Tag: wisconsin

Unions starting to cave in Wisconsin.

The report is that the unions will agree to “the financial aspects of [Gov. Scott] Walker’s budget-repair bill” (which is nice, because they don’t have the votes to stop them) in exchange for the removal of the collective bargaining provisions (which is – oddly enough! – also something that they don’t have the votes to stop). Walker’s response? Get back to work:

As thousands of protesters marched and chanted, Gov. Scott Walker on Saturday rejected an overture from a Democratic state senator that public employee unions had agreed to make financial sacrifices contained in the budget-repair bill in return for the right to bargain collectively.

Cullen Werwie, Walker’s spokesman, said in a statement that State Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) “should come to work and debate the bill while doing his job in Madison.

Continue reading Unions starting to cave in Wisconsin.

#rsrh Well, the Democrats lost Joe Klein…

…with regard to their petulant, violence-threatening protests over Scott Walker’s collective bargaining reform package:

An election was held in Wisconsin last November. The Republicans won. In a democracy, there are consequences to elections and no one, not even the public employees unions, are exempt from that. There are no guarantees that labor contracts, including contracts governing the most basic rights of unions, can’t be renegotiated, or terminated for that matter. We hold elections to decide those basic parameters. And it seems to me that Governor Scott Walker’s basic requests are modest ones–asking public employees to contribute more to their pension and health care plans, though still far less than most private sector employees do. He is also trying to limit the unions’ abilities to negotiate work rules–and this is crucial when it comes to the more efficient operation of government in a difficult time.

You know, losing Joe Klein? That takes skill. I’m almost impressed.

Via @ddson.

Moe Lane

#rsrh. OCH! Wisconsin’s tax dollars at work.

Marvel, oh my droogies, at the caliber of establishment that the Brave Sir Robins (otherwise known as “Democratic Wisconsin state senators trying to avoid a vote on ending collective bargaining”) hid out at, rather than do their job.  I give you… the Tilted Kilt:

If you think that I’m going to pretend that I wouldn’t have a beer and something fried – AND NON-SCOTTISH – at such a fine, fine residence myself, well… I’m not.  I’d probably cheerfully eat there, if I needed to, or really, wanted to.  But I wouldn’t be doing it on the taxpayer’s dime, either – and if I’m there in Illinois when I should be in Wisconsin dealing with the fact that elections have consequences, then I’m doing it on the taxpayer’s dime whether or not I’m using my personal credit card to leave Fiona MacSchoolgirloutfit an outrageous tip that will not, in fact, result in her helping toss my caber*.

And remember this well, ye Wisconsin Republican state Senators.  That is where your ‘colleagues’ were while you were carefully avoiding letting your heads, or those of your staffers, be in a clear field of fire today.

Via The PJ Tatler, via Instapundit.

Moe Lane

*Not that I would attempt to enlist such help, being married and all.

Unions fuel the hate in Wisconsin.

[UPDATE]: Ann Althouse has a few photos up that rather starkly symbolize just how committed public sector unions are to cleaning up the mess.

(Via @keder) The Wisconsin GOP has put together a quick video of union attacks on Governor Scott Walker, which include: signs calling him a Nazi (and a dictator generally); signs calling him a rapist; and signs calling for his death.  What makes this a particularly hard-hitting video is that it’s interspersed with solemn quotes from Democrats who claim that their side never, ever, ever does such things: which is of course a lie, but a lot of these people haven’t internalized yet the notion that it’s harder to lie about this sort of thing these days.

Background, for those who need it: Scott Walker’s call for (limited) reforms of Wisconsin’s frankly out-of-control collective bargaining system for public sector union employees has caused a good deal of controversy, and by ‘controversy’ I mean ‘death threats.’  Excuse me: alleged death threats.  Anyway, as I noted earlier Lakeshore Laments is a Wisconsin blog covering this: note in particular the way that the ‘spontaneous’ sickouts seem to be mostly targeting Republican state districts.  It’s going to be a real interesting day in Wisconsin.

Moe Lane (crosspost)

Scott Walker’s (R, WI) collective bargaining reforms.

This post by Ann Althouse on the anemic protester response to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s budget plan – and it is an anemic response; it’s bad when you have to add a statue to your crowd in order to make your crowd look bigger – reminded me about Walker’s plan in the first place.  I got told about this actually by Kevin Binversie, who runs Lakeshore Laments, was recently involved in Ron Johnson’s successful Wisconsin Senate run, is a good guy, and who is unaccountably not being headhunted by DC Republicans*; Governor Walker’s plan is fascinating in its audacity.

Essentially, what’s happening in Scott Walker’s budget that has the public sector unions melting down is that he’s planning to strip some of them of some of their collective bargaining “rights.”  Specifically: Continue reading Scott Walker’s (R, WI) collective bargaining reforms.

Madison libtalker Jon Sylvester being vile. Again.

