I am not sure where the best place to put this is. I wish I had the skills to create a proper pitting, but I don’t, so this seemed right.
Dear Governor Walker,
I know you were voted in because you promised more jobs but it seems that there are only certain jobs that count. First you decided that any jobs generated by high speed rail were not worth having. By refusing the federal high speed rail money, Talgo Trains, a multi-national company that moved into one of the poorest parts of the poorest city in the state on the promise of those trains may leave. Apparently the 30 jobs held by the current employees along with projected 125 jobs by the end of the year and 500 later on don’t count. Neither do the hundreds of jobs that would be created upgrading the rail lines. The western part of the state near Minneapolis is screaming because they were counting on the economic development that would have been created because of the greater mobility between Madison and Minneapolis. So, high paying manufacturing jobs and supporting small businesses in the western part of the state don’t count. Got it!
How about the 950 jobs in the state associated with building Wind turbines. Nope. those don’t seem to count either, among the first things you did in office was to pass legislation that could effectively kill those jobs by requiring that all wind turbines be at least 1800 feet from the edge of the property lines. This under the auspices of property protection, but the setbacks had been negotiated and agreed upon by the interested parties long ago.
It isn’t actually a big surprise that you aren’t particularly fond of people holding government jobs, but I didn’t think you would declare war on them. Maybe it’s the negotiating part that causes the problem. It’s been a long time since there has been such a blatant attempt at union busting. As part of a theoretical attempt to balance the budget you have put forth legislation that will strip all bargaining power from the unions. While it might arguably fair for teachers and state workers to pay more for their health care, what does the protections the union offers against unfair firing or poor working conditions have to do with the budget? Will any savings survive the cost of the judicial process?
What jobs are acceptable? I know you haven’t been in office very long but you have managed to blow off hundreds of jobs, where are these new jobs? Maybe there are some out of state companies that won’t mind moving here and will be ok with the promises that brought them here being broken. Maybe those big old “open for business” signs you put up at our boarders will bring in the 250,000 jobs you say you can get us. Maybe, there are even some companies that will come here because your planned destruction of the university system and finishing blows to the already struggling largest school district in the state will provide such stellar future employees. Yup, I can see it.
Finally, understand that power always shifts. Your party will not always be in power. You have probably already alienated that 7% margin. You may currently have a majority in both houses, it was not that way a few weeks ago, and believe me, if things continue, you will cost some of the Republican legislature their jobs, and I bet those ones are the jobs you count as being important.
“As part of a theoretical attempt to balance the budget you have put forth legislation that will strip all bargaining power from the unions.”
Do you believe this to be correct? You need to remove the “all”.
Don’t need to remove the “all”, could use “effectively” in front of it. Some workers will be allowed to collectively bargain, on wages alone, not working conditions or benefits. Most importantly, and hardly reported by the media, all raises will be capped by the CPI. This means that Wisconsin state employees are guaranteed to retire from the job in an inferior position to starting the job. Remember that Wisconsin state workers are already undercompensated compared to (i) Illinois and Minnesota public employees (at least in my field), and (ii) the private sector. The budget repair bill would prevent narrowing this discrepancy, even in good economic situation.
Also, remember that no one saw this bill until early this week and that unions were not allowed to offer concessions.
My idiot son in law is pissing and moaning over on Facebook about government workers walking out, while his taxes still have to pay their salaries. He always seems to make things all about him.
Republicans have been screaming “Tax Cuts! Tax Cuts!” for more than 30 years. Back when Reagan was President, I agreed with them, because the top tax rate was 70%. Continuing to push it thirty years later when we’re in the worst economy since the Great Depression is INSANE. It has turned them into tone-deaf One Note Johnnys.
But I’m starting to think that their current efforts to thoroughly collapse the US Economy may eventually bring about the rise of a new ideology in the Republican Party, one that recognizes that the Tax Cut Tune has been completely played out and is no longer realistic.
Of course, that will require them to stop bowing before Rush, Beck and all those hot air bags.
(I say this as a man who has voted for President 8 times. Five times for Republicans, Twice for Democrats, one time for ‘Other’)
Interestingly, police officers, state troopers, and firefighters are exempt from the proposed rules. Kevin Drum over at Mother Jones speculates on why:
It’s a nice racket the GOP’s got going, where they get to use the bad results of their own policies as an excuse to screw over their enemies.
He can’t be recalled until he has been in office a year. Then it takes a petition signed by registered voters, numbering 25% of those who voted in the last election.
Be honest now… would they have offered concessions? I’d like to see the union that proactively offered concessions instead of initially telling the employer to pound sand.
Apparently most of the students at my daughter’s high school walked out of school fourth hour and went and protested outside the school. I am so proud.