I have a feeling that we will have about another half dozen Chris Christie’s by the time this is all said and done. Scott Walker seems to actually be outdoing Christie as Chris Christie has yet to have his opposition flee the state. *smiles*

The Bond Market will convince us all that this is a case of settled science.

Walker is getting attacked for standing up and saying he has a constitutional requirement to balance the budget. Employment costs are one large area to manage….and he’s finally doing it.

What’s missing (unsurprisingly) in the discussion right now is that for 2+ years our economy has been in the tank. Unions and school boards had 2+ years to cut back salary and benefits slightly to keep the voting public happy. They didn’t do that. In fact, they put down the gas pedal and asked for more (or accepted the more that was already contracted for).

So, here we are, still in the same hole. But now, due to union/school board callousness needing to cut back teacher take-home pay by $1000s. This will not be easy for them. I wish the union/school board collective wasn’t so callous to lead to this. They could have been much nicer and slowly cut back to allow teachers to adjust their life styles along the way.

Government employees are going to have to feel the pinch just like the private sector. Reduced wages, reduced benefits and layoffs.

This basic truth must be realized: no one will voluntarily cut back. This applies to both government budgets and the Unions. Someone needs to say “no”, mean it and stick with it. Just like children being denied candy before dinner, there will be crying. It for the good of everyone, and in reality, most of them already know that. It’s probably just human nature that they feel the need to throw the biggest tantrum possible before acquiescing to reality.

through their death-throes. They are doing a great job of convincing the undecided that UNIONS are greedy thugs.

Sister, Melissa.

Wisconsin is the first fight in what will be a long battle. But we have truth on our side, which is the best armor.

This morning, it was “hundreds.”

Is this another case of the Media’s willingness to inflate numbers when it serves the Greater Good?

(With Greater Good never actually defined, just instinctively recognized by people who believe their feelings can bring about change.)

He doesn’t need to be careful about what he is doing, but he does need to be careful about how he sells it.

He needs to get on Fox news and really pound the teachers for ignoring their students.

Why, he should ask, didn’t they demonstrate on Saturday? Because they care more about their pensions than their students.

I would love to see accurate polling on how Wisconsin voters react to this. I would think parents would be outraged, especially just at having to find babysitters/daycare/take day off work because of teachers going on strike.

I can’t imagine this makes a positive case for the public-sector unions, especially since the demands being made are incredibly reasonable.

I’m hoping this really tuns the public nationwide against tax-payer supported unions.

good in comparison. I just wonder if that is why he still has such high favorables. He has others doing his dirty work for him, while he pretends to stay above the fray.

I spent three summers up there and the city itself is quite nice. I still have a lot of friends that are up in Wisconsin who happen to be teachers, and of course, they’re giddy as all hell about the sickouts and their students being forced….I mean volunteering in the protests.
All I see on my Facebook wall is negative crap about Scott Walker and conservatives, and the lies they’re telling about having their rights taken away. They say they’re willing to make concessions, but they’ve not given any solutions except tax WI’s corporations and rich people even more. And now, evidently, the Green Bay Packers are supporting them. This makes me hate the Packers even more.
You know what, a friend of mine who works in a private sector electrical company had his hours cut. His company stopped matches to their retirement plan. Once hourse were cut and in order to keep from laying people off, they just started sending people home if there weren’t any jobs to do.
And now these Wisconsin Democrats perform the ultimate act of cowardice and probably had marching orders from national Democrats to run and hide so the bill can’t be voted on. No respect for November 2nd, no respsect for Democracy, and they should all be removed once they come back.

Ok, so there’s a fiscal crisis on union benefits. Don’t just sit in the corner and cower in fear of the unions.

It’s a crisis, use it to your advantage. Require all ‘defined benefit plans’ that receive any support from the Feds to be evolved into 401k plans by X date on a reasonable prodated process of contributions to these programs that the legislation would provide. Then, to simulate 401k growth, eliminate corporate taxation and reduce or eliminate dividend cap gains taxation so those with IRA/401k pensions can have higher stock and dividend growth.

The reality is one of the primary reasons the US has such a high corporate tax rate is the Democrats and their union buds have been using this to fuel their class envy schemes. With defined benefit plans, they have not skin in the game to see capitalism prosper.

It’s a Crisis — Change the (rules of the) game and make it so everyone wins…

Here in FL, we’ve got Mike Haridopolos and Rick Scott turning down debt to pay for a worthless train and people are going nuts about it too. We’re lucky to have guys like them, and hopefully someone like Mike can take down Bill Nelson next year.