Battlefront Wisconsin to Determine the Fate of Working People: Unions Fighting for Survival
The fate of working people and education in America rests on Wisconsin Senators standing firm in their filibuster. Stay away, Wisconsin Senators. Your entire State and your entire nation will thank you.
Let’s not pretend this debate has anything to do with deficits.
1) The workers conceded and took a cut of 12%. Yet the Governor still persists on trying to make it illegal for them to collectively bargain ever again. Perhaps the Governor thinks “the Jungle” of 1890’s America or current Mexico is better than American today. But the vast majority of Americans support the functioning of the middle class the Governor aims to destroy.
2) The “Deficits Don’t Matter” national Republican Party, after running up a Pentagon bill of 120% over the last 10 years and insisting that billionaires each deserve a minimum of $30 million back from taxpayers, can’t afford 1/500 of the $60 billion annually lavished on the megamillionaires (who don’t need the money and won’t use it to help the economy) to make sure that Wisconsin still has competent teachers. By cutting aid to the States, the national Republican Party has forced States all across the country to raise taxes and to fire dedicated public servants. It’s a major reason the unemployment rate remains high. And now Republicans want to sacrifice our economy, just so their extremely rich donors get a wee bit richer. Except there’s not much middle-class wealth to sop up.
3) The Governor of Wisconsin just issued $140 million in new corporate tax breaks, approximately the same amount he is asking teachers to suffer. In essence, he is asking teachers to give up 1/8 of their wages to Wisconsin corporations. They agreed! And he still wants to punish them.
4) The Governor supports the collective bargaining right of any unions that endorse him (police, firefighters) while denying the collective bargaining of anyone who doesn’t. This is what leads his actions to a comparison to the corruption and cronyism of less democratic nations than ours.
5) Polls overwhelmingly show support for working people and against the Governor’s attempt to push teachers into poverty. 61% to 33% in the latest unbiased Gallup Poll. (The Republican’s Rasmussen “push poll” isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.) Wisconsin polls show overwhelming support of the People of Wisconsin for the Democrats and majorities disapproving both the Governor and the Republicans. The Democrats’ standing firm is not just right as a matter of ethics and economics. It’s right as a matter of politics.
6) The teachers and public servants of Wisconsin need to show the People of Wisconsin that they are valuable, that children do need an education. Every single other industrialized nation values its teachers. Only in America do we value high-rolling billionaire gamblers on Wall Street over the people that give our children a chance at the American Dream. The clear message to our children is that education does not matter, and they should never become teachers. They should become lobbyists instead. Because cronyism and corruption leads to billions, while helping kids learn leads to poverty. And then, with this clear Republican message, we wonder why American ingenuity and innovation declines.
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Robt March 15, 2011 8:39 pm
The link post just above,
does ask many great questions.
I am not sure if we will remain a great power and force in the world. Because America is a mosaic. Too many people have taken the outlook that they are out to get theirs and to hell with everyone else.
They cannot fathom paying taxes which goes toward helping other in need or promotion of our future.
The dog eat dog mentality has been brought back and propagated.
It is the reason we do not see more of the War news in daily media.
Vp Cheney clearly stated the mentality and ideology best several times.
When VP, Cheney was asked after pushing war in iraq ans all the dead and sacrifices by those who really proseccuted the war. When asked knowing what he knows now that there was NO weapons of mass destruction, what would he say to all those family surviving member and others concerned, All the civilian Iraqi’s devastated.
Cheney said, “SO” unquote.
When Cheney was asked about why he was so quick to go into war, And after checking his record that he recieved 5 deferments during a time of drafting other Americans.
Cheney replied, “I had more important things to do”. Unquote.
He was more important and had more important things to do for himself during a time he was able bodied and his country called, during a time of military draft as others were less than Cheney and could go and fight.
yet, he wanted to be known as a WAR Hawk in politics so bad he would cherry pick his data to reach the conclusion of going into Iraq he originally had already decided.
“Here is what I am going to do so find the facts that support that and shred and bury anything that oppossses my plan”. I want what I want and I am in power and only I count.
Then President GW Bush talking to a select group of wealthy supportors at a fund raiser.
President Bush made many clear statements along these lines.
“Some people call you the HAVES AND THE HAVE MORES, I call you my base” To a select crowd at a fund raiser.
The Bush Adm in its marketing and promoting war in Iraq.
“you are with us or against us”.
I only use these as examples of prominent people that have a wide media stage.
The lack of understanding of why the survival of people in the Katrina aftermath was too great for one single state to react. That the media got away with blaming those poor people that stayed when ordered out. Not paying attention to the reports that so many that were trapped and effected by the devastation were not just the poor. But the poor got blamed.
The poor get blamed for making Morgage companies give them a loan(they could not afford), and that is what collapsed the economy. The poor collapsed the Wall Street Banks.
Gov. Wlaker breaking Union’s collective barganing is something hailed because it is School teachers and their union are the sole blame of the states budget overage. Nothing to do with Gov. Walker passing out $160 million in tax cuts to corporations and that $160 million happens to be the exact amoount the State of Wis. is in debt overage for.
There is a active slaes pitch (constant) to pit one American against another. NO American should assemble and come together on anything, certain others fear and do much to break any allegiance, any compact among workers, political groups eyc.