Everyone is Waiting

[GTO Man]

for the ax to fall. How deep will be cuts be that Walker wants?

Topic

[Anonymous]

:unsure: ?!? :dry:

Oh, the Humanity!

[GTO Man]

Full speed backward, our dimwitted dictator has spoken.

[GTO Man]

2011-2012 Wisconsin State Budget Details:

Elementary & Secondary Education:
• Reduce state aid to school districts by $749.4 million.
• Reduce school district revenue limits by 5.5% from previous biennium.
• Repeal school district revenue limit exemptions for school nurses, pupil transportation, safety equipment, & security officers.
• Phase out family income limits for Milwaukee school choice program.
• Repeal enrollment caps for Milwaukee school choice program.
• Repeal enrollment limits for virtual charter school program.
• Authorize UW System campuses to sponsor charter schools and allow charter schools anywhere throughout the state.
• Remove requirement that charter school teachers be state licensed and only require that they hold a bachelor’s degree.
• Extend enrollment deadline for school choice and virtual charter school programs from end of February to end of April.
• Repeal state aid for advanced placement programs, alcohol and drug abuse programs, alternative education, children at risk, English for Southeastern Asian children, improving pupil academic achievement, nursing services, pre-K to grade 5 programs, technology and math programs, and supplemental aid.
• Eliminate mandates requiring school districts to: schedule at least 180 school days annually; employ reading specialists; employ only licensed nurses with bachelor’s degrees; prepare detailed indoor environmental quality plans; not exceed 200 teaching service days for Milwaukee Public Schools.

Other “highlights”:
• Cut funding to UW-Madison by $125 million plus additional $125 million cut for remainder of UW System.
• Cut aid to state technical colleges by $71.6 million for the biennium.
• Prohibit technical college districts from increasing property tax mill rates.
• Reduce aid to county and municipal governments by $96 million.
• Cap county and municipal government tax levies at current levels plus new construction.
• Increase highway funding by $410.5 million, total of $5.7 billion spending on the state transportation system.
• Eliminate the requirement that municipalities & counties operate recycling programs and eliminate funding for such programs.
• Exempt investments in state businesses from capital gains.
• Reduce business taxes by expanding eligible losses in income calculations. (Estimated $9.2 million cost for ’11 & $37.2 million for ’12)
• Reduce homestead income tax credits by $8.1 million over the biennium.

[circletrack]

He’s in office for at least another year….

[ss396]

I am not trying to cause a stir but where is the money going to come from if not from this. I don’t like it either but we don’t have many options to make this money up from. I do not fully agree with him but at least he is doing what almost all senators do not do and that is try to make a change have a plan and follow through with it. no matter where the money comes from there will be hundreds and thousands of people upset because it effects them. the country and state is in shambles and he did not make it this way he is just trying to fix it. Change sucks and believe you me the bill greatly effects me as well. i am on a pay freeze and we will be seeing some major cuts as well that i do not agree with but if it helps our state and our country than by god all for it. I do not like the loss of bargaining rights but most people in this country do not have a union to back them up and if you don’t like how rule changes pay changes etc at your job most have to suck it up or quit. I think cutting school funding is terrible but again what are we to do with a deficit the size we have. if it works as planned in a fews years the spending will return back these places we cut them from but as for now we all need to take a cut and what better place than govt and state workers. they have the cheapest health care best benefits and for what kind of job. I have don’t many jobs in my life and I still think flipping burgers is way harder that most of them have it. And as I stated before i do not agree with most of what he is doing but i have to say that it is a bit stupid that if I do not like choices in my job i can not just walk away from it like the democrats did. They do not have to support it, but at least do the job they are supposed to. with them gone into hiding it will cause more damage that walkers Bill. Just wait and see the cuts they will have to make initially and the cuts that will come following. what a scary time we live in. I do ask that no one take offense to what i have stated on here as I know this is a touchy subject and i was very leery of even posting this but i cant voice myself at work since the most of you know what i do for a living i am not allowed to do that but I had to let it out. i am tired of waiting to see if I will have a job tomorrow or not. :unsure:

[Anonymous]

SS396,

No offense take, for sure. Because there are a lot of different opinions out there, it’s important that we discuss things without taking offense or calling names.

