Thread: Short but sweet news in Wisconsin

Originally Posted by sabang

Which is basically the latter day Republican methodology-
1- Precipitate a crisis by reckless fiscal policy & budget management.

I've seen this done before many many times. The Democrats spend like drunken sailors and then sober up long enough to slash the defense budget. For decades they spent without considering the cost because they knew it would force a cut in the defense budget. It's a round about way of crippling the evil military which is in cahoots with the capitalist imperialists.

So this methodology, if it is one, originated with the Democrats

The first of two Wisconsin recall elections will start August 9 (results August 10, early morning here in Thailand). The Dems need three seats to set things straight (to take back the state senate).

District 2
Robert Cowles R (incumbent)
Nancy Nusbaum D

District 8
Alberta Darling R (incumbent)
Sandra Pasch D

District 10
Sheila Harsdorf R (incumbent)
Shelly Moore D

District 14
Luther Olson R (incumbent)
Fred Clark D

District 18
Randy Hopper R (incumbent)
Jessica King D

District 32
Dan Kapanke R (incumbent)
Jennifer Shilling D

Information about the results can be found here:

Wisconsin Election & Candidate Coverage, Voter Resources and Information

or here? Army?

Palin's Army Blog: First Wisconsin Recall Election Is August 9 - Updated


and some news,……..

Scott Walker, Wisconsin’s controversial Republican governor, tried yesterday to give a speech to open this year’s state fair: tried, being the key word.

As he took the stage to speak, a large crowd of protesters began chanting “Change! Change! Change!” and “Recall Walker,” generating enough noise that his speech was practically inaudible.

Link: Protesters shout down Gov. Walker at Wisc. state fair

Originally Posted by S Landreth

The first of two Wisconsin recall elections will start August 9 (results August 10, early morning here in Thailand). The Dems need three seats to set things straight (to take back the state senate).

District 2
Robert Cowles R (incumbent)
Nancy Nusbaum D

District 8
Alberta Darling R (incumbent)
Sandra Pasch D

District 10
Sheila Harsdorf R (incumbent)
Shelly Moore D

District 14
Luther Olson R (incumbent)
Fred Clark D

District 18
Randy Hopper R (incumbent)
Jessica King D

District 32
Dan Kapanke R (incumbent)
Jennifer Shilling D

Republicans Hopper and Kapanke are toast, there's a good chance that Olsen and Darling will be voted out as well. This little election will say a lot about the upcoming 2012 national elections because Wisconsin is about as typical of an American state as there is. My feeling is that Americans are becoming fed-up with the inflexible, ideologically-obsessed fringe that's emerging as the new face of the Republican party. Tuesday should be a good day for the Democrats.

Information about the results can be found here:

or here,............

August 9, 2011 State Senate Recall Election Results | Wisconsin | onPolitix

starting just passed 8am Thai time, today

AP’s calling two of the races already, for Republicans.

The Dems (if they are lucky) might squeeze out three seats.

results
News from The Associated Press

Results of today’s recall (AP),…. Republicans 4 seats, Dems 2 seats.

News from The Associated Press

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Results of today’s recall (AP),…. Republicans 4 seats, Dems 2 seats.

News from The Associated Press

You have to remember that all 6 races were in Republican-held districts. If the Democrats going forward can win 1/3 of such races around the country it will be a big success for them. But given the context of the Wisconsin recall (they needed 3 seats to control their senate), the Dems can't be feeling too good right now.

Wait for the general elections.

Wisconsin voters send message to Democrats and union financiers - again and again and again!


Originally there is the win by Repubs to take majority in both houses of the legislature as well as the Governor's seat. Next, Wisconsin Supreme Court judge Prosser survives a Democrat and union financiers bid to oust him. Then local Wisconsin judge attempts to strike down the collective bargaining law, but she is overruled. And now the failed recall attempts. When will Democrats and their union financiers accept the will of the people and work within the will of the people? How much longer will they play a subversive reactionary roll of trying to return to the past?

Originally Posted by sabang

Germany, the worlds largest exporter, has a very strong trade union movement. They earn a good deal more than Americans too. I don't hear any complaints from there about the trade union movement, and nationally they are making the US look distinctly third world.

With less than 16% of it's workforce unionized, how can unions be blamed for the decline of US industry? Most of the large unions left in the US are public sector anyway.

From the NYT dated Dec. 25, 2010:

Workers feel shut out of German boom

Low salaries and higher prices are a core complaint of German workers who are increasingly demanding wage increases after a decade in which their real earnings dropped by 4.5 percent when adjusted for inflation.

Exports have grown robustly in part because workers agreed years ago to reduced wages and reduced hours to make Germany more competitive.

"I see how families are struggling," said Eberhard Irlinger, administrator for Erlangen-Hoechstadt, a district of about 130,000 people around the city of Erlangen. "In fact, part of the economic prosperity comes from people not getting the (lavish and unsustainable) social security they should have. Germans are very reluctant to help other people when they have to step back from their own demands."

I knew this article would come into use some day. It appears the leadership has concluded that the trade unions have gotten too much while others argue that the union workers are not getting what they deserve.

