Rachel Maddow Story from 21 FEB 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV5LRSZu8GI
Here's the Maddow story
as reported by Chan. 6 WITI, when it happened a year ago (10 Mar 2010) - Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker invokes authority to lay off workers.
No further comment by me.
Mike
Rachel Maddow Story from 21 FEB 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV5LRSZu8GI
The Tipping Point Man Himself
Malcom Gladwell speaks on Income Inequality Gaps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uskJWrOQ97I
Rather than rely on hyped and agenda empowered TV I perfer to cruse the newspapers for the different sides opinions.
Here is the best summary of this morning on the WI situation.
Washington Times article quote
"The fiscal reality of crisis in Europe is driving the political reality of impatience in American politics.
And now we have the astounding spectacle of Wisconsin, where the Democratic state senators have left the state rather than attend the vote for modest but necessary cuts in public employee benefits proposed by the new Republican governor, Scott Walker, who was elected to do precisely what he is proposing (including restricting public employee unions' collective bargaining powers).
Compounding the spectacle is the Cairo-like demonstrating by tens of thousands of union members -- particularly teachers who have called in "sick," thus forcing the closing of many Wisconsin public schools. (Of course, unlike Cairo, Wisconsin is part of the American democracy, which has just had a fair and honest biennial election -- and it has done so more than 100 consecutive times -- in which the people were able to speak and elect their chosen leaders.)
Though we do not have reliable polling on the Wisconsin controversy yet, it was a telltale sign over the weekend when the head of the teachers union urged teachers to go back to work. Public unions are in a justifiably low standing with the public.
And after three years of private-sector firings -- plus 9 percent unemployment, salary cuts, home mortgage crises and 401(k) shrinkage -- the 91 percent of the American work force that works in that private sector (53 percent for small businesses with even lower benefits) is entitled to feel little sympathy for Wisconsin schoolteachers, who receive an average of $89,000 in salary and benefits and contribute $0 to their pension plans and only 5 percent to their medical insurance. (The average private-sector employee contributes 29 percent.)
The president's strong support for the public workers union lines up -- at least for the time being -- a both state and federal policy debate that may well yield needed deficit reduction legislation and dangerous political waters for the Democratic Party. The Democrats seem to be prepared to defend the idea of not dealing with the deficit crisis. Have the Democratic strategists (including those in the White House) really thought through the electoral implications of that decision?"
Does anyone here believe that running away from responsibiliy or calling in sick falsely is the right thing to do.
FDR was opposed to public Unions and this situation is supporting his expectations.
Newspapers are a good source of information but they often have their own Political Agendas. Your quote from FDR speaks volumes about the problem. Both sides are wrong IMO. Unions support the Democrats and Corporations support the Republicans. The whole concept of Civil (Civilian Services) has been obliterated. It is now more like 2 crime families fighting each other.... the Gambino(democrats) vs. the Soprano(republicans). Each side is trying to cheat the public at the large.Originally Posted by RJ
Slapout,
Your "Mafia Gangs" opinion it a bit simplistic.
Which party in your opinion, is more capable of sorting out the mess?
I don't see any third party being adroit enough to make the tough decisions to balance the federal budget and generate private sector jobs.
The current president is inept at foreign policy and out of touch with the realities of our monetary mess.
Two federal judges have rendered decisions and he has ignored them. The 7 year oil drilling moritorimum in the Gulf of mEXICO and the uncontitutionality of the Obama Care health plan. How many more laws will he flout or ignore before talk of impeachment becomes the biggest topic for the citizens of this nation?
I think last November was a wake up call for the tow major political parties. The "People" are getting mad and as Obama ignores them at his political power is falling away.
Some of the private sector unions are starting to realize the public unions are recieving more in pay and benefits than the private sector unions rank and file.
It's all about the money! The Stimulis money sent to the states by the dems for shovel ready projects was spent retaining public sector state employees. Those public employees large monthly dues payments to their Unions, are being funneled back to the Democrats as contributions.
Last edited by RJ; 02-24-2011 at 08:41 PM.
I agree with most of what say so I will focus on where I disagree.
1-Neither party can fix the situation which is why I think we are heading for some type of major Civil Disturbance(Revolution/Revolt/Insurrection) within a year or two.
2-Most State budgets that I know of are required to have balanced budgets. The Federal Government does not, also the Federal Government has the Legal authority to create money, state governments do not. That puts far more pressure on State Governments than the Feds. So as you say it is all about the money.
