Wisconsin Takes A Stand For Fiscal Sanity

[DinoDoc]

How does a national survey establish that a governor is on solid ground?

It demonstrates that the action doesn't seem to be the political death sentence the thread and media seem to think it is.

[Hauldren Collider]

Honestly, no one can predict Obama's chances this far out from the election. Anyone who thinks they can predict either way is lying. The most I think you can say is: 1. He's an incumbent which gives him a boost yet 2. he is remarkably unpopular and faces many unique re-election challenges.

Anything else is just going to be a list of his agenda's pros and cons, which is really another discussion altogether.

[giblets]

How is he 'remarkably unpopular'? In most polls where he's put up against a potential challenger, he comes out ahead...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationw...2#Two-way_race

[DaShi]

It seems as if Walker is on solid political ground.

Yup, polls from anti-labor groups are always accurate.

[Ben Kenobi]

If you're going to whine about convoluted systems of arcane procedural rules thwarting progress, no state legislature holds a candle to Congress.

Forgive me, but I thought representatives were supposed to represent. If they want to stall and filibuster fine. But don't run away.

There was no budget crisis in Wisconsin until Walker came along and dished out tax cuts to big business.

Bull****

"The state faces a looming $2.7 billion budget shortfall." September 12, 2010.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/102748564.html

[DinoDoc]

Are you suggesting that people with similar interests don't have a right to stand together?

"In terms of accepted collective bargaining procedures government workers have no right beyond the authority to petition Congress - a right available to every citizen."

-- AFL-CIO Executive Council 1959

Why can't we go back to that?

[DaShi]

Because it would be ridiculous.

[Hauldren Collider]

Would it? I don't think it would be ridiculous at all. On the contrary, I think it is ridiculous that they have more power than the average citizen to determine their own pay outside of actual performance.

[DinoDoc]

Because it would be ridiculous.

Many states already do that to one extent or another.

[DaShi]

Would it? I don't think it would be ridiculous at all. On the contrary, I think it is ridiculous that they have more power than the average citizen to determine their own pay outside of actual performance.

They generally have the same power. Not all government employees are unionized and not all private workers aren't.

[DaShi]

Many states already do that to one extent or another.

So?

[Kuciwalker]

Look, the entire theory behind collective bargaining was that it shifts power from employers to workers because otherwise, employers will abuse the workers. But in this case we are the employer. If we don't want to abuse the workers, why don't we just, hm, not abuse them rather than giving them the power to extort us?

[DaShi]

That would be the ideal situation, yes.

[KrazyHorse]

They generally have the same power. Not all government employees are unionized and not all private workers aren't.

Unionization rates among government workers have been fairly steady, while in the private sector they have plummeted. IIRC (note caveat) a substantial majority of unionized workers in the US are government employees.

[KrazyHorse]

That would be the ideal situation, yes.

Instead, what we have is tremendous rent-seeking behavior by public sector unions, lazy and inefficient government and taxpayers being bled dry in exchange for poor service. Anybody who thinks government should provide more services should be on board with breaking the backs of the people responsible for people's low opinion of their government's effectiveness.