Like you, I’m not in a union, and I don’t like the loss of bargaining rights. While not everybody belongs to a union, I believe it’s important that they have the right to join (or form) one, if it’s needed and they want to.

As Circletrack mentioned, at least another year…

Here’s a link to a site which is registering people to sign a recall petition: http://www.unitedwisconsin.com/

Paul

[GTO Man]

This is a very controversial topic. It brings out strong opinions on both sides. Walker is trying to balance a budget poblem that was caused by his predecessors. In my opinion the way he is going about it is wrong.

– It should be done in phases, not all at once. That way people would be able to adjust to less take home pay easier.

– He is targeting the collective bargaining rights of workers. Union workers have given in to the pension and health concessions he wanted. The tool he talkes about giving the local governments to adjust to less state aid is not having to collectively bargain with their union employees. That way the local level can dictate wages and benefits.

– He is doing some of the same things the Governor’s before him did. One example is refinancing of the debt he spoke about. The money for those bonds is set aside, but he wants to refinace that and use that set aside money in the next biennium. That refinancing will cost $30,000,000.

– It appears he is being influenced greatly by groups outside of Wisconsin. Those groups have a national agenda and could care less what happens to the average person in Wisconsin. ‘Dutch’ Walker envisions himself as President so he was the perfect candidate to try to push this agenda in a state setting.

– His budget bill will move jobs from union to non-union but he will be able to count those in his promise to create 250k new jobs.

– He is moving this state backward in many areas. Education, envirornment, transportation, etc.

[GTO Man]

A union worker, a member of the Tea Party, and a CEO are sitting at a table.
In the middle of the table there is a plate with a dozen cookies on it.
The CEO reaches across the table, takes 11 cookies, looks at the Tea
Partier and says:
“Look out for that union guy, he wants a piece of your cookie.”

[circletrack]

Aaron, I agree with a lot of what you have said and if nothing else these changes will not be easy for anyone. While I respect anyone that’s in a union, at times I think unions are a sign of the past and it’s time to move forward. I know I can’t bargain with my employer for a raise, there are consequences for not performing my job like I’m paid to do and so on… If I chose not to show up for work like the democrats have, my job would’ve been terminated a long time ago, same with spending weeks protesting at the capitol. It’s a public building not a bed and breakfast, there are several peaceful law abiding citizens breaking through police lines to get in, and there are employees who cannot get their jobs done due to the protests. I know I wouldn’t want to crawl through windows to get to my desk and would hope my employer would not expect that out of me.

I do not agree with what he’s doing with education, our children are the voices of tomorrow and we need to give them every opportunity available to get a good education. Being a teacher today is much more than putting in your hours and going home, most teachers today play the role of parents, providers, counselors and so much more. I’d like to have my summers off also, some teachers use that time to further their education and so on, I chose not to go into the profession.

I don’t know where some of his ideas are coming from, but he is our Governor for at least the next year and all the protests in the world aren’t going to sway many of his decisions. If nothing else, hopefully we can learn and grow together to eventually make this a better state to live in.

[Garibaldi]

ss396,

Thanks for posting your opinion on this topic; we appreciate hearing from you! As you said this is a difficult subject, and it is important to remain objective. Ever since this began I’ve been hearing a lot of misinformation floating around and I wanted to really try and understand everything first-hand so that I would be as informed about what is going on as I can be.

