A nice first step. THE NEXT STEP, AFTER THE “FLEEBAGGERS” (AS THEY’RE NOW BEING CALLED ON TWITTER) HAVE COME HOME, SHOULD BE TO PASS A LAW RETROACTIVELY DOCKING THEIR PAY FOR THE DAYS THEY MISSED. Senate Republicans can’t do that now, I believe, because it’s a fiscal measure and those require a 20-member quorum. But soon enough, soon enough.
[MOTION] That the Chief Clerk provide the paycheck, per diem check, and any expense reimbursement check of any Senator who is absent without leave for 2 or more session days to the Majority Leader for the absent member to pick up in person. Until the Majority Leader authorizes the Chief Clerk to reinstate direct deposit, the Chief Clerk shall suspend the direct deposit of the paycheck of any such Senator and process the Senator’s pay as a paper check. The Majority Leader shall provide the checks only to the absent Senator and only on the floor of the Senate during a session day.
THE COMMITTEE VOTE ON THAT WAS 3-2, THREE REPUBLICANS IN THE MAJORITY and two Democrats in the minority. But wait — how can Democrats vote when they’re not there? Well, apparently, telephone votes are permissible and common practice for committee sessions, just not for floor sessions.
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/02/22/wisconsin-senate-committee-passes-new-rule-senators-must-collect-their-paychecks-in-person/
This just keeps getting better and better.
POLITICAL HARDBALL IN WISCONSIN
Republicans on a state Senate committee approved a bill Tuesday to require voters to show ID at the polls, in their latest effort to entice Democrats to end their boycott of Senate proceedings.
The committee made significant changes to the bill in a meeting that included a bizarre element. Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) participated in the meeting by phone, but Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), the committee chairwoman, refused to let him vote because he and the 13 other Senate Democrats left the state Thursday.
Senators routinely participate in committee meetings by phone and are allowed to debate, offer amendments and vote on measures. But Lazich said she wasn't allowing Erpenbach to vote because he had an invalid reasons for being absent.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/116680594.html
You’ve got to love it. If the Wisconsin Democrats are going to act like petulant children, they deserved to be treated like petulant children.
Wisconsin starts reviewing complaint about Doctor excuses
Staff at the state Department of Regulation and Licensing have BEGUN TO REVIEW ROUGHLY 300 E-MAIL COMPLAINTS ABOUT DOCTORS ISSUING EXCUSE NOTES FOR PROTESTERS at the state Capitol over the weekend, officials said Tuesday.http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/116683269.html
Complaints that name a specific doctor and the alleged violations of rules covered by their licenses will be forwarded to the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board. Letters specifying the complaint will be sent to the doctors at the start of the investigation.
To date, THE NAMES OF DOCTORS LOU SANNER AND JAMES SHROPSHIRE have been cited in media reports about the medical excuses dispensed over the weekend. Both are affiliated with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The agency said none of the doctors involved was representing UW Health at the time…..
Somehow the terms “chickens” and “roost” come to mind.
It’s early yet, but Obama has a big uphill fight for reelection
For polling purposes, we divided all 10,000 voters into three camps: 1) RED STATES THAT DID NOT VOTE FOR OBAMA IN 2008 AND ARE UNLIKELY TO DO SO IN 2012; 2) BLUE STATES THAT DID NOT VOTE FOR MCCAIN IN 2008 AND ARE UNLIKELY TO VOTE GOP IN 2012; AND 3) BATTLEGROUND “GREEN” STATES THAT COULD GO EITHER WAY IN 2012. The following 12 Green states all saw significant changes brought about by statewide and congressional GOP victories and GOP wins in state legislatures as a result of the 2010 midterm elections: FL, IN, IA, MI, MO, NH, NM, NC, OH, PA, VA, and WI.http://townhall.com/columnists/bradoleary/2011/02/22/poll_shows_battleground_states_trending_strongly_for_gop_on_obama_re-election_issues/page/full/
The first question we asked voters in all three state categories is WHETHER THEY THINK PRESIDENT OBAMA DESERVES RE-ELECTION or if they think it is time for someone new in the White House.
