WORKFORCE REBELLION

No doubt you've all witnessed the workforce uprising in Wisconsin. Madison has become the focus of so many as we wind up our state budgets. But like so many instances before, the workforce suffers at the whim of the powerful.

Without argument, my Republican colleagues admit this is a perfect opportunity to whittle away some of what they see as prohibitors of growth. Of course this would be their perspective or they wouldn't be Republicans and since I don't know about their homelife growing up, I wont cast judgement.

What has transpired though, is the "I've had enough!" syndrome in a state that is known as the birthplace of modern worker's rights. The unions confronted with massive layoffs, gave Governor Scott what he wanted in the way of concessions. Enough to close the financial gap that he caused by slashing taxes for his top corporate donors. At the behest of those donors, he went further. Crafting a bill that would basically strip his bargaining partners of their ability to negotiate.

A line in a NYT article went: Republican talk of balancing budgets is cover for the real purpose of gutting the political force of middle-class state workers, who are steady supporters of Democrats and pose a threat to a growing conservative agenda. Once the connection to the Koch Brothers was revealed, I just laughed and thought how did they not see this coming?   
 
 
 In Ohio, Indiana and Florida, we see the GOP leadership having second thoughts as we head into week three of the Wisconsin protest; Urging fellow Republicans to drop it because it could interfere with other items on their agendas.

The same article went on: Conservative leaders in most states with strong unions have in the past generally made accommodations with organized labor, often winning support on social issues in return. That changed this year after wealthy conservatives poured tens of millions of dollars into the election campaigns of hard-right candidates like Kasich and Walker. 

The billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, who have long been staunch union opponents, were among the biggest contributors to Mr. Walker. 

The Republicans’ claim to be acting on behalf of taxpayers is not believable. 

 Bring that issue home to Kingston and Ulster County, we are looking at the bare minimum in our workforce, an average public income 30% less than the private sector and a looming deficit in the near future. Where are we to scrounge for binary funds when the wealthiest among us get tremendous tax breaks and the cost of running a municipality are expected to rise. If you want even more drama, lets throw in the threat of the 2% taxcap coming from Albany. 
See Circuit Breaker alternative.

Getting back to Wisconsin: Union leaders agreed to concessions requested by  Walker. Paying nearly 6 percent of their wages for pension costs, and double payments for health insurance. At that point, most governors would declare victory and move on. Instead, Walker has rejected concessions and won’t even negotiate. His true priority is stripping workers of collective-bargaining rights and reducing their unions to a shell. 

If you want to know how that's working for him, simply turn on CNN.