More than 22,300 signed petition to recall Harsdorf, organizers say
April 18, 2011 at 4:41 pm in Hudson Star-Observer
The Harsdorf opponents needed 15,744 signatures in the 10th Senate District to force a recall election. They gathered 142 percent of the required number. Continue Reading
Wont you be sad when they are replaced with Tea party members.
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Personally the unions are really ticking me off (those who are driving the recall). I will show my disdain for them by boycotting union establishments such as County Market. If we show the unions that we are not going to take their garbage, they will quit pushing it our way.
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The more than 22,300 people who signed the petition are being played as pawns. You are doing exactly want the BIG union thugs want you to do. Keeping the “status quo”, that will eventually drive this nation into the ground. Am I the only one who can see this???
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You watch too much fox (the organization that coined the phrase union thugs). This is a grassroots effort. We are fighting for our friends and families livelihoods. And what about all those corporate thugs funding the other side? We simply believe that it is the rich not the poor that are driving this nation into the ground.
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A recall of a representative should be used when they break the law or do something immoral. NOT when they vote on something you disagree with.
You didn’t see the right asking to recall Obama or the democrats for passing the Health care law. They instead let their voices be known at the next election.
I hope those of you that are behind this recall realize the precedence you have set here.
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The right didn’t ask to recall Obama because there is no such thing as a presidential recall. Recalls are wisconsin law, and there is no rule saying that representatives have to do something immoral to be recalled. P.S. many of us think taking money from the working class and giving it to the upper class is immoral. DO YOU THINK JESUS WOULD DO THAT? Happy Easter
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I wonder how many that signed the petition understand that she is automatically added to the ballot?
Also, if you understand the timeline on this “recall vote”? here is what I have been able to figure out from looking at : http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Laws_governing_recall_in_Wisconsin
If they file today, it could be up to 31 days before it is certified.
Then the “recalled” person has 7 days to file a Petition.
If they file a petition, there are 31 days to decide the outcome of that petition.
Also, the incumbent has 10 days to challenge the signatures.
From what I can tell this could be separate from the Petition.
So you could have two court sessions going.. One for the contesting of the Recall and one for the Signature status.
We are out to 9 weeks from the date they file..
Next up.. the “first” election will be the first Tuesday 6 weeks from the date the recall petition is certified.
If they filed today, we are around 4 Months from today before the first election.
But wait.. First they need to find a candidate to run against her. They have no one yet that I have read about.
Then, knowing how politics work today, there will be more than one Democrat challenger, so the first vote around August 23rd(again, if they filed today) will be a “Primary” to decide which opponent goes against the Republican.
The Recall election will happen the first Tuesday, 4 weeks after the “Primary” election.
By my rough calculation, the Recall election, if they filed today, would be around September 27th.
Just think of the resources, time and money that will be spent by both sides for something that may not even change a thing.
And all of this to recall a person, who didn’t do anything unlawful or unethical.
Her crime?? She voted on a bill.
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September 27th? Hot damn. Just in time for the college students to be back to vote.
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just another way for the dems to waste a TON of money (recall election)….
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Yeah, she voted on a bill, one her constituency wanted her to vote against. If this isn’t the majority, the recall vote will show who her real constituents are. This is politics in action.
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Tpartier numbers are decreasing day by day, sbrown and cleatus. Look at numbers that attended functions two-years ago and recently. People have caught on to what is happening. Thinking people, those who question what they read and by whom it was written, are searching for answers and becomming educated on various topics. Although tpers try to make this a union issue, Walker, Harsdorf and the republicans are looking out for their own interests (money) as opposed to what’s best for Wisconsinites. Here’s the thing, tpers get their education about these subjects by extremist right-wing so call think-tanks. They essentially brainwash folks into believing their message and parrot simple talking points. Bad thing is, simple points are easy to remember, but unless they are based in fact, thinking folks will catch on, which is exactly what is happening every day.