Voters in BLUE STATES WOULD PREFER SOMEONE NEW OVER PRESIDENT OBAMA BY A SLIM 3-POINT MARGIN (48% TO 45%). The President should easily be able to make-up this ground once his campaign gets into full swing.
IN RED STATES, HOWEVER, VOTERS WOULD PREFER SOMEONE NEW BY A SIZEABLE 22-POINT MARGIN (58% TO 36%), a sizeable margin that the President is unlikely to overcome. In GREEN STATES, VOTERS WANT SOMEONE NEW IN THE WHITE HOUSE BY A 13-POINT MARGIN (54% TO 41%), showing that Obama’s quest for the critical middle-ground will be a severe uphill climb.....
As I said in the headline, it’s early. But I followed the change happening in the country throughout all of 2010 and it really didn’t change. People may have already made up their mind about this President and the Liberal agenda.
Meanwhile the Polls aren’t being kind to Obama
THE PRESIDENT’S MINI-RECOVERY IS STARTING TO FALL FLAT. According to the latest Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking poll, Barack Obama’s approval ratings have fallen to their lowest level since mid-November. JUST 21 PERCENT OF US VOTERS STRONGLY APPROVE OF THE PRESIDENT’S JOB PERFORMANCE IN CONTRAST TO 41 PERCENT WHO STRONGLY DISAPPROVE. Obama’s Presidential Approval Index rating now stands at minus 20 points (the difference between the percentage of Americans who strongly approve of the president’s performance against the percentage who strongly disapprove). Further, Republicans now have a nine-point lead over Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot in Rasmussen’s survey.
What explains this rather dramatic reversal of fortune for the president after three months of rising poll numbers? IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY CLEAR THAT OBAMA’S MESSAGING ON THE ECONOMY IS NOT GOING DOWN WELL WITH AN AMERICAN PUBLIC that is deeply worried about high levels of unemployment, the general state of the economy, the spiraling budget deficit, and fears over the impact of the government’s health care reforms. As Rasmussen reveals, a mere 24 percent of Americans believe their own personal finances are improving, and just 31 percent believe the economy is improving.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100077285/the-obama-bounce-is-falling-flat/
The democrats seem to be hoping that the economy will improve and Obama will get the credit. That might happen, but with the fights that are about to go on about the deficit, the economy might improve but Obama will get no credit.
Wisconsin Showdown
Nationwide, state and local government workers are paid on average 45% more than private sector workers, with an average hourly wage of $26.25, and $13.56 in hourly costs for benefits, for total hourly costs of $39.81, or $80,000 per year on average. This is true in Wisconsin as well. Indeed, the Manhattan Institute's E.J. McMahon reports that for public school teachers in Milwaukee, the annual cost of family health coverage is $26,844, for which the teachers currently pay nothing.
Yet, state and local government workers are mobbing the capitol in Wisconsin because newly elected GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER'S BILL TO CLOSE THE STATE'S $3.6 BILLION BUDGET DEFICIT WOULD REQUIRE THEM TO PAY 5.8% OF THEIR PENSION COSTS, AND 12.6% OF THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS. …
http://spectator.org/archives/2011/02/23/wisconsin-showdown
A good article spelling out the problem with Public Sector Unions.
Liberal Magic
There is a Wisconsin talking point that will not die: Everything was fine until Scott Walker got some business-incentive tax cuts passed. I just heard it from Erica Williams of the Center for American Progress. Rachel Maddow has trafficked in this nonsense, as have some more respectable lefty types.
Help an English major out, here: HOW EXACTLY DO $137 MILLION IN TAX CUTS CAUSE A $3.6 BILLION DEFICIT IN TWO YEARS? I AM DYING TO KNOW.
Those tax cuts may or may not be a good idea; I am generally skeptical of using special tax breaks as a tool of economic development. (Low general taxes, a simple tax code, a sane regulatory environment, and a sane tort environment seem to me much better tools.) But getting a $3.6 billion deficit out of a $137 million tax cut is a pretty good rabbit-outta-the-hat trick.
http://www.nationalreview.com/exchequer/260578/tax-cuts-and-wisconsins-deficit
Actually this is a very good question.
What’s happened to civility?
