Wisconsin voters now oppose Walker recall.

[SeattleGriz]

Looks as if Walker did what he said he would do and the Wisconsin people realize he was correct.

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/ ... int_margin" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ever since they announced their intention to do so, I've been publicly begging Leftists to waste spend tens of millions on a recall campaign against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. I was convinced that the Democrat-Union coalition would squander precious campaign resources in an quixotic bid to exact revenge on one of their most despised conservative bogeymen. A new poll from Rasmussen suggests that my instincts were correct. Wisconsinites -- who have voted to re-elect a conservative state Supreme Court justice and to protect a Republican State Senate majority since Walker's budget fix passed -- now oppose replacing the governor by an 11-point margin:

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[SuperHornet]

Cue the standard lib "sheep" response in 3...2...1...

[andy7171]

Even D1B said he was doing a good job.

[bluehenbillk]

Governors like Walker & Christie get it - some of the fat sacred cows in their states fight them - but in the end - more people than not win.

[D1B]

Even D1B said he was doing a good job.

He's doing a great job, IMO.

Don't think for a second though that he's safe. The dems are pissed and his billboards can only go so far.

From yesterday. gazettextra.com

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Wisconsin has the dubious distinction of being the only state that’s lost private-sector jobs for six straight months.

And that raises the political and economic stakes of the state’s next unemployment report, which is due Thursday for the month of January, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Sunday (http://bit.ly/yVX39J" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ).

In contrast, the country as a whole has added private-sector jobs 23 months in a row, including almost a half-million jobs in the past two months.

“The rest of the nation is moving upwards. We’re one of the few states moving downward. There’s something wrong,” said economist Steven Deller of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who’s expected to face a recall election this summer, campaigned on a promise to add 250,000 new private-sector jobs.

But Wisconsin has lost more private-sector jobs — an estimated 27,700 — than any state in the country from July through December, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only one other state, Missouri, came close, losing about 19,000 jobs in that stretch. And although Wisconsin added more than 41,000 private-sector jobs in the first half of 2011, losses in the second half of the year wiped out most of those gains.

Wisconsin also posted the biggest six-month decline in manufacturing jobs in the nation after California, despite an uptick in December. The newspaper said that’s significant because Wisconsin depends more on manufacturing for jobs than any state but Indiana, and it comes at a time when a manufacturing resurgence is helping drive the national recovery.

And Wisconsin’s neighbors are all outperforming the state when it comes to job growth over the past six months.

(*in classic Conk fashion) Walker declined the newspaper’s interview request, but he and his administration have painted a much brighter economic picture than these numbers suggest, the Journal Sentinel reported.

[dbackjon]

So how is he doing a good job then?

MAybe he should have been focused on the economy, instead of being the koch's lap dog.

[D1B]

So how is he doing a good job then?

MAybe he should have been focused on the economy, instead of being the koch's lap dog.

He has us started on the right path by taking on the public sector unions, especially the teacher's unions. He's pretty much balanced the budget without raising taxes and massive layoffs. While the last six months have been slow, the economy is improving in key counties. Just watch.

[kalm]

So how is he doing a good job then?

MAybe he should have been focused on the economy, instead of being the koch's lap dog.

He has us started on the right path by taking on the public sector unions, especially the teacher's unions. He's pretty much balanced the budget without raising taxes and massive layoffs. While the last six months have been slow, the economy is improving in key counties. Just watch.

Reducing decent teacher's salaries while giving tax cuts to large corporations who will pay less in wages is not a good exchange nor good for an economy in the long run.

[dbackjon]

He has us started on the right path by taking on the public sector unions, especially the teacher's unions. He's pretty much balanced the budget without raising taxes and massive layoffs. While the last six months have been slow, the economy is improving in key counties. Just watch.

Reducing decent teacher's salaries while giving tax cuts to large corporations who will pay less in wages is not a good exchange nor good for an economy in the long run.

yup - it is a losing proposition. Corporate tax cuts do nothing for the economy - just suck money out of state. At least the teachers live and spend in state, returning the money to the public coffers.

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

Teachers are overpaid for what they do. Deal with it.

[dbackjon]

Teachers are overpaid for what they do. Deal with it.

Shows how little you know

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

Teachers are overpaid for what they do. Deal with it.

Shows how little you know

Point proven..............I was the unfortunate victim of a public education.

They work 9 months and usually make as much or more than people that put in a full year. Dont even get me started on their benefit packages.

They crank out substandard products year after year that are indoctrinated not educated. They just like college professors are way overpaid.

