Why is President Obama weighing in on the state budget debate in Wisconsin?
What do cowardly Democrats unable to find the resolve to vote for a tough bill to solve budget deficits in the Wisconsin state budget? They run. They were not present in the State Senate for the vote and with the rule being that one Democrat must be in attendance, the vote was postponed.
The rent-a-mob so famous for doing the bidding of unions and their bosses was in full display at the Wisconsin state capitol. The signs referred to Governor Walker as Hitler and as Mussolini. Some signs showed the governor's head with a target drawn on it. So much for the 'new tone' President Obama called for in Phoenix. The unions - the teachers unions in particular - don't want to lose collective bargaining.
Where does the rent-a-mob receive support? Why, from the national Democratic party and the community organizing arm of Team Obama, of course.
The Democratic National Committee's Organizing for America arm -- the remnant of the 2008 Obama campaign -- is playing an active role in organizing protests against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's attempt to strip most public employees of collective bargaining rights.
OfA Wisconsin's field efforts include filling buses and building turnout for the rallies this week in Madison, organizing 15 rapid response phone banks urging supporters to call their state legislators, and working on planning and producing rallies, a Democratic Party official in Washington said.
The teachers unions bussed in students for the protests. The students were out of school as school districts called off school due to lack of teachers on the job. Just as the Democrats ran from their responsibilities, the teachers called in sick and took the day to go to protest. It is against the teachers' contract to have a strike yet they did so with calling in sick.
So the police were called in to look for the wayward Democrats.
Debate in the State Senate over Wisconsin’s controversial bill to cut collective bargaining rights for public workers ended, at least temporarily, on Thursday morning before it began. As the session was due to begin, Democrats failed to appear in the chamber, leaving the body without a quorum and leading the Republicans to send capitol officials in search of the Democrats.
By noon, Ted Blazel, the sergeant-at-arms, began making his way through the Capitol building, packed with chanting protesters (elated at the development), in search of a Democrat — in offices, under desks, in corridors. “Nothing yet,” he said, his forehead drenched in sweat.
What is it with Democrats and running from their sworn duties? Not too long ago, in the Texas State legislature, the Democrats ran to Oklahoma instead of voting on re-districting. They were quite proud of their cowardice. They returned and the re-districting went ahead. It was a waste of time and money for the poor behavior of some.
Sen. Mark Miller, the Democratic minority leader, released this statement on behalf of Senate Democrats: "Democrats believe it is wrong to strip people of their right to have a say in the conditions of their employment and to use state law to bust unions.
"We urge Governor Walker and the Republicans to listen to the people of Wisconsin, talk to the workers and reach an agreement that helps balance the budget while respecting their rights."
In order to save 6,000 jobs, Governor Walker wants a so-called budget repair bill, which would close a state shortfall of about $3.6 billion in part by asking public employees to pay a greater share of their pension and health insurance costs
Obama - beholden to the unions - decided to weigh in on the battle brewing in Wisconsin. President Obama also weighed in during an interview Wednesday with a Wisconsin TV station, “I think it’s very important for us to understand that public employees, they’re our neighbors, they’re our friends. These are folks who are teachers and they’re firefighters and they’re social workers and they’re police officers.”
But Mr. Walker has insisted that he is not singling out any group, merely searching for solutions to close a deficit of $137 million in the current state budget and the prospect of a $3.6 billion hole in the coming two-year budget. “It’s not about the unions,” Mr. Walker said in an interview. “It’s about balancing the budget.”
Had Obama been an honest man, he would have said that the police officers and the firefighters are not included in the bill. They are exempted. The teachers union is not. Other public employees are in for cuts, too. There are no easy solutions to this financial mess we are in, either at a national or state level. Everyone will feel the pain.
Even unions.
President Obama should go about the problems he is avoiding - big entitlement reforms, for example - and let the people of Wisconsin work out their budget problems. He can find direction from Wisconsin's new governor, Scott Walker.
1 comment:
It makes no sense for those of us in the private sector who with our tax dollars pay ALL of the salary and the pensions and health insurance of these government workers... and they don't have to pay their part.
In our office, each and every employee has to put part of their salary into their 401K pension plan... the company matches up to a certain point. The employees also have to pay PART of their health insurance premiums and the company works with the insurance company to get the most health benefits for the least expense to both employee and company.
IT SHOULD BE THE SAME IN THE GOVERNMENT JOBS!! I am sick and tired of them whining about having to do their fair part when those of us not in government and not in unions have had to do it for years! Especially when government jobs pay so much more than the same job in the private sector.
I would think they would have more pride in their work and themselves if they had more ability to manage their own pension plans, rather than to have to rely on the snakes in the unions to do their investing.
I don't expect to ever get a penny from social security and very little from medicare. We should relearn how to take care of ourselves.
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