The problem with wisconsin, is that NONE of you understand the problem in the first place. Whether it be a cable news channel like FOX demonizing the teachers, professors, policemen, firemen and janitors for making a living wage, or the heartbeat of the unions trying to stay alive in this country, no one is getting the bigger picture.
The reality of this situation has many sides to it. First and foremost, you ALL have to understand how each state got into this stupid mess in the first place.
The ever so wonderful George W. Bush had a concept, along with his supporters in the house and senate to open up capitalism to the unions in each state. Those unions INVESTED heavily in wall street during the first few years of GW's term. TYCO, ENRON and the like collapsed and took with it BILLIONS OF UNION invested dollars.
The Teamsters lost huge dollars in the West, Central States and in the East. The remaining unions lost billions of dollars from teachers to goverment workers.
Then, if that wasnt bad enough, GW created his "home ownership society" program in 2002. This wonderful idea created the housing bubble that expanded and then blew up in ALL OUR faces. The unions were participants in this hoax by investing in banks and investment firms and buying junk mortages as securities based upon inflated appraisal values.
Once the housing bubble blew, those investments tanked all unions across this country. (Both private industry and Goverment investments).
Now, the states have to make good on those pensions and benefits despite the huge investment losses. The problem is simple, the banks and investment firms that BUSH bailed out before he left and those that President Obama bailed out got interest free loans from the Fed and were able to recover, yet, all the hard working people that paid into those pensions for years are left holding the bag.
Now, the republicans want the middle class union workers to pay for corruption that "they" (the republicans) created in the first place and leave the banks and investment firms untouched.
All the union pensions that are in deficits currently are NOT in deficits because people make TOO much money, its because the pension funds were invested poorly.
Everyone needs to understand this. Its not a matter of negotiated salaries, its a matter of mishandling of investments.
The republicans are merely USING the pension issues to make a collective attack against the hard working middle class of this country.
For years, the republicans have waged war on the middle class and now you can actually see it happening right before your eyes, unlike all the other attempts.
For instance, every year, the republicans in the senate continue to try and eliminate the federal mimimum wage but fall short. On strick party line votes, every republican votes for ending the fed min wage and every democrat votes against it.
People need to wake up to this nonsense. The republicans are aggressively attacking "US" the middle class workers of this country.
They sucked in our unions into wall street scams, screwed them out of billions, and now they want the teachers to pay extra for the failure while the banks, investment firms and wall street millionaires keep their money. Is this hard to comprehend?
Those posters on this board who are regular FOX news watchers, come onto this board and merely repeat the B/S as if they are talking intelligently, and "they" know who they are.
The problem is the problem isnt being explained and the problem with that is that people are being sold a bag of dooty by a political party and a right wing cable news channel.
Even if wisconsin can pass this bill and eliminate union collective bargaining rights, it only solves 10% of the debt. This would not even make a dent in the bigger problem of the state.
Peace.