Here’s proof: Sbrown and cleatus. Please provide us with SPECIFIC problems you have with Obamacare? Be specific. If you aren’t, then we’ll all know you have a superficial understanding of the issues at hand and all you are doing is parroting what you hear spewed by Rush and Beck.
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In regards to : Please provide us with SPECIFIC problems you have with Obamacare?
There are many good parts to the health care bill. One part that should be removed immediately is the Mandate to force people to purchase Healthcare.
I believe this will be found to be unconstitutional.
If this is allowed what would stop the government from mandating you purchase Life insurance, or other items they deem are necessary.
A slippery sloop we can not afford to start down.
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Do you have to have car insurance? Is that constitutional? Romneycare will help. Everyone should be covered with healthcare.
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It’ll be a landslide victory for the dems right Dan? And how did that Prosser vs. Flippingburgers vote turn out for you?
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Here’s something interesting, John. About seven weeks ago folks were living their lives, then Walker and Harsdorf reveiled their plan, which is to further enrich the wealthy. Gee, I wonder why.
In six-weeks since, people opposed to corporate rule rose up and helped an unknown cadidate close a 30% lead to eventually tie a well known incumbent in the Supreme Court election, AND file a recall against Harsdorf (aka Walker) with more than 8,000 more signatures than needed to force a recall election. Either of these efforts on their own would be unique and close to unheard of, but both happening at the same time is completely unique and historic.
So, in order to pull both these feats off, don’t you think they had to divide forces to work on the two different things? Now that the election is over, do you think those forces are now united and focusing on a single objective?
It’s big money (who prefer Koch over Pepsi) pumping money into brainwashing media campains and mailers versus everyday Wisconsinites who don’t want to be dominated by corporate rule.
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Dan, she voted on a bill a minority of her constituency wanted her to vote against. Had she voted for a bill she campaigned against a recall would be justified. Another example of how liberals view elections. If they can’t win at the ballot box, they look for activist judges or they attempt to recall politicians they didn’t vote for in the first place.
How you gonna feel when you lose this election twice?
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Trying to push through bills that attack the middle class and poor, sick elderly. Sounds like a good enough reason for recall to me. Hope you’re sleeping well Madam Harsdorf.
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I don’t see the bill as attacking the middle class. I perceive the bill as HELPING the middle class by saving us tax money and creating jobs here in Wisconsin.
I guess I don’t get where this is an attack on the middle class.
Simple economics dictates that if you have no money, you can’t spend it. Government jobs are NON REVENUE producing jobs. They cost us money versus making us money (us referring to the state). Private sector jobs generate tax money and thereby enable us to pay government employees. Over the past decade or so, we have lost private jobs that fund government jobs thereby creating the situation we are in now.
If you want to scream about a fix, how about someone propose a maximum wage for all companies that receive any form or corporate welfare? Companies could either get off the government dole or quit paying CEOs and other executives tremendously huge wages. Just a though though.
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And of course everything will be “all better” after the recall, right? And all those issues you list will instantly be fxed, right?
If you believe that, you’re hallucinating! Further, if you actually believe that any politician will actually work in anyone’s best interests (except their own) then please send me a pair of the rose colored glasses you are wearing!
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I’m really curious about something. Can those of who support the recall, please answer the following questions for me?
1. If the recall succeeds will the price of gas go down to under $3.00 a gallon?
2. Will my daughter’s college tuition drop significantly?
3. Will I get a pay raise?
If you can’t answer “yes” to the above questions, then why should I care? Frankly, can you name one thing that either party has done in the past two years that has benefitted the average voter.
Trust me,no matter who you elect, they don’t care about you anyway. They only care about what special interest group gets them votes. And unfortunatley, the special interest groups don’t care about you either. That includes the unions.
I’m so fed up with all the hateful rhetoric on both sides (with neither party doing anything of substance) I frankly don’t give a damn anymore.
So, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll just sit back and wait for the revolution to start.
