12 Things You Need to Know About the Uprising in Wisconsin

12 Things You Need to Know About the Uprising in Wisconsin

www.alternet.org...

What's happening in Wisconsin is not complicated. At the beginning of this year, the state was on course to end 2011 with a budget surplus of $120 million. As Ezra Klein explained, newly elected GOP Governor Scott Walker then " signed two business tax breaks and a conservative health-care policy experiment that lowers overall tax revenues (among other things). The new legislation was not offset, and it turned a surplus into a deficit."

Walker then used the deficit he'd created as the justification for assaulting his state's public employees. He used a law cooked up by a right-wing advocacy group called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC likes to fly beneath the radar, but I described the organization in a 2005 article as "the connective tissue that links state legislators with right-wing think tanks, leading anti-tax activists and corporate money." Similar laws are on the table in Ohio and Indiana.

Walker's bill would strip public employees of the right to bargain collectively for anything but higher pay (and would cap the amount of wage hikes they might end up gaining in negotiations). His intentions are clear -- before assuming office, Walker threatened to decertify the state's employees' unions (until he discovered that the governor doesn't have that power).

But he's spinning the measure as something else -- a bitter pill state workers must swallow in order to save Wisconsin's government. So the first things you need to know are:

1. Wisconsin's public workers have already "made sacrifices to help balance the budget, through 16 unpaid furlough days and no pay increases the past two years," according to the Associated Press. The unions know their members are going to have to make concessions on benefits, but they rightly see the assault on their fundamental right to negotiate as an act of war.

...

Looks like the Koch brothers have their slimy tentacles in YET ANOTHER attack on the slave class. It's quite ridiculous how the Wisconsin governor's quasi-fascist threats are being wrapped up falsely as a pro-taxpayer and budget-balancing effort. The reality is, the Governor is playing very dirty politics and taking even more rights/money from public workers after they've already lost plenty.

THIS IS A CLASS WAR. DO NOT BE FOOLED. The Republicans ARE the party of the upper-class, plutocrats, corporatists, industrialists, etcetera. Do not be a useful idiot and buy into their phony populist propaganda, DO NOT fight your fellow lower-classmen thinking someday you'll be part of the good ol' boys club, you won't. If you're working jobs you hate so you can buy sh** you don't need, the LEAST the system can grant you is the power to unionize, collectively bargain, and get a better deal for your modern slave labor. Unions are imperfect, but they are NOT your enemy. Stripping peoples' pensions away will NOT improve your quality of life, especially when those pensions account for barely 6% of the state budget.



"I can hire one half of the working class to kill the other half."
- Jay Gould [US financier & railroad businessman (1836 - 1892)]


"First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me."
- Pastor Martin Niemoller

DEATH TO THE INFIDELS!!!!!

and by infidel, I mean rich elitist ___holes ruining that state, my state, this country, and the rest of the wolrd!!

get a rope!

Well great post...thanks for the info. Should be getting more attention....but then again....Americans love to trash the Unions as that is all they have been taught.

Union membership is at an ALL TIME LOW and has been slowly deteriorating the last 25+ years as I show in this thread here that is also pretty much ignored:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

If you are watching corporate news then you'll mostly get anti-union rhetoric. There's a reason for that.

Organized unions are the mortal enemy of any powerful corporation.

Koch brothers and scum bags like them have already destroyed the government - it used to be there was a time when we stood up to their brand of "influence peddling". But now that they control the media (Fox especially comes to mind) they can control the minds of their "minions". The only real force left to stand up to them were the labor unions, and those have largely been rendered powerless.

Originally posted by Blackmarketeer
Koch brothers and scum bags like them have already destroyed the government - it used to be there was a time when we stood up to their brand of "influence peddling". But now that they control the media (Fox especially comes to mind) they can control the minds of their "minions". The only real force left to stand up to them were the labor unions, and those have largely been rendered powerless.

yup the dumbocrats, neglected and then betrayed them in order to make the same rich friends that the replutocrats had. i also suspect certain union leaders sold out as you see a lot of union activitie that seems to be designed to piss people off and generate anti-union sentiment since bush1-clinton

both parties need to be flushed down history's toilet along with government as well

"All government, in its essence, is a conspiracy against the superior man: its one permanent object is to oppress him and cripple him. If it be aristocratic in organization, then it seeks to protect the man who is superior only in law against the man who is superior in fact; if it be democratic, then it seeks to protect the man who is inferior in every way against both. One of its primary functions is to regiment men by force, to make them as much alike as possible and as dependent upon one another as possible, to search out and combat originality among them. All it can see in an original idea is potential change, and hence an invasion of its prerogatives. The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable, and so, if he is romantic, he tries to change it. And even if he is not romantic personally he is very apt to spread discontent among those who are." - H.L. Mencken

reply to post by DerepentLEstranger


Corporations own both parties (as many know here already). Clinton was the first corporate Dem elected in my lifetime. (A Blue Dog Democrat...which is really a Corporate Democrat) There are a few on both sides who aren't bought...but that's made completely irrelevant as they are severely outnumbered.