3-Find a copy of the Dodd-Frank Bill. In there you will find that the estimated cost of the Bank bailout is between 12 and 20 Trillion.....12 and 20 Trillion!! Started under Bush the second and continued under Obama the first. The exact total is unknown because the Federal Reserve cannot be audited (has never been audited) because they are a Private Bank and Congress does not have that authority. They did agree to a one time "quick look" which is how we finally got to see the numbers that appeared in the Dodd-Frank bill.
4-Obama dosen't have any Political power....except in his mind. I say he is a one term wonder.
Last edited by slapout9; 02-25-2011 at 12:38 AM. Reason: stuff
To (1): 1-2 years sounds awfully short, I've been told similar things by Americans since 2007 and stay sceptical. A lost/wasted decade (in regard to economic development, society development and political reforms) looks most likely to me. It'll end when economic and political reality and perceptions become much better aligned than during the last thirty years.
To (2): That's why the deficit was mostly concentrated on the federal level by sending "stimulus" money to the states.
To (3): There are bits and bytes in the computer systems of the financial sector at an astonishing level, but the real expenses were certainly less than a trillion, and even including all kinds of costs, at most a few trillions. A greater transfer would have been visible by now as (even more) incredible big bank profits.
The bailout (taxpayer money and invented Fed money) was roughly on the same order of monetary cost as the Iraq War was afaik.
To (4): He's got his veto power left and can play foreign politics.
The Dodd-Frank bill is a charade. The Congressional record shows Bush II requested Congress slow down the Fannie Mae and Freddi Mac
give away 17 times. Dodd and Frank as the chairmen of their houses financial committee Pooh-poohed his requests. Why do you think Dodd retired instead of running for another term. He was toast. Frank bearly squeeked by a challand in MA in Nov.
The F-M and FMac appointees padded the numbers to increase their personal annual bonus's. Dodd and Frank brought them before their committees and yelled at them. Big Deal. They still walked away much richer than they came to their appointed positions. They should be breaking rocks some where hot and nasty. And that goes for the dadd and Frank vaudville duo as well.
What about all of the unfunded federal mandates that passed on the costs of medicare tot he states. The Obama Care bill tripples down on that unfunded mandate cost to the states.
You are correct, the states can not print their own money, and I haven't heard of seen any info in the media that the any state is contemplating printing money. The feds are printing money with zero sustenance in our coffers and China is holding our paper.
Nov., 2010 was step One in slowing down the train wreck. Obama and Pelosi ran the deficiet up so fast in the first two years that they spent more money tat all of the Presidents from George Washington to Linden Johnson. Nov., 2012 will confim you prediction that Obama is a one term wonder.
The fight that is going on now in NY, NJ, OH, WI, CA and IN to get a handle of the over spending is a positive action. James Webb of VA has announced the will not be running for a second term. He knows that being a democrat in VA in this climate is a no win situation. I respect him and believe he is one of the more clearheaded politicans in the nation. He was a hell of a Marine and his son is one two.
You and I and the others on this board will have to see how this current crisis plays out. Blood in the streets? I doubt it!
The majority of us here are current or former US Military. Can anyone see the US Military turning on the citizens of the US and killing them at the whim of politican? I can't see it happening. And the State NG's have fought the good fight since 9/11/01 and I don't see them becoming
some demigods muscle in the near or far future.
FUCHS - most of the bank bailout money signed by Bush II has been paid back by the banks with interest.
The Stimulis has only spnt a third of the final funding, the rest is being held in a slush fund by the Dems. They lost the House of Representatives last November and that is the portion of our government that authorized the expenditure of money.
I see signs that the Senate will be voting on the reduction of cost along the lines of the cost cutting vote in the House of Reps. If passed Obama has the power to veto it. Then the question will be, does he have the guts to do it! Vetos can be over turned by Congress and the People are engaged and mad at the wild spending spree they have seen in the past two years.
The more they see the costs and the restrictions in the Health Care Bill and the fact that most of the stimulis money spent so far has been to bolster the public union employees while thousands if not millions of other citizens are losing they homes to forclosure and million of private sector jobs have been lost, the stronger the pressure will be to stop the spending, reduce the size of government and generate jobs.
The government is broke. State and Federal spending must be slowed down. Less taxes across the board and a common sense look at the thousands of regulations that have been added to the burden of the private sector have to be eleminated.
