Category: Wisconsin Union Bashing

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Charlie Sheen Democratic Republican Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

Recall Efforts in Wisconsin Picking Up Pace

The main-stream media has been transfixed over the last three weeks by two stories, Libya – including whether the correct spelling is Kadaffie,  Gadaffie or Qadiffie – and Charlie Sheen and the tiger-blood running through his veins! Lost in all this confusion is a massive recall effort going on in Wisconsin, and the people’s fight to work, live, and pay their bills.

In a move that many have considered illegal, Republican governor Scott Walker and his Republican cohorts rammed a bill through the state’s congress to its passage. The bill, which takes away the negotiating rights of public union employees, created such an uproar in Wisconsin and all across the country, that a tremendous effort to recall 8 of the Republicans who passed the bill have been in progress for the last two weeks.

And now, a report from the Washington Post is stating that 45% of the votes needed to recall the Republican congressional lobbyists, have been achieved.

Dems have now collected over 56,000 signatures supporting the recall drives, according to party spokesman Graeme Zielinski, after another surge in organizing activity over the weekend. That’s up from rougly 14,000 after last weekend. This means Dems are well ahead of schedule: In each targeted district, Dems need to amass the required signatures — 25 percent of the number who voted in the last gubernatorial election — by a deadline of 60 days after first filing for recalls, which happened nearly two weeks ago.

In other words, Dems are reporting they are nearly halfway to the finish line, with roughly three-fourths of the alloted time remaining.

As per the report and the rules for recall, Democrats have 60 days from the time the recall paperwork was filed to come up with the needed signatures. The report continues;

According to Wisconsin Dem spokesman Zielinski, Dems are ahead of pace in signature gathering in every single one of the eight districts being targteted, and in three of the districts, Dems have well over 50 percent of the number required.

But who cares about this fight? Tune in to CNN and MSNBC for continued coverage of Kadaffie and Sheen’s night out!

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Democratic Politics Republican Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

Wisconsin Fab 14 Returns to a Hero’s Welcome

Tens of thousands came out in support of the returning Democratic senators, who fled the state of Wisconsin almost a month ago to avoid voting on a bill aimed at busting the unions in the state. The bill was eventually signed into law without any Democratic votes, but the 14 Senate Democrats were welcomed back in Wisconsin today as heroes.

Paul Fieber, a retired state employee carrying a homemade sign declaring “Our Heroes” said, “before all of this occurred I wouldn’t have known a lot of their names, but that has changed for me and a lot of the population.”

The New York Times reports:

At a news conference on Saturday, the senators spoke, sometimes boastfully, about their pride in the outpouring of support, their dismay at the law that passed despite their absence and their eagerness to meet the protesters who have backed their actions.

“I’m one of the Fabulous 14 and I’m so proud,” said Spencer Coggs, who was first elected to the State Legislature nearly three decades ago. “We are back to unite and fight with our supporters. We gave them hope. They gave us inspiration.”

Though officially in hiding, the Democrats had been more visible then ever, given countless interviews from “undisclosed locations” around Illinois, where they stayed out of reach of the Wisconsin state troopers dispatched to bring them back to the Senate.

Fred Risser, a senate Democrat whose nearly six decades of service makes him the longest-tenured state legislator in the country, said he had never been so widely recognized. “I’m quite amazed at the number of strangers who come up and thanked me,” he said.

With the Democrats out of the state, Republicans on Thursday forced through the bill using an option that is considered by many as illegal. The state’s attorney general, who is also a Republican, is being urged to investigate the way governor Scott Walker signed the bill into law, and to determine if any laws were broken.

After the news conference the senators traveled to the Capitol square, where one of the largest protests in what has been a daily outpouring of union employees and supporters was under way. The spectacle was enhanced by a brigade of tractors that motored around the square.

The size of the crowd was particularly striking, coming a day after the battle over the bill was lost, though legal efforts are under way to block .