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Dear Danimal,
Did you actually read my opinion or are you just so ingarined with the belief that anybody who offers an opinion that doesn’t quite match yours is, as you put it, “a TPer”?
So what your saying, in effct, is this: My concerns about paying for my daughters tuition, maintaining a liveable wage and being able to afford to get to work each day make me an anti-Obama, Tae-Party lover>?
WOW! Thats an interesting interpretation. I’m very happy for you that you obviously have no such concerns. You must be a very wealthy Democrat!
You’re right, I stand corrected. Only Republican politicians are bad. Democrats are the finest polticians in the world and truly worthy of praise. Thanks for setting the record straight!
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1. No (unrelated)
2. Possibly, but without a change in power the quality of her education will definitely go down if she attends a public UW school.
3. Depends if you are a good employee.
You should care because you care about people other than yourself. However, it seems that you don’t. I lost my job because of budget cuts to UW. It doesn’t affect you. It does affect me. But you don’t know me so why should you care.
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Just when you though it was safe to take a toaster into the shower, this happens.
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I just want to thank the recall petition circulators for moving me off of center, from a political perspective. As a result of their efforts, today marks the first time I’ve ever donated to a political cause or signed my name to a political statement.
I’m sure the Stand With Sheila people (for more info: http://www.harsdorf.com ) will thank you for my contribution to their cause, since it was a direct result of your ridiculous recall attempt.
The claim that this is a very divisive issue is correct. Thanks for helping me choose a side.
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Please enlighten us on the facts you found to support your decision, on Wisconsin? My guess is you did some in-depth research. Please, enlighten us.
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Dani Mal,
I’m not sure what it is about my post that you find to be so funny. I don’t find this to be funny at all.
Tell me what is funny about this scenario: A duly elected state senator casts a vote that angers a vocal subset of the population. As a result, an individual in Madison starts a campaign to recall this senator (as well as every other eligible senator that voted for the bill). Out-of-state agitators show up to ‘organize’ local church events. The community starts to organize into political camps. The division progresses to the point that a local preacher becomes a frequent poster of political propaganda in lieu of religious material.
It looks like there will be a special recall election–not because of malfeasance or inappropriate behavior–but because Sen. Harsdorf cast a vote that was unpopular with some of her constituents. This is offensive to my sense of fair play. This is the main impetus for my action.
I’m not selling anything, so it’s immaterial whether or not you “buy” what I say. Your skepticism and attempt to denigrate my post do not change the facts.
I share neither your politics nor your sense of humor.
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“You meand” You meant “You meant”, right? (A little trick I learned from some other posters: If you can’t argue logic, try to pick apart spelling, grammar, or word choice.)
I’ll bite on your red herring about two things government does well.
1) I really like our volunteer fire department.
2) I’ll take my hat off to the US military and the National Guard members.
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On Wisconsin,
Here’s where we (those of us debating these issues) run into problems: we often have incomplete/inaccurate information. For example:
1. The Harsdorf recall was filed by a lawyer from Hudson. Go here, look at the third page of the petition: http://gab.wi.gov/sites/default/files/GAB-1%20Committee%20to%20Recall%20Harsdorf%20(redacted).pdf . No shadowy Madison people–just a resident of Sheila’s district.
2. The “out-of-state” agitators–they’re the teachers I work with. I’ve seen them at the signature collection stations. I did get a free brat and cheese curds from a nurse from Michigan when I was at the Capitol protesting, though. They were tasty, too.
It is so hard to find facts, but they are critical to figuring out where we stand on the issues. The facts include looking into who finances our politicians. Example, Fitgerald donated cash to Harsdorf’s campaign. The Koch brothers’ PAC gave $43,000 to Mr. Walker (go here, sort by amount, look for KochPAC–two entries) http://www.wisdc.org/index.php?from=–&to=–&filter=+Search+&name=walker&pac_name=&interest=&module=wisdc.websiteforms&cmd=searchadvancedpac&qty=100&p=1&sort=amount;DESC
It’s hard to find the info, but it’s pretty clear that what many folks are saying is rooted in real facts.
