In response to this posting, SDA commenter Amy P. provided some first hand knowledge of what has been going on in her state. Here’s a slightly edited version of her thoughts:
I live in Wisconsin and I have watched this insanity unfold for months now. All because the Governor wanted public employees to pay a little more for their retirement (which they paid NOTHING for) and health insurance (which they paid little for). At the end of the day, public employees still have some of THE BEST (and Obamacare exempt!) health insurance in the U.S. and GUARANTEED retirement for the rest of their lives (that can be transferred to a living spouse after the employee dies!)
For months, we’ve dealt with fleebagging [sic] Democrats who spent weeks hiding in Illinois like cockroaches exposed to light. We’ve had drum circles, vuvuzelas, and dirty protestors vandalizing our beautiful Capitol building while disrupting the work of government AND threatening to kill our duly and freely elected Republican governor and representatives.
The governor has a bad of merry left-wing psychopaths stalking him wherever he goes. Madison is officially a no-go zone for conservatives unless you travel in large groups because the liberals will get in your face (just as Obama commanded them to do!) and harass you for daring not to be as incredibly stupid as they are.
[Lefties can] blather all [they] want about one lame report *possibly* (and remotely so) connected to the TEA Party. Those of us paying attention know the violence and the threats and the vandalism come from the Left. Those of us paying attention also know the Left loves projection: they accuse us of being what they really are.
People are waking up to it. For all their public temper tantrums, for all the out-of-state union agitators they sent in, for the $30 MILLION they spent on recall elections…the Left in Wisconsin has won exactly NOTHING.
They didn’t get a majority in the Senate, so the Republicans still run Wisconsin Government. They lost the Supreme Court election in April, and a weak attempt to get the conservative who won thrown off the court for “choking” a fellow justice has been proven to be a lie. The recall movement against Governor Walker is losing steam and — while probably will be attempted — will ultimately fail.
On top of it all, Wisconsin’s government has set our economy on a path to recover at a far better and stronger pace than the nation. So I predict Scott Walker will go on to even bigger and brighter things.
P.S. For those not aware, one of the most regular on-the-scene “reporters” of what’s going on in Wisconsin is Law Professor Ann Althouse. You can read her via her blog.
Update: Nationally syndicated columnist George Will shares his thoughts about the Left’s losing fight in Wisconsin and why it very much has national implications. Be sure to read the very last line!
For all their public temper tantrums, for all the out-of-state union agitators they sent in, for the $30 MILLION they spent on recall elections…the Left in Wisconsin has won exactly NOTHING.
They don’t have to win to keep doing what they’re doing.
They’re speaking “truth to power” and, win or lose, what matters to them is following the herd and maintaining their place in the collective.
It isn’t about winning, although they like to win, it’s about their individual sense of self image.
(how they feel about themselves and their place in the collective)
The teachers are doing this for the children!
In that respect, they are doing a great job.
These jive turkeys are making it politically viable for other cities and states to crack down on teachers unions as well.
Thus, we owe a lot of gratitude to these union thugs. Thanks Thugs, the children are the winners!
Let’s see the BCTF teacher’s union had me sacked in the fall of 1989, over precisely the ‘political’ use of union dues.
It is one thing to represent the worker for real local bargaining conditions, it is quite another to essentially pick your political party for you.
It is simple communism dressed as ‘democracy in drag.’
Result one torched career, an economically impoverished life, but I sleep well at night.
But then the family history has somehow always managed to be one of starting over.
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
I think this fight is about winning – and it’s the ‘fight of this century’ for the US. And even for the world.
Without even thinking too much about it, the US, post WWII, moved from a basic free market capitalist economy, with a respect for individual entrepreneurial powers and responsibilities, a focus around small and medium private businesses and a respect for state rights.. into an economy run, not by private individuals, but by a statist centralist authority dominated by national unions and a monolithic authoritarian federal rule.
This focus on a govt run centralist economy has crippled the economy; it has effectively smothered the ability of the population to accumulate wealth (with which to INVEST); it has eroded the private capacity to set up new businesses..and thus..has economically moved the US into a Debtor rather than Wealthy Nation.
Removing the power of the private individual to ‘be in business’, and to ‘accumulate wealth’ – which wealth is the INVESTMENT source of any nation’s economy (the economic triad is: investment, production, consumption)…means that the federal govt has increased its taxes on these citizens – a disastrously circular tactic.