For weeks now the rhythmic chanting of protestors has filled this city like a heartbeat, proof that despite the lack of political power the political left in this state was still here. At the very moment that the noise was expected to fade in disappointment that thumping proof of life — “This is what Democracy looks like,” was the most popular of the chants — continued with renewed vigor.

Many in the crowd said the effect of the legislation had been to breathe new life into the disheartened Democrats, just months after Republicans gained control of the governor’s office and both chambers of the State Legislature, and to reawaken union solidarity at a time when membership numbers have been declining.

Not surprisingly, Republicans in the state held a different opinion of the 14 Democratic Senators. The NYTimes reports the senate majority leader, Republican Scott Fitzgerald, calling the Democrats “shameful.”

“Today, the most shameful 14 people in the state of Wisconsin are going to pat themselves on the back and smile for the cameras. They’re going to pretend they’re heroes for taking a three-week vacation. It is an absolute insult to the hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites who are struggling to find a job, much less one they can run away from and go down to Illinois — with pay.”

Given the tens of thousands coming out to greet the “Fab 14″ senators, it is very obvious that the Republicans are on the wrong side here. In fact, the term ‘shameful” has been used over the last 3 weeks to describe the manner in which Republicans have rammed the bill down the throats of Wisconsinites.

Read the Times report here.

 

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Democratic Politics Republican Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

Did Little Scottie Walker Add To The Bill After Votes Were Held?

News coming out of Wisconsin suggests that Scott Walker added more language to the union busting bill after the votes were held, but before signing it into law. The news states that two items not mentioned in the vote on March 9th, were miraculously found in the bill on March 10th.

Thursday, the fiscal bureau was forced to correct its memo describing the bill, after unearthing some more buried treasure.  Seems there were a few things the original memo forgot to mention:

There are two items in the LFB’s March 10 document that are not reflected in the March 9 document.

1. The March 10 document includes a provision of the substitute amendment on the Earned Income Tax Credit (page 3, #1).

2. The March 10 document includes a provision of the substitute amendment on the Sale and Contractual Operation of State-Owned Power Plants (page 20, #1).

The lies of Mr. Walker are amazingly transparent. He introduced the original package stating that the very future of Wisconsin depended on passing this bill. After Wisconsin Democratic senators refused to show up for the vote, Walker and his Republican cohorts created a “nuclear” option by removing what they called, the “non-financial” part of the bill – the union busting measure – and held the vote.

And now that the two provisions were snuck into law as part of the “non-financial” union busting measure, it reeks illegality all around. Walker and his Republican congress should be tried in a court of law and let the justice system have its way.

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Collective bargaining Democratic democrats Politics Republican United States Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

When The People Don’t Vote, The People Lose

After over 3 weeks of protests, sleep ins and push backs by the people of Wisconsin against a bill by Republican governor Scott Walker where the rights of union members were at stake, the fight abruptly came to an end tonight, when Walker and his Republican allys voted and passed the bill without any Democrat consensus.

In the beginning, the bill was presented as part of a package aimed at reducing Wisconsin’s deficit. Governor Walker, in his daily press conferences said, “we are broke! We are broke!” Mr. Walker claimed that busting the bargaining rights of the unions would fill the state’s $137 million deficit and will fix a projected $3.6 billion shortfall in the upcoming 2011-13 budget. The state’s Democrats however, saw the bill as something geared towards de-funding the unions – groups that give heavily to Democratic campaigns, – and they all fled the state. The people of Wisconsin supported the Democratic position and “kill the bill” chants became the daily slogan. The public opinion for the Republicans fell to an all time low.

Tonight however , given a chance to restore their positive standings with the people, and presented with the opportunity to give Wisconsinites what they have been protesting for all this time, Republicans took another path. They removed the union busting part of the bill from the rest of the package then held a vote on that  measure alone – a move that caused the Democratic Assembly leader to yell “illegal! Illegal!,” as the roll call was happening.

With no Democrats present to register their vote, the union busting part of the bill passed.  It now goes to the State’s assembly, where another Republican body controls the agenda and another vote will be held. Passage in the Assembly puts the bill on Walker’s desk where it will be signed into law.