3. Senator Harsdorf has angered many of her constituents by refusing to even discuss her point of view with them. Many, many people reported a lack of response from her (including a teacher I work with who’s a life-long republican who sent e-mails, left voicemails, and visited her office in Madison). That’s one reason people are angered at her.
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One Guy,
Thank you for your civil and thoughtful reply. I’d like to offer a couple of corrections and thoughts in response.
1. Take a look at page 2 of the PDF in the link you posted, and look at the signature/contact information for the person from Madison who set up the recall committee. Page 2 was signed Feb. 28th. Page 3, which was signed by someone with a Hudson address on March 2nd, does not set up the recall committee but rather is a statement of intent to circulate a recall petition.
The recall committee registrations for seven other state senators were signed by the same person from Madison who set up the Committee to Recall Harsdorf. Like you, I was skeptical about this when I first read these allegations in an earlier post, but the information can be found on the same GAB website that you linked to in your post ( http://gab.wi.gov/elections-voting/recall ). So, while I think it’s reasonable to believe that most of the petition signatures were actually collected by district residents, it is factually inaccurate to claim that the recall committee was set up by a Hudson resident.
2. I’m not suggesting that everyone protesting at Madison was an out-of-state agitator, just as I suspect you are not saying that everyone at Madison was a teacher from Wisconsin. The fact that there have been out-of-state public union representatives organizing events local to our area has been documented here: http://www.hudsonstarobserver.com/event/article/id/42073/ .
As a side note, if more people knew there were free brats and cheese curds being served at the capitol, you probably would have had a bigger protest turnout. Did you find out who was paying for the ‘free lunch’?
3. Do you think that the reason the recall petition is being circulated is because Sen. Harsdorf didn’t reply to emails and phone messages? I don’t see it that way, but it wouldn’t surprise me that our elected representatives are more insulated from their constituents than we’d like them to be. I’m sure that the 14 Wisconsin senators who temporarily defected to Illinois received many phone calls and emails from constituents who were displeased with their actions.
I still haven’t heard a good argument in favor of the Sen. Harsdorf recall campaign. As Shane pointed out earlier, even if the recall is passed, it would likely only shorten the senator’s term by a month or two at the most. If you are displeased with her job performance, why not just vote against her at election time?
Perhaps I’d feel differently if I were a public employee who held the perception that the senator’s vote would negatively impact my future salary and/or benefits. Instead, I’m one of those private-sector employees whose salary and benefits have already been negatively impacted by current market forces.
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I don’t know where you got your facts but the recall was started by a hudson resident, and I have talked to many of my friends also hudson residents not out of state agitators like Americans for Prosperity who were collecting signatures.
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David,
All I can do is post a link to the official recall paperwork on file at the GAB…I can’t make you read it.
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It’s obvious that anyone who knows the secret Sheila Harsdorf website address is working for the Koch bros.
Oh, wait…her website address shows up on Google.
(I’m sure you’re right though, it was probably a lot of extra work to post it online….)
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“Sorry, volunteer fire isn’t government.”
You wish. Don’t knock the municipal fire department–they do a heckuva job. Volunteer fire is a great example of the way community members still help the community out of a sense of civic service.
Educate yourself here: http://www.hudsonfd.org/history.html
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ooooooooooooohhh…hahahahhahahahah!
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Hey Danimal, do you ever post a reply that isn’t an attack on the person who made a comment that you didn’t agree with?
Just curious!
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The “rich” cannot solve YOUR problems.
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I’m not sure what the problem is. We had an open and free election in November. Did we think Walker, Harsdorf, and others were going to raise taxes? Sheila’s vote shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone…at least those who could step away from American Idol and their Xbox to pay attention to politics. Go ahead…have a recall and vote them out, then raise taxes on “the rich” and watch more businesses leave Wisconsin. We’ve lost Polaris, Robin Mfg, Durobag, General Motors, and others have already left. Just remember Dems and Unions…you’ll sleep in the same bed with the rest of us.
