Minnesotans react to Wisconsin labor protests

TELL BACHMANN SHE SHOULD GO BEAR HUNTING, WITH HER SISTER, IN ALASKA.

Organized labor’s numbers are shrinking year by year and for good reason. People don’t want to be tied to a marxist model where everyone gets the same pay and benefits regardless of competency. It results in job performance that matches the lowest common denominator, it rewards those who perform at minimum and it punishes those who try to excel.

You collectivists can organize and collectively bargain with any employer who’s willing to settle for substandard labor. But not on my dime. The taxpayers want and deserve public employees who are not tied to a union contract that sets a floor for acceptable performance and not a ceiling.

Most thinking people realize that having public employees who can collectively bargain their pay and benefits with politicians who then rely on their support come election time is a conflict of interest, corrupt, and probably unconstitutional.

Funny thing, Dennis, the very first thing that the Nazi’s got rid of before Jews, queers, or Commies, was the trade unions.

You can go to prison for life in China for starting a union.

If there was a handbook for setting up fascism or communism, Step 1A would be attack the trade unions.

Please cite the part of the constitution that even addresses public sector unions. Have you even read the constitution Dennis?

On Glen Beck’s chalk board you could draw one straight, short line between union bashing and fascism, Nazism, and communism. All dictators fear workers.

Gov. Dayton is just getting better every single day. His election was the one of the few smart moves Minnesotans have made in a very long time.

After Gov. Walker provided billionaires and millionaires with a tax cut that trashed his own budget, he is using his fiscal recklessness to attack the stewards of our public education system – teachers. Public education is the core element of an equalizing and civilizing society. Once again the Koch brothers, who provided Gov. Walker with $43,000 in campaign financing, are controlling the elections and our country in a mob-like fashion, raising the question of whether or not the RICO laws should be applied to them and their elected thugs. While clearly the public employees of Wisconsin have conceded and offered financial relief, Gov. Walker wants to bust the last remnants of a union in this country to further the agenda of the Koch brothers, that is, to go back to the 1920s and get rid of weekends, sick days, and vacation. This fight should raise the ire of anyone who is middle class and hopes to stay that way. Wisconsin, please stand strong!

The corporations have been trying to break the unions and I have documented proof of rthe 1950′s ABC(American Business Company-Baltimore, MD) in which they were directly interfering with the Philadelphia Building Trades by trying to send in strike breakers(SCABS OR GOONS) TO START TROUBLE on the picket lines of legal picket lines. They will not be tolerated in the Delaware Valley area. They know better Gov. Christie!!! TFrost

Dennis –

You are a hypocrite and a fraud.

The reason unions are getting smaller is because those jobs are being stolen from Americans and shipped over seas.

You tell him, Thomas!!!

People like Michele Bachmann and Other Corporatist politicians look down and wrinkle their noses to people who actually work for a paycheck. They always have and always will. They have theirs, the rest of the country can go to hell in a handbasket!

@Dennis
Comment posted February 22, 2011 @ 10:17 am
“Organized labor’s numbers are shrinking year by year and for good reason. ”

Organized Labor has been under attack in this country since your Supreme Leader (reagan) started chopping them apart thirty years ago.. Ever since then, the HUGE money interest that have NOTHING to do with “Capitalism” or “Patriotism” have been funneling cash into our politicians campaign troughs.. The American Haters like you and your friends at the Chamber of Commerce have been killing American Jobs for THIRTY YEARS!! NWO, WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT and all other trade policies have been in place to kill labor and that is why UNION membership has been dwindling.. Why have AMERICANS make stuff HERE when we can have a COMMUNIST Country LIKE CHINA make it There?? In the same process let’s make CHINA our Debtors and allow them to become a military super power??

Many of these “over paid public sector” workers are teachers that have masters and doctorate degrees. Many of them have more education than millionaire CEO’s. They chose to help their society by educating the future and this is how Walker thanks them. They have already agreed to cut pay and benefits but I think Walker wants to shut down the Wisconsin government to spite the unions. This man is dangerous to the American way of life and our ideals, conservative AND liberal. Walker needs to be impeached.

According to the Institute for Wisconsin’s Future, in 2007 60% of corporations in Wisconsin with over $100 million in annual revenues paid zero taxes. None. Zip.

And one of the biggest complaints from businesses in WI is they can’t find enough educated workers. So businesses want educated workers, but they don’t want to pay taxes which support the education system. I guess the people with the least should do that too.

What in the F is Walker trying to do?

“Benefits” are pay for work, not a handout. Pensions and benefits are arranged by contract. If there is not enough money for them, it is because the contracted funds have been taken by conservative officials and given to wealthy people and corporations instead of to the people who have earned them. I bet I pay more taxes than both Koch brothers and all of their various business holdings combined.

I read recently that a lot of public pension systems were fully funded UNTIL the Wall Street meltdown a couple of years ago. And we are left holding the bag AFTER we bailed the fat cats out … We should tax the hell out of their obscene compensation and bonus packages until all public pension systems are fully restored. Bah.

The executive class get billions in bonuses and benefits, with stock options, giant energy-wasting houses, and public bailouts if they fuck up.

Teachers get their wages, benefits and bargaining strength aggressively attacked at every turn.

What we have to ask ourselves now: Are we a nation that values education and science? Or are we a nation that values theft?

We ARE a nation that values education and science.

That’s why we the taxpayers a’re so upset that the government teachers have been such an abject failure. Get it now?

“You get what you pay for” doesn’t apply when talking about public employees, unfortunately.

@Randy:
If benefits were “pay for work” then everyone wouldn’t be eligible for the same ones because everyone doesn’t do the same amount or quality of work. Oh wait, I guess that’s true for your pay package too.

I have to admit that Dayton was not my first choice (that was Margaret) — nor my second (that was Horner). In fact, I voted for him solely to keep Emmer from getting enough votes. But, my oh my, I have begun to revise my opinion. Still, what a strange world it is when Mark Dayton is the sanest person at the Capitol.

Sometimes I wonder whether it’s worthwhile to vote anymore when the people you vote to represent turn out to care only for their own agendas. If I had the money I could do so many things. Even my history professor mentions the cynicism towards the power of the vote. Democrats, Republicans, whatever you may be stop pointing fingers and work together. Is that not our motto? Out of many of one.

The public employees in our state have a stranglehold on the rest of us working folks who pay more and more taxes and hidden fees to fund the dream retirement plans they have. They work slowly, knowing their performance – or lack of – will not cost them their job. Our public school teachers have more days off than you can imagine, forcing working parents to scramble and pay for childcare on regular work days. Plus California is something like 45th or 46th out of 50 states in student learning. Teachers can’t lose their jobs after 2 years. A lifetime of job security after only 2 years, and failing performance but they still can’t lose their job??!! The deceit and arrogance must come to an end. Please don’t back down, Gov. Walker!