Protests in Wisconsin - Scott Walker

[johnny karate]

Here's some more fun facts:

- This "budget repair" bill was brought to the floor late last Friday afternoon with the expectation to be passed into law this week.

- However, Wisconsin's current budget doesn't expire until the end of June.

So the question is: What's the rush?

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

If private sector employees tried this sort of stunt they'd find themselves kicked to the street. Why should public sector employees be any different?

That's a naive assessment. You seem to think unions are powerless. They aren't.

Don't be so sure.

Ever been to Madison?

I'm sure.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

It doesn't sell well here. There's another group, known as 'Progressive Dane' that tried this stuff. Brought in money from all over the nation and even candidates and policy concerns. Wisconsin has a long Progressive history, we didn't much care for these outsiders setting the agenda. I don't think a politician from Chicago putting the 'Machine' to work in Wisconsin will go over very well with Badgers, who can be ornery when cornered. WI went for Obama in '08, elected a Pubbie Governor and replaced a respected Dem Senator in the last election. It might have repercussions in '12 to interfere...

Remember what Tip O'Neill used to say? "All politics is local?" Maybe this has nothing to do with any national agenda and has to do with a local concern and perhaps the Dems would be better off allowing new voices into the party and cutting the stranglehold WEAC has had on Wisconsin politics.

Or at least give them a kick in the crotch. That can be fun to do with bullies.

This worries me to no end when I see people sucked into the Karl Rove spin machine and start adopting the Repub controlled discussion. Don't do it.

Who says support for the unions has to involve butting in? And since when is the DNC not also part of the WI Democratic Party?

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

That's the message being sent by Governor Walker and the Republicans of Wisconsin, which is apparently being lapped up by certain denizens of this forum.

I'm too annoyed at the moment but when I recharge my energy, I hope to articulate the framing so people can see exactly what message they are beng tricked into buying and how it works. It's straight out of Karl Rove's Playbook.

The House just passed a bill to defund Planned Parenthood. This is just nuts!

 

[deepatrax]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=71gsnLfsbbM "Rhetoric vs. Reality: Liberal Protest of Gov. Walker's Budget Repair Plan"

Gee … what ever happened to that more civil debate that liberals were demanding just a month ago?

This disgusting display AGAIN by the Left should be bookmarked and brought up every time some Liberal tries to claim, "No, we never do that!"

 

[Kaosium]

The DNC and Obama called the Tea Party racists and Nazis?



They weren't worrying about it before Walker came into office. Primarily because before that, they weren't in debt.

It's the same old Republican playbook we've seen before:

- Run up a huge tab.

- Blame the Democrats.

We had a Dem governor, the Pubbie just took over and according to today's WSJ we are facing a 3 billion dollar budget deficit. That's what's causing the ruckus. There's nothing in it about any 'surplus' and the minty new GOP governor being responsible for that shortfall. If it was true they'd probably know, and they'd probably tell.

Dunno where you got your figures, but do they make any sense to you? Perhaps a healthy dose of skepticism would be in order.

 

[Kaosium]

This worries me to no end when I see people sucked into the Karl Rove spin machine and start adopting the Repub controlled discussion. Don't do it.

I make up my own 'spin' SG. I don't even pay attention to national politics anymore, too much hateful trash and not enough actual debate about things that matter. Maybe my opinion is actually my opinion, being as I live here and all I might know something about it.

Who says support for the unions has to involve butting in? And since when is the DNC not also part of the WI Democratic Party?

It won't go over well, it could be forgotten, but maybe not. Trying to frustrate the will of the governor we elected (and I didn't vote for BTW) to prop up an institution that has gotten really good at pissing Wisconsinites off might not be best.

 

[deepatrax]

The DNC and Obama called the Tea Party racists and Nazis?



They weren't worrying about it before Walker came into office. Primarily because before that, they weren't in debt.

It's the same old Republican playbook we've seen before:

- Run up a huge tab.

- Blame the Democrats.

Scott Walker became Wisconsin Governor in Jan. 2011.

You're contending that they weren't in debt until then and in the span of 1 month, he ran up a huge tab?

wow!