SOMETIMES IT'S NECESSARY TO GET OUT ON THE STREETS AND "GET A LITTLE BLOODY," A MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRAT SAID TUESDAY IN REFERENCE TO LABOR BATTLES IN WISCONSIN.
Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) fired up a group of union members in Boston with a speech urging them to work down in the trenches to fend off limits to workers' rights like those proposed in Wisconsin.
"I’m proud to be here with people who understand that it’s more than just sending an email to get you going," Capuano said, according to the Dorchester Reporter. "EVERY ONCE AND AWHILE YOU NEED TO GET OUT ON THE STREETS AND GET A LITTLE BLOODY WHEN NECESSARY."
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/145627-dem-lawmaker-on-labor-protests-get-a-little-bloody-when-necessary
Apparently Capuano didn’t get the memo that declared only the right advocated violence. Anyone with an ounce of knowledge about history knows this is complete rubbish.
Shutting Down the Government
Let’s put aside that congressional Republicans deny that they want to shut down the government. How can Harry Reid continue talking about Republicans wanting to shut down the government as if it were the worst conceivable thing in the world when, as he is making this accusation, DEMOCRATS IN (NOW) TWO STATES HAVE ACTUALLY SHUT DOWN THEIR GOVERNMENTS — and not due to a legitimate legislative impasse, but by the illegitimate tactic of fleeing the state to avoid being compelled to do their jobs? If government shutdowns in Wisconsin and Indiana occur in coordination with President Obama’s political operation AND TO THE CHEERS OF DEMOCRATIC BIGWIGS ACROSS THE NATION, HOW BAD CAN SHUTTING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT BE?
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/260424/shutting-down-government-andrew-c-mccarthy
Actually this is an interesting way to look at the possibility of a government shutdown.
Follow the Money
Enormous contributions, yes -- to the Democratic Party and the Obama campaign. UNIONS, MOST OF WHOSE MEMBERS ARE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, GAVE DEMOCRATS SOME $400 MILLION IN THE 2008 ELECTION CYCLE. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the biggest public employee union, gave Democrats $90 million in the 2010 cycle.
FOLLOW THE MONEY, WASHINGTON REPORTERS LIKE TO SAY. The money in this case comes from taxpayers, present and future, who are the source of every penny of dues paid to public employee unions, who in turn spend much of that money on politics, almost all of it for Democrats. In effect, public employee unions are a mechanism by which every taxpayer is forced to fund the Democratic Party.
So, JUST AS THE PRESIDENT COMPLAINED IN HIS 2010 STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS ABOUT A SUPREME COURT DECISION THAT HE FEARED WOULD INCREASE THE FLOW OF MONEY TO REPUBLICANS, HE ALSO FOUND TIME TO COMPLAIN ABOUT A PROPOSED STATE LAW THAT COULD REDUCE THE FLOW OF MONEY TO DEMOCRATS.
And, according to the Washington Post, to get the Democratic National Committee to organize protests against the proposed Wisconsin law. PROTESTS THAT SHOWED CONTEMPT FOR THE LAW, with teachers abandoning classrooms, doctors writing phony medical excuses, Democratic legislators fleeing the state and holing up in a motel. The lawmakers played hooky without losing any salary, which is protected by the state constitution.
It's true that Walker's proposals would strike hard at the power of the public employee unions. They would no longer have the right to bargain for fringe benefits, which are threatening to bankrupt the state government, and they would no longer be able to count on government withholding dues money and passing it along to them.
But what are the contributions that public employee unions make to our states and our citizens? THEIR INCENTIVES ARE TO INCREASE THE COST OF GOVERNMENT AND REDUCE DOWN TOWARD ZERO THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES -- BOTH CONTRARY TO THE INTERESTS OF TAXPAYING CITIZENS….
http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/02/public-unions-force-taxpayers-fund-democrats#ixzz1EnX1eUKH
What’s going on in Wisconsin and other states is a fight for money and power. The Democrats and the Unions want to keep the status quo while the Republicans and the majority of Americans are looking for change.
Irony?
http://datechguy.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/the-ultimate-irony-of-todays-rally-in-boston/
Watch this short video. It makes an interesting point.
No comments:
Post a Comment