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yep- maybe the dems havent heard of these “tax bracket” thingies….
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Have you been to Detroit lately?
It used to be the ‘model city’ in the 50s/60s. A utopia for unions–both private and public–this city has gone from being one of the USA’s wealthiest cities per capita to one of the poorest cities. The mayor aims to demolish entire city blocks in order to cut back on infrastructure costs.
We don’t need that type of progressiveness here.
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sad part is that you actually think by just “taxing the rich” thae entire US economy will turn around and all your pet social programs will be swimming in money- money is not the problem- SPENDING is.
Dems think the only way to fix a problem is to tax everyone and throw more money at it
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I used to honestly believe that Harsdorf was a moderate Republican. Now she sends out mailings and emails where she’s “just going to give her opinion,” and instead she passes off the same lies as her ignorant overlord in Madison. She attacks the middle class workers of WI while saying she’s fighting for them. She snuggles up to the Republican fringe (FYI: There is no Tea Party – notice how they all have an “R” by their name?) without a second thought. I’m enjoying watching her and the other R’s squirm under the spot light. She’ll probably win re-election, but some of her senate cronies will not. That’ll be good enough for me.
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Having a recall vote is far from a guarantee of a defeat for the incumbent. I have faith that sanity will prevail and Harsdorf will retain her job.
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Sheila Harsdorf is just as arrogant as Scot Walker. She claims yesterday that all the recall efforts are coming from “out of staters and those outside the district.” The last I checked, over 22,000 individuals with addresses in her district, or over 35 percent of those voting in her last election had voluntarily signed petitions demanding her recall. Apparently there are a huge number of her constituents that want to send the message that they are mad as heck about her willingness to strip away workers rights and to violate State Open Meeting laws that guarantee the public the right to see what is going on in MADISON and give our advice and consent before it happens.
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If your figures are correct, we can then assume that around 65% of those voting in Sheila’s last election have voluntarily refused to sign petitions demanding her recall. That’s a tough majority to overcome in any election, but especially one that many people think is an absolute waste of taxpayer dollars.
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Maybe Sheila should hide out in Illinois until this blows over.
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Where did the democrats stay? Maybe she can get a WI politician discount.
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FYI there were 200 people at Sheila’s gathering. Only 150 at the recall announcement. Pretty much how the election went.
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Wrong. You’ve got that backward – Hudson Patch even attests to that. There weren’t 200 bodies at Lakefront Park – even if you counted the dogs and the dead fish in the lake.
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Are you saying that Democrats are too upright to take special interst money?
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They don’t want to “balance a budget” on the backs of the elderly and education.
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You could have stopped at they don’t want to balance a budget.
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This never has been about balancing a budget and you know that.
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Typical liberals. They act like they won something. I understand that recall papers against 3 dems will be filed later this week. So in the end the balance in the Senate will probably not change. Just an exercise in futility, something the liberals seem to be very good at.
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Labor unions gone wild… This is what happens when things are left unchecked: There is a pending complaint against the Milwaukee School District by the Milwaukee Teacher’s Association because the school district is saving more than $700,000.00 a year after dropping Viagra coverage from their health care plan. Now there is this one by union coppers in Pennsylvania: The Scranton police union has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the city for an off-duty drug arrest made by Police Chief Dan Duffy in March. The complaint, which was filed with the state Labor Relations Board on April 14, takes issue with the chief arresting a man who was allegedly in possession of marijuana because the chief is not a member of the collective bargaining unit and was “off duty†when the March 20 arrest was made.
“I think it’s absurd. I’m not going to turn my head on crime that takes place,†Chief Duffy said. “I took the same oath (as a police officer) that everyone else took. The complaint states that “the work of apprehending and arresting individuals has been the sole and exclusive province of members of the bargaining unit,†and that the city did not inform or negotiate with the union that the chief would be “performing bargaining unit work.†*****PROOF THAT YOU CAN”T FIX STUPID!!!!*****
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I’m curious if all those who are so supportive of the unions are aware that rich people they so abhore are those very individuals who lead their individual unions.
