WTF is happening in WI?

[blue-sophist]

Just seen on Fox ... OK, I know, but ...

So as I see it from their reporting,

• There's a Rep Bill in the State House and the Dems are hiding so the House is not quorate?
• And the DNC is encouraging workers to skip work to protest?

Could someone put a bit of adult perspective on what seems to be a complete breakdown of the State Legislature and, indeed, democracy [with a small d] for the people of WI.

Just curious, no direct interest other than viewing the general shambles that seems to be US politics these days [i.e. getting worse than ever before].

 

[DavidBOC]

Complete breakdown, yup, that's about it. As you know, I am from much further east but have been following this.

Rep party holds 19 out of the 33 seats in the state senate. The Governor (R) and the Senate R majority want to remove unions from the picture with public employees. The Dem senators have fled the state so that the senate will not have the 20 warm bodies needed for a quorum. Why out of state?? From what I have heard the presiding officer of the senate may have power to order state police to return wandering senators to the senate chamber.

The proposed law would not prevent the unions from representing the workers but would allow workers to work without being required to join the union or pay union dues. It would also require votes to see if the workers wish to continue to have unions. The bill does not affect local police and firefighters or state police despite the fact that these are likely to be the employees with the highest pay and benefits as public safety workers are a bit like sacred cows in the US.

From what I see on TV the state capitol building has been taken over by protesters and pretty much all work inside the building has come to a halt. Some of the protesters are gov't workers but a great many are not. I saw an interview with an out of state union activist who was there to show solidarity with his brother and sister workers etc. Apparently a lot of the protesters are university students.

Very strange situation in WI

 

[harrythebastard]

Can someone translate? Which part of the West Indies is going tits up? I do hope it isn't Tobago, I am booked there for Easter.
Hang on. Some of the Caribbean is US territory, but where is this WI strange place?

 

[sportbilly42]

It's the Women's Institute..... Something to do with use of raspberry jam from a jar rather than homemade jam for Victorian sponges....

 

[MadKev]

Seems to be Wisconsin, never been. Sounds more like Bahrain/Tripoli/Cairo at the moment. If they secede from the Union in disarray, do we have to have them?

 

[Victorian_Major]

What's a Wisconsin? Is it like sloth or coveting neighbouring oxen?

 

[Goldbricker]

The State is going Bankrupt. The Governor (a republican) want the unions to contribute 12% to their Healthcare plans, 5% to their pensions (not too bad at all actually compared to some civil service employees). The unions are throwing a tantrum claiming they are poor. While claiming to be poor same unions are hiring Buses to trasnport protestors from other states for their room and board.

at one point the unions made noises about possible sabotage so the governor briefed the National Guard and the leftist press is now claiming its the Krisstallnacht re done (Mind you, no units have been called out).

The legislature needs to vote on this but the democratic representatives ran away to another state as at least one demcrat is need for a vote to count. One would think if the democrats really cared they would be fighting tooth and nail in the debate, but nope. Ran like the french from thunder.

Now Mulatto Messiah is barging into a state matter to placate hie leftist base.(He really should stay above it )

Now whats lost in all this, is if pushed the governor can instead outright fire thousands of state employees instead of furloughs or pay cuts. a typical teacher makes 48K in Wisconsin, with all benefits added up one university has it figured at 105K per annum.

Tommorrow the SEIU head thug arrives with tens of thousands of purple shirt thugs to bolster the protestors, and also the Governors supporters have a rally at the same time. look for violence to break out.

By the way, already signs compare the governor to Mussolini, Adolf, and one sign shows a reticle on his forehead with reload so much for the right uses violent imagery alone.

In the end, there is no more money available for the pool of employees.

 

[Goldbricker]

Seems to be Wisconsin, never been. Sounds more like Bahrain/Tripoli/Cairo at the moment. If they secede from the Union in disarray, do we have to have them?

Actually, Michael Moore, the Jabba the hut documentary maker has announced to the world the Madison is the New Cairo and wants the state shutdown

Twitter / Michael Moore: Madison is the new Cairo! ...

 

[CutLunchCommando]

Mmmmm... Cheese.



...and the gwar chick of that 70's show.

 

[Ruckerwocman]

Actually, Michael Moore, the Jabba the hut documentary maker has announced to the world the Madison is the New Cairo and wants the state shutdown

Twitter / Michael Moore: Madison is the new Cairo! ...

Oh that's it! I'm going nuclear with the news that Michael "Fat ****" Moore is sticking his oar in. I'll be the first one in line at the gun shop in the morning to tool up 'cause I'm going to hunt me some PIG.

