Dems were out foxed by the GOP in WI

[SuckersWalk]

you may have to tilt your head while reading the below due the left slat of the article

Wis. GOP bypasses Dems, cuts collective bargaining
AP – 52 mins ago

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Senate succeeded in voting Wednesday to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers, after Republicans outmaneuvered the chamber's missing Democrats and approved an explosive proposal that has rocked the state and unions nationwide.

"You are cowards!" spectators in the Senate gallery screamed as lawmakers voted. Within hours, a crowd of a few hundred protesters inside the Capitol had grown to several thousand, more than had been in the building at any point during weeks of protests.

"The whole world is watching!" they shouted as they pressed up against the heavily guarded entrance to the Senate chamber.

All 14 Senate Democrats fled to Illinois nearly three weeks ago, preventing the chamber from having enough members present to consider Gov. Scott Walker's "budget-repair bill" — a proposal introduced to plug a $137 million budget shortfall.

The Senate requires a quorum to take up any measures that spends money. But Republicans on Wednesday took all the spending measures out of the legislation and a special committee of lawmakers from both the Senate and Assembly approved the revised bill a short time later.

The unexpected yet surprisingly simple procedural move ended a stalemate that had threatened to drag on indefinitely. Until Wednesday's stunning vote, it appeared the standoff would persist until Democrats returned to Madison from their self-imposed exile.

"In 30 minutes, 18 state senators undid 50 years of civil rights in Wisconsin. Their disrespect for the people of Wisconsin and their rights is an outrage that will never be forgotten," said Democratic Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller. "Tonight, 18 Senate Republicans conspired to take government away from the people."

The state Assembly previously approved the original proposal and was set to consider the new measure on Thursday. Miller said in an interview with The Associated Press there is nothing Democrats can do now to stop the bill: "It's a done deal."

The lone Democrat present on the special committee, Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, shouted that the meeting was a violation of the state's open meetings law. The Senate's chief clerk said hours later the meeting was properly held.

Senate convened within minutes of the committee meeting and passed the measure 18-1 without discussion or debate. Republican Sen. Dale Schultz cast the lone no vote.

"The jig is now up," Barca said. "The fraud on the people of Wisconsin is now clear."

Walker had repeatedly argued that collective bargaining was a budget issue, because his proposed changes would give local governments the flexibility to confront budget cuts needed to close the state's $3.6 billion deficit. He has said that without the changes, he may have needed to lay off 1,500 state workers and make other cuts to balance the budget.

Walker said Wednesday night that Democrats had three weeks to debate the bill and were offered repeated opportunities to come back, but refused.

"I applaud the Legislature's action today to stand up to the status quo and take a step in the right direction to balance the budget and reform government," Walker said in the statement.

The measure approved Wednesday forbids most government workers from collectively bargaining for wage increases beyond the rate of inflation. It also requires public workers to pay more toward their pensions and double their health insurance contribution, a combination equivalent to an 8 percent pay cut for the average worker.

Police and firefighters are exempt.

Walker's proposal touched off a national debate over union rights for public employees and prompted tens of thousands of demonstrators to converge on Wisconsin's capital city for weeks of protests.

Wednesday's drama unfolded less than four hours after Walker met with GOP senators in a closed-door meeting. He emerged from the meeting saying senators were "firm" in their support of the bill.

For weeks, Democrats had offered concessions on issues other than the bargaining rights and they spent much of Wednesday again calling on Walker and Republicans to compromise.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said earlier that Republicans had been discussing concessions offered by Walker, including allowing public workers to bargain over their salaries without a wage limit. Several GOP senators facing recall efforts had also publicly called for a compromise.

"The people of Wisconsin elected us to come to Madison and do a job," Fitzgerald said in a statement after the vote. "Just because the Senate Democrats won't do theirs, doesn't mean we won't do ours."

Union leaders weren't happy with Walker's offer, and were furious at the Senate's move to push the measure forward with a quick vote. Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin state AFL-CIO, said after Wednesday's vote that Republicans exercised a "nuclear option."

"Scott Walker and the Republicans' ideological war on the middle class and working families is now indisputable," Neuenfeldt said.

While talks had been going on sporadically behind the scenes, Republicans in the Senate also had publicly tried to ratchet up pressure on Democrats to return. They had agreed earlier Wednesday to start fining Democrats $100 for each day legislative session day they miss.

