The Revolt Spreads to America

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Yesterday, thousands of Wisconsin public workers protested the state's plan to cut benefits:

As USA Today notes:

House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan compared the protests in his home state of Wisconsin over Gov. Scott Walker's budget plan to the pro-democracy movement in Egypt.

Ryan, a Republican from Janesville, made his comments on MSNBC's Morning Joe program. In the Wisconsin state capital, teachers and labor union supporters swarmed the Senate chambers today to protest a bill that would strip most public employees of nearly all their collective bargaining rights.

"It's like Cairo's moved to Madison these days," Ryan said on MSNBC. "All of this demonstration ... it's fine. People should be able to express their way."

Mother Jones points out:

For the second straight day, demonstrators have been pouring into the streets of Madison, Wisconsin to protest Republican Governor Scott Walker's anti-union plan to address the state's $137 million budget shortfall, prompting comparisons (and denounciations of these comparisons) to the uprising in Egypt. Walker's proposal would limit the collective bargaining power of many state and local employees, and roughly doubles their health care premiums. It would also give public union members the right not to pay their dues, deflating the groups' coffers. Experts expect that Walker's provisions will be voted into law by the end of the week by the state assembly and senate—both of which are controlled by Republicans.

In response, Madison public school teachers have called in sick for a second straight day. And teachers in over a dozen other school districts have followed suit. Meanwhile, union leaders are picketing the capitol, planning vigils and setting up phone banks to try to block Walker's effort.

***

Protestors say that sounds a little…Mubaraky. They're carrying signs saying things like "Mubarak-check. Walker—?" and "Hosni Walker, Elected Dictator." And local liberal pundits are feeding the flames of anti-MubWalkerism. Liberal columnist Pat Schneider wrote that "[t]he success of a grass-roots uprising in Egypt in toppling strongman Hosni Mubarak was a source of inspiration for many of those who brainstormed Tuesday in Madison about resistance to attacks on US workers in several states." Meanwhile, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) told CNN "it's like Cairo's moved to Madison these days…[h]e's basically saying I want you public workers to pay half of what our private sector counterparts are, and he's getting riots."

AOL News reports:

Walker has upped the ante by threatening to bring in the National Guard if public workers decide to walk off the job or if their protests disrupt services around the state.

Labor activists responded by saying that Walker could ignite a "class war."

And now many are comparing Walker to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who tried to cling to power while protests roiled his country.

Dylan Ratigan notes that a large proportion of Wisconsin public employees' pension funds go to Wall Street:

The average Wisconsin state employee gets $24,500 a year. That’s not a very big pension. The state pension plan, 15% of the money going into it each year is being paid out to Wall Street to manage the money. That’s a really huge high percentage to pay out to Wall Street to manage the money.

And the Governor has ordered the Wisconsin state police to arrest all of the Democratic State Senators and return them to the Capital, but the Senate Democrats have fled the state.

Conservative writers like Mish and Karl Denninger slam the protesters (they're anti-union).

Indeed, the Democratic National Committee is apparently helping to organize the protests.

But Max Keiser writes:

It’s foolish to say these protests are about ‘labor’ or ‘unions.’ They’re about people getting their wealth stolen by banks. And whether it’s Cairo or Ohio, it’s the same banks. We are witnessing a Global Insurrection Against Banker Occupation.

Another poster writes:

The one good thing that has come out of this is simply the fact that, for right or for wrong, people are getting off their [back sides] and doing something about something.

And in related "Mubaraky" news, Ray McGovern - a 27-year CIA veteran, who chaired National Intelligence Estimates and personally delivered intelligence briefings to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, their Vice Presidents, Secretaries of State, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many other senior government officials - was bloodied, bruised and beaten for peacefully protesting a speech by Hillary Clinton (Clinton's speech was about the importance of protecting free speech):

As Raw Story points out:

Former CIA agent Ray McGovern, an outspoken critic of US foreign policy, stood silently in the auditorium's center aisle, and turned his back on Clinton.

For his symbolic and otherwise non-disruptive protest, he was quickly accosted by security agents. As they struggled to pull him out of the room, a CNN news camera caught the tail end of the ordeal.

"SO THIS IS AMERICA?!? This is America? Who are you?" the 71-year-old McGovern shouted as he was hauled away.

***

McGovern was being represented by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF).

