Thank you Wisconsin! (Washington, Forest: unemployment rate, compensation, taxes)

[SheriffMarge]

Originally Posted by Seacove

And now Wisconsin is broken. Families, neighbors, coworkers, no one will be able to speak to each other while people from other states post here adding fuel to the fire. I don't live in Wisconsin either but I'm guessing your state will suffer from this for a really long time. Who knows if it will ever heal.

So you're saying that a Walker loss would not have caused the same rift? That's kind of unrealistic, don't you think?

[SheriffMarge]

There was a time in industry when unions served a positive purpose: safe working conditions, adequate facilities, etc. There are laws in place to maintain that now, and unions have become parasites. How else do you explain the drop in union membership when workers were given the choice to opt out?

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by SheriffMarge

So you're saying that a Walker loss would not have caused the same rift? That's kind of unrealistic, don't you think?

If the goal is to destroy unions and lower the wages of the state over all so that everyone is competing for minimum wage jobs because, the rich will never pay more, (they would like to destroy minimum wage too), then the educated will leave Wisconsin. Then you'll have a bunch of poor uneducated Wisconsinites competing for jobs at Walmart, thus lowering the tax base so the state increasingly becomes even more poor, thus lowering funds for education and it becomes an ever-repeating cycle in a race to the bottom.

Hey, I don't live there but if I did and had an education or had children where I wanted a future for them, I would definitely get out of Wisconsin.

[ringwise]

Originally Posted by BadJuju

Privatize gains, socialize losses for corporations, money buys politics. That's the 'capitalist' vision that Walker stands for. Without unions, you wouldn't have any damn worker's rights. I hope you are thrown into a coal mine naked and forced to pick away at veins with a small light strapped to your head like workers of a bygone age of unfettered capitalism.

What a bunch of bull. I don't have a union, and I have worker's rights.

Lovely, typical reaction from the left - violence and attacks, all the while pretending that the right are the ones that aren't civil or caring.

[LexusNexus]

The severe limitations and backwardness on full display in WI, which is how this simpleton prevailed. It also required a tremendous fortune for the deceptive marketing to boost him up.

This is simply a pacifier for the clueless Right before WI votes for Obama, following the nation.

[ringwise]

Originally Posted by bradleyyo

The problem is this - non-union workers are giving up more and more of what they have had, with wages stagnant and benefits falling because their employers put them up against people who are desperate and starving in third world nations. Unions pool the collective strength of the workers, and have been able to better resist the erosion of what the have earned.

The question is, why should union workers give up benefits they have had, just so CEOs can get bigger and bigger bonuses?

Don't the workers, with their labor, contribute to and create profits for the companies they work for?

Instead of blaming the unions for having benefits that everyone has had and should have, shouldn't you be asking why employers should be allowed to constantly cut benefits for workers?

You should be arguing for MORE unions, not union workers having less. But hey, do the dirty work for greedy corporations in their race to the bottom for worker pay and benefits.

Huge difference between private sector and public sector. Private sector can do whatever they darn well please. I don't personally agree with private sector unions, and would never work somewhere that had a union (I think I'm pretty good at what I do, and would HATE to see a co-worker that is less competent than myself benefit just because they've put in more years). But private sector unions are evil personified. They "bargain" from the same side - dues pay for politicians, who in turn reward the union during collective bargaining, rinse and repeat. The worst part is that when a public sector union strikes, it affects aspects of life that a private company never touches. That's extortion, straight up, and they know it.

[BadJuju]

Originally Posted by ringwise

What a bunch of bull. I don't have a union, and I have worker's rights.

Lovely, typical reaction from the left - violence and attacks, all the while pretending that the right are the ones that aren't civil or caring.

I don't care or feel civil about anyone that is against unions and for corporate/political empowerment and cronyism.

[ringwise]

Originally Posted by jambo101

Nice to see Democracy alive and well in Wisconsin, the majority have prevailed , although the happy Republican's may have a short honeymoon with their win as the win signifies an endorsement of a right to work state, a state where employers will pay their workers the lowest possible wage and forget about any workers rights or protections,pensions and healthcare you are now on your own for everything. enjoy..

I want what you're smokin'

[ringwise]

Originally Posted by BadJuju

I don't care or feel civil about anyone that is against unions and for corporate/political empowerment and cronyism.

Hmmmm, and it's the right wing that's causing the rift with regards to this issue? Civility goes out the window if someone disagrees with you? Yup, you're a liberal to the core.

[Forest_Hills_Daddy]

Stop blaming businesses for driving down compensation. Patterns in consumption dictate how well businesses do and ultimately, how well they pay employees. Google, Facebook and BHP Billiton pay certain kinds of employees generously. I don’t know how the details of how the economy is like in Wisconsin, but if too many people feel their wages are going down, they should ask themselves why more companies like Google are not locating to Wisconsin.