To all you state employees who voted for Walker- FU

[lutefisk]

"Gov. Scott Walker will seek to eliminate almost all collective bargaining rights of state and local public workers as part of his plan for fixing Wisconsin's budget deficit, a move one Democratic leader called an "assault on workers in the state."
...
"This is a shocking development," AFT-Wisconsin President Bryan Kennedy said. "It ends collective bargaining for public employees in our state, after 50 years of management and workers solving problems together."

Kennedy, whose union represents about 17,000 public employees, said he was surprised that after little more than a month in office Walker is calling the system broken when "he has yet to sit down with workers" at the bargaining table. He predicted rampant job losses throughout the state as a result.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_7ff37af2-3562-11e0-8ff9-001cc4c002e0.html"

No doubt, the Tea Party members employed by the state of Wisconsin are quite pleased with their work, if not their own futures. True morans.

[ewagner]

1. It get worse everyday

I met with a friend yesterday who used to be a member of the Democratic party who now calls himself a liberal libertarian...

bullshit

he's attending tea party meetings and getting the "spirit" of the tea party....he listens to their simple-minded rhetoric (they're for freedom of the individual, you know)...and swallows it hook line and sinker...

Walker is dependent on ignorance and jealousy...ignorance of how to protect the economy and jealousy over union wages and benefits...

the rats are winning the rat race...

[midnight]

12. Did you friend say why he left the Democratic Party?

[ewagner]

18. re:friend

He's swallowing the Ron Paul line that the Republicans and Democrats are really the same...he keeps talking about me falling for the "false left/right bullshit".

[Viking12]

2. In four years we'll get to rename the State: North Alabama

[alterfurz]

7. Wississippi!

[midnight]

13. O..... I hope not.....

[nebenaube]

3. These actions he is taking are going to backfire big time...

Make those state employees pay for their benefits. That's a great plan. Just ignore the obvious fact that this will eliminate those same state employee's personal discretionary spending and ignore the fact that state employees currently represent the few remaining employed citizens in some areas of this state. Did Scott Walker consider the impact on local economies? I doubt it.

The University System here already pays about 20% less then the national median. They have been doing way more with way less for a long time now. There is no more productivity to extract. His plans leave us no choice; we will be forced financially to vote with our feet.

[Viking12]

4. Details of public sector sodomizing from Walker's e-mail to state employees

This on top of the existing 3% furlough. Sum total comes to roughly 12%-15% depending on base salary. You're a job creator Scotty. :sarcasm: as if it's necessary

· Pension Contributions – Currently, state, school district and municipal employees who are members of the Wisconsin Retirement System contribute very little toward their pensions. The bill requires that WRS employees, including myself and my cabinet officers, as well as employees of the City and County of Milwaukee, contribute 50 percent of their monthly pension contributions. This amount is estimated to be 5.8 percent of salary for 2011, which is about the national average for private sector employees.



·Health Insurance Contributions – Currently, state employees pay approximately 6 percent of annual health insurance premiums. This bill requires that state employees, again including myself and my cabinet officers, pay at least 12 percent of monthly premiums, which is still less than half of what the private sector pays. In addition, the bill directs the Group Insurance Board to implement changes to health insurance plan designs to further reduce premiums by 5 percent and will implement health risk assessments for all state employees beginning on January 1, 2012. Local employers participating in the Public Employers Group Health insurance program operated by the state will be prohibited from paying more than 88 percent of the lowest cost plan.



·Collective Bargaining – Given the above changes, the bill also makes various changes to limit collective bargaining to the base pay rate. Total increases cannot exceed the Consumer Price Index (CPI) unless approved by a referendum. Contracts will be limited to one year and wages will be frozen until the new contract is settled. Collective bargaining units will have to take annual votes to maintain certification as a union. Employers will be prohibited from collecting union dues and members of collective bargaining units will not be required to pay dues. These changes take effect upon the expiration of existing contracts. Local police and fire employees and State Patrol Troopers and Inspectors are exempted from these changes.

[dragonlady]

5. JS online poll here

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/115911379.html

How do you feel about Gov. Walker's plan for the public workers' unions?

I like it. The unions need to be reined in:

Something needs to be done with the unions, but this is a little harsh:

Hate it. These are dedicated public servants:

"Hate it" is winning right now, but not by much.

[Viking12]

6. Thanks for posting

I like it. The unions need to be reined in (36%)
Something needs to be done with the unions, but this is a little harsh (17%)
Hate it. These are dedicated public servants (47%)
Total Responses: 3594

[54anickel]

8. Was just going to post that. "Hate it" is at 55% n/t

[midnight]

15. So its chamber of commerce vs unions...... Wallstreet vs Mainstreet....

[yourout]

9. If Barrett runs again in 2014 hopefully we can kick this asshat out.

In the meantime we have to take back one of the houses in 2012.

This anal retentive asshole is unleashing a torrent right wing idiocy.

[jellen]

10. If Barrett runs,I'll vote and work for him again.

I would also work vigorously for a recall of the tragedy that has taken over Wisconsin. You guys in the southern part of the state,should have worked harder to tell us upnortherners of all the damage he is capable of.It's like a devil is in Madison.

[jellen]

11. I might also add that this is Wisconsin, the Progressive state.

We can't let that jerk steal that from us.

[midnight]

14. I just don't get it..... Barrett works with a budget.... Walker works with a deficit....

[Sabriel]

16. As a state employee who was working for collective bargaining...

FU, Walker!!!! Only bargaining for wages? WTF? That means no protection for anything else, like the way you're treated, hiring/firing, etc.

And they're also going to repeal the Indian Mascots Bill, which was passed last summer after over a decade of work.

Fuckers.

[54anickel]

23. WHAT?!?! I didn't catch that about the Indian Mascots bill. Would you happen to have a link handy?

That's just sick - it's been far too long in coming to begin with.

On edit: nevermind, i found a link-----ttp://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_a7acbed2-0c9f-11e0-950a-001cc4c03286.html

[ewagner]

17. Somebody forgot to tell Walker..

it's ON WISCONSIN! not Un-Wisconsin

[alterfurz]

21. love it!

I'm stealing that one!

[Lifelong Protester]

19. I am affected by this, and certainly work with folks that voted for him.

I hope they are happy now, and willingly sacrifice more money for the rich, as that is where it's going.

And no one's property taxes are going down, I guarantee it.

[mokawanis]

20. I'm a WI state employee

I've worked for the state of WI for 31 years and what Walker is trying to do is the worst scenario I've encountered in all those years. To say he's tyrannical prick would be an understatement. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out, corporate-whore Walker is pissing off an awful lot of people.

[54anickel]

22. Sorry, can't help but laugh at the subject line- calling out Walker voters on DU...

But I get the gist. In his announcement today he basically told his union voters that they should have seen this coming, he's been up front about his plans all through his campaign. Video released from some "undisclosed warehouse"....HA!

At 7:25 he scolds those who were surprised...it's worth suffering through just to be able to share it with those Walker voters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63gv_Vq7Rss