The heads of the AFL-CIO, Teamsters, SEIU, AFT and virtually every other labor union all earn nearly $1-million dollars per year.
And considering most union income is derived from member dues,I have to wonder whose REALLY living off the backs of the workers?
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Natasha
The state has a massive deficit. Several other states have fiscal problems and are getting rid of collective bargaining and expensive pensions and benefits. It isn’t a conspiracy and no one is out to get you. Running up a huge deficit for our children is not smart. Cutting costs and balancing the budget is for the children.
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The state should tax the rich and corporations at 100%. But then they will probably move to a different state and only us poor peaple will be left and we will all have to work in Illinois. Then we’ll be able to talk to our state government officials. Of course the teachers that haven’t taken early retirement will still be here. Those of us not fortunate enough to be a teacher, administrator or spouse of them can always mow your yards. That sounds like a good resolution.
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Where is there any teacher hatred? The benefits are costing the state too much and are out of date. The benefits need to be adjusted, just like they have been in the real world the last 10 years. Educators like to play with words to get money. “For the children”, “teacher hatred”, all just misdirecting the real issue.
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Being tired of paying high taxes has nothing to do with how I feel about teachers. There is no reason that a teacher can’t work past age 55. Why should I pay hgh taxes so someone can retire at 55 with full pension and full benefits?
If you can cut my taxes, so I can put away more money and retire at 55 and get me free medical benefits at age 55, I would vote to INCREASE teachers benefits.
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Get your facts right – early retirement (at age 55) means loss of pension benefits. Any teacher who retires at 55 does NOT get full retirement benefits. Early retirees actually SAVE tax payers money because they are usually replaced with teachers who make less than they did.
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Right to life has nothing to do with public education. You’re really stretching it there. Private education is usually cheaper than the $11,000 cost per student at the public schools. So private school vouchers are a way of expanding education without building new schools.
And you expect all of us to pay for your children to go to school? You want everything to be to YOUR advantage, rich and people without children pay for YOUR children’s schooling – money is no object when it benefits you.
State employee pension and benefit programs are tax payer funded.
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You don’t believe in education in this country?! Education is not a “free ride” – it should be a PRIORITY for all Americans!
If you would actually read the Forbes article – it states that state employee pension and benefit programs are 99.67% SELF FUNDED.
And I merely pointed out that the conservatives that believe that life begins at conception are the same ones who want to do nothing to help the poor and disadvantaged when they are born. They aren’t really like you anyway . . . are they?
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Those are your beliefs. When you are voted dictator, then we’ll follow your rules. In the meantime, you’ll have to abide by majority rules or move to a country that will vote you in office.
Maybe we should take the money saved from the early pensions and free medical and provide free abortions. And no more free education. If you don’t pay your share ($11,000 per child), you and your kids get sent to a third world country. That will solve all the problems.
Provide a site for the pension info. No way are teachers paying 99% for their retirement. Unless the union contract says the cost of benefits is paid by additional funds considered salary. It’s for the kids.
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You skewed view of the world really makes me sad. You appear to have no respect for anyone but yourself.
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Pot – Kettle.
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You don’t want your tax dollars to go for paying someone else’s education? It costs $11,000 a year per student for the Hudson school district. Take $11,000 times the number of kids that YOU have in school. Guess who is paying for YOUR kid’s education? But YOU don’t have a problem when someone is paying your way, only when you are paying.
Your self centered view of the world and entitlement mentality makes me sad.
If you think teachers aren’t making enough, nothing is preventing you from kicking in a few extra thousand, or paying extra in taxes. Be generous, give, it’s for the kids.
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Having a pension isn’t the problem. Being able to collect on that pension in full at age 55 with paid medical is the problem. Costly retirement benefits is what bankrupted the auto industry. The state can’t afford all the lavish benefits anymore.
