Saturday, April 16, 2011

Governor Scott Walker Admits Union-Busting Provision “Doesn’t Save Any Money For the State Of Wisconsin.”

Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform called Govs. Scott Walker (R-WI) and Peter Shumlin (D-VT) to testify in a hearing titled “State and Municipal Debt: Tough Choices Ahead.” Much of the hearing was spent probing Wisconsin’s spate of anti-union restrictions it recently passed.

At one point, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) confronted Walker about his crackdown on public employee unions. The congressman referenced a provision Walker signed into law that would require union members to vote every year to continue their membership. Kucinich asked the governor how much money the state would save from the provision. Walker repeatedly dodged the question and eventually admitted that it actually wouldn’t save anything at all.
Kucinich then asked Walker how much money would be saved by barring union dues from being drawn from employee paychecks, another provision of Walker’s legislation. Walker claimed that it would save workers money, but was unable to explain how it would save the state any money. Kucinich then produced a document from the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the state’s equivalent of the Congressional Budget Office, that concluded that Walker’s measures were “nonfiscal” — meaning they had no impact on the state’s finances. Kucinich asked that the letter be included in the public record, but Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) refused:

KUCINICH: Let me ask you about some of the specific provisions in your proposals to strip collective bargaining rights. First, your proposal would require unions to hold annual votes to continue representing their own members. Can you please explain to me and members of this committee how much money this provision saves for your state budget?

WALKER: That and a number of other provisions we put in because if you’re going to ask, if you’re going to put in place a change like that, we wanted to make sure we protected the workers of our state, so they got value out of that. [...]

KUCINICH: Would you answer the question? How much money does it save, Governor?

WALKER: It doesn’t save any. [...]

KUCINICH: I want to ask about another one of your proposals. Under your plan you would prohibit paying union member dues from their paychecks. How much money would this provision save your state budget?

WALKER: It would save employees a thousand dollars a year they could use to pay for their pensions and health care contributions.

KUCINICH: Governor, it wouldn’t save the State of Wisconsin anything.



Walker’s admission is crucial because he had long claimed that his anti-union “budget repair bill” was designed to save the state money, not bust unions. But his words today echo those of Wisconsin state senate leader Scott Fitzgerald (R), who last month effectively admitted that the union fights are not about budgetary issues, but rather about winning the next election by depleting the ranks of organized labor.

Now why is this not the "Head Line News" on every broadcast across the Nation…...? “Wisconsin Governor Admits He Lied About Union-Busting!!!” Why is there not an out roar to impeach this lying asshole? What Has Happened To Our Country that we tolerate this kind of crap from our elected officials? Have we as a nation lost our moral compass?

4 comments:

  1. Yes, why isn't this the big news from this debacle?
    There are too many unanswered whys in the actions of these bastards!
    Why isn't the present actions of the governor of Michigan, who is responsible for firing most of Detroits teachers this week and the seizing of the city government of Benton Harbor being exposed for the fascist unconstitutional, anti American pro corporate agenda it really is?

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  2. Yes Microdot!
    You too bring up a very good point of the Governor of Michigan who is no better then Walker. This is how much corporations have bought the mercenary strong arms to project still more undue influence upon enslaving citizens of this country.

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  3. Until we start treating them like the crooks they are, they will continue to rob the people they can, which is you and me. They should be run out of office, that is what should happen, and all of our news stations should be boycotted because the news they report is a joke. Issues like this one they omit is such a sin. We really should boycott all stations until they give us some decent and honest news.

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  4. Hello Elaine,
    I want to first thank you for stopping by and commenting.

    Yes those like the Governor of Wisconsin do need to be treated like crooks and the news media that does not report this with the due notice that it deserves are just as guilty.

    Thank you again and keep in touch.

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