 

[dirtywick]

You'd have to be a pretty blind faith Republican to be supporting Walker at this time. Cutting the state worker benefits from every group except the ones who financially supported his candidacy and authorizing $150M in new spending last month, privatizing some UW schools and gutting state education by $900 million (and the guy hasn't had any adult education!), calling in the national guard against protesters and sending police to unlawfully pursue his Democratic opposition.

This dude is an *******.

 

[johnny karate]

We had a Dem governor, the Pubbie just took over and according to today's WSJ we are facing a 3 billion dollar budget deficit. That's what's causing the ruckus. There's nothing in it about any 'surplus' and the minty new GOP governor being responsible for that shortfall. If it was true they'd probably know, and they'd probably tell.

Dunno where you got your figures, but do they make any sense to you? Perhaps a healthy dose of skepticism would be in order.

Scott Walker became Wisconsin Governor in Jan. 2011.

You're contending that they weren't in debt until then and in the span of 1 month, he ran up a huge tab?

wow!

I've documented my claim. Twice.

Perhaps you both should try reading through the thread before chiming in.

 

[eeyore1954]

To begin, as others have explained, there was no budget shortfall until this Bagger Governor standing selling out to special interests, and second, observe this little hidden gem in the state pension program:

I never thought about Wisconsin's budget until now but what does this mean?
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/109275069.html

Madison — Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle's administration on Friday told Republican Governor-elect Scott Walker that he would have to cope with a $2.2 billion deficit in the state's upcoming two-year budget, but this brighter-than-expected forecast contained more than $1 billion in hidden pain.

It looks as if there were some budget problem according to the outgoing governor on Nov,19 2010.

 

[deepatrax]

I've documented my claim. Twice.

Perhaps you both should try reading through the thread before chiming in.

It's interesting, Walker comes into office and, because he was elected to do so, spends money in certain areas with a plan to cut programs elsewhere...and people claim he's now running WI into debt!

So, pass his spending cut proposals!

 

[johnny karate]

I never thought about Wisconsin's budget until now but what does this mean?
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/109275069.html

It looks as if there were some budget problem according to the outgoing governor on Nov,19 2010.

All of which is addressed in a memo dated January 31, 2011 from the non-partisan Fiscal Bureau, which I will now post for a third time in this thread:

http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/Misc/...os&Darling.pdf

 

[Kaosium]

I've documented my claim. Twice.

Perhaps you both should try reading through the thread before chiming in.

Oh, I did, was that the Mother Jones link?

My question is, does it make any sense to you? How did it get past the Wisconsin State Journal who thinks this is a real problem that has to be faced and doesn't really like Walker's solution but isn't saying stuff that sounds silly to the people who live here?

Anyway, just wanted to let you all know I'm not living in a war zone. We don't elect monsters, we'll work it out. Neat trick hiding in Rockford, that one makes me laugh.

You guys do remind me why I won't get fooled again.

 

[eeyore1954]

Later Gov. Jim Doyle says Wisconsin's projected budget shortfall is $1.5 billion, much lower than previously projected but he is still claiming a 1.5 billion shortfall. I guess he didn't know what he was saying and actually they had a surplus.

http://politifact.com/wisconsin/sta...m-doyle-says-wisconsins-projected-budget-sho/

 

[johnny karate]

It's interesting, Walker comes into office and, because he was elected to do so, spends money in certain areas with a plan to cut programs elsewhere...and people claim he's now running WI into debt!

That's because that's exactly what he did.

A responsible and honest governor wouldn't turn a surplus into a deficit and then demand cuts be made, proclaiming a "budget crisis".

And a responsible and honest governor certainly wouldn't pretend the deficit was the fault of organizations to which he is ideologically opposed and who conveniently happen to be the target of the cuts he's demanding.

So, pass his spending cut proposals!

Why? The current budget doesn't expire until the end of June. There's still plenty of time to go back and re-examine the reckless spending that turned a $120 billion surplus into a $137 billion shortfall and amend that if Wisconsin is truly in such dire straits.

