Wisconsin lawmakers take up bill to cripple unions
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0
manfromamerica
Democrats are going to have to show up for a session in order to pick up their paychecks or get any expenses reimbursement. :-) haha....
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GJDailleult
Repubs should be careful here, people can change political views very quick when they perceive that politics is affecting them directly, and is not some abstract thing on the TV that affects other people. Happened with the so-called Reagan Democrats who blamed Carter for all their problems, happens all the time.
Or maybe Walker thinks there are no Republican voters working for the Wisconsin government.
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manfromamerica
Yes, and they see the corruption in the public employees unions stealing their tax dollars.
The Governor's concern is where it should be, with the people of the state, not the people in the government workers unions.
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Badsey
16.896 -this provision to the bill allows State energy assets to be sold to private interests.
This bill should be defeated for this provision alone. -The sum of this bill has little to do with Unions. -The energy assets are the main focus of this bill.
Please tell others about this and let's defeat this bill.
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manfromamerica
Wow, the backers of the crooked unions are desperate.
0
sailwind
This bill should be defeated for this provision alone. -The sum of this bill has little to do with Unions. -The energy assets are the main focus of this bill.
You got me interested in that. So I did a little research as to why they would want to get out of the utility ownership business. Makes a lot of sense actually in the long run for the taxpayer if they could unload the 34 plants the state actually owns to a private company, Why? They are 1960's and 70's technology coal fired polluting lemons that are going to require massive tax dollars to just to get into EPA compliance.
This is from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Newspaper for a little balance on the issue.
In an interview, a Wisconsin utility leader and the head of a utility watchdog group questioned what value a private company might see in buying the plants.
“We would like the Joint Finance Committee to take a good look at the cost benefit analysis,” said David Benforado, who runs Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin. “At first blush, these plants are probably all fully depreciated plants, and that’s not the time to sell. We would be very interested to make sure that it makes economic sense for the state.”
Charlie Higley, executive director of the Wisconsin Citizens’ Utility Board, agreed.
“They’d be lucky to get one bid,” Higley said.
The other factor that could drive down interest in buying the plants – but also might make the state eager to unload them – is the need to install environmental controls to clean up aging coal-fired power plants.
Several of the state-owned plants are under court mandate or settlement to stop burning coal after violations of the Clean Air Act. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is investigating all of the state facilities for potential violations of air pollution laws.
Any cost-benefit analysis will need to evaluate the benefit to the state of bringing the plants into compliance with pollution laws, said Jennifer Feyerherm of the Sierra Club in Madison.
It’s possible that the state would seek to sell the plants to “get out of having to spend the money on pollution controls,” she said.
But the company that bought the plants would have to pay for upgrades by either installing scrubbers or converting a facility to burn natural gas, she said. And a buyer would presumably want to bill the state for those investments, she added.
“Whoever owns them is going to have to bring them into compliance,” Feyerherm said.
0
SolidariTea
Walker wins, Obama loses.
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Sarge
"the Republican agenda to cut government spending"
Too bad the Democrats don't have an agenda to cut government spending.
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GJDailleult
I'm with you Badsey 100%, but take a look at what your up against.
Posters who claim not to see the hypocrisy of "fighting against unions to protect taxpayers" while they they don't care a bit about fully taxpayer paid-for assets being sold off to neo-lib welfare bums at bargain prices. And another poster claiming that the taxpayer should take the opportunity to rip off those private sector rubes by unloading outdated assets on the fools. Like they can't google the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal and get that info themselves, and are going to walk into a bad deal.
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arrestpaul
The taxpaying voters of Wisconsin changed political views 4 months ago and made a decision to kick the free-spending Democrats out of power.
The taxpaying voters made it clear that they wanted lower taxes, a balance budget and a BIG cut in the deficit. The government union members are demanding that Wisconsin taxpayers take more and more money out of the taxpayers own pockets to pay for union benefits and for the state loans that are required to cover those benefits.
There are more taxpayer voters than there are government union member voters. Majority rules apply.
Bused-in SEIU and BarackObama dot com members don't vote in Wisconsin.
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Junnama
They made it clear they wanted J-O-B-S. Nothing else..