I keep watching domino after domino fall as the middle class continues to be destroyed. It's nearly endgame now.

Once the unions are gone it's over. maybe it has to happen for things to actually change. I don't know....but I don't think what is happening can be stopped.

A corporation has more rights than an American citizen....let alone a union worker or any other person in the workforce.

What amazed me....70,000 people can rally to fight for their standard of living and they get the middle finger...a corporation sends a few lobbyists and THEY GET WHATEVER THE HELL THEY WANT.

reply to post by NoHierarchy


Great thread, thanks for the info.

Before I read this, was all for them putting the greedy public sector unions in their place. I didn't know about the unions already making concessions to the state or the bogus deficit that the governor had created to justify his actions.

People need to look at both sides of the issues and give up their preconceived political notions in order to get to the truth behind all the lies.

That's because lobbying in the US follows the standard.....Grease my palms and I'll jerk you off philosophy. Then they bend us over and drive their points home Three Cheers for Dumbocracy!!

The issue I have with unionized govt workers is this. You work for the people that pay taxes. You do not work for a for profit corporation. When the taxpayer [that is me] runs out of money by losing his job, there is no one to pay taxes. Since no one can pay their fair share of taxes govt spending must be cut. Govt cuts spending by cutting pay and benefits to balance the budget. Perhaps the governor should do like Reagan did and fire all of you. I am sure there are many qualified college graduates that would love to have a 100k a year job with benefits. Without the union.As a taxpayer I would love to see my dollar used to get the best bang for the buck. That usually means getting rid of those not doing their jobs and supporting those that do. It is funny that since teachers have unionized money spent per student has gone up and is more than any other nation on earth, while the level of education the students receive has continued to plummet. Tie salary to performance and bring back discipline to the classroom and we might be able to go somewhere.

reluctantpawn

Originally posted by NoHierarchy
THIS IS A CLASS WAR. DO NOT BE FOOLED. The Republicans ARE the party of the upper-class, plutocrats, corporatists, industrialists, etcetera. Do not be a useful idiot and buy into their phony populist propaganda, DO NOT fight your fellow lower-classmen thinking someday you'll be part of the good ol' boys club, you won't. If you're working jobs you hate so you can buy sh** you don't need, the LEAST the system can grant you is the power to unionize, collectively bargain, and get a better deal for your modern slave labor. Unions are imperfect, but they are NOT your enemy. Stripping peoples' pensions away will NOT improve your quality of life, especially when those pensions account for barely 6% of the state budget.

Wow,
You could say something like THIS IS A CLASS WAR. DO NOT BE FOOLED. The Democrats ARE the party of the elitist pseudo intellectual progressivist control, etcetera...

As far as stripping pensions, I could point out that the present administration has aspirations of nationalizing the 401K savings of individual citizens in an effort to "spread the wealth" because they want to continue to grow a bigger and bigger government.

It's all rhetorical BS and the Demublicans or Repocrats are all part of the same group of thugs and criminals.

Corruption abounds.This is the climate that the rich elite make their best bucks.
Politicians are mere puppets of corporate sponsors.I am surprised they dont allow corporate advertising on the walls and in the halls of congress and the senate.Thik ow happy that would make their masters....
The whole shebang needs to swing.....
and soon................

reply to post by reluctantpawn


I agree. On a side note, they can get pay raises at the rate of inflation under the new bill. They CANNOT get more unless there is a statewide referendum vote by the rest of the people who actually pay the taxes to give them more.

A Government workers union is funny. The State isn't a company, Who is this Union Collective bargaining against? Who are they bargaining to get more from? The TAXPAYER is who! Why is this Union entitled to taxpayer money in the form of mandatory dues from taxpayer funded salaries? And what are those dues used for? To support a "political party". As with "Corporate Welfare" recipients donating to their favorite politicians, this is the same thing and should be illegal. What "entitles" this Union to mandatory donations in the form of dues from Taxpayer funded salaries, thus taxpayer funded Union?

It is ridiculous.

news.yahoo.com...

In addition to eliminating collective-bargaining rights, the legislation also would make public workers pay half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health care coverage — increases Walker calls "modest" compared with those in the private sector.

Republican leaders said they expected Wisconsin residents would be pleased with the savings the bill would achieve — $30 million by July 1 and $300 million over the next two years to address a $3.6 billion budget shortfall.

Unions still could represent workers, but could not seek pay increases above those pegged to the Consumer Price Index unless approved by a public referendum. Unions also could not force employees to pay dues and would have to hold annual votes to stay organized.

In exchange for bearing more costs and losing bargaining leverage, public employees were promised no furloughs or layoffs. Walker has threatened to order layoffs of up to 6,000 state workers if the measure does not pass

Oh man, THEY actually might have to save their OWN money for retirement? They may have to pay 12% of the cost of their generous health insurance plans instead of the taxpayer picking up the whole tab? Oh the unfairness!!