"It is the ultimate definition of lip service that Secretary of State Clinton would be trumpeting the U.S. government's supposed concerns for free speech rights and this man would be simultaneously brutalized and arrested for engaging in a peaceful act of dissent at her speech," a spokeswoman for the group said in a published statement. [The group also noted that McGovern was "left bleeding in jail".]

US officials came under similar rhetorical fire in December, when they announced plans to host "World Press Freedom Day." The announcement was made on the same day that Sen. Joesph Lieberman (I-CT) declared that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be prosecuted for espionage over his role in the release of US diplomatic cables.

"When people die because we have hypocrites at the top of our government, that compels me to make a statement in whatever way I can," McGovern later told Rob Kall, who posted the remarks to Op Ed News. "It was not the theme of her speech that I was protesting. It was her war policies and support of Mubarak."

And see this and this.

Comments

[Slartebartfast]

Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!  The starting salary for a public school teacher in WI is around $42K.  I know.  My neighbor just got hired.  They pay $0 for their health care (100% free ride) and zero into their very generous pension plan.  Their pay scales top out well into six figures.  These aren't the "poor, downtrodden masses".  Nope.  These are fat and happy civil servants who are grossly overcompensated due to years and years of political dereliction of duty.  The Governor is a hero.  He's not a jerk.  He said he was going to do this throughout his campaign.  He is the only politician I've ever seen who has the guts to do EXACTLY what he promised and the voters are 100% behind him.  He's going to win.

It's not a $137 Million budget deficit you lying piece of crap.  It's a $3.2 Billion deficit and the State is broke.  It has to be dealt with.  If this doesn't work then there will have to be over 5,000 State workers laid off and massive cuts in services.  Pick your poison.

End of story.

[Freddie]

FAIL.

Just like Christie is "losing" by standing up to blood sucking govt unions. 

[sethstorm]

The original portly thug.

[covert]

it sure would be nice to re-establish Liberty again. these events seem remonescent of the days of janet reno. remember the shootings and bombings when she was attorney general? seems like history is starting to repeat itself.

http://covert2.wordpress.com

[mcguire]

thanks for the comments.. i appreciate it, dont get why it was flagged..

[midtowng]

It was flagged because some right-wingers choke on too much truth.

[DOT]

Because it is Bull Shit.

Walker is no doubt an ass, but this whole show has been in the works for months. Former Governor Doyle did't run for re-election for a reason: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/34820159.html

[Bob]

The place is over run today by corporatist trolls.  They're clearly getting paid for their divide and conquer bullshit.

[Dr. Sandi]

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[flattrader]

Like ElvisDog who asked--

>>>So the revolution is going to start to protect retirement and health benefits for overpaid public servants, perks that 90% of the working class in this country will never see?<<<

instead of asking, "What happened to the perks that many working class employees once had, but no longer have?"

Your corp masters said they couldn't afford them...and outsourced your jobs anyway.

Just be be happy when they throw you a bone.

But do bark and snarl at other dogs who have decent food and an occasional treat.

[Bob]

Truth is a bitch, ain't it.

[ZakuKommander]

So true.  

The Founding Fathers, who believed in individual endeavor, and loathed the concentration and centralization of power, would never have put up with the military, industrial, financial cabal that controls both parties today.  

[just_looking]

sounds like you should add organized labor to your list.

[Founders Keeper]

[sounds like you should add organized labor to your list.]---just_looking

Thanks for your post, looking.

IMO, Public sector employees do NOT have collective bargaining rights. Public employees work for the public. Grievances can be addressed to representatives of the public, i.e. elected officials. (Last I checked, public sector employees can still cast their ballots on election day.)

Private sector employees do have collective bargaining rights. Absolutely. However, "collective" has limitations, just as companies are legally limited (prohibited) from colluding with competing companies in order to fix market prices. 

For example. GM and Ford are prohibited from colluding or "collectively" fixing market prices. So too, the same auto union should NOT be allowed to exist in both GM and Ford. A union can exist at GM, and a different union can exist at Ford;  they just cannot be the same union.

No monopoly of companies, and no monopoly of unions. 

Just my opinion. (Incidentally, I think teachers and police officers are grossly underpaid.)

[midtowng]

Why would he do that? Labor doesn't control any party. They can't even stop the Dems from selling them out time and again.

[flattrader]

Because it's a fact and the truth and they don't like it.

Walker is sooo fucked.

Republican prison guards are turning against him.  He'd better not bend over.

Former or current Cheesehead?

[ElvisDog]

Oh, please. So the revolution is going to start to protect retirement and health benefits for overpaid public servants, perks that 90% of the working class in this country will never see? Your politics are clouding your brain.