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elbudamexicano
The USA is a strange place for an industrialized nation*, UNIONS* and any kind of benefits for the hard workers of America are TABOO?? This is not right, and the idiot Wisconsin governor should do the right thing and say, give up HALF of his own salary and all of his benefits and donate them to all the public school teachers of that lovely state, then and maybe only then would he understand the hellish conditions that they are proposing for other state workers. These kind of Republicans should be ashamed of themselves. I am with the union members 160%!!!
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GJDailleult
No, they made it clear that they didn't understand who and what is the cause of their problems. If they understood they wouldn't have voted Republican. That might be changing now though.
Shouldn't have voted Democrat either. But at least "tax and spend" is better than "don't tax but spend, spend, spend, and give stuff away to your crony "capitalist" welfare queen pals".
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yabits
The Koch brothers aren't Wisconsin residents either -- and we see how faithfully "baseball bat" Walker licks their boots.
The thug governor, who proudly claimed that his supporters were planning to mingle amongst the demonstraters and instigate trouble, is nothing but pure scum.
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Badsey
The new Obama EPA regulations failed vote in Congress. But it seems like Obama is trying to force them in Texas (very independent energy system) anyway -sort of like the TSA sticking their hands in your pants. (they do it anyway without the force of law)
It would not surprise me if they try to ram this type of selling off of energy assets legislation in every state.
Koch (Georgia Pacific) has their own coal power plants (Green Bay etc). -So I would assume these unlawful EPA regs would be "selectively enforced"
0
Molenir
lol, you obviously haven't been watching the news. Or maybe you missed the signs comparing him to hitler, calling him a racist etc, etc. The thugs are out in force. Too bad they're on the losing side of this argument. The funny thing is, the taxpayers of the state are on the other side as well. Thats something else I find particularly amusing.
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manfromamerica
Gov. Walker, the people support you!!
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yabits
I would never defend any such signs. But now that the world has seen Walker's true colors, the signs aren't nearly as bad as those his supporters would have come up with to stir up trouble.
No they don't. Nearly three out of four Americans are opposed to a government trying to remove the rights of workers to collectively bargain. The remaining 25% are, for the most part, deranged.
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yabits
Only people of bad faith support Governor Walker -- now that his cover has been lifted and decent people see him for what he really is.
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manfromamerica
wrong yabits - the corruption and greed of these unions is exposed. Why should hardworking people's tax dollars be used to fatten up the fat union cats?
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manfromamerica
there you go, you've just "defended" the signs. The liberal enthusiasts will really stop at nothing to funnel money to their special interest groups.
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manfromamerica
yabits - most polls show a majority of Wisconsin voters strongly support the governor. You can stop parading false statistics from the AFL-CIO's internal survey.
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yabits
It's clear that manfromamerica is wrong. The total lack of integrity of Governor Scott Walker is out there for all to see.
A total embarrassment to all but the most blind.
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Junnama
Which polls are these? The ones I've read about say quite the opposite :|
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yabits
No I didn't. I just don't put it past those who adore Walker and hate ordinary people to come up with worse.
No they don't. And even less will support him now that he's shown his true colors. His little show was A Face in the Crowd brought to life. The guy is a crook. Wisconsin has the toughest ethics laws in the nation and Walker's conversation reveals a total lapse in integrity and breaking faith with the people.
It is an insult to the people of Wisconsin that they would support such a sleazy individual.
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Junnama
Actually reading some of these polls I'm wondering if Wisconsin has impeachment rules...
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manfromamerica
Junnama, check out the polls, the voters clearly support Gov. Walker.
The left-wing union apologists are trying hard to pretend this protest is about worker's rights, but it is really about the unions trying to:
Under Walker's plan, the unions will still have the right of collective bargaining. The union lobby doesn't want you to know this.
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manfromamerica
This is a really great move by Gov Walker, and many more governors will follow his lead and end the unions' greedy grip on taxpayer money.
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Junnama
I have checked the polls. I can't find a single one that suggests Wisconsin voters support him. Can you tell me which poll you're talking about?
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manfromamerica
junnama,
then you aren't actually checking. The internal AFL-CIO union member survey is naturally against Walker. The other polls solidly support him.
And you still can't refute that this whole issue is about Walker trying to curb the union's stranglehold on taxpayer dollars, forced union membership, and pure union racketeering.
Make Wisconsin a Right to Work state, and end the union mafia.
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Junnama
Name one... That should be easy :|
0
manfromamerica
junnama, you mean you can't find even one! First the union wants the taxpayers to support them, now they want us to do their research for them too! LOL
This protest is about union racketeering, plain and simple.
