look bad, another guy stood by me all day everyday collecting at the time I believe 28.00 an hour, he was an operater diagnosed with epilepsy, but wasnt allowed on any of the equipment...I just remember him saying so anti fcn company "they cant touch me". But on the other hand I talk to these AT and T guys and i get the line of what they deserve because they have a pretty strong union..
Recently, a man was charged with unfair work practices here in Ohio, they clipped him for 386k, the reason was he wasnt paying OT that his employees worked, and wasnt paying minimum wage, now, the state stepped in because there are laws that govern work practices.
When your working for a union and reapping the rewards its great, but, when you worked for the union in the past and lost your job becasue of union realted issues and strong arming businesses and your the new fix it man in town, these guy's dont have much good to say about the unions. where the fck is the union in Wal-mart? I guess nobody cares as long as the prices stay low????

This one really bothers me. My caution would be to look into your information more closely, learn the facts, become better informed and try not to rely on the opinions of others.

Best thing to do is call your local school district and get the phone number to the union office. Get informed about teacher pensions, when and at what stages teachers can retire, how payment takes place and what it cost teachers for health care.

In almost all districts across the country teacher contracts have not kept up with inflation along with rising health care cost, which means that many teachers have lost pay increases over the last 3-5 years, but are still willing to take a pay-freeze under the current economic conditions.

Koch brothers are looking at eliminating close to 160 jobs in Green Bay, along with cuts to other facilities that they own to help save cost, but both brothers (billionaires) were willing to take an 11 million dollar pay increase. How much money does someone really need to stay satisfied or happy? Who will buy their products when the gap between the rich and the poor become so large. Ancient Roman history would be a good place to start!

Best advice is to get informed and remember all members on this site come from a variety of backgrounds.

bkhallpass wrote: skierox wrote:     In almost all districts across the country teacher contracts have not kept up with inflation along with rising health care cost, which means that many teachers have lost pay increases over the last 3-5 years, but are still willing to take a pay-freeze under the current economic conditions. Does this imply that you believe across the country that private sector jobs have kept up with inflation, that private sector employeess have not faces rising health care costs and more out of pocket expenses for health and retirement benefits. Does this imply that you beleive across the country that those in private sector have not faced pay cuts, much less pay freeze? Just curious. BKH

Speaking of the private sector, I'm still trying to live with a 5 year old 20% pay cut and medical that costs me $230.00 per week! Cost of living increase? What's that? My home equitity loan is just about maxed out!!

C-Bass wrote: Good points Brian as usual. Everyone knows it's going to take sacrifices to get the country back in financial order...but nobody acts like it should be them that needs to be making any sacrifices.

Yes, a good point as well. People do tend to want to preserve their own lifestyles. The thing is, just as Pete sites above, there are many who have already made significant sacrifices.

BKH

bkhallpass wrote: Does this imply that you believe across the country that private sector jobs have kept up with inflation, that private sector employeess have not faces rising health care costs and more out of pocket expenses for health and retirement benefits. Does this imply that you beleive across the country that those in private sector have not faced pay cuts, much less pay freeze? Just curious. BKH

Pay at all would be Great!! Spent over 12 months without paying myself a dime, currently paying myself equal to what I earned 20 years ago and my IRA has not seen a contribution in almost 2 years. Every year I cut more out of my health care plan just to keep premium increases under 20%.

Welcome to the Private Sector of the Self employed.

Never though I would rather be on the Governments Payroll, today not so sure.