I have tried to find a first or secondary source for all of these events (either a government document or a local news report) in order to provide the most factual information available on this topic. In regards to the budget bill and addressing the deficit, the unions have agreed to all of the monetary concessions in the bill. The only thing they do not want to give up is the right to collectively bargain. Gov. Walker stated that the reason he must eliminate collective bargaining rights from the bill is because they bog down local governments from balancing their budgets: “I know as a (former) local official, collective bargaining time and time again was the thing that stood in the way of local governments and school districts being able to manage their budgets” (source). Local governments across Wisconsin are speaking out in disagreement with him – “more than 200 mayors, school board presidents and other local officials held a news conference at the Capitol Wednesday to voice their objections to Walker’s budget repair bill. The group, representing at least 20 cities, 41 towns and 22 counties, has sent a letter to the governor asking him to restore collective bargaining to his bill. The officials say the proposal harms their ability to find common ground with municipal and county employees when crafting budgets” (source). You can see that letter and the growing list of signatures at http://savelocalcontrol.org/

Also, I think it is important to try and understand what collective bargaining for these employees means. Collective bargaining is not just about negotiating wages and benefits, but it is also about working conditions and having a voice in their job duties. I heard a nurse talking today about how if she loses her collective bargaining rights, she will have no say in the number of hours she works or when the shifts occur. For example, she could be forced to work a double shift with no say in the matter. In a life-or-death situation like dealing with patients in the hospital, this does not seem like a good idea. Similarly, I talked to a teacher who explained that collective bargaining gives her the ability to have a say on conditions in her classroom, such as the number of kids she teaches at once. Without collective bargaining, she would have no say and if the school board decided, she could have to teach 40 or 50 students per class instead of 30. I don’t imagine that having less personal attention from a teacher would be helpful in giving students a better education, especially at a young age. The point I am trying to make is that the consequences of this bill are not yet fully understood, and since there has been no discussion, debate, or compromise on it, we wouldn’t learn about any of these effects until after it is already law. I would like some time to investigate the real impact of this bill and based on the findings make adjustments to it accordingly.

Yes, the state of Wisconsin is in financial trouble. This is another area where we need to try and understand more definitively what is going on in the state. Gov. Walker has said many times that the state is “broke”, but what does that mean exactly? How do we fare compared to the rest of the nation? What are our options to improve the state’s financial standing? I just read an interesting report on Politifact this morning about this very topic. They consulted numerous experts in economics as well as economic authorities to try and assess the state of Wisconsin’s finances. Here’s what Moody’s found through their recent report:

Quote:

Meanwhile, in January 2011, Moody’s issued a national report that combined state debt and pension liabilities. Moody’s studies and rates debt issued by governments and corporations, and its ratings can affect how much those issuing bonds will have to pay in interest.

The report says that combining those obligations makes it easier to compare the fiscal health of states. Those with the highest ratings have the most serious debt burdens, which makes them less appealing to investors.

Wisconsin’s rating was 37th as measured by the amount of debt per capita, 38th (debt by GDP) 39 (by personal income) and 41 (by revenue).

“States’ liability rankings versus revenue or economic measures tend to be indicative of the nature of risks these states carry in funding their obligations over the long term,” the report says.

So according to the Moody’s debt ranking, Wisconsin fares well when compared with other states. That’s one measure of the state’s fiscal health.

See the rest of the article for more details.

[circletrack]

“I heard a nurse talking today about how if she loses her collective bargaining rights, she will have no say in the number of hours she works or when the shifts occur. For example, she could be forced to work a double shift with no say in the matter. In a life-or-death situation like dealing with patients in the hospital, this does not seem like a good idea”

I cannot imagine anyone making a nurse work a double shift, common sense would tell you that’s not a good idea. Nurses are overworked and in short demand now. I agree, there is a lot more to this collective bargaining than we know, and agree it’s a good idea to educate ourselves.

[moparkid25]

Here’s my last and final post on this subject, because I can’t stand hearing about it from anyone on either side of the fence anymore. This fiasco has tainted every website I enjoy, including this one.

If you don’t like your job, quit. Go work somewhere else, doing something else, where you can support yourself/family how you feel best. There are a lot of people that would be happy to have a job in general right now.