"Germans are very reluctant to help other people when they have to step back from their own demands."

That doesn't sound very civilized of the German people. Where is their collective sense?

Trade unions are ok. They have made a safer workplace for employees. But unionized government workers are a problem and it's showing up in the unfunded pensions. Government can meet worker demands by running a deficit or by pushing off obligations into the future, leaving a ticking time bomb for others to cope with.

Democrats in office lavish government employees with good pay and great pensions and those workers donate more money to Democrat campaign coffers. It's an insidious circle of corruption.

Originally Posted by attaboy

accept the will of the people

New poll shows majority support Walker recall

Gov. Scott Walker has lost support among his Republican base, according to a poll released Tuesday that shows a majority of respondents want to recall him from office.

The Wisconsin Public Radio/St. Norbert College Survey was released the same day that Democrats, labor unions and others, angry over his moves to curb union rights, began circulating petitions to get the 540,000 signatures needed to force a recall election next year.

The poll showed that 58 percent of respondents believe Walker should be recalled from office. That compares with 47 percent who said in April that he should be recalled.


Read more: New poll shows majority support Walker recall

Originally Posted by attaboy

accept the will of the people

Wisconsin Democrats Get Nearly 20% of Needed Walker Recall Signatures in Four Days

The difference between the recalls of Republican state Senators in Wisconsin earlier this year and the recall of Scott Walker, at least with respect to the signature gathering process, is that those Senate recalls took place in swingy or downright conservative areas. The Walker recall is statewide. And that brings in a lot of low-hanging fruit for signatures: the liberal bastion of Madison, for example, or the Democratic-rich city of Milwaukee.

So it’s not really a surprise that Democrats are able to gather a hefty amount of signatures in a short amount of time. Even still, this announcement is impressive:

United Wisconsin, the group managing the recall, announced on Saturday that during the first four days of the effort — from Tuesday through Friday — they had brought in 105,000 signatures, nearly a fifth of the threshold they must legally meet: 540,208 signatures in a 60-day window.

will it continue: Wisconsin Democrats Get Nearly 20% of Needed Walker Recall Signatures in Four Days | FDL News Desk

Originally Posted by attaboy

Trade unions are ok. They have made a safer workplace for employees. But unionized government workers are a problem and it's showing up in the unfunded pensions. Government can meet worker demands by running a deficit or by pushing off obligations into the future, leaving a ticking time bomb for others to cope with.

Democrats in office lavish government employees with good pay and great pensions and those workers donate more money to Democrat campaign coffers. It's an insidious circle of corruption.

Since this thread has degenerated into a discussion of unions, let me add my 2 cents. I spent 14 years working in a union shop. During that time I came to believe that I was working simultaneously for two criminal enterprises: the union and the corporation. It became clear the union's primary job was to generate money for the union and the union representatives. The only real millionaire that I personally know was a local union president for about twenty years. The union would also help the ordinary worker, if doing so could be done without hurting their money making. And recently I received notification that the pension fund was underfunded. (Wonder where that money went.)


The corporation was run by a crook who ran the profitable business into the ground costing thousands of jobs while personally making hundreds of millions of dollars. He is now in jail serving a fifty year sentence for fraud in subsequent business dealings.


What I take from this is that there is nothing inherently good or bad with any organization, whether union, corporation, or political organization. But where there are large amounts of money available in a poorly regulated environment, there will be dishonesty and corruption. Talking about the differences between Republicans or Democrats is irrelevant until the inherent corruption is stopped or at least controlled.


The political parties want to work up their base by demonizing unions or corporations, while they are all bought and paid for by those unions and corporations.

Originally Posted by attaboy

accept the will of the people

Scott Walker Opponents Collect More Than 300,000 Signatures In 12 Days For Recall Election (more than 50% of what they need)

WASHINGTON -- Activists pushing to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) announced on Monday evening that they have collected more than 300,000 signatures for the effort in just 12 days.

Snip

"Scott Walker has taken to the airwaves, supported by millions in corporate cash, to defend his record of job loss and full-scale assault on Wisconsin's institutions and values," United Wisconsin Executive Director Meagan Mahaffey said in a statement. "But all over Wisconsin, the people are seeing through Walker's deceptions and are moving to take our state back."

Entire story: Scott Walker Opponents Collect More Than 300,000 Signatures In 12 Days For Recall Election

^ Likely led by corrupt SEIU leaders. All I gotta say after that is: Go, Packers!

^More than likely fueled by union money too. That's okay. Keep spending that union money. How deep are the pockets?

Think about how the government unions keep crashing against the rocks. I hear lots of outside money is being diverted to Wisconsin, money that would otherwise be spent elsewhere on other causes. All the eggs are in one basket. They must have a win in Wisconsin. They can't let the will of the people solidify in the minds of the electorate. It can't become fact even though it is fact. These people are fanatics.

Send more precious resources to Wisconsin. The government unions must triumph someday. It's not all for naught. Keep spending! Keep spending those union resources! You can always go on strike for more money!