Then, with this central control of the economy and the removal of wealth-production from the private individual, the govt also moved itself into a ‘welfare state’, where it began to designate more and more of its citizens as ‘Government Dependents’. That is, it removed them from the nation’s wealth-producing capacity and made them simply and only: Consumers.
This set of Only-Consumers are the unionized public service, whose numbers have exponentially increased to a situation where they, in many states, are larger than the numbers in the private business sector. Since only the latter are wealth producers – then, the burden of this latter group, to support these non-producers is untenable.
Add to the civil service, with their high salaries, pensions, benefits – the massive numbers supported by welfare, social security and other federal largesse – filled with fraud and waste – and the economy of the US is deadlocked into one of consumption. It has lost its capacity to produce wealth.
Wealth is the surplus in an economic transation. It is used for future-oriented INVESTMENT into new factories, new jobs, etc.
Consider Obama’s ignorant (Keynesian) view of wealth as ‘greed’. Incredible. But, after all, Keynes considered that the economy was dyadic, made up of only two processes: Production and Consumption. He ignored Investment…defining investment as ‘animal spirits’. Heh.
That’s what I call the ‘Magic Cauldron’ view of wealth, where you think that it bubbles up, eternally, from some golden pot. Nope. It’s the surplus after the costs of production..and it MUST be re-invested in the economy. Just as the earth would be barren if ALL the seeds were eaten by birds..and none were left to sow next year’s harvest.
Result of this statism and welfarism? At least 50% of the population pay no taxes – which leaves the burden of supporting this massive consumer population on the dwindling ranks of private business. AND…borrowing. The US, rather than confronting this imbalance between producers-of-wealth and consumers-of-wealth, has chosen to borrow and borrow..to support the consumers. Why?
Because the consumers, the public unions, the welfare, the social security…are voters of the Democrat Party. That’s why. It’s called: Buying Your Way to Political Power.
This is disastrous. That means that wealth-production in the US goes to pay off this debt and its interest…rather than being used as INVESTMENT into new factories, new technology, new jobs.
So, this ‘waking up’ of the US – and the world – to the disastrous results of an economic policy that ignores the first phase of the economic triad, the phase of INVESTMENT…is vital. It’s a vital fight and capitalism must win, because capitalism is the only economic mode that focuses on investment.
Before marxism called it capitalism, the sum total of all individual economic decisions was called the free market.
Taking back the language would be a start in returning economic activity back to the individual and away from the state and its bureaucracies.
The problem, ulianov, with your comment, is its sophistry. That is, it’s a conclusion that lacks the reasons that led you to thse conclusions; namely – ‘the inevitable collapse of capitalism’ and ‘criminals responsible for capitalism’.
Without definitions and causal analysis, your comments belongs, as I used to tell my students, ‘in the coffee shop’. That’s a domain where you can say anything without fear of any requirement for reasoning, evidence, causality, statistics…etc. It’s fun, isn’t it but gosh, outside of the coffee shop, heck, it’s empty.
The collectivist Unions are losing which is a win for individuals.
The Unons knew it was make or break time in Wisconsin .
By being defeated by their own tactics its already started to be seen for what they have become. Just political machines for the Union bosses own wallets & power.
At the expense of the dues provider with perhaps theri job aswell , all to pander to a few big shots.
Unions are certainly not about workers anymore.
JMO
“the people will deal with the criminals responsible for this system in the appropriate manner.” No doubt with a bullet to the back of the head or overwork in a labour camp like some of my relatives got.
ET, great posts again today.
I’m betting on the collapse of marxist utopias.
Soviet Union, Greece, Portugal, Ireland … the cards keep falling on those who continue to attempt to forment social justice by spending their way into prosperity.
“On top of it all, Wisconsin’s government has set our economy on a path to recover at a far better and stronger pace than the nation. So I predict Scott Walker will go on to even bigger and brighter things.”
Unfortunately she is correct. Gov. Walker will move on to other things when the people of Wisconsin forget all of this and elect a democratic slate, then, after a frenzied looting of the treasury they will be right back where they started. That is the cycle of life; Liberals spend their way into bankruptcy and get tossed from power, then a conservative government comes along and fixes everything. Repeat ad nauseam.
ulianov – nope, you are still making the same error.
Asserting a conclusion without any evidence. In this case, your claim that I’m a ‘sophist’ who writes without proof: ie, without evidence or logic.
Now, back to your claim of
– the ‘inevitable collapse of capitalism’. Kindly provide some evidence and logical analysis for such a claim.