Yes America, voting is important and when you don’t vote, you lose your rights. There is now a conscience effort by Republican governors all over America, to silence the negotiating rights of the working middle class American.

After hearing what Scott Walker had done tonight, I tweeted the following:

I received this reply:

So true that is. When the people don’t vote, the people lose!

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Featured Republican United States Wisconsin Union Bashing

Republican Wisconsin Town Hall Meeting Reduced to Shame!

Remember the health care debate when the Teaparty, under the leadership of FOX NEWS and conservative radio commentators, went to Democratic town hall meetings with the goal of disrupting the meetings to portray America’s dismay with reform? Well, in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin earlier this week, real Americans expressed their real frustrations at Republicans and Scott Walker’s proposed union busting bill.

The town hall meeting was held for Republican State Senator Leah Vukmir. Also in attendance was US Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner. Evidently, the real feelings of these Americans were too much for the Republican congressmen, and they abruptly called an end to the meeting and exited to stage to the chants of “Shame! Shame! Shame!”

Scott Walker would dedicate 20 minutes of his “busy” schedule to a prank call he thought was coming from David Koch, but answering the concerns of their constituents is just too much to ask of these Republicans.

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Politics Wisconsin Union Bashing

Republicans Say Otherwise, But America Is Not Broke!

The protesters  are still gathered, the drums are  still being beaten, and the chantings were still being heard. But today was a bit  different in Wisconsin. Michael Moore, the film maker who brought us classics like Capitalism: A Love Story and Sicko, arrived there on Saturday to deliver a speech. A speech he called, “America Is Not Broke.”

Before his speech, Michael thanked the 14 Democratic Wisconsin senators who have left the state to keep the governor from implementing his total control over the workers in Wisconsin. Moore stated;

Before I read this, I first just wanna thank – you don’t know how impressive it is to the rest of the country to see these 14 Senators, still, still, still refusing to participate in the steal of the century. So if they’re listening, thank you. Thank you Wisconsin 14. Thank you fab 14!

None of us really know what the specific outcome of all this would be. We have a good feeling though. We have a really good feeling about it. But one thing I do know, is that these 14 Senators would go down in the history books of labor history here in America…

This kind of resolve we’re used to seeing on the other side of the fence…. It’s just amazing. They only need one of them to crack. Only one has to come back, and they wont do it! They won’t! They won’t! And they’re Democrats!… I mean that in a positive way!

More spoke to rousing applause as he delivered his speech, saying;

America is not broke, not by a long-shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It’s just that it’s not in your hands. It has been transfered in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers, to the banks and portfolios of the uber rich.

Mr. Moore pointed out in his speech that here in America, just 400 Americans – some of those who received bailout money from the American tax payer – “controlled more wealth than half of all Americans combined!”

Four hundred obscenely wealthy individuals, four hundred little Mubaracks, most of whom benefited in someway from the multi-trillion dollar taxpayer bailout of 2008, now have more cash stock and property, than the assets of 155 million Americans combined.

Hearing this fact caused the crowed to yell, “shame, shame, shame.”

Mr. Moore asked the mainstream media to repeat that fact just once… we won’t hold our breath!

 

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Politics Wisconsin Union Bashing

We Are One – Americans Vs. The Republican Corporate Governors

We are one!

We are united. We are Unions. We are Americans.

Take away the rights of middle class Americans and all Americans are put at risk, for eventually Republicans will come and take your rights too.

Stand with Unions, stand with Americans.

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Citizens United Politics United States Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

Koch Brothers And American For Prosperity Attacked By Anonymous

The Koch Brothers and Americans For Prosperity have been put on notice… from Anonymous, the internet hacking group that came out in support for Wiki-leaks and other “internet injustices.” The group began their protest by joining the pro-union fight in Wisconsin, and by taking down the website for Americans For Prosperity.