I wasn’t happy at my job. I had been there for 12 years, how many people do you know that are 30 and have worked at the same place since they were 17? Not many. I liked what I did, I like helping people, but the company was going in a direction I didn’t like nor agree with. It was also to a point where I felt I had nothing more to offer the company, wasn’t going to be promoted or get a raise, so I made the decision to leave. It was chance that I was offered the job of a lifetime, but I set forth on a new path and am making a better life for myself. Someday may come where I have a wife or kids (hopefully not anytime soon though ), and when that time comes I plan to have everything paid for. To set forth on this journey, I’ve lived with my Dad for the last 2.5 years, helping take care of his homestead. I don’t overspend, I live on a tight budget.

Private companies change policy every day, just like Walker has proposed. I see both sides of the story, too. State workers are too worried about losing there cushy benefits. If you are a state worker effected by Walkers proposal, like worried you can’t make your mortgage payments, car payments, bills, etc by having to contribute to your pension and insurance, you’re probably overdoing it right now. I know what you’re thinking, “says the guy who lives with his daddy”, and thats fine. But when I am ready to make that big purchase, I am not going to worry about finances, and my family will not either.

Its time to get this State back in the black. I don’t see the left doing anything to help or offer comprimise, they’re running scared in Illinois – the home of crooked politics.

Its also time people take care of themselves, and social programs get flushed down the crapper too.

Moparkid out

[Anonymous]

Garibaldi,

Thank you for a thoughtful, and substantiated post. It’s great to see so many people involved, and concerned enough to act.

Moparkid,

It’s too bad this fiasco has “tainted every website” for you.

Anybody involved with the Collector Car hobby should be acutely aware of how important it is to remain alert to political changes. When DOT pushes some new restrictive law through (like Trans131, which pretty much outlawed a lot of engine swaps), it’s only through political action that you can prevent it. If you lose some right/s because of a new law, it’s real tough to get them back again. People need to fight to keep their rights. This time it’s union rights at stake, so it’s no wonder the issue is all over every website. It dam well ought to be.

What’s the root problem here? Is it the “fiasco”, or the fact that everybody is fighting to prevent one?

No offense meant, but speaking as a single, white, middle age, middle-class, republican, male, who’s still essentially living at home, you’re not sounding very sympathetic to a lot of other Wisconsinites, or people in general. I don’t guess anybody here begrudges you your situation. But lots of those other folks do not have the luxury you do of simply quitting their job and going to work elsewhere. They do have the spouses and kids and mortgages and utility bills and taxes. They are the same folks who shop at your boss’ business, and thereby keep you employed. Even if you did get laid off, would you still get a roof over your head? Many of them would not.

You wrote: Its time to get this State back in the black. I don’t see the left doing anything to help or offer comprimise, they’re running scared in Illinois – the home of crooked politics.

To reply: As Garibaldi wrote, there are some reasons to believe that Wisconsin’s fiscal crisis is not as dire as Gov. Walker opines. In fact, I believe that “the left” has already made a number of concessions or compromises. I differ with your characterization of the Democrat Senators “running scared”. I believe they are wisely and bravely choosing the only option they were left, to forestall Gov. Walker’s actions at least until Wisconsin voters had a chance to review and react to his bill. And the home of crooked politics? Well, there’s a new horse in that race, IMHO.

Your comment was more reminiscent of a Rush Limbaugh diatribe, rather than one of two different sides seeking some middle ground. Inflammatory comments oftentimes cause more animosity than good. Maybe that’s what’s tainted it.

[GTO Man]

Very well put Paul.

I am amazed that the Republican Senators(besides one) still side with Walker. For Walker to be unwilling to compromise at all is hard to comprehend. And then for them to stand there with him is harder to comprehend. They must simply be afraid of him(and the people who influence him) and what might happen if they don’t vote his way.

Hollywood couldn’t come up with a script about what is playing out here, unless it was science fiction.

I see one of the Democrats was tackled trying to enter the Capitol. This is a real black eye on Wisconsin.

[GTO Man]

Everyone, on both sides of the issue have presented their opinion very well. Out of civil discussion can come compromise. Unfortunately, up to this point our Governor has not been willing to be involved in a civil discussion.

No doubt, this budget has many far reaching effects.

[Author]

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