Saw Mr Walker on CNBC last night (he was in Orlando, Florida). I think he knows he's finished.

Originally Posted by Minnie Maugham

^ Likely led by corrupt SEIU leaders. All I gotta say after that is: Go, Packers!

SEIU is a totally corrupt entity. It'll be interesting to see how they play their hand in the next general election.

$40 million spent by the unions in their failed recall attempt. The Governor expects the unions to spend double that on the recall. That's a total of $120 million spent in Wisconsin. Keep it coming boys. Let's see how deep the well is. I hope the state comptroller is investigating where that money is coming from. Make sure there aren't any "coincidental"l loans to SEIU from some foreign banks. We want that money to from honest hard working public union members. Feel the burn!

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Saw Mr Walker on CNBC last night (he was in Orlando, Florida). I think he knows he's finished.

Huh? He's done a great job, better than Christie. The voters see it. The unions must go down; they are destroying the country.

Walker intends to charge citizens fee to protest

Madison - Gov. Scott Walker's administration could hold demonstrators at the Capitol liable for the cost of extra police or cleanup and repairs after protests, under a new policy unveiled Thursday.

The rules, which several legal experts said raised serious free speech concerns, seemed likely to add to the controversy that has simmered all year over demonstrations in the state's seat of government.

The policy, which also requires permits for events at the statehouse and other state buildings, took effect Thursday and will be phased in by Dec. 16. Walker administration officials contend the policy simply clarifies existing rules.

State law already says public officials may issue permits for the use of state facilities, and applicants "shall be liable to the state . . . for any expense arising out of any such use and for such sum as the managing authority may charge for such use."

But Edward Fallone, an associate professor at Marquette University Law School, said the possibility of charging demonstrators for police costs might be problematic because some groups might not be able to afford to pay.

"I'm a little skeptical about charging people to express their First Amendment opinion," he said. "You can't really put a price tag on the First Amendment."

The policy says:

 Groups of four or more people must obtain permits for all activity and displays in state buildings and apply for those permits at least 72 hours in advance. The policy requires permits for 100 or more people outside the Capitol. The policy does provide some leeway for spontaneous gatherings triggered by unforeseen events.

 Groups holding demonstrations could be charged for the costs of having extra police on hand for the event. Costs associated with a counterprotest could be charged to that second group. The costs would be $50 per hour per Capitol Police officer - costs for police officers from outside agencies would depend on the costs billed to the state. The police could require an advance payment as a requirement for getting a permit and also could require liability insurance or a bond.

 Demonstrators may not tape or stick signs to Capitol walls not intended for signs. During the protests hundreds of signs were posted at the Capitol.

 Any damage or cleanup after a demonstration could be charged to organizers. During the court fight earlier this year over access to the Capitol, Walker's administration said the demonstrators had done $7.5 million in damage to the building with the signs and other wear and tear. But almost immediately the administration sharply backpedaled from that claim, conceding the damage was significantly less.

"Our goal is to provide equal and continual access for all Wisconsinites to their state buildings in a way that is reasonable and safe," Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch said in a statement. "This policy ensures our ability to appropriately staff events for the safety of those participating."

Bob Dreps, a lawyer who handles First Amendment cases including work for the Journal Sentinel, noted that the state can put some restrictions on the "time, place and manner" of free speech. But he said it was "laughable" to define a rally as four or more people.

"They still have to be reasonable on their face," Dreps said of the rules.

Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) said it "makes sense" to have people ask permission to demonstrate and hold other events to ensure that the various groups that use the building can do so effectively. Grothman, however, said he wasn't sure that four people would amount to a rally.

"Like everything, the important thing is that it will be administered with common sense," Grothman said.

Chris Ahmuty, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, said some of the rules seemed reasonable, including the definition of a spontaneous protest.

But he said he also was concerned about whether some groups would be turned away from the Capitol because they lacked the means to pay the possible costs. He said he was likewise concerned that the policies such as charging or requiring insurance could be applied by state officials differently according to whether a group supported them.

"It leaves too much discretion to the Capitol Police," Ahmuty said.

Demonstrations in February and March over Walker's legislation to repeal most union bargaining for most public employees drew tens of thousands of participants, boosting extra law enforcement costs to $8 million.

During the spring protests, the administration tightly restricted access to the Capitol, prompting a lawsuit from unions seeking to reopen it. Peg Lautenschlager, a former Democratic state attorney general and the attorney for the unions involved in that case, said she couldn't yet comment because she was still reviewing the policy.

One group that meets every weekday at the Capitol is the Solidarity Singers, a pro-labor chorus that has been singing in protest of Walker's policies since last spring.

Department of Administration spokeswoman Jocelyn Webster said an agency lawyer had reached out to the leader of the Solidarity Singers, Chris Reeder, and would be meeting with him about the policy.

Reeder said his group has been willing to take its singing outside on days when other events such as blood drives are happening.

We believe what we're doing is protected by the First Amendment," Reeder said of the new policy.

link: Walker administration would charge Capitol protesters for police, cleanup - JSOnline