Wisconsin Recall Stuff

[Luna]

Apparently they have enough votes to start checking signatures and suchlike to start recall proceedings against four GoP state senators, with possibly more on the way.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/05/wis-elections-staff-sufficient-signatures-to-recall-four-and-counting-gopers.php

[Adios]

"The people have spoken!"

"Uh...we will need to challenge this! This is so unfair!!!!"

What a difference a few months make.

[Luna]

"The people have spoken!"

"Uh...we will need to challenge this! This is so unfair!!!!"

What a difference a few months make.

It only counts when the people say what they WANT to hear, didn't you know?

[PopeTom]

People are just upset because they don;t understand the Republican job creation plan.

1) outlaw abortion
2) once people start having unwanted babies they will be come more desperate for work
3) people desperate for work will look for jobs harder
4) the extra effort of looking harder for work will, of course, result in finding a job
5) 0% unemployment
6) Jesus comes back

[Telarus]

People are just upset because they don;t understand the Republican job creation plan.

1) outlaw abortion
2) once people start having unwanted babies they will be come more desperate for work
3) people desperate for work will look for jobs harder
4) the extra effort of looking harder for work will, of course, result in finding a job
5) 0% unemployment
6) Jesus comes back

But Jesus will put all the vineyards and fishermen out of business!!!!! That goes against item 5! fnord

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

People are just upset because they don;t understand the Republican job creation plan.

1) outlaw abortion
2) once people start having unwanted babies they will be come more desperate for work
3) people desperate for work will look for jobs harder
4) After this has gone on awhile, they'll be killing each other for the opportunity to do sweatshop labor
5) Companies can do away with payroll expenses other than the wholesale cost of Top Ramen
6) Jesus comes back

FTFY

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Srsly, it's kind of like that here. The shittiest jobs have people falling over each other trying to get on. The management can treat people like crap and they have to suck it up.

[Luna]

Not recall stuff, but still Wisconsin...

Dear Wisconsin,

Your governor is an idiot.

- Luna

http://www.themudflats.net/2011/05/10/governor-scott-walker-snubbed-request-for-rail-funds-denied-wi-on-hook-for-150-million/

[Jenne]

People are just upset because they don;t understand the Republican job creation plan.

1) outlaw abortion
2) once people start having unwanted babies they will be come more desperate for work
3) people desperate for work will look for jobs harder
4) the extra effort of looking harder for work will, of course, result in finding a job
5) 0% unemployment
6) Jesus comes back
7) Reagan comes back, WITH Jesus.

You forgot one!

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

People are just upset because they don;t understand the Republican job creation plan.

1) outlaw abortion
2) once people start having unwanted babies they will be come more desperate for work
3) people desperate for work will look for jobs harder
4) the extra effort of looking harder for work will, of course, result in finding a job
5) 0% unemployment
6) Jesus comes back
7) Reagan comes back, WITH Jesus.

You forgot one!

To these people, Reagan IS Jesus.

[Luna]

Update.

All six recall petitions against Republican state Senators in have now been found sufficient by the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB). In addition to the three petitions the GAB approved last week against Dan Kapanke, Randy Hopper, and Luther Olsen, this morning they approved the petitions against Sheila Harsdorf, Robert Cowles, and Alberta Darling.

They haven't made a decision on the three petitions filed against Democratic senators, yet.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/31/980848/-All-six-recall-petitions-against-Wisconsin-GOP-approved-while-three-against-Dems-put-on-hold?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos%29

[Luna]

Republican party caught attempting to place fake Democratic candidates on the ballot for the recall elections.

http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/noquarter/123202643.html

[Disco Pickle]

Not recall, but part of the issues having to do with Union Bargaining Rights that was going on earlier this year.

http://www.educationnews.org/ed_reports/education_organizations/108345.html

and partial txt:

The union uses its bargaining rights to drum up business for its pet insurance company. MUSKEGON, Mich. - Much of the current controversy in Wisconsin involves the impending loss of most collective bargaining privileges for state employees, including public school teachers.


   
   The fact is that the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the largest teachers union in the state, has grossly abused that privilege for decades, resulting in the unnecessary siphoning of millions of dollars from Wisconsin public schools.

   Under current Wisconsin law, the identity of the insurance company that provides health coverage to school employees is a matter of collective bargaining in each school district.

    In the majority of districts around the state, WEAC negotiators have used that law to pressure local school boards into purchasing coverage from WEA Trust, an insurance company established by and closely associated with the union.

   WEA Trust offers very comprehensive health coverage, at a very high cost to schools. Most of the districts with the most expensive health premiums in the state are clients of WEA Trust. Most of the districts with the lowest premiums do business with other insurance carriers.

    A few dozen districts have managed to dump WEA Trust insurance over the past few years, despite the protests of teachers and their union. Officials from many of those districts say they managed to save at least six figures their first year with a different carrier, and maintained steady rates in subsequent years, while still offering quality health coverage to employees.

   Officials from other districts say they're also eager to dump WEA Trust coverage, but need their employee's anonymous claim histories from WEA Trust to share with other bidders. Several say they have never requested that information because they were told WEA Trust would punish them by pulling them out of local insurance pools, resulting in skyrocketing premiums.

  Today many Wisconsin school boards consider themselves stuck with expensive WEA Trust health coverage, until state law is altered to take the identify of the insurance carrier off the collective bargaining table. Gov. Scott Walker's current legislative proposal would do just that, giving school boards the opportunity to freely shop for insurance and save millions of tax dollars for instructional purposes.

    In fact, Gov. Walker recently cited WEA Trust as the #1 reason for collective bargaining reform.  

So this shit goes on in Wisconsin and probably, statistically, has to go on in other school districts.

Collective bargaining rights means they can fleece their own government, schools and teachers to turn a profit on an Insurance company established BY the union?

Sounds perfectly legit to me.

Retracted after doing a bit more digging.  Seems some shady claims were made with little statistics to back them up.

Does still seem to indicate that WEA would stand to lose millions if districts were allowed to choose their providers, and they do use strong arm tactics with the districts.

I'll do better research before mucking up an old thread.

[Luna]

Bring it as you find it, it's cool.

I'd be interested to know if the school systems have found comperable coverage with different companies at better prices. 

[Disco Pickle]

Bring it as you find it, it's cool.

I'd be interested to know if the school systems have found comperable coverage with different companies at better prices.  

They have.  Though apparently the Union can tout the benifits offering a better plan with greater benefits (remember, this is Wisconsin, the same state that had a teachers Union that fought a lawsuit to keep Viagra on the list of covered drugs despite its cost to the state and tax payers) comparable and cheaper companies have been found by a few districts willing to tell WEA and the unions to go fuck themselves.

Unless they're fudging the numbers, that's many hundreds of thousands (more or less, I don't have the quoted numbers on hand atm) a year in savings that could go to hiring more teachers and rebuilding and refitting schools to better teach children.