Wisconsin Politics: Lasting Shift? (money, corporate, pay)

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Opin_Yunated

Welp, glad to see another Republican failure. Walker is dragging Wisconsin down to the toilet.

I'm not glad. These failures don't hurt them. They're still rich and continue to line their pockets. The people that suffer are the middle and lower classes, and future generations. I can't be glad for that type of failure.

[Opin_Yunated]

Originally Posted by timberline742

I'm not glad. These failures don't hurt them. They're still rich and continue to line their pockets. The people that suffer are the middle and lower classes, and future generations. I can't be glad for that type of failure.

I agree for sure. I didn't mean it like that.

What saddens me is how many people parade this guy (and other politicians) as a saint when he openly vows to make their lives worse. He openly despises unions and education, the two pillars of a healthy middle class. How can people not see it?

[MaseMan]

Originally Posted by Opin_Yunated

I agree for sure. I didn't mean it like that.

What saddens me is how many people parade this guy (and other politicians) as a saint when he openly vows to make their lives worse. He openly despises unions and education, the two pillars of a healthy middle class. How can people not see it?

"Divide and conquer" worked perfectly, that's why.

[Seacove]

When I see what Walker has done to Wisconsin, I'm so glad Washington State dodged a bullet. We had a "moderate" Republican AG that tried to run for governor in 2012. Because of his "moderation" he had a fair chance of winning. But he jumped into the Obamacare lawsuit and spoke at a Tea Party rally in Olympia. Those commercials ran 24/7 and he was undone.

I'm amazed Walker was re-elected. In addition to everything else he's done, he's proposing taking $300M from the universities? A guy with no college degree gutting education budgets. Will Wisconsin go the way of Kansas?

[RVcook]

Originally Posted by Seacove

When I see what Walker has done to Wisconsin, I'm so glad Washington State dodged a bullet. We had a "moderate" Republican AG that tried to run for governor in 2012. Because of his "moderation" he had a fair chance of winning. But he jumped into the Obamacare lawsuit and spoke at a Tea Party rally in Olympia. Those commercials ran 24/7 and he was undone.

I'm amazed Walker was re-elected. In addition to everything else he's done, he's proposing taking $300M from the universities? A guy with no college degree gutting education budgets. Will Wisconsin go the way of Kansas?

^^This^^ is a very valid question. Ya know...if things had truly improved in the state (significantly decreased property taxes, increasing business development, saw leaps in job growth, boasted educational scores, enacted environmental protections, etc.), I suspect that would be something to put on a potential candidates resume to show with pride of accomplishment. But what the state has gotten in return for all the political wrangling is...what?...

He speaks of balancing the state budget while gutting the university budget. He slashed bargaining rights for public school teachers (mostly women), while simultaneously allowing those for police and fire departments (mostly men) to remain intact. He's always on local news (when he's actually here in the state) giving speeches at companies where they have expanded and he "crows" about how his policies have created all these great jobs...even though the company has added only 12. There has been some new business development Walk-O-Meter: Create 10,000 new businesses | PolitiFact Wisconsin, but like all politicians, most promise waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than they can actually deliver. In his case, he went beyond just stretching the truth. According to Business Insider, Wisconsin's ranking was 39th among 50. Non-farm payrolls increased 1.6%; GDP grew by 1.7%; wages decreased by 0.46%. State Economic Growth Rankings - Business Insider Certainly, with the new Right to Work For Less legislation, Wisconsinites may well look forward to more stagnant if not falling wages in the future.

At this point, he can pretty much institute whatever he wants. In that regard, he's been politically savvy using sleight-of-hand with just about everything that has been done. At least in Kansas, people knew exactly what they were getting and voted the guy in anyway. In Wisconsin, there IS no excuse for the stupidity that's been put in office.

RVcook

[kpl1228]

Originally Posted by MaseMan

"Right to work" happening next week. A lot of people seem to be excited about seeing their fellow residents taken down a peg, yet again.

This is the perfect summation of it all. Perfect.
I just don't get it. Working people hating on working people. Jealous of pensions and dental plans.
A whole lotta "I ain't got that."

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by kpl1228

This is the perfect summation of it all. Perfect.
I just don't get it. Working people hating on working people. Jealous of pensions and dental plans.
A whole lotta "I ain't got that."

The whole "divide and conquer" nonsense, brought to you by the Koch Brothers, and their puppet, Scott Walker. And now the whole "right-to-work" crap, which will further pit Wisconsonite against Wisconsonite, and further drive down wages and salaries.

The hope that the national press corps does a much better job than the pussycat WI scribes in exposing, and taking down, this fraud..

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by kpl1228

This is the perfect summation of it all. Perfect.
I just don't get it. Working people hating on working people. Jealous of pensions and dental plans.
A whole lotta "I ain't got that."

This is what I will never get. Why take down your neighbor when you should be demanding it for yourself? Is it just because people are lazy and tearing others down takes less energy that improving their situation?

DO NOT tell me we can't afford to pay and treat people well. We have record corporate profits (they're through the roof) and executive pay is also at record levels. The money is there. The profit is there. The only thing that has changed is the distribution.

[drishmael]

Originally Posted by cheese plate

"Ah, because in state-wide elections they vote in professional wrestlers and c-grade celebs - got it!"

Jesse Ventura was elected once with a smaller share of the vote (37%) than most losing candidates receive. Al Franken is extremely intelligent (reportedly scored a perfect 800 on the math section of the SAT, was admitted to Harvard on academic merit, graduated with honors), has demonstrated a longstanding engagement with public policy (undergraduate degree in political science, fellow at the Kennedy School of Government), and is by many accounts an excellent senator.

[MaseMan]

Originally Posted by drishmael

Jesse Ventura was elected once with a smaller share of the vote (37%) than most losing candidates receive. Al Franken is extremely intelligent (reportedly scored a perfect 800 on the math section of the SAT, was admitted to Harvard on academic merit, graduated with honors), has demonstrated a longstanding engagement with public policy (undergraduate degree in political science, fellow at the Kennedy School of Government), and is by many accounts an excellent senator.

People mock Minnesotans for having elected Ventura, but you have to give them credit for not going along with the status quo at the time. Many people in that state were fed up with the two major parties at the time. He only served one term, so it's not like electing him really mattered that much in the long run either way.