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To clarify -if a teacher retires at 55, they do NOT receive their full pension. That’s why it’s called “early” retirement – they lose part of their pension. Further, while paying pensions obviously costs the state money, in the long run it has the benefit of saving the schools money because often the teacher who replaces the retiree is paid much less than the retiree was (due to less experience, etc.)
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For Caroline: Teachers in the NR District get a cash payout plus health and dental benefits for up to ten years if they retire at 55 with only 15 years in the district. The health insurance premiums alone amount to more than $1272.00 a month. At ten years that equates more than $152,000.00, courtesy of the NR District taxpayers. Multiply that by the 18 teachers leaving this year…….. Let me know how many private sector employees in our district get a benefit like that! Who is getting the shaft here?
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I think it’s great that public employees have pensions. And I think it’s great that they contribute to their pensions.
I start to have a problem with public employee pensions when they are defined-benefit plans rather than defined-contribution plans.
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Big differences!
First, the return and ultimate retirement benefit from private 401Ks is not guaranteed and could go down. Pension returns from public employee pensions ARE guaranteed.
Second, many companies routinely reduce their contributions to 401Ks on a regular basis.
So public employees still have a MUCH sweeter deal than the average private setor employee.
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All this from another union approved article?
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Are you referring to this quote from Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) when he testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform:
“Many Governors, Democrat and Republican alike, are cutting state aid to schools and other local governments – which forces massive layoffs, massive property tax increases or both.
In Wisconsin, we are doing something truly progressive. In addition to holding the line on spending and finding efficiencies in state government, we are implementing long term budget reforms focused on protecting middle class jobs and middle class taxpayers.
While our idea may be a bold political move it is a very modest request of our employees. We are reforming the collective bargaining system so our state and local governments can ask employees to contribute 5.8% for pension and 12.6% for health insurance premiums. These reforms will help them balance their budgets. In total, our collective bargaining reforms save local governments more than $700 million each year.”
If not, could you please post the quote and/or a link? I’m having a hard time finding any references to your info.
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Nevermind, I found it. Here is the exchange:
Kucinich: Your proposal would require unions to hold annual votes to continue representing their own members. Can you please explain to me and members of this committee how much money this provision saves for your state budget?
Walker: That, and a number of other provisions we put in because if you’re gonna ask,…if you’re gonna put in place a change like that…we wanted to make sure that we protected the workers of our state so that they had a right to know what kind of value they got. It’s the same reason we gave workers the right to choose, which is a fundamental American right…the right to choose whether or not they wanted to be part of a union…
Kucinich (interrupting): Would you answer the question? How much money does it save, governor? Just answer the question.
Walker: That particular part doesn’t save any.
The particular part that he was talking about was the provision that requires union leaders to hold annual votes and not weakening collective bargaining. For a video of the exchange go to:
http://www.countercontempt.com/archives/1725
You really need to verify facts and not just accept what everyone says as gospel. Most of this tripe just isn’t true.
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KUCINICH: I’ll back it up. Mr. Chairman, right here, from the state of Wisconsin’s Legislative Fiscal Bureau, it’s a non-partisan state budget agency much like the Congressional Budget Office, the bureau was ask to identify items in the governor’s bill that are non-fiscal, non-fiscal policy items that have no state fiscal effect. This letter confirms the obvious: that governor Walker’s efforts to repeal the rights of state workers is a non-fiscal, non-fiscal policy item. No effect on the state budget shortfall. I ask unanimous consent that this letter be included in the record.
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Um…you just quoted Dennis Kucinich, not Scott Walker.
Scott Walker is the Republican Governor of Wisconsin. Dennis Kucinich is a Democrat, and the U.S. Representative from Ohio’s 10th District.
———————————————————
Just for fun, here are some more Kucinich quotes:
“The energy of the stars becomes us. We become the energy of the stars. Stardust and spirit unite and we begin: one with the universe, whole and holy. From one source, endless creative energy, bursting forth, kinetic, elemental; we, the earth, air, water and fire-source of nearly fifteen billion years of cosmic spiraling.”
