Collective bargaining refers to the a process of negotiation that usually takes place between a union that represents a body of workers and a company usually represented by its governing board / share holders. Scott Walker and Chris Christie would very much like you to believe that Unions are busting into boardrooms and holding a gun to the heads of management. They would like you to think that the employees that they represent are getting too much money, too much in benefits and are single handedly ruining your retirement. Truth be told among other things is that (shock) pensions are not being funded by your taxes! That's right everyone, all those tales you've been hearing about your money going into that greedy policeman's pension is a crock! A pensions is like many other retirement set ups in that a little bit out of your pay check is automatically deducted and tucked away for retirement.
Lets chat a little bit more about the phenom that put this collective bargaining mess in front of our faces most recently shall we? Scott Walker, Wisconsin Governor, has managed to purpose a bill that will take away collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin. Scotty boy thinks that all those teachers are over paid! What with their health insurance and barely a living wage salaries! Disgusted that they should own a home or pay their bills! Same with the police, what? Like putting their lives on the line everyday should warrant rights to a union? Hah! And those fire fighters, so what if they save kids from burning buildings, it was their decision, get over it!
To balance the budget Scotty thinks that it makes more sense to take out bargaining rights, rather than to raise the taxes for the wealthy. That's right, the middle class workers who seem to be the only ones paying taxes are now getting their bargaining rights taken away. Because the Wisconsin majority is republican the 14 democrats have fled the state in an attempt to stall the vote. Initially this may seem immature and ridiculous but it's a tactic also utilized by Abraham Lincoln, who in 1841 jumped out the window to avoid the same fate. Not long after the dems fled Wisconsin for what we assume to be Chicago Scotty made a boo boo. Ian Murphy, writer for buffalobesat.com called Scott's office impersonating billionaire David Koch of Koch industries. The call was somehow green lighted through to Scott and went on a damning 20 minutes where he outlined to fake Koch how he intends to get the runaway dems back in session. At the press conference following this call being outed even Scott's staffers had their hands over their mouths in a "oh my God what did he do?" type of way.
Not even that was enough to deter Scott or cause him to rethink his stance, since the call he has taken away the dems parking spots (which they obviously aren't utilizing right now) denied their staffers use of the copy machines, committed extortion by withholding the dem's paychecks and is now sending bounty hunters out to kidnap them and bring them back to Wisconsin.
In reference to the ability to spell the word slobs I request you turn your attention to WI R-Sen Glenn Grothman. (Pictured to the right).According the Grothman all the protesters are slobs who snore too loudly. He was went so far as to call his fellow interviewees during the Ed show slobs telling them that they are messy and smelly. Citing that most of the protesters are the dredges of society; students, teaching aids and unemployed people who were there to cuddle with their girlfriends. (Oh yes, he said that). I don't know about you but that is exactly where I would want to snuggle, in the state capital in winter on the cold floor. Oh yes.
What is sad is the Chris Christie of new Jersey seems to be on the same page. He wants to balance his budget on the backs of teachers and other state employees saying that they make too much money. Interesting enough the average teacher in New Jersey makes less than $60,000/ year. Also interesting is that New Jersey has more millionaires then it does teachers. Christie is reasoning it is too unthinkable to raise taxes on millionaires that he thinks it's ok to raise taxes on the dwindling middles class but also wreck their rights to negotiate fair contracts.
It seems to me that regardless of your political affiliation this should upset you. We are all in this together and we need to work together to figure it out. No one who becomes a police officer, fire fighter, teacher go into the profession to make a million dollars, they do it because they care. We need to come together and work through this instead of pitching fits and having to flee the state. Ridiculous. We should all be ashamed of our part in this.