We half of the country who have real jobs that require performance to stay employed already pay much much more than that and you believe that we need to pick up YOUR full tab because.... because... your a GOVERNMENT employee??? Tough. Pay for your own retirement in 401k contributions like the rest of us.

A "Government" Workers Union who's sole purpose is to gain additional taxpayer money for personal and union leadership benefits that are far beyond what the taxpayers receive themselves because almost no company can offer those benefits and still stay in business! Kind of like a mini-elite club, We Government Employees, You Serfs who fund us. We hungry, need more serf money for lifetime pensions and free health benefits for life. Oh, yeah, also need that taxpayer money from mandatory dues to fund the Democratic Party. So, MORE Government workers equals more mandatory dues equals more political donations for the party.... smells good doesn't it?

So, don't expect sympathy for the rest of us who fork over 40% or more of our income for federal, state, medicare, SS, local tax, healthcare, property tax, registration fees, etc. and then we also contribute to our own 401k's for retirement. (Besides Police, Fire, and a few other "real" State Government jobs, most of them are inefficient, almost un-fireable paper pushers).

No, this is not to say to NOT keep the promise of a pension for those already set to retire in a few years but any new government employee should be set-up with a self directed / funded 401k type retirement account (kind of like all the people who fund their payroll).

Here are a few more things you should know about the uprising.

Them teachers love to pollute.



...and they can't spell worth a crap.

If Wisconsin needs more money, then raise business taxes and taxes on the rich: make them pay for the privilege of doing business in the state instead of paying them to take money out of it.

If you feel you're underpaid, overworked and lack bennies compared to government workers, then demand more from your boss, not that others be paid less to share your misery.

But you can't can you?

He'd laugh and replace you for making ridiculous demands because you have no union to back you up.

Every boss I ever worked for whined about how labor costs were killing him and taxes were driving him to ruin. Never mind the big house, several cars, the boat, the vacation house, and the frequent getaways. Of course they were also usually in hock past their eyeballs, living far beyond their means, demanding more from their workers to pay for it. One boss seriously advised me to make sure I never invested my own money in a business, but rather arrange loans as much as possible, because when the business soured (as most do), i could walk away clean in bankruptcy and start another the same way.

Business men delude themselves about their worth and competence every day: they are not near as skillful and smart as they like to think, and business practices applied to government nearly always end in corruption and failure because government is not a business, and can't be run like one.

The business mindset is far too narrow and petty to succeed were broad vision, long-term planning and execution, and balance are required. By their nature and training, business types have selfish goals, narrow interests, short attention spans and are too ruthless to be trusted with public monies or policies. Too many believ as Lee Iaccocca did, that's what's good for them is good for the country very few to none will do the right thing if it personally costs them money, even if it's best for the country.

reply to post by Alxandro


Huh, you know I can't find a single match for the second image on TinEye, and besides that it's very obviously photoshopped. Can you provide your source for that "If you cou read this" sign? I have a feeling that it's been manipulated to change the spelling.

The third image you posted about "Save Are Teachers" shows up in a simple Google search as NOT EVEN CONNECTED TO THIS, and in fact was posted in 2010 from an Iowa rally. Imagine that. Source

I can't believe so many smart people on here buy this bunk that this is an assault on the middle class.

Rising property taxes and food prices are an assault on the middle class. The teachers/public workers here are pawns of the powers that be that want to retain their political clout. The coirrupt politicians want to keep their union stooges in their pockets to assure their reelection.

Stop watching American Idol and get a clue.

reply to post by robyn


The mind boggles.

But I see you're relatively new here and haven't had much chance yet to inform yourself and shake off the programming.

For the record, I've never seen American Idol. Not once. Nor Dancing Stars or whatever, Fox News, or pretty much anything on broadcast tv.

Seriously, this is as blatant as class warfare gets, short of rounding up unionist and shooting them...which has happened in the past, far too frequently to ignore.

The third image you posted about "Save Are Teachers" shows up in a simple Google search as NOT EVEN CONNECTED TO THIS, and in fact was posted in 2010 from an Iowa rally. Imagine that. Source

Good catch. I wonder if Alxandro can explain why he would post an image implying it's related to the Wisconsin rally when it's from a completely unrelated event. I suppose it's all part of a concerted campaign to make the teachers look bad. After all, they're "union thugs". At least, that's what the billionaire brothers Koch want us to believe. Now, let's all join hands and sing kumbaya while the government calls out the National Guard to deal with this "rabble". Up With The Government, Down With The People - is that the new Tea Party slogan?

reply to post by apacheman



I also believe that there is class warfare going on all over but this is not not an example of it.

Originally posted by Alxandro
Here are a few more things you should know about the uprising.

Them teachers love to pollute.

...and they can't spell worth a crap.

lol, well if teachers wrote them signs no wonder education standards are falling..