[Craig.]

Politics thread

[NIUPonyBoy]

Anything that weakens a union, strengthens the US.

[MurPHy4570]

Originally Posted by NIUPonyBoy

Anything that weakens a union, strengthens the US.

I agree wholeheartedly.

Bravo for Wisconsin.

[CPHK96]

Originally Posted by MurPHy4570

I agree wholeheartedly.

Bravo for Wisconsin.

+2

I guess I would be dreaming if I thought my useless local government
would do the same.

[SuckersWalk]

^ right after it slides into the ocean

[JohnC76]

Originally Posted by NIUPonyBoy

Anything that weakens a union, strengthens the US.

Agree!

[BlueOval8950]

I personally love the statement made by the WI Senate Majority Leader:

MADISON - Wisconsin State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald issued the following statement regarding Senate Republicans' vote to pass Governor Walker's bill stripping most public employees of most collective bargaining rights:

“Before the election, the Democrats promised “adult leadership” in Madison. Then a month and a half into session, the Senate Democrats fled the state instead of doing their job.

In doing so, they have tarnished the very institution of the Wisconsin state Senate. This is unacceptable.

This afternoon, following a week and a half of line-by-line negotiation, Sen. Miller sent me a letter that offered three options: 1) keep collective bargaining as is with no changes, 2) take our counter-offer, which would keep collective bargaining as is with no changes, 3) or stop talking altogether. With that letter, I realized that we’re dealing with someone who is stalling indefinitely, and doesn’t have a plan or an intention to return. His idea of compromise is “give me everything I want,” and the only negotiating he’s doing is through the media.

Enough is enough.

The people of Wisconsin elected us to do a job. They elected us to stand up to the broken status quo, stop the constant expansion of government, balance the budget, create jobs and improve the economy. The longer the Democrats keep up this childish stunt, the longer the majority can’t act on our agenda.

Tonight, the Senate will be passing the items in the budget repair bill that we can, with the 19 members who actually DO show up and do their jobs. Those items include the long-overdue reform of collective bargaining needed to help local governments absorb these budget cuts, and the 12 percent health care premium and 5 percent pension contribution.

We have confirmed with the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the Legislative Council and the Legislative Reference Bureau that every item in tonight’s bill follows the letter of the law.

The people of Wisconsin elected us to come to Madison and do a job. Just because the Senate Democrats won’t do theirs, doesn’t mean we won’t do ours.”

[mmeans]

The DNC was not out-foxed, they knew it would go forward without them. This way they can claim they had nothing to do with it when in reality, they made it a much easier job for the majority.

The DNC, quitting on those that pay their bills, the unions. But those suckers will give them millions upon millions more for their campaigns.



Michael Means

[RedGTvert]

Since when did a union become a civil right?

[mmeans]

Since the commies on the left set them up to fund the DNC.


Michael Means

[72Grabber]

Since the commies on the left set them up to fund the DNC.

That's not correct. Many of them fund the RNC too. The glaring wrongness of the Wisconsin government union busting was the part where they left the Police and Firefighters unions alone. They by the way heavily fund the RNC. So do you think the Police and Firefighters should have lost their collective bargaining rights too?

Sooo you are anti union completely? No Police, Firefighter, SAG, UAW, Sports, and the like?

[Fill]

Obamacare was shoved down our throats! But that's OK! Now the Dem Unions are crying in Wisconsin...???

[mmeans]

Originally Posted by 72Grabber

That's not correct. Many of them fund the RNC too. The glaring wrongness of the Wisconsin government union busting was the part where they left the Police and Firefighters unions alone. They by the way heavily fund the RNC. So do you think the Police and Firefighters should have lost their collective bargaining rights too?

Sooo you are anti union completely? No Police, Firefighter, SAG, UAW, Sports, and the like?

Correct, not needed, never was, has only served to promote communism in America. I don't believe that my taxes should be used to promote communism in our country. Private industry, I don't care if they have to bargin with a commie union or not, that's private industry. I'll buy items from companies that don't promote communism in America to the best of my ability. My money so it's my choice.

Maybe you like communism, that's fine but making me support it with my taxes is wrong.


Michael Means

[r.barn]

Originally Posted by 72Grabber

Sooo you are anti union completely? No Police, Firefighter, SAG, UAW, Sports, and the like?