Gentlemen, If you can get a transcript of Gov. Christie's Budget Speech
on Tuesday, I suggest you read it word for word. It is a blueprint for turning NJ around and setting it on a different course.
The real bailout wasn't the official one, but the free money from the Fed that was given to the banks, deposited by the banks at the Fed and Fed pays interest on it. It's a gift and it's substantial in size (but can be cancelled quite quickly).
The Stimulus was in part about tax rebates.
RJ, they haven't paid back anything and probably never will. Listen to Karl Denninger on what really happened. The clip is from DEC 2010.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDXVH...eature=related
Fuchs - I hate to break it to you but your reference is not the Stimulis Bill that President Obama and the democrat controlled congress push thru in 2009.
Your reference is the a tax rebate bill that has nothing to do with the TARP Bill that was signed by President Bush in the last 3 months of his 2nd term. We all received $250.00 to invigorate the economy on the bill you are referencing. It was proposed and voted on during the months before the 2008, November Election. Senator Obama voted for the the bill you referenced. The money in that bill was loaned to the Banks and almost all of the loans ahave been repaid by the banks, and the TARP Bill while he was still running for the Presidency.
The Stimuluis Bill signed by Obama is larger than the TARP Bill and it had not payback provisions in it. That's what the noise in my country is all about.
Every republican member of Congress voted against that bill and only 3 republican senators voted for the Obama bill.
No wonder your posts seems out of step with the situation. You have been using the wrong intelligene source.
You need to read the information on The American Recovery and Reinvestmet Act of 2009. It was signed by President Obama on Feb. 18, 2009. $887 billion dollars.
Last edited by RJ; 02-25-2011 at 01:49 PM.
slapout, you rascal! Very Funny! I hope you know who doesn't latch on to that performance and think it is true.
Is it the guy who had a Mo-Town party in the WH last night
@RJ: You mentioned bailout and stimulus; TARP is bailout, but stimulus is what I wrote about.
I separated both with two empty lines, for both were very different things (and in my opinion both were poor ideas).
FUCHS - your stimulis is not the same as Obama's stimulis.
His stimulis cost 887 Billion dollars. Your post on tax rebates is a stimulis that was sent out to taxpayers to invogorate the economy. $250.00 per taxpayer. The TARP Bill on 2008 was money loaned to Banks to stabilize the US Banking industry. It worked and the majority of those banks who were helped by TARP have paid back their loans with interest.
The STIMULIS BILL President Obama signed into law was supposed to generate jobs, and reduce unemployment. IT did neither. Wasted money and a 9.8% unemployment was one of the reasons the Republicans won the House majority last November. That and the rammed thru Health Care Bill that Nancy Pelosi said thise famouse words. "Now that the health care bill is passed we all can read it and see what's in it."
Not a single republican congressman or senator voted for the Health Care Bill. That bill has be ruled a unconstitutional by a federal judge.
The House is in the process of defunding that Trillion dollar boondoggle.
RJ,I am not talking about that kind of situation. Americans love the Military. I remember the 70's gas situation and yes there was blood in the streets on a small scale. Now advance to today where people are having their incomes cut and then you get a sharp spike in gas prices/food prices. Call it the pimple revolution sooner or later it goes pop!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF-NI...eature=related
PS:I see you like Fishin. You need to come on down and we will go Fishin...we will fix all the world's problems to boot
That one has a huge tax break as well.
The measures are nominally worth $787 billion. The Act includes federal tax incentives, expansion of unemployment benefits and other social welfare provisions, and domestic spending in education, health care, and infrastructure, including the energy sector.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stimulus_billTax incentives
Total: $288 billion
This means that
is still wrong. 1/3 was tax 'incentives', already as much as was supposedly 'spent' total according to you. If you were right, not a single dime would have been actually spent so far. That's certainly untrue. I didn't even need to dig out the actual spending figures to see this.
I'll just let you believe what you believe. I see there isn't a whole lot of wiggle in your position. Enjoy the weekend. It's 40 degrees F here in NJ and the forcast is for heavy rain and winds up to 50 mph tonight.
It might just flush or melt allthe snow. We haven't seen grass since Christmas.
slapout,
I do fish and can tell tall tales about the time I was a bonifide Texas Snow Goose Guide on the Rice Prarie near Eagle Lake. Those LA gunners always took a double look when they heard my NY City accent.
Y'all have a good weekend.
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