 

[Goldbricker]

[video=youtube;bskOe76kliw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bskOe76kliw[/video]

[video=youtube;71gsnLfsbbM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71gsnLfsbbM[/video]

 

[eodmatt]

My name is Yon Yonson,
I come from Wisconsin.
I work in a lumber yard there.
Everyone that I meet
When I walk down the street,
Says "Hello! What's your name?"
And I say: My name is Yon Yonson.... etc.

Which seems to be as good an epitaph for the state as any.

 

[crabtastic]

Well, chaps, you wanted budget slashers in office? You got them.
Next door, in MN, there's a particularly nutty tea party darling by the name of Michele Bachmann. Here's the latest weather balloon she floated out there:

Veterans Groups Criticize Bachmann Plan to Cut Benefits - NYTimes.com

Not so funny when the shoe's on the other foot, is it?

 

[blue-sophist]

Thanks for your explanations, everyone. That seems clear enough, and an old familiar story ...

"We need to save money, but do it with someone else's money/jobs."

OK, reading on quietly

 

[stoatman]

Wisconsin: The Hemlock Revolution - Swampland - TIME.com)

Revolutions everywhere--in the middle east, in the middle west. But there is a difference: in the middle east, the protesters are marching for democracy; in the middle west, they're protesting against it. I mean, Isn't it, well, a bit ironic that the protesters in Madison, blocking the state senate chamber, are chanting "Freedom, Democracy, Union" while trying to prevent a vote? Isn't it ironic that the Democratic Senators have fled the democratic process? Isn't it interesting that some of those who--rightly--protest the assorted Republican efforts to stymie majority rule in the U.S. Senate are celebrating the Democratic efforts to stymie the same in the Wisconsin Senate?



Read more: Wisconsin: The Hemlock Revolution - Swampland - TIME.com

And that's from Joe Klein, a Dem stooge.

Plenty of violent imagery and words at the protest, too... "sic semper tyrannis" ffs...

Great for 1012 though - barry openly siding against taxpayers in favour of public sector unions!

 

[Goldbricker]

Well, chaps, you wanted budget slashers in office? You got them.
Next door, in MN, there's a particularly nutty tea party darling by the name of Michele Bachmann. Here's the latest weather balloon she floated out there:

Veterans Groups Criticize Bachmann Plan to Cut Benefits - NYTimes.com

Not so funny when the shoe's on the other foot, is it?

Your behind the times old boy, Bachmann already said Feb. 4th this was off the table. due try to keep up

Bachmann drops plan to cut veterans benefits | StarTribune.com

 

[crabtastic]

Your behind the times old boy, Bachmann already said Feb. 4th this was off the table. due try to keep up

Bachmann drops plan to cut veterans benefits | StarTribune.com

I know: hence the phrase "weather balloon". Mind you, it took her a week to climb down: the woman is as dim as a 2 Watt lightbulb. I don't think anyone's truly safe from these zealots.

Meanwhile, back in Wisconsin, even though their pensions aren't on the chopping block (this time around) the Firefighters have gotten in on the act:

[video=youtube;5tQdoGdqTIM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tQdoGdqTIM[/video]

 

[Goldbricker]

Well whats the answer crabtastic? give the unions what they want and let the state slide into bankruptcy?

The Governor can Fire or Furlough(without pay) thousands of workers, he has that power in Wisconsin. The public employee unions have no right to binding arbitration according to labor experts. The democratic side of the legislature ran like cowardly french from the issue to another state to hide(just like the Texas Dems did in 2003, seems they are setting a pattern of cowardice). And before Governor Walker took office, the then Democratic controlled Legislature and Democratic Governor couldn't find enough votes to approve the unions new contracts for 2011. Wisoconsin didnt become broke the day after Walker was inaugerated.

As for Bachmann, as much a loon as she is, she had a point that all entitlements and the DOD need to be looked at for cuts. The Mongs who say cut foreign aid dont realize it is miniscule in the fed budget compared to DOD & Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare. A Means test would help rid Soc Sec of persons who were never intended to recieve benefits from it. Ross Perot, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, George Soros all are eligible to collect a Social Security check when they reach age 65, which is a sad joke. It was never meant to be used that way and then to boot the fund was raped over the years to pay for other bullshit by the Dems and the GOP.

 

[stoatman]

Well whats the answer crabtastic? give the unions what they want and let the state slide into bankruptcy?
.

Pluck more money from the magic money tree, I guess...

Unions acting like spoiled brats (what's new) and getting violent (yes, actually violent, with damage and arrests, not " someone called Saint Barack hitler") over a deal that is still EXTREMELY sweet compared to the private sector. How does that look to an ordinary joe worrying about his job & paying 20%+ of his benefits?

 

[DavidBOC]

Crabtastic:

In your post 17 above you say:
".....Firefighters have gotten in on the act: " and then there is a big white space. What are we missing?