[bluehenbillk]

Reducing decent teacher's salaries while giving tax cuts to large corporations who will pay less in wages is not a good exchange nor good for an economy in the long run.

Huh? Maybe I missed this but where did teacher's salaries get reduced? Teachers were asked to pay more for their benefits, something that happens to most private-sector employees every friggin year, but I don't remember salary cuts...

[Cap'n Cat]

This liberal thinks Walker did nothing wrong with the union stuff. Unions blow.

Though he's a Conk, I respect Walker and applaud him for being one of the few, Conk or Donk, with the testicular fortitude to hold our societal taboos up before the light and, then, act judiciously on them. He forced the debate, something that happens only rarely in the current political environment which stresses siding with positions that will get you reelected rather than what is right for the state, the organization, the people, whatever.

The Walker Recall effort is ridiculous.

[andy7171]

Reducing decent teacher's salaries while giving tax cuts to large corporations who will pay less in wages is not a good exchange nor good for an economy in the long run.

Huh? Maybe I missed this but where did teacher's salaries get reduced? Teachers were asked to pay more for their benefits, something that happens to most private-sector employees every friggin year, but I don't remember salary cuts...

This.

They are paying for a portion of their retirement now, just like the rest of us.

[kalm]

Huh? Maybe I missed this but where did teacher's salaries get reduced? Teachers were asked to pay more for their benefits, something that happens to most private-sector employees every friggin year, but I don't remember salary cuts...

This.

They are paying for a portion of their retirement now, just like the rest of us.

Class warfare.

[CID1990]

So how is he doing a good job then?

MAybe he should have been focused on the economy, instead of being the koch's lap dog.

Lions, tigers, bears, the Koch brothers, Oh My!

You're an idiot.

[JohnStOnge]

I hope he does make it because he's got guts and I think he's right about the issue that caused all this stir.

I am not against the concept of people getting together to bargain. But I AM against the concept of saying government will make laws to back them up.

The whole concept of "collective bargaining" as this country construes it now is wrong. It has basically come to mean that one side has to bargain when it doesn't want to bargain. Sure, you are free to bargain. But you shouldn't have government forcing others to bargain with you. In this case of employer/employee, the employer should be free to say, "Here is what I am offering. Take it or leave it." Then if the employee or prospective employee doesn't like that, he or she can opt not to work for that employee.

[Bronco]

[kalm]

So how is he doing a good job then?

MAybe he should have been focused on the economy, instead of being the koch's lap dog.

Lions, tigers, bears, the Koch brothers, Oh My!

You're an idiot.

Yes, I'm positive the Koch brothers are wasting 100's of millions with no results to show for it.

[SuperHornet]

"Teachers" overpaid, my foot. As if every freaking teacher is overpaid. In the temporal, absolutes are rarely true, and this is a perfect example. Your average teacher doesn't get paid three months of the year AND has to get classroom supplies out of their own pocket. That often includes textbook photocopying as many districts either can't or won't pay for them. You guys who keep up this spew are literally disgusting.

[D1B]

Huh? Maybe I missed this but where did teacher's salaries get reduced? Teachers were asked to pay more for their benefits, something that happens to most private-sector employees every friggin year, but I don't remember salary cuts...

This.

They are paying for a portion of their retirement now, just like the rest of us.

The free ride is over, at least in Wisconsin. No pay was cut. Walker took a huge step towards teaching finally becoming a meritocracy and in the long run, teachers will be paid more. I think he's right claiming he saved jobs, teacher's jobs, by avoiding massive layoffs.

I've seen walker speak several times and he's the real deal. Fucker is smart, fearless and never uses cue cards or notes. He's also a tragedy, because he's a fucking conk and pushes the conk pro-life, prayer in school, deport em, niggers are the root of all evil agenda. He would make a great president if he wasn't such a conk douchebag on social issues.

He's good for Wisconsin right now.

Meritocracy, in the first, most administrative sense, is a system of government or other administration (such as business administration) wherein appointments and responsibilities are objectively assigned to individuals based upon their "merits", namely intelligence, credentials, and education,[1] determined through evaluations or examinations. The "most common definition of meritocracy conceptualizes merit in terms of tested competency and ability, and most likely as measured by IQ or standardized achievement tests."[2]

Meritocracy itself is not a form of government, but rather an ideology. In government applications, individuals appointed to a meritocracy are judged based upon certain merits which could range from intelligence to morality to general aptitude to specific knowledge.