– that capitalism is a ‘house of cards’. Kindly explain – with evidence and logic.
– that criminals are responsible for capitalism. Kindly explain – with evidence and logic.
You see, ulianov, it’s easy to make assertions, as you do; any voice can say anything. But, providing some evidence and logical analysis – that’s something that you never, ever do.
Try it. And the rules of argumentation, which rest on evidence and logic, are valid within and outside of the classroom.
Come on – instead of empty assertions, provide some evidence and logical analysis. Can you do that?
ulianov
“without providing a shred of proof”
****Wisconsin****
U realy are as dumb as a bag of rocks
It’s encouraging that dues-paying drops 70 – 90% once force is removed, sounds like a good strategy to use in Canada?
This is an important development in the Electoral Calculus.
To win the next election, the Republican candidate will have to win back Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, and Nevada. If the Republican loses any of those states except Nevada, the race is over.
If the Republican fails to win Nevada, he must win one of Colorado, New Mexico, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan or Pennsylvania.
Taking a midwestern state from the Demon Rats is a major coup – an insurance policy against losing a smaller state like Nevada or Missouri. If the Republican can take two midwestern states, they can afford to lose North Carolina or Virginia. Pennsylvania is the biggest prize, but it will probably be the hardest to win. Minnesota would be in play if Pawlenty is the VP choice. Romney has some roots in Michigan.
Iowa, Colorado, and New Mexico may be losts causes, so it’s absolutely vital for Republicans to make gains and maintain the Midwest states. The mass exodus of unemployed people may turn the tide.
Don’t forget.
Those fleebagger friends et al moved their protest to the WI State Fair in the form of a flash mob.
The politics of prejudice…
What is a ‘fleebagger’, Curious? Something in your sleeping bag?
What is a ‘fleebagger’, Curious? Something in your sleeping bag?
‘Fleebagger’ is the term we used to refer to the Wisconsin Senate Democrats who left the state of Wisconsin and spent weeks in Illinois. A jab back at them for the sexually explicit ‘teabagger’ pejorative the lefties love so much.
The Democrats did this because the Senate rules require a quorum of 20 senators be present to vote on bills pertaining to fiscal issues.
Because the collective bargaining bill (a/k/a Act 10) was connected to a larger fiscal bill, the Senate could not vote on it while the Democrats were gone.
They left February 17, and Senator Lena Taylor (who’s tweets are *gems* by the way /sarcasm), tweeted that she had requested an absentee ballot for the APRIL Supreme Court election…
Keep in mind that as they hid out, Gov. Walker DID make an offer to alter parts of Act 10 and compromise with the Democrats. With that olive branch offered, the Democrats had agreed to return…only to turn around and stay in Illinois longer.
Then the Senate split Act 10 (which isn’t a fiscal bill) into a separate piece of legislation and passed it anyway.
I hope everyone appreciates just how astonishingly stupid this action was. The Democrats — elected to vote and represent their constituencies — left the state rather than vote knowing they didn’t have a majority. Do you have any kind of idea what sort of precedent they’ve set for future sessions of the Wisconsin State legislature?
On a related note, remember that merry band of psychopathic union members/lefty Gov. Walker stalkers I mentioned?
Here’s some unbelievable video of them harassing the faculty of Messmer Preparatory, a successful, inner-city Milwaukee Choice School. For those that don’t know, Milwaukee provides vouchers for low-income families to pick a school outside the failing Milwaukee Public school system. It’s a very successful program that offers an alternative to a district in the top 5 for dropout rates, and bottom of the barrel test scores. The Wisconsin left hates the Choice program and would kill it in a heartbeat if they could.
Anyway, Gov. Walker was going to read to kindergarteners at Messmer Preparatory. The day of the the scheduled visit, several of the school’s door locks were vandalized with superglue and metal.
Protestors also told the director of the school, Br. Bob Smith, to expect a “riot” for having Gov. Walker there in an apolitical fashion.
Watch the videos as the protestors attempt to intimidate Br. Smith, call him a “scumbag” and harass others at Messmer.
http://badgerblogger.com/?p=20527
This is the kind of B.S. we’ve dealt with, as I said in the post Kate so kindly put up above. This is the American left, revealed in all their glory.
And I agree: Ann Althouse’s blog is great, as she lives in Madison and sees this stuff on a daily basis (whereas I’m in the Milwaukee area, another heavily liberal bastion, but not quite as crazy as Madison. Yet.)