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This week has been great! Before you know it Spring Jefferson will be hear. Do you think it will be sunny and dry this year???
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.
Over 30,000 people today, filling the Capitol:
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Part of the problem is the far-reaching consequences of this bill that go beyond just the state workers. Institutions like the UW Madison would be also affected. As you know, the university system has brought a significant influx of revenue into the state through research (the WID/MIR is an example of this) and simply by brining in thousands of students attracted by this highly-rated university. However, passing this bill would make it harder for the UW to attract and tenure the best faculty and students, which has a direct impact on the UW’s ability to bring in revenue and create jobs for WI.
All I am saying is that the consequences of this bill are not as black and white as simply affecting state employees; it would affect the community as a whole in ways that we can’t full realize now.
mick289 wrote:
Quote:I built my garage about 5 years ago. It’s 36×26 and it could have been wider but it’s never big enuff. I heat with in floor heat from tubing and a water heater. The water heater might be undersized, wish I would have put a boiler in but $$$$ so we also warm it up with a propane heater when needed. It is zoned also to the 3 different areas. I like the floor heat alot because I do wood working also and that keeps the dust from moving around.Sounds like a nice setup! I bet the floor heat also keeps the floor warm, which is a nice bonus!
I read a variety of news sources that I’ve selected together using Google Reader. Its really a cool service and I’d highly recommend it if you’ve never used it:
http://www.google.com/readerThat is really cool! Unfortunately I don’t think the current Chrysler lineup that they showcase can match the classic models in the commercial!
moparkid25 wrote:
Quote:That’s ok, winter will give some more time to get “goodies” on the car
What are these goodies? Any big surprises?
lordairgtar wrote:
Quote:Garibaldi wrote:Quote:lordairgtar wrote:Quote:Who exactly will ride this train? I certainly have no need to use it. There is a reason railroads have left or shortened their service. It doesn’t make money and the government won’t want to be on the hook forever with this. Also, there will be some cost passed on to local governments and the state. All the interurban rail lines left business in the late 50 to early 60s. Ever see those walking and bike trails in the Milwaukee suburbs? Those used to be electric train lines. North Shore Lines? They are gone as well. Even the Milwaukee Road stopped passenger service because the freight side of that business could no longer support the passenger line. I rode the train when I was small because dad worked for the railroad. We rode free with our passes. Amtrak? If the fed did not subsidize that, it would be so expensive, no one would ride. The ease of private auto ownership has rendered the train obsolete. It only somewhat works in highly dense population areas like NYC or LA or Boston. Madison to Milwaukee will only attract few riders. After the initial newness wears off, it will be empty for the most part. This is like subsidizing the buggy whip makers at the dawn of the auto age.What about instead building a train infrastructure for delivering goods rather than passengers? Putting all of those trucks on the road has made the highways more crowded and is certainly not getting any cheaper with rising gas prices. Having more freight shipped by train as it used to be (at least to local distribution centers where trucks could take it to its final destination) would make things more efficient by transporting it en masse. Plus, trains could be set up to run on fuels other than gasoline, which would be a much more difficult task to do for the fleet of trucks currently in use.
I think that’s what they kind of do now. Most trains run on diesel fuel which powers the Prime Mover which then powers the electric motors that drive the wheels. Not all new industry is built near rail lines. There are no tracks in the town I live in and companies like GE have built distribution centers here to unload and load trucks with their products.
So basically the train brings it close to the town, and then the distribution center takes it the rest of the way?
I think a combination of transportation methods will really provide the most effective/efficient system overall. Glad to hear that that is a reality near your city!
lordairgtar wrote:
Quote:Unions aside, the idea of having to put in for your health insurance is something that needs to be brought up. I pay fully a third of my take home pay for my health plan. Why shouldn’t state and city and school workers do the same? Attempting to decertify the unions involved will only serve to tie up the debate in courts.Maybe you’re asking the wrong question. Instead of asking “why shouldn’t they pay for their benefits like me” you should be asking “why can’t I have benefits like them?”.
The healthcare system in this country will never improve if everyone just accepts the status quo. I imagine you don’t like allocating a large portion of your income to pay for healthcare. We need to work for a change in the system to make this better for you and everyone else who is forced to pay a huge amount of money for healthcare.