As usual someone is trying to lump all unions in with public employee unions.

THERE ARE MASSIVE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PRIVATE UNIONS AND GOVERNMENT UNIONS.

It's a better to question to ask ...... Soooo are you anti public employee union completely ?

Public unions use your tax dollars to pay off politicians to increase their wages and benefits paid with your tax dollars, that make the unions stronger, so they can give more money to the politicians that in turn continue to increase their wages and benefits and so on in a never ending vicious circle that eats our hard earned taxes.

Get it ? ...... probably not.

[mmeans]

Won't get it due to the buy-in with Marx. It's a shame so many Americans believe more in a communist than our nation. But, at least it's still ok to believe in what you want.


Michael Means

[72Grabber]

It's a better to question to ask ...... Soooo are you anti public employee union completely ?

Public unions use your tax dollars to pay off politicians to increase their wages and benefits paid with your tax dollars, that make the unions stronger, so they can give more money to the politicians that in turn continue to increase their wages and benefits and so on in a never ending vicious circle that eats our hard earned taxes.

So why weren't the Police and Firefighters unions targeted?

Correct, not needed, never was, has only served to promote communism in America. I don't believe that my taxes should be used to promote communism in our country. Private industry, I don't care if they have to bargin with a commie union or not, that's private industry. I'll buy items from companies that don't promote communism in America to the best of my ability. My money so it's my choice.

Maybe you like communism, that's fine but making me support it with my taxes is wrong.


Michael Means
Today 12:42 AM

Actually it's always fascinating to see a claimed conservative support big government taking peoples rights away. Bravo!

[Mustang0302]

Originally Posted by 72Grabber

They by the way heavily fund the RNC.

Hello, 72. Can you provide any links to back up that statement? Not the individual contributions of the rank & file - the contributions of their unions...public-sector police and fire unions that "heavily fund the RNC"...where? Compared to funding democrats?

No charts & graphs, no need to survey the nation. A few examples are all I ask.

LAPD's union recently dropped a surpise on its members by urging them to support MoveOn.org, SEIU, and various other lefty/socialist causes in support of the recent WI dustup. Howls of outrage from LAPD officers, who almost uniformly detest such organizations and their causes. The union quickly whitewashed the whole deal...down the memory hole. Got caught out-of-touch with its own members.

Read about it here.

"Jack Dunphy" describes the love/hate relationship his fellow officers have with their union and it's officials (funny - read the bit about cops that become union officials). They appreciate the protection from frivolous lawsuits and petty harassment by disgruntled citizens/groups (and even by their own 'politicized' command staff), but deeply resent funding democrat causes and candidates at the same time. Their pay and pensions are going on the chopping block, in recognition of the unavoidable conclusion that democrat politicians and union officials (I repeat myself) in L.A., like those in most Blue Hell big cities, have milked the public cow dry with their cynical, unaffordable, unaccountable, irresponsible, and unsustainable promises. Public-sector unions are the perfect self-licking ice cream cone, the very definition of a "conflict of interest."

Cities and states are broke from playing this game. The unions funnel dues into democrat Blue Hell politicians and policies which create out of control spending and at the same time perpetuate the cycle of dependency, irresponsibility and dysfunction (like most democrat policies), which breeds more criminals and crime, making a cop's duty more hazardous, which leads to calls for more cops, paying more dues, which fund more democrats, who enact more spending and stupidity on destructive policies, etc., etc. on and on and on...

The democrat/public-sector union Merry-Go-Round is coming to a screeching halt, all over this country. Sooner than later.

The cops are caught in the middle. Read some of the comments in Dunphy's articles...these guys see the writing on the wall, and have no other answers themselves.

I'd really like to see your stats on Police and Fire unions that"...heavily fund the RNC."

[mmeans]

Originally Posted by 72Grabber

Actually it's always fascinating to see a claimed conservative support big government taking peoples rights away. Bravo!

No one has taken rights away, they have simply changed how public sector unions can operate. Those people are free to find employment in any other industry. They can quit anytime they like and I'll bet there will be hundreds lined up for that job that you say has no "rights".

I am an independant on the political scale, yet I don't understand why I should have to fund the enemies of my nation with my taxes. Any organization that is rooted in the Communist Party USA is not a friend of America IMO. Their actions and destruction of the statehouse shows their true intention; ruination of our country.


Michael Means