 

[johnny karate]

Oh, I did, was that the Mother Jones link?

No.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Later Gov. Jim Doyle says Wisconsin's projected budget shortfall is $1.5 billion, much lower than previously projected but he is still claiming a 1.5 billion shortfall. I guess he didn't know what he was saying and actually they had a surplus.

http://politifact.com/wisconsin/sta...m-doyle-says-wisconsins-projected-budget-sho/

Johnny's link talks about the report Politifact cites for their source:

On November 19, 2010, the Departments of Administration and Revenue submitted a
report to the Governor, newly-elected Governor, and Legislature that identified revenue
projections for the 2010-11 fiscal year and the 2011-13 biennium. That report, required by
statute, identifies the magnitude of state agency biennial budget requests and presents a
projection of general fund tax collections.
On December 27, 2010, the administration modified the November 19 report and presented
a reestimate of general fund tax collections for 2010-11 and the two years of the 2011-13
biennium.
Our analysis indicates that for the three-year period, aggregate, general fund tax collections
will be $202.8 million lower than those reflected in the November/December reports. More than
half of the lower estimate ($117.2 million) is due to the impact of Special Session Senate Bill 2
(health savings accounts), Assembly Bill 3 (tax deductions/credits for relocated businesses), and
Assembly Bill 7 (tax exclusion for new employees).
State of Wisconsin Page 2
Compared with the administration's reports, tax collections are projected to be $12.9
million lower in 2010-11, $139.7 million lower in 2011-12, and $50.2 million lower in 2012-13.

2010-11 General Fund Condition Statement
Based upon the November/December reports, the administration's general fund condition
statement for 2010-11 reflects a gross ending balance (June 30, 2011) of $67.4 million and a net
balance (after consideration of the $65.0 million required statutory balance) of $2.4 million.
Our analysis indicates a general fund gross balance of $121.4 million and a net balance of
$56.4 million. This is $54.0 million above that of the administration's reports. The 2010-11
general fund condition statement is shown in Table 1.

I'm going to let someone else clarify what it means, but the bottom line appears to be net + not net -. Perhaps one refers to different funds?

 

[BeAChooser]

The DNC and Obama called the Tea Party racists and Nazis?

Howard Dean is the former head of the DNC. He called the Tea Party “the last gasp of the generation that has trouble with diversity" ... i.e., racists. He said "you have all had friends of different races, different religions, and different sexual orientations, and you all date each other, that is not how I grew up. That is not how the tea party grew up. The tea party is almost entirely over 55 and white" ... i.e., racist. His group, Democracy for America, sent out an email calling the "Tea Baggers" "extremists" with a “weirdly racist tinge”.

Current DNC Chair, Tim Kaine, called the "the tea bag party" "corrosive and divisive" while at the same the New York Times reported that the White House was planning an all out ad campaign to create the impression that the Republican party was now being led by Tea Party "extremists". Kaine stated that he sees as the Tea Party's "extreme agenda" is reflected in the beliefs of most of the GOP House leadership. It doesn't take a genius to see that he was trying to hang the racism charges that democrats far and wide, and in the mainstream media, had leveled against the Tea Party on the GOP's door.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi referred to the Tea Party movement's protests as "un-American". Pelosi even said this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRCq7mv7HVM

Do you think there's legitimate grassroots opposition going on here?"

Pelosi - "I think they are Astroturf ... you be the judge. They're carrying swastikas and symbols like that to a town meeting on healthcare."

You be the judge whether she was referring to nazis.

 

[deepatrax]

That's because that's exactly what he did.

A responsible and honest governor wouldn't turn a surplus into a deficit and then demand cuts be made, proclaiming a "budget crisis".

And a responsible and honest governor certainly wouldn't pretend the deficit was the fault of organizations to which he is ideologically opposed and who conveniently happen to be the target of the cuts he's demanding.



Why? The current budget doesn't expire until the end of June. There's still plenty of time to go back and re-examine the reckless spending that turned a $120 billion surplus into a $137 billion shortfall and amend that if Wisconsin is truly in such dire straits.

Spending cuts.

He's trying to do that...