Anonymous then put out a press-release stating their cause;

Dear Citizens of the United States of America,

It has come to our attention that the brothers, David and Charles Koch–the billionaire owners of Koch Industries–have long attempted to usurp American Democracy. Their actions to undermine the legitimate political process in Wisconsin are the final straw. Starting today we fight back.

Koch Industries, and oligarchs like them, have most recently started to manipulate the political agenda in Wisconsin. Governor Walker’s union-busting budget plan contains a clause that went nearly un-noticed. This clause would allow the sale of publicly owned utility plants in Wisconsin to private parties (specifically, Koch Industries) at any price, no matter how low, without a public bidding process. The Koch’s have helped to fuel the unrest in Wisconsin and the drive behind the bill to eliminate the collective bargaining power of unions in a bid to gain a monopoly over the state’s power supplies.

The Koch brothers have made a science of fabricating ‘grassroots’ organizations and advertising campaigns to support them in an attempt to sway voters based on their falsehoods. Americans for Prosperity, Club for Growth and Citizens United are just a few of these organizations. In a world where corporate money has become the lifeblood of political influence, the labor unions are one of the few ways citizens have to fight against corporate greed. Anonymous cannot ignore the plight of the citizen-workers of Wisconsin, or the opportunity to fight for the people in America’s broken political system. For these reasons, we feel that the Koch brothers threaten the United States democratic system and, by extension, all freedom-loving individuals everywhere. As such, we have no choice but to spread the word of the Koch brothers’ political manipulation, their single-minded intent and the insidious truth of their actions in Wisconsin, for all to witness.

Anonymous hears the voice of the downtrodden American people, whose rights and liberties are being systematically removed one by one, even when their own government refuses to listen or worse – is complicit in these attacks. We are actively seeking vulnerabilities, but in the mean time we are calling for all supporters of true Democracy, and Freedom of The People, to boycott all Koch Industries’ paper products. We welcome unions across the globe to join us in this boycott to show that you will not allow big business to dictate your freedom.

Things are starting to get interesting…! 🙂

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Politics United States Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

Koch Brothers To Liberals – We Will Not Step Back

Earlier this week, when a blogger called Wisconsin’s governor Scott Walker, pretending to be David Koch and talking to the governor for about 20 minutes, the joke apparently did not go down too well in the Koch compound. In an interview with National Review Online, Mark Holden, the general council for Koch Industries said the call was “fraudulent” ;

“There are serious fiscal issues at play in Wisconsin. Yet our opponents are interjecting us falsely into this story. But our Wisconsin story is about bringing and keeping good manufacturing jobs in the state. It is disturbing that when a blogger calls using the Koch name, it is used as an opportunity to attack the company.”

Mr. Holden wasn’t the only one upset. Richard Fink, the executive vice president of Koch Industries also voiced his displeasure, saying, “We will not step back at all.” He then accused the left of trying to “intimidate” the billionaire brothers empire, saying;

“With the Left trying to intimidate the Koch brothers to back off of their support for freedom and signaling to others that this is what happens if you oppose the administration and its allies, we have no choice but to continue to fight.. We will not step back at all. We firmly believe that economic freedom has benefited the overwhelming majority of society, including workers, who earn higher wages when you have open and free markets. When government grows as it has with the Bush and Obama administrations, that is what destroys prosperity.”

The brothers, whose millions have been used to finance the Teaparty movement –where average Americans are used to protest policies that are in their best interest — feel like their backs are up against the wall and they’re coming out swinging. Mr. Fink states that the attacks on the Koch brothers is not just coming from “left-winged bloggers,” but part of a much bigger scheme constructed by the Obama administration. He continued;

It involves the Obama administration, the Center for American Progress, aligned left-wing groups, and their friends in the media. This is just the latest salvo in their attacks on the Koch brothers and Koch Industries. But it is an escalation — they’re now bringing in some labor groups, which they have not done before. We expect this to be part of an ongoing effort against [Koch Industries] as the 2012 presidential campaign approaches.”