“I believe life begins at conception and that it doesn’t end at birth.” “I haven’t been a leader on this. These are issues I would not have chosen to bring up.”
“We cannot take the president off the hook for an illegal war that was based on lies,†(I think this was about Bush committing us to Iraq, not Obama committing us to Libya.)
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That Kucinich dude is off the hook. How can I contribute to his re-election fund?
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Pay union dues.
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Yes, I did indeed quote Kucinich. That would be because Mr. Shtarker did not include Mr. Kucinich’s response. I happen to believe in Kucinich.
For more fun, let’s have some Bachmann quotes:
“And what a bizarre time we’re in, when a judge will say to little children that you can’t say the pledge of allegiance, but you must learn that homosexuality is normal and you should try it.”
“I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out: Are they pro-America or anti-America?”
“There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design.”
“I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out then under another Democrat president Jimmy Carter. And I’m not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it’s an interesting coincidence.”
“[Gay marriage] is probably the biggest issue that will impact our state and our nation in the last, at least, thirty years. I am not understating that.”
“Normalization [of gayness] through desensitization. Very effective way to do this with a bunch of second graders is take a picture of ‘The Lion King’ for instance, and a teacher might say, ‘Do you know that the music for this movie was written by a gay man?’ The message is: ‘I’m better at what I do, because I’m gay.’”
“But we also know that the very founders that wrote those documents worked tirelessly until slavery was no more in the United States.”
“It is a brand new, billion-dollar high speed train that is going to go from Disneyland up to Las Vegas…Harry Reid, the Senator from Nevada, was behind this measure, and it makes us wonder, is he more interested in making sure kids start gambling at younger ages?”
“The President of the United States will be taking a trip over to India that is expected to cost the taxpayers $200 million a day.”
This IS fun isn’t it?!!
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It certainly is fun, but I think you missed the point. I’ll quote your earlier post:
>Walker had been claiming from day one his “budget repair†bill would help to balance the budget. When asked directly by congress, at the risk of perjury, he admitted that his anti-union budget saved NO Wisconsin budget dollars. This is a fact. It’s in the transcripts.<
When the transcript was subsequently posted to refute your argument, you didn't deny the transcript or even correct it–you simply quoted Kucinich. I take it Tim Shtarker posted an accurate transcript–which incidentally contained NO quote from Gov. Walker backing up the language in your post.
By the way, how did M. Bachmann enter the conversation? I didn't see her in the transcript.
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According to Michael Moore, we are not broke. But apparently all we have do is rob and pillage from the rich to get their money. But what good what that do? It would be gone in less than a year and then everyone would be broke. Well, except maybe the teachers. The obvious and most practicable solution is to reduce our spending. One would think that our educators, with all their bachelors and masters and doctors degrees would have already thought of this solution. Apparently they are exempt for the laws of economics. Apparently they are exempt from the rules of commons sense. Apparently they do not care about the future of Wisconsin and the future of their children for the money we spend now will have to be paid back by future generations. We cannot operate like the federal government or like California. Greed is not a virtue. The liberal agenda of the NEA and the left is un-American, immoral and against all Christianity. It prohibits prayer in schools, promotes homosexuality and same-sex marriage and it is pro-abortion, just to mention a few. It is essentially evil. This is what the Senator Harsdorf recall is promoting. They need to re-evaluate where they are taking us. There s is a lot more to life than just money…………
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That’s the PERFECT message for the teachers and the unions. Thanks for setting them straight!
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Like judge not and yea shall not be judged?
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Get a mirror Natasha…….
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And pot, this is natasha. It takes a village, it’s for the kids, why so much teacher hatred.
Broken record.
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You are the only one calling names AND accuse others of doing it. Why do you hate Sheila and all republicans?
Try following your own advice.
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Quit the name calling.
The measure of a truly great man is the courtesy with which he treats greater men
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