"Strip policy and pork projects from the state budget. The budget process should be about funding essential government services based on the taxpayers’ ability to pay. It should not be about horse trading for special interest groups or establishing talking points for the next campaign." (emphasis added).Who doesn't think that Walker's imperious push to eliminate collective bargaining for public employees, a) won't be the central talking point in his continuing campaign for re-election, b) won't be a top talking point in GOP legislators' 2012 politicking, and c) isn't a reward to big business as it ripples through private-sector payrolls and lays the groundwork for union-busting 'right-to-work' laws?
Interesting, also, that reporter Scott Bauer at postcrescent.com two weeks ago highlighted the relationship between talking points, Scott Walker and union-bashing:
"MADISON — Forcing concessions from state employees is a popular talking point for Gov. Scott Walker and one that likely will find a central place Tuesday in his first State of the State speech."
Some will assert that when Walker said "horse trading" he was talking about legislators exchanging (wink-wink) a vote for some future consideration somewhere down the line.
To them, I say - - split hairs and parse your way to a rationalization - - maybe this Jeff Plale situation by Walker the Governor is closer to what Walker the Candidate said he won't tolerate?
And how about Walker's proposed bill exempting cops and firefighters from those bargaining restrictions.
Any special interest collusion there? Anything of value for Walker when the next round of campaign talking points get spun?
Being directly affected by the Walker bill I spent the weekend writing legislatures, the governor and the republican party and major newspapers. This bill is a clear attack on all workers in the state by the republican party. By proposing this bill they have exposed themselves as enemies of all working families.
ReplyDeleteThis week we will need to convince 3 republican senators that they are unnecessarily damaging working families and their own party if this bill passes. Hopefully they will realize what they are about to do and kill the bill. I expect the bill not to pass but it will take open strong opposition to ensure that it doesn’t. Even if it doesn’t pass, the damage has been done, the agenda has been exposed. Any thinking, working person will drop the republican party like a hot rock.
Speaking of horse-trading and special interests: Just wait until he proposes to allow Milwaukee to lift the residency requirement for city workers, but only for cops and firefighters
ReplyDelete"horse trading for special interest groups"
ReplyDeleteNot sure what horse trading is, but the fire and police unions sure look like the special interest groups. Unions need to take cuts, but do not need to be abolished.