This is what Madison, Wisconsin liberal talk show host John “Sly” Sylvester said last week about Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch on WTDY (office line 608-273-1000; Program Director Rex Charger) :

‘Would you like to move to Wisconsin? Would you like to move CouponCabin to Wisconsin? I’m Rebecca Kleefisch. I performed fellatio on all the talk show hosts in Milwaukee. And they endorsed me and that’s how I became lieutenant governor. And then I got colon cancer and I ran around the state to help people. Even though I have government health care, screw everyone else.’

More via Michelle Malkin: yes, in fact, that was a liberal male accusing a conservative female politician of being a literal prostitute (and mocking her for being a cancer survivor).   The man later admitted that his remarks might have gone a little too far*, which suggests that his host WTDY (office line 608-273-1000; Program Director Rex Charger) may be getting some heat for yet another bout of misogyny.  Yes, “another:” would you be surprised to hear that there’s a history there?  – You see, back in 2004 Sylvester used racist language against conservative and Republican African-Americans.  And let’s not forget the rape fantasies that this guy has.  That one’s from 2005, by the way.  The man seems to have quite the fascination with conservative women, in fact; and not in a particularly… gentle… way, either. Continue reading Madison libtalker Jon Sylvester being vile. Again.

Scott Walker makes Wisconsin a sanctuary state.

…For Illinois businesses, that is: the new Governor is doing everything that he can to encourage a mass corporate exodus to Wisconsin, short of actually calling out the local National Guard to provide covering fire for the refugee columns.  This is less of an exaggeration than you might think: the official slogan that Governor Walker is using is “Escape to Wisconsin.”  They’re kind of serious about it, too: the Lt. Governor is going around and calling companies worried about the proposed Amazon* tax that’s about to destroy the business model of thousands of individuals and corporations in Illinois.

One thing that’s kind of entertaining about this situation  – well, there are many things that are entertaining about this situation – is watching folks attempt to push back on this by arguing that taxes are still technically higher in Wisconsin than they are in Illinois.  Indeed: the Democrats took the Governorship in 2002, the state Senate in 2006, and the state Assembly in 2008 – and then they promptly hiked taxes like they were, well, Democrats.  Which is a major reason why the state government flipped so overwhelmingly Republican in November – and why the lightning push to cut business taxes and regulation in January has Democratic screams of outrage for counterpoint.  I’m sure that Governor Walker would love to wave a magic wand and retroactively erase the bad business decisions of the Wisconsin Democratic party in an instant, but unfortunately this is the real world, where magic wands are not particularly known for working.  Believe me: if they did then the Democratic party would have invested in that technology years ago: it’s precisely the hardware that they need to make their economic policies work. Continue reading Scott Walker makes Wisconsin a sanctuary state.

#rsrh The dependent independent Feingold.

Gail Collins of the NYT wants to know why Wisconsinites are poised to throw Democratic Senator Russ Feingold – a man whom she categorizes as ‘independent’ – out of office in favor of Ron Johnson.

Ask me an easy one. It’s because this self-proclaimed ‘independent’ is a big-government liberal who voted for a stimulus that’s hurt employment, a cap-and-trade bill that would have gutted American industry and business, and a health care monstrosity that seems almost designed to kill off old people in carload lots*. Add to that the minor detail that Feingold is personally responsible for one of the worst assaults on the First Amendment in recent history**, and, well, he’s earned his bad electoral karma.

Since Gail asked.

Moe Lane
Continue reading #rsrh The dependent independent Feingold.

State of the race: WI-07 (Sean Duffy).

If you want to know how bad things are for the Democrats in the Midwest right now, here’s one particular data point: the Duffy/Lassa matchup in WI-07. This was David Obey’s district for over forty years, before Sean Duffy scared him off: it’s a D+3 district, according to Cook; and Democratic candidate Julie Lassa is doing everything she can to disassociate herself from the national Democratic party.  And even her own internal polls show her losing.

Partially this is due to Duffy, who is turning out to be an excellent recruiting ‘get;’ and partially it’s due to the fact that Lassa is being hypocritical about spurning the Democratic party with one hand, while taking lots of dirty DCCC money with the other.  And it’s also partially due to the fact that this is a bad year to be a Democrat in the Midwest – particularly if you’re one who understands that Obamacare is going to be a dead albatross around your neck.  Lassa’s particular way to try to reconcile needing to show opposition to the health care monstrosity saddled on the USA by the Democratic party with not jeopardizing the flow of all that lovely, lovely dirty DCCC money is to  pretend that she has a problem with the individual mandate (she doesn’t, particularly, as a state senator).

Couple that with somewhat puerile attempts to bring up Duffy’s The Real World gig and you’re left with a certain amount of wonder at who replaced all the competent political operatives in the Democratic party with these people…

Moe Lane (crosspost)

PS: Sean Duffy for WI-07, of course.