[HI54UNI]

"Teachers" overpaid, my foot. As if every freaking teacher is overpaid. In the temporal, absolutes are rarely true, and this is a perfect example. Your average teacher doesn't get paid three months of the year AND has to get classroom supplies out of their own pocket. That often includes textbook photocopying as many districts either can't or won't pay for them. You guys who keep up this spew are literally disgusting.

Bullshit. Maybe where you live but not here. Teachers here make $30-40 per hour based on the annual hours they work. If districts won't pay for textbooks the teachers are stupid for paying for them themselves or making photocopies. That is a failure by the administration and school board to properly equip their teachers to educate the students. And some teachers may buy some classroom supplies out of their own pockets but that is their choice. They also get a tax write off for doing it.

The teachers' union here started their bargaining with an initial proposal of 8%. Now I understand the first proposal is always pie in the sky. We have had two bargaining sessions since, which is where the real negotiations are supposed to take place, and the teachers have lowered their demands to 7.76%. The district has offered 3% and they won't take it. There are a lot of people in town that would take a 3% raise right now plus health insurance and an excellent pension.


And I hope Scott Walker survives his recall. We need more leaders like him.

[UNI88]

"Teachers" overpaid, my foot. As if every freaking teacher is overpaid. In the temporal, absolutes are rarely true, and this is a perfect example. Your average teacher doesn't get paid three months of the year AND has to get classroom supplies out of their own pocket. That often includes textbook photocopying as many districts either can't or won't pay for them. You guys who keep up this spew are literally disgusting.

Bullshit. Maybe where you live but not here. Teachers here make $30-40 per hour based on the annual hours they work. If districts won't pay for textbooks the teachers are stupid for paying for them themselves or making photocopies. That is a failure by the administration and school board to properly equip their teachers to educate the students. And some teachers may buy some classroom supplies out of their own pockets but that is their choice. They also get a tax write off for doing it.

The teachers' union here started their bargaining with an initial proposal of 8%. Now I understand the first proposal is always pie in the sky. We have had two bargaining sessions since, which is where the real negotiations are supposed to take place, and the teachers have lowered their demands to 7.76%. The district has offered 3% and they won't take it. There are a lot of people in town that would take a 3% raise right now plus health insurance and an excellent pension.

And I hope Scott Walker survives his recall. We need more leaders like him.

First, teacher pay varies by location. Where I grew up in Iowa, teachers had a very powerful union and were extremely well paid. Where I live now in the suburbs of Chicago, the starting salary for teachers is about $34k. My guess is that teachers in my hometown make as much or more than teachers where I live now and the cost of living in Iowa is significantly less than in Chicago. Do I think my kids' teachers are underpaid? Yes. They are responsible for educating tomorrow's leaders and workers and that's a pretty important function. Do I understand why they're underpaid? Yes, people shouldn't go into teaching for the big salaries, they should go into it because they have a passion for it.

Second, my kids' teachers do spend their own money on supplies. Do they do it because they're suckers? No, they do it because they care about the kids. Schools here are funded through property taxes and property values are way down so tax revenue is way down. The completely Donk-run State of Illinois is beyond broke and has cut school funding as well. The schools can't afford a lot of the stuff they need. They're making cuts and getting by and the teachers are trying to fill in the gaps. Kudos to them.

Third, taking more money out of an employee's paycheck in order to fund their healthcare and/or retirement benefits at the same level is a defacto pay decrease. Now there are plenty of people in the private sector including me who have suffered through these "pay decreases" and been happy to still have a job. We don't have an inherent right to a stable or increasing level of pay every year. If economic factors mean a decrease in pay than we need to learn to live with it. It beats unemployment.

That said, I agree with what Walker is trying to do but do question the approach. Defined benefit pension plans are unsustainable and the state that doesn't address the long-term impact on their expenses is beyond foolish. Where I question Walker is in that he unilaterally changed a contract(s). I realize that he likely wouldn't have been able to get the unions to agree to what needed to be done at the bargaining table but shouldn't he and the state of Wisconsin still honor the existing contract? How is what he did that much different than a homeowner walking away from an underwater mortgage?

It's a sticky situation and there is no perfect solution.

[AZGrizFan]

Reducing decent teacher's salaries while giving tax cuts to large corporations who will pay less in wages is not a good exchange nor good for an economy in the long run.

yup - it is a losing proposition. Corporate tax cuts do nothing for the economy - just suck money out of state. At least the teachers live and spend in state, returning the money to the public coffers.

What a moran.