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Junnama
Ok, so you can't name one. Understood.
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manfromamerica
Even Obama is now backing off his original support for the unions. The union mafia can no longer be supported.
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manfromamerica
junnama,
why should workers be FORCED to join a union, and FORCED to pay union dues?
0
manfromamerica
and junnama,
if this measure is so unpopular among the people in Wisconsin, why are the protesters mostly from OUT OF STATE?
oops, we are not supposed to talk about the union's scam.
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manfromamerica
The people support Gov Walker. :-)
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Junnama
You're forced to pay taxes and forced to support your representatives in the same way are you not? Can you say, I don't like Obama so I'm not paying federal taxes? No you can't. Could the military say "we don't agree with gwb so we're not going to war."?
In the words of the GOP. Noone forces them to be teachers. There are non-union states where they can teach.
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Junnama
You still can't name a poll that says that can you :0
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manfromamerica
Junnama,
You didn't answer. Why should the unions be able to force employees to join them? Why should the unions be able to extort money from public employees?
From a social justice standpoint - if public employees make MUCH more money than the average private worker, make more benefits than tha average private worker, have MUCH larger pensions than the average private worker, and CANNOT BE FIRED unlike any private worker, then why should the taxpayer continue to have to support this privileged class?
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manfromamerica
"Noone forces them to be teachers. There are non-union states where they can teach."
And the state can also be changed to a Right to Work state, which is what will happen. :-D
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manfromamerica
It's completely laughable that the unions are trying to play the sympathy card, because most people see through it.
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Junnama
I think I did answer your question. It's as silly as asking why Sony has the right to charge you extra for adding a warranty to your tv. Because they see a reason to. Don't like it don't buy it.
Oh and your data about govt employees is flawed. Federal govt employees make much more but state employees make much less. These employees are state employees.
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Junnama
What may happen. That's up to the people of Wisconsin to decide. Of course the polls say they are not....
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manfromamerica
The people are standing up to the union mob. Even Obama is backing down. :-D
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manfromamerica
junnama,
you didn't answer. Why is a mob (union) allowed to FORCE people to join it, give it money, and forbid people to work who won't join?
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manfromamerica
Wrong. WI state employees are making more than private workers.
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manfromamerica
What's amazing is union members are posting death threats against Walker on Twitter. Let's see if the Atty Gen prosecutes.
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Junnama
They aren't forbidden from working. Magic of the free market: they can work elsewhere. You do believe in the free market right?
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Junnama
Right actually, you see the have people who compile these facts and then present them. Quite amazing really !!
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manfromamerica
wrong. it's mob enforcement.
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manfromamerica
Yep. I also believe in democracy. The people voted in the legislature and Governor who will pass this. However the Dems and union thugs are breaking the law to keep their cash scam going.
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Junnama
What do you mean? They can't find jobs elsewhere? Sounds like fantasy to me ....
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Junnama
I don't know. The polls say the people of wi don't want this. Sounds like taking advantage of a crisis...
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manfromamerica
junnama, the people overwhelmingly support Gov Walker. The protesters are mostly from OUT OF STATE, and union members (surprise!) at that.
The unions cannot control government employment. Joining a union is not necessary for job performance, so why must you be forced to pay a union? I'm glad the government is finally cracking down on the union mafia.
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Junnama
You keep saying that but the polls don't agree with you.
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manfromamerica
junnama,
the voters decided. :-) Now it's time for the so-called "Democrats" to participate in Democracy.
What do you think about the union's death threats against Gov. Walker?
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manfromamerica
predictably, it looks like the union backers here support the death threats against Gov Walker. Sad...
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arrestpaul
Wisconsin TAXPAYERS voted out the free-spending, incumbent Democrats 4 months ago and the new legislature began reforming the states spending in Janurary. The government unions are still demanding that the taxpayers continue to pay for their benefits and the TAXPAYERS are saying there will be no more money.
The state union members can either accept the new reality that the TAXPAYERS have reached their spending limits or many (1,500) will lose their jobs.
BarakObama dot com has rallyed the usual out-of-state suspects to perform before the cameras but the TAXPAYERS are calling the shots in Wisconsin now. Reduce the deficit, cut taxes, encourage new businesses to come to Wisconsin and support the existing businesses and the paychecks they provide to the TAXPAYERS of Wisconsin.
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