We need a doxie stampede in WI!!!

[auntydoxzz]

I normally avoid talking about politics, but I am a state employee in WI.  Our new governor has convinced republicans and tea party people that in an emergency budget repair bill they have to not only escalate major pay concessions from state workers,  which will likely equal at least a 10% pay cut BUT he is also removing almost all collective bargaining rights from NOT ONLY state employees but ALL public employees in the state with 3 exceptions.  The state patrol that he just put the daddy of two legislator buddies in the head and all fireman and police.  Mind you all the destruction of collective bargaining will apply to everyone EXCEPT the state patrol and fireman and police!!!  They will have no changes to their rights!!! He also put the national guard on alert and has retained a security firm from another MIDwestern state!   Every other local public employees are apparently useless! teachers, medical personell, EMT's. social workers, even job centers and everything else!  I have moved my retirement ahead to 3/11 along with a large number of other state employees!  After 31 years I will be leaving my job knowing that our governor apparently considers all of us useless! The only bargaining left will be on wages, but that is also limited to no more than the cost of living increases!!  We will no longer be able to file grievances on any issues, not  He annouced this last Friday and is pushing it through with only one 2 hour hearing in which they reserved forty front seats for his side!! He got elected in large part because he made such a huge deal that he was going to bring 500,000 new jobs to the state.  So far his score on that effort is not too hot. He forced the state to drop the high speed rail projects so other state got those grants, and also amazingly lost us  maybe that 500,000 new jobs.
For some reason he allegedly thought the feds would let us keep that grant money and use it for other transportation things. Since that he has refused 2 OTHER grants, both would have brought jobs, and this last one involves upgrading high speed broadband to WI which would be a selling point to potential new businesses!! It appears the only federal funds he wants are those that are block grants so he can avoid following any federal requirements.
Julia this even literally will limit local governments from even negotiating on teacher contracts. He is dictating his demands to all levels of government except the feds and if he could figure out a way to do that he would have wiped out collective bargaining for federal employees also!
He has convinced too many people in the state that public employees are evil, only out for what they can get, and insists the reason  the unions are protesting is ONLY because he intends to push through what will equate to about a 10-12% decrease in pay!   Basically he is busting the unions, and of course in the process pushing WI further down economy wise and he apparently does not understand it.  I really fear what will end up happening in this state!!  Sadly we can't go after his recall until he has been in power for a year, and by that time actually within a month from now we are going to be going downhill fast!!

[papbouv]

They already did allot of that in Tulsa we got most of our police & fire persons back recently. Feel sorry for your state I personally think the USA will be a third world country before it is all over with.Our people in government are too busy fight ing among their self's and looking out for their own self's to be concerned about us. They could care less about Americans, its down hill from now on.

[auntydoxzz]

Well it appears there might be another possible oops in the actions.  although this one wont cause problems on the state level.  it appears this destroying of collective bargaining could result in the feds pulling transit funds from mid sized cities !!  They are claiming that won't happen but this is the same guy who thought that when we turned down high speed rail grant funding for which we were getting a really huge amount, somehow claimed then that the feds would let us keep the money and use it for other transportation issues! So odds are they are wrong here to.  Scarey part is if it is in the federal funding for transit funds, it could hit other types of federal aid and most of these will basically end up costing local government a lot more money!!
Apparently he is now traveling around the state to various locations to publicize how great the bill is, but sneaking in by back doors, and places with only one entrance not locked, and also apparently flying around to places in a state owned airplane!!