Boulder is a Stoopid Place

Explained in an NYT opinion piece by Daniel DiSalvo.  Here’s the key point, it’s not wage concessions or having to pay more for their healthcare or pension…

That step would fundamentally alter the relationship of unions to government. Walker seeks to strip state workers — except for police and firefighters — of collective bargaining rights over anything but wages; to limit raises for union (but not nonunion) members to increases in the Consumer Price Index; to stop the state from collecting union dues; and to require an annual vote among employees on whether to maintain a union. Combined these measures are likely to cripple nearly every public employee union in the state.

To what end?

If successful, Walker’s plan may put Wisconsin on a course to become more like Texas or Virginia (two states that weathered the recession relatively well), where most collective bargaining in the public sector is illegal and the percentage of unionized public employees is paltry. His hope is that in the future, Wisconsin will have as bright a fiscal outlook as those states.

To Gov. Scott Walker’s success.

Excuse me while I experiment with the blog format.  That “baby blue” titling was nauseating.  Eventually I’ll probably get my own domain and export the blog to WordPress.  Someday!

The Wisconsin situation is capsuled quite well here.

But, this is Armageddon for the Democrats and their stakeholders. If states succeed in breaking the hold public service unions have on government, Democrats stand to lose substantial power. That explains why President Obama has entered the fray. While he wouldn’t back the protesters in Iran because it might be seen as meddling in the internal affairs of the state, he has no qualms whatsoever of meddling in the internal affairs of the state of Wisconsin. Apparently elections only have consequences when he wins.

What are the public service unions protesting in Wisconsin?

Besides limiting collective-bargaining rights for most workers—excepting police, firefighters and others involved in public safety—it would require government workers, who currently contribute little or nothing to their pensions, to contribute 5.8% of their pay to pensions, and pay at least 12.6% of health-care premiums, up from an average of 6%.

Phrases like, GROW UP and CRY ME A RIVER come to mind.

.As noted in the above article and here’s the direct link, Joel Klein from Time magazine has a problem with the Democrats thwarting the democratic process…

Revolutions everywhere–in the middle east, in the middle west. But there is a difference: in the middle east, the protesters are marching for democracy; in the middle west, they’re protesting against it. I mean, Isn’t it, well, a bit ironic that the protesters in Madison, blocking the state senate chamber, are chanting “Freedom, Democracy, Union” while trying to prevent a vote? Isn’t it ironic that the Democratic Senators have fled the democratic process? Isn’t it interesting that some of those who–rightly–protest the assorted Republican efforts to stymie majority rule in the U.S. Senate are celebrating the Democratic efforts to stymie the same in the Wisconsin Senate?

The public service unions need to find a better way to “win friends and influence people”.  Here’s hoping they don’t.

The Wisconsin union members have a strange way of trying to win friends and influence people.

It’s becoming very obvious why Obama didn’t have the courage to take on Social Security and Medicare and wants to leave it to the Republican’s.  How Wisconsin turns out could be a harbinger of things to come.

Yep, you bet it’s the Wisconsin union protestors.

From the comments section…

These people are like kids throwing tantrums because the cable has been cut off, unaware that the sherrif and a locksmith are approaching their front door.

“These people” have lots of company, they live in some sort of fantasyland best I can tell. (after the comma added)

(I’d really like to add the extra ‘f’ to Sherrif! – Ed).

Instapundit comments…

There is, apparently, no problem that cannot be solved through increased government subsidy.

More here.

“I find black garbage pail kids, black conservatives fascinating, not because of what they believe but rather because of how they entertain and perform for their white conservative masters.”

Goodness gracious, how can this be?