But don’t feel sorry for the multi-billionaire brothers just yet. They are fighters, and if the past is any indication, we can expect to see  hundreds of little old grandmas and grandpas, pushing their walkers and carrying signs along the streets of Wisconsin, demonstrating again for the poor Koch compound.

Read the rest of the interview here.

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Democratic Politics Republican Party (United States) Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

Wisconsin Assembly Approves Anti-Union Bill

Early Friday morning, after three days of a Democratic filibusterer, Wisconsin State Assembly voted and passed the bill stripping union public workers of their collective bargaining rights. The bill still has to be approved in the state’s Senate, where Senate Democrats have been missing in action for over a week now.

State Assembly Democrats are not happy with how the vote was held. According to reporting from Huffington Post, many Democratic members did not even know the vote was being called. The report states;

After more than 60 hours in which Democrats threw out dozens of amendments and delivered rambling speeches, Republicans halted debate early Friday. In a matter of seconds, they had approved the bill. Only a few Democrats realized what was going on and managed to vote before the roll was closed.

The Democrats rose from their seats and rushed at the Republicans shouting, “Shame!” as the Republicans exited the chamber.

“I’m incensed. I’m shocked,” said Rep. John Richards, D-Milwaukee. “What a terrible, terrible day for Wisconsin.”

Republicans refused to speak to reporters, though Majority Leader Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, did issue a written statement.

“The vote we took wasn’t the easy thing to do, but it was the right thing to do,” Suder said.

We are witnessing the dismantling of the constitutionally protected first amendment for Wisconsin public employees, where simply having their union representative sit at a negotiating table and speak on their behalf is slowly being taken away.

Read the report here.

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Politics Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

Wisconsin’s Governor To Be Investigated For Violating State Law

Seems dismantling the unions of Wisconsin is not the only thing giving Governor Scott Walker a headache these days. CREW – Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a non-partisan watchdog group – has ordered an investigation of  Mr. Walker’s use of state troopers to visit the home of Democratic Senate Leader, Mitt Miller.

According to CREW;

Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a  non-partisan government watchdog group, asked the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board to investigate whether Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker violated state law by sending the Wisconsin State Patrol (WSP) to the home of Democratic Senate Leader Matt Miller. CREW also submitted open records requests to the Office of the Governor, Office of the Senate Majority Leader and the WSP seeking records regarding the use of the troopers.

“Governor Walker has many tools at his disposal to fight the state’s public employees, but using troopers to track down a political opponent crosses the line,” said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan. Sloan continued, “The governor’s conduct is especially egregious in light of a Wisconsin law specifically barring troopers from taking part in any dispute between an employer and employee over wages, hours, labor, or working conditions — the subject of the governor’s bill.”

I guess paying attention to existing laws to protect American citizens is not Scott Walker’s strong point. Trying to dismantle them seems to be what he’s more concerned about.

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Featured Indiana Indiana Attorney General Wisconsin Union Bashing

Stupid Attorney General Fired For Stupid Dumb Tweet

Regardless of your political leanings, no one should ever advocate the killing of American citizens exercising their right to peaceful assembly and free speech. But that is exactly what an Indiana Deputy Attorney General suggested as a way to clear the masses protesting in Wisconsin against Governor Scott Walker’s attempt to silence the unions in his state.

“Use live ammunition” was the tweet of Attorney General Jeff Cox, who also said that the demonstrators were “political enemies” and “thugs!” Well, just hours after the news of this tweeting fool broke, appropriate action was taken in Indiana, and Mr. Cox is now on the unemployment line. According to reports from IndyStar;

Earlier today, the attorney general’s office said it was investigating whether Cox had sent the tweet and said it was a serious matter.

This afternoon, the office issued a statement saying Cox was no longer employed there. The office said it had conducted “a thorough and expeditious review” after it learned of the Mother Jones article.

“Civility and courtesy toward all members of the public are very important to the Indiana Attorney General’s office. We respect individual’s First Amendment right to express their personal views on private online forums, but as public servants we are held by the public to a higher standard, and we should strive for civility,” the office said in a statement.

Read the full report here

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