COLUMN: Mutiny in Madison: Walker’s pyrrhic victory
June 21, 2012 at 6:32 am in Duluth News Tribune
Wisconsin’s recall election did not exonerate Republican Gov. Scott Walker anymore than Capt. Bligh was exonerated in “Mutiny on the Bounty” Continue Reading
These leftist clowns just can’t get over the fact that they aren’t the majority anymore and their corruption won’t be tolerated.
Hot debate. What do you think?
27 
15
The only Pyrrhic victory was the Dems senate win in Racine. Pyrrhic in the sense that the senate won’t reconvene until after the next election in November, and in a redrawn district that favors republicans. I think Mcgrath has been reading too many of his own headlines. He actually believes that Wisconsin still tilts left. What does that say about his ability to read the tea leaves? only that he’s blinded by his own partisan ideology.
Hot debate. What do you think?
26 
12
What a crock of lies, misinformation and outright BS. This writer is totally delusional in thinking that the electorate didn’t support Walker. the do-over was forced by unions, at enormous taxpayer expense, because the unions were caught with their hand in the cookie jar and Walker slammed the lid down hard on their hand. The public sector unions were lkiving high on the hog for years, sucking money from their friends and neighbors in the form of tax money taken to support the union workers lifestyle. When Walker said this has to change and the union workers need to pay a little to support their own benefit package the union workers went nuts. Too bad Walker didn’t tell the union workers they would need to contribute as much to their benefits packages as those of us in the private sector do. Then the union workers would have been paying their “fair share” unlike the pittance Walker is asking them to pay now. Now more free ride is really what the recall election was all about and yet the union workers revolted at having to pay a pittance. FYI Walker was re-elected with a higher percentage of votes than he was the first time around so obviously the public supports him strongly. Union workers…now pay up (like the rest of us) and shut up. You have aleinated the general public and if you try to push your selfish self-interests again the public will again tell you where to go.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
28 
13
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
8 
21
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
5 
17
Levi, perhaps you can comment on a few rumours I’ve heard that are related to your comments.
I had heard/read somewhere recently that one of the changes Walker made was to not have the State of Wisconsin automatically take Union dues out of the state workers paychecks…..and to make the worker instead pay their own dues with their own check. I’d heard now that this is policy, 60% of state workers aren’t paying dues. If this is true, wouldn’t that tend to mean at least many if not most of those 60% who aren’t freely and voluntarily paying to support the union that supposidly benefits them and their bretheran, are questioning the value of the Union ? I would think if they saw the Union as truly valuable they would be chompping at the bit to pay their dues.
Secondly, regarding health insurance benefits for at least some of the affected union members in question, wasn’t there some deal where the health insurance premiums the state was mandated to pay for could only be paid (aparantly maybe a “no bid” contract ?) to a insurance company owned by the very same union ? Doesn’t that seem like a huge conflict of interest when insurance rates are set by the company and the state is mandated to buy the insurance from this Union owned company only with no ability to shop for the best deal ? If true, this almost seems like the the old “company store” scenario where the company store is the only place to buy anything in town and the prices are way to high.
Please clarify whether my comments are correct, and if incorrect please explain how so.
Like or Dislike:
17 
5
Jessica, please don’t get the facts involved in this as Walkers detractors don’t care about those.
Like or Dislike:
16 
6
I agree that facts sometimes get lost by feverent believers in a cause, but I think it only fair that I let Levi a chance to address at least these two issues. There are always two sides to every story, and I’m just trying to do proper due dilligence before making up my own opinion. We all better off hearing opposing opinions from others and should always willing to learn from another perspective…..if we hear some valid opposing points, great, maybe our opinion will change a bit…..if we don’t hear any opposing comments back, that pretty much gives us our answer. So….I’m asking, anyone with another point of view who can shed some light on these two issues……please enlighten us !
Like or Dislike:
12 
3
“a valid opposing view” from the left is a pretty tall order. Good luck with that one.
Like or Dislike:
11 
6
Well since Levi and/or anyone else hasn’t clarified and/or corrected my thoughts above……I guess we have our answer !
Like or Dislike:
6 
3
ULYSSES, just think when all public employees are gone and the Koch brothers control the country and unions are illegal, the very rich are going to remember your fight to protect them and probably do nothing for you anyway. At least you’re a good sheeple in your own right.
Like or Dislike:
6 
15
I like how you put ‘probably’ in there…like there’s even a chance of the Koch’s giving a rat’s a$$ about middle classers.
Like or Dislike:
7 
8
“B” as in B, “S” as in S, from another pathetic liberal POS.
Like or Dislike:
15 
10
Typical a liberal communist college professor which is part of the reason this county is having problems spewing their lies trying to make any one listen. The People of WI voted TWICE for Gov Walker. I suspect the liberals will keep on whining for the next two years.
Like or Dislike:
19 
10
It’s gone from whining to wailing already.
Like or Dislike:
14 
8
jh45, why is it anyone with a different opinion than yours is a commie? That sounds like reverse communism. Joe Mcarthy labeled lots of people commies, look how well that worked.
Like or Dislike:
8 
12
Unions are selfish and self-serving, Levi. They told Walker to pound sand when he asked that labor talks be tabled until his inauguration; they instead rushed through contracts during the lame duck session. Walker then explained the layoffs that would be necessary without insurance and pension contributions; again, no cooperation.
Then Walker curbed collective bargaining privileges. What happened? The unions loudly proclaimed that they would cave.
Moral of the Story: Public sector unions will support lower net wages and mass layoffs so long as they maintain their political and financial power.
What a joke. The author of this letter should ask for a refund from his alma mater. Clearly he didnt learn a thing.
Like or Dislike:
15 
6
What I’d really like to know is… Why do we allow individuals to inves…I mean contribute…to state level politicians in state’s which that ‘contributor’ isn’t a resident/citizen?
Does it really feel like, party bias aside, the citizens of Wisconsin were heard? To me it feels like the rich from other states were heard.
But the right-wingers (not Republicans, they don’t exist anymore) couldn’t care less because their side won… What will they say when it goes the other way.
But overall, who cares about Unions, this is Capitalism! Right, Adam Smith?
Like or Dislike:
6 
9
Here’s a little question I was wondering about that piggy-backs on yours pretty well: Now, a lot of people think that union members ought not be obligated to pay for political speech/lobbying. Do these same people think that shareholders in corporations need not be obligated to pay for their political speech/lobbying?
I’d be interested in hearing some answers, but’ll have to be satisfied with some thumbs-down, I suppose.
Like or Dislike:
4 
8
Shareholders aren’t required to belong to the club and have dues extracted from every paycheck.
Like or Dislike:
11 
4
Employees aren’t required to be employed anywhere, as republicants always like to say.
Like or Dislike:
5 
10
I’ve never heard a republican say that, although if they aren’t employed somewhere they’re not employees.
Like or Dislike:
7 
5
It’s a variation on the classic “love it or leave it”, dude.
Like or Dislike:
2 
4
But you guys didn’t leave when Bush was president and it was clear the left hated the country and still do if under anything but leftist control?
Like or Dislike:
3 
2
Walker won and the other side lost. You can spin it all you want, but the results do not lie.
Like or Dislike:
12 
5
deemer, sure Walker won the election… I’m worried who’s going to “win” in the long run? I doubt it’s the middle class worker.
Like or Dislike:
5 
12