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[concordancia]

In other news, according to Yahoo none of the Democratic lawmakers showed up today, so the vote in the senate can't proceed.  The police are apparently trying to hunt down the missing Democrats.

No, they can't send the state patrol after them - because they are all out of state. Maybe I don't understand the political process well enough, but other than causing a delay and media frenzy - this really isn't accomplishing much, right? I mean, eventually they have to go back and have the vote....

Given who is in control there, perhaps it's better if all the Dems go hiking the Appalachian trail for a while.

Oh wait -- that's a Republican pastime.

Wait, I thought that was all hippies!

I am so confused, I can't possible be expected to keep up with all these political restrictions on my pasttimes.

[jungle_jane]

Interestingly, Senate Majority Leader Fitzgerald's father is head of the WI State patrol.  He's also the father of Assembly Representative Jeff Fitzgerald.
WI Republicans are bringing back nepotism along with their new King.

See, here is where we disagree.... it is hardly nepotism if the brothers were both elected by the general population. It is a politically active family, not unlike the Kennedys.

Honestly, if this disappearing act is nothing but a stall tactic intended to stir things up more - I really don't like it. Both sides should be working to reduce tensions not stir them up further.

[conjugate]

All the savings they might realize from this will be shot in legal fees mounting the defense against the lawsuits that will follow, I expect.  

Then, of course, they'll lose more as the consequences of this bad decision mount, and faculty who would otherwise pull in grant money go to other states; tax revenues from state employees will drop as they have to spend more of their money on health care and retirement plans and less on taxable purchases.  

I don't know about the magnitude of these effects, but it seems to me like they're making a huge mistake.  I used to resent that I never got a job (or even an interview) from the various Wisconsin schools that I applied to (mostly smaller branches of UW), but now I am beginning to think I was lucky.

[helpful]

Here

...is another take worth reading.

Not that this applies to you, but how can anyone in their right mind think that reducing benefits and increasing costs for workers (and limiting the right to organize) can improve local economies? Don't government workers all shop? When you take money out of their pockets, do you think they will still go shopping?

[monarda]

There is reason to believe that both the short-term (current biennial budget) and medium-term (next biennial budget) fiscal crises are much overblown by the governor.

This.

And what marfa said.

Even WI GOP say slow down.
"If his proposal can't survive a few weeks of scrutiny, then it doesn't deserve to become law."

[sad_goat]

Here

...is another take worth reading.

Not that this applies to you, but how can anyone in their right mind think that reducing benefits and increasing costs for workers (and limiting the right to organize) can improve local economies? Don't government workers all shop? When you take money out of their pockets, do you think they will still go shopping?

When the private sector ("worker") struggles to survive on one paycheck instead of two, does it make sense that they should be paying fixed amounts to support government largess that they could only dream of having?

[helpful]

As per usual, SG, you didn't answer my question. As for your question, the private sector worker should organize into something called a labor union. I am sure you know what such organizations do and why they exist. If you don't, perhaps you should read about them.

[plunkett]

Sad goat will always only parrot a right wing, Tea-Party, and Christian-nation sort of line.  Ignore Sad goat. Commentary from that poster is akin to Sarah Palin's spew. (Pace, Wet-blanket.  Don't be a Wet-blanket more than you need to be.)

On a more positive note:  On, Wisconsin!!
Let's keep the spirit of Robert La Follette alive just a little tiny bit!!!

[sad_goat]

As per usual, SG, you didn't answer my question. As for your question, the private sector worker should organize into something called a labor union. I am sure you know what such organizations do and why they exist. If you don't, perhaps you should read about them.

These are moral and philosophical questions. The details don't matter.

[aandsdean]

As per usual, SG, you didn't answer my question. As for your question, the private sector worker should organize into something called a labor union. I am sure you know what such organizations do and why they exist. If you don't, perhaps you should read about them.

These are moral and philosophical questions. The details don't matter.

Moral and philosophical questions:

When does life begin?
What duty do we owe to the poor?
When, if ever, is it just to go to war?

I'm glad to know the details don't matter.  I can rest easy now.

[egilson]

As per usual, SG, you didn't answer my question. As for your question, the private sector worker should organize into something called a labor union. I am sure you know what such organizations do and why they exist. If you don't, perhaps you should read about them.

These are moral and philosophical questions. The details don't matter.

Ah, do you want to try that again? It honestly seems like a complete non sequitur.

[navydad]

Sad goat will always only parrot a right wing, Tea-Party, and Christian-nation sort of line.  Ignore Sad goat. Commentary from that poster is akin to Sarah Palin's spew.

Maybe or maybe not, but concerns about unionized public employees' compensation and work rules are not just extremist garbage and if you dismiss them as such you take yourself out of the solution.

[helpful]

Sad goat will always only parrot a right wing, Tea-Party, and Christian-nation sort of line.  Ignore Sad goat. Commentary from that poster is akin to Sarah Palin's spew.

Maybe or maybe not, but concerns about unionized public employees' compensation and work rules are not just extremist garbage and if you dismiss them as such you take yourself out of the solution.

My concerns are about private sector non-unionized workers. Unless they unionize, they will lose in the race to the bottom.

[anthroid]

Here

...is another take worth reading.

Not that this applies to you, but how can anyone in their right mind think that reducing benefits and increasing costs for workers (and limiting the right to organize) can improve local economies? Don't government workers all shop? When you take money out of their pockets, do you think they will still go shopping?

When the private sector ("worker") struggles to survive on one paycheck instead of two, does it make sense that they should be paying fixed amounts to support government largess that they could only dream of having?

I really don't understand your point.  Congress does this--if I understand what you're saying--in that Congress members get huge amounts of government largess.  So do Wisconsin legislators.  As of 2005, the members of the Wisconsin Legislature pay 2.6% of their legislators' income (the state contributes 8.1%) into the Wisconsin State Pension Fund (or whatever it's called).  For working part-time, they get paid close to $50K per year.  They are paid per diems and travel expenses to their legislative jobs.  So we have legislators trying to cut the benefits of everyone except themselves.  We can only assume that CEOs of private corporations are assisting in this effort; CEOs of course have fully paid benefits, retirement plans, huge salaries, etc.

The little guy, whether a state worker or a private worker, is the one being screwed.  A Wisconsin state legislator, who very likely has far less education than the average UW System professor, earns what is about the starting salary for a beginning assistant professor.  Yet that person, and a governor who doesn't even have a college degree, for gawd's sake, is trying to determine the working conditions without taking any sacrifices themselves.  Frankly, they are not competent to do so and they are hypocrites for how they're trying to screw the state and its employees and students.

Scott Walker, who, as I've said, does not actually have a college degree, is making around $140K (based on previous years' evidence).  Is he planning on cutting his quite generous benefit package?

Look, the Wisconsin situation is relatively minimal.  Public employees do not make huge amounts of money and do not consume huge amounts of benefits.  This is a manufactured crisis cynically orchestrated by right wing a**holes who are not willing to endure the cuts they demand of the rest of the state.  Typical right wing crap.  And the details matter, because people's lives matter.

[flavorrocks1]

This week's events give new meaning to Grand Ole Badger State.  Badger the hell out the Governor and legislature.  Go Union!  Hold out Democrats!  My heroes this week.