If the public union workers eventually agree to concessions, or Gov Walker's law takes effect, the workers take home pay will be reduced by X amount. The Wisconsin Teachers pay their union in dues, approximately $130 million/year. If their union leaders are so concerned about the teacher's pay, why don't they cut the dues in half? That should enable the teachers to recoup some, or perhaps even all, of their take home pay. If their union can't survive on $75 million/year, something is badly fucked up. Of course, the democrat politicos will have to forego some of the union contributions to their campaign coffers, but that may not be a bad thing.

We could also talk about the recent Supreme court decision, " Citizens united" which allows unlimited corporate donations to flow into the coffers of the GOP. SOME labor unions involved in this decision, but majority of this action favors the GOP. Somehow have a hunch that JF doesn't want that opinion overturned.

The GOP head of the WI legislature admitted that eliminating collective bargaining was really about starving the Dems of a large large revenue source.

Depends on whose ox is being gored.







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direct political advocacy ads from general treasury funds than are corporations, and these ads largely favor Democratic candidates, not Republican, as we saw in Arkansas.


       I think it is unlikely that many corporations will take advantage of Citizens United be of concern to protect their brand. The candidate Gerbers Baby Food promotes today may be accused of child porn tomorrow. Far more likely, big corps will continue working through trade associations and not directly.

     So I would not agree that Citizens United largely favors Republicans and I don't think there have been any studies showing Tea Party success in November was largely attributable to big corp ads.

pria, you missed the point. Union dues are a cash cow for the union hierarchy to do whatever they wish to do with them. A good example are the Teamster Union locals. As a retired Teamster, I still get the monthly Teamster magazine.(yep, there are many airlines in the Teamster Aviation Div). The last 6 pages of each issue is nothing more than a list of greed, graft, fraud and corruption charges against the local/national officials that have found ways to fill their pockets with the members dues. My first year's dues as a Teamster were $850. My last year's dues as an active member were $5,250. How many Teamsters are there? Tens of thousands. Does the union need all that money.....fuck no! Let the members keep some of it. Do union members get to vote on the percentage rate for dues....fuck no. It is set by the union leaders. Are there additional temporary surcharges set on the same dues....fuck yes. Whenever they run a little short, guess what, you're gonna pay another 1.5% for the next 6 months to eliminate the shortfall. Why did they run short of money? Try finding the truth for that. Do you have to be a union member to keep your job? Where I worked, you sure as hell did. A condition of employment was to be a union member. Same goes for the public worker unions in Wisconsin, and elsewhere. Why can't they keep more of their hard earned money?

As for the "Citizens United" decision, what makes you think corporations give only to republicans? You should check out the donations given to democrats by Wall Street, for example.

Nothing in politics is ever 'permanent'. It just keeps getting worse, no matter who is in power.

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oops, another typo....corpoarte? sorry, couldn't let you slide on that, lol.

But whose money do corporations give to the GOP...the corporation's money. And whose money do the unions give to the democrats...the union members money, like it or not. Do you have any idea how pissed I got when I saw my union dues being given to democrat candidates that I would never give a penny to otherwise?

among millions of others. Cuts both ways.

As I said, depends on whose ox is being gored.

That should tell you all you need to know. As they do better, everything else gets more fucked up. Think there is a connection? Think that maybe, just maybe, if things got worse for Wall Street, then the rest of the country will start to do better?

Bailed out with my taxes as well, and my union dues went to the politicians that did the bailing. So, am I doubly offended?

willy, Miss Maddow is far off the mark. The Manhattan Institute, and the Americans for Tax Reform estimates that the Wisconsin public sector pension fund is underfunded by $10.9 billion, based on retiring workers predictions. That doesn't leave much of a surplus, does it?

Also, if it is true that there is a $121 million surplus predicted for 2011, even with Walker's tax cuts, your previous arguments were also far off the mark.

Lastly, I hope you're doing this posting on your lunch hour, or else, GET BACK TO WORK, lol.

"We could also talk about the recent Supreme court decision, " Citizens united" which allows unlimited corporate donations to flow into the coffers of the GOP"

I don't know the answer. Since you brought it up, I'm asking you.
Why will the citizens united decision, favor the GOP more than the Democratic Party?

they will not. UNIONS think the tax payers (the REAL middle class) should shoulder the burden, not the UNION...

Also, in the past, corporations HAD to disclose their contributions. That's over. Can be totally confidential now. Which means big companies that were afraid, for numerous reasons, of "tarnishing their corporate image", can feel free to contribute all they want to the GOP & right-wing PAC's & "front groups".

The coffers of the GOP candidates,  conservative PACS & interest groups, FAR outstripped Dems & their interest groups in 2010 elections. Massive tv ad buyouts dwarfed the Dems. Karl Rove's "american crossroads" funded by coporations & Billionaires ( I.E the Koch Bros )
poured huge amounts of cash in.

But, WTF-------it's the law now.

Check link below :











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