And how is Walker "fucked" for introducing legislation? I thought that's what governors did. There is a simple way to resolve this in Wisconsin. Simply put the two opposing measures on a ballot and let the people vote - (1) raise taxes to pay for public union benefits or (2) reduce public sector benefits so they are in line with revenues. Wanna bet which way the people would go??

[flattrader]

The Walker fraudulent budget crisis is even a bigger crock of shit than first imagined.

He's fucked because he's lying...and not doing a very good job of it.

7:23pm Read Brendan Fischer's new report on the budget crisis:

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker alleges that dismantling public sector collective bargaining rights is made necessary by a $3.6 billion deficit in the next budget, and a $137 million shortfall this year. Setting aside the fact that the ability to negotiate shifts, seniority, benefits and conditions of employment would have a negligible impact on the deficit, and looking beyond Walker’s deceptive claim that the alternative to union-busting is to kick 200,000 children off Medicaid (called “false” by Politifact), how deep is the state’s economic crisis?

Representative Mark Pocan (D- Madison) has looked more closely at the numbers and writes that the $3.6 billion deficit is bogus. The alleged deficit is based on $3.9 billion in new agency requests
for the 2011-2013 budget, a 7.2% spending increase. However, these are merely requests, not dollars actually allocated or spent, and Pocan writes that the legislature never votes to grant 100% of agency requests: “I don’t think there is a member in the legislature that would vote for [the requested budget increase]. In fact, I asked [Legislative Fiscal Bureau] Director [Robert] Lang when was the last time we gave agencies exactly what they requested and was told he couldn’t think of one and he’s been here decades.”

For example, the state’s non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau reports that the difference between the amount requestedfor the 2009-2011 budget and the amount actually allocated was almost $3.5 billion, a sum nearly identical to Walker’s alleged “deficit” for the next budget cycle. State agencies had requested a 9.7% increase but were actually granted a reduction of 2.6%.

For this year's budget, any shortfalls are a direct result of Walker's policies. The Fiscal Bureau told legislators in January that the state will end the year with a balance of $121.4 million. The $137 million deficit Walker uses as an excuse to crush collective
bargaining results from the tax cuts and incentives Walker has pushed through since taking office; this includes the loss of $48 million in revenue from private health savings account taxation, a move lauded by the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce business lobby (who spent nearly $1 million on Walker's campaign).

[foofoojin]

It's not a perk god damn it. it's the contract they made with the state. 30 years of shit = awesome retirement. Just cause the the other party is you and me the taxpayer doesn't mean we get to renege on our contractual obligations.  it's so funny how we all bitch about the banks getting let off the hook and then demand to be let off the hook ourselves.  Grow up.

[Woodrox]

well put.... that is exactily the issue everywhere.

[midtowng]

So instead of fighting for a pension, you'd rather help take it away from someone else.

[andybev01]

" perks that 90% of the working class in this country will never see"...but are paying for.

[Freddie]

+1

Hilarious to see all these posts about - "both parties are bad."   "The country is going broke etc etc." Then when someone like Walker tries to fix it the liberal babies whine.  Idiots like "g washington" post this Huffington Post garbage.  Endless Democrat states are broke because of govt union "workers" and how they are robbing taxpayers.  The Democrats look like idiots in WI and OH.  Hussein's goons are involved there as well.

[johnnynaps]

Oh, so you enjoy seeing your taxes going to already prosperous, over-paid bankers? You my friend are going to be no help with progress by pointing the finger at modestly paid public employees. Now, go wipe the bankers' white goo off from your lips.....it's not a good look!

[rocker]

It looks like the shit is starting to hit the fan in America. I do not believe we have seen anything yet.

Some would say they need to share in the sacrifices of the many.  Just like the Goldman elites did. Where's my bonus now !!!  LOL

[flattrader]

State Senate Dems left WI earlier this afternoon, so no quorum to vote on the so-called budget repair bill.

Assembly Dems just walked out of the Capitol, so no quorum in that house.

(Apparently the Dems and some Reps want to change the "no collective bargaining" element of the bill.)

State police have been ordered to round-up Dem legislators.  They can't find them, but I don't believe they're looking terribly hard.

By tomorrow, some Reps legislators will no doubt "go missing."

[barkster]

too bad all legislators everywhere don't "go missing" for a few months. things might actually get better...

[Dr. Sandi]

There are a lot of hungry ditches all over America.

[RECISION]

:-)