War on the working class
Wayne Stoll - Reading
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
It is very clear that many states including Kansas are going to balance their budgets on the backs of the working class. Has anyone heard of any politicians or executives that are going to lose their jobs or benefits to try and balance the budgets?
For 20 years or more, big business and corporations have spent billions of dollars trying to bust the unions and lower the working class wages. It is very clear they are winning, hence wages and benefits for the working class are at a standstill, or lower, while executive pay is going out of sight.
I have a fact of life for Mr. and Mrs. Working class: If you voted for one of these union busting, big business, corporate protectionists, you shot yourself in the foot.
Perhaps when enough of you are standing in soup lines, or still trying to find a job when you’re 75, you might open your eyes. But I doubt it, it’s a lot easier to whine and beg, than it is to educate yourself and go out and vote.
jamesbordonaro (James Bordonaro) says...
I agree that budgets shouldn't be balanced on the backs of the Working Class and that some state governors, e.g., Wisconsin's Scott Walker, appear more motivated to break up public sector unions than wanting to balance their budgets. To be fair to our current governor, Brownback has proposed a 7.5% cut for all state employees making $100,000 or more rather than across the board reductions.
March 2, 2011 at 2:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rcr (anonymous) says...
Hear, Hear. The only way this recession is going to be ended is by the Middle Class. Because of the money available to PACS in big business, the working class are being shut out and shunned. I read an insightful article that shows for the last 50 years as Union Membership climbed, so did the economy, as Union Membership declined, the Nation's Economy followed suit. The Koch Brother's will always outspend the working class to keep wages and benefits low.
March 2, 2011 at 2:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
scarlett01_98 (anonymous) says...
james, didn't you just steal a dog to balance your bottom line???
March 2, 2011 at 3:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
4thgenEmporian (anonymous) says...
Good point, Wayne. We need to insist on a balanced budget for the state. We have to balance ours, don't we. Those of us who work could tell them what to cut. We don't want to support the lazy and entitled. They go to Topeka to whine.for benefits we have to work to supply for those who refuse to be responsible for themselves or their offspring. We need to shut it all down one day and go tell them we have had enough. Oh yeah, I've got to go back to work now and work 10 hours today to support they people besides myself the legislators insist I support. Bless you, Wayne.
March 2, 2011 at 4:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
We work and it gives them cash flow and that's the name of the game. Were there ever a general strike in this country, the meltdown would be so tremendous as to cost in the billions to override. They forget that.
Good article, Wayne.
March 2, 2011 at 4:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REWBA (anonymous) says...
Kansas could generate thousands of jobs and millions in revenue simply by imposing a tariff on raw grain exported from the state lines. No tariff on processes grain, just unprocessed grain would be taxed. It would either generate additional funds from tariffs for exporting raw unprocessed grain or it would cause grain processors to move into the state and process their grain here which would create jobs for Kansans.
March 2, 2011 at 6:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dalelinn (Dale Linn) says...
Wayne, nobody’s going to like my reply to you, but here it is anyway. Nobody (relatively speaking) spoke up as our factories were transferred out of the country. Nobody spoke up as our government spent way beyond it’s means. Few spoke up as our border laws were ignored. Despite spin, this has cost us a lot of money. Lastly, few have protested the ongoing wars. In other words, apathy reigned. Now we reap what we sowed. This is not war on the working class. The money is not there. I expect far more trouble than we are seeing now. It’s not just too bad, it’s a shame. The greatest country this world has ever seen, kaput. Control was transferred to the Federal Reserve when we put them in charge of our money. Greed and thirst for power on Wall Street and apathy on main street is who is to blame, not union busting, big business. Of course tax breaks, legislation, etc. is not necessarily fair, but that’s not the big problem right now. Of course “everyone” should share equally in paying the piper. That’s the way I see it.
March 2, 2011 at 6:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Wayne,
In a state that had voted republican since LBJ I thank you for actually using your brain, please continue to do so and vote accordingly.
March 2, 2011 at 7:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
genxer (anonymous) says...
I'm gonna have to call B.S. on this one. While I think unions for the private sector are not a bad thing, public unions are killing states like Wisconsin.
The way these public unions work is like this: Public workers automatically have union dues subtracted from their paychecks, union dues go to pay to put candidates in office who will then have to play ball with the unions in the form of relenting to higher wages for the Public workers. Where does the money come from to pay for the ever-increasing cost of paying the public workers better pay and better benefits? Why taxes of course. And when tax revenues don't come in where expected you have budget problems which you can resolve by increasing taxes or cutting costs to balance the budget.
SO, James Bordonaro, what Gov.Walker is doing is trying to balance the budget. Breaking up the public union and balancing the budget are one in the same.
Thank god we live in a right to work state!
March 3, 2011 at 7:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
genxer (anonymous) says...
Another thing, I don't get all of this hatred toward Wall Street greed. I like it when businesses make money and do well, it helps my 401k go up. Also, I have a business that pays me money every two weeks to work for them. It is nice that they are able to make enough money to pay me a decent wage. It also allows me to spend a portion of that money for goods and services which provide other people with jobs. The only thing that subtracts from my bottom line are taxes, a majority of which go to pay greedy politicians and greedy public unions who are in bed with each other.
March 3, 2011 at 7:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
leshnaur (George Eshnaur) says...
Great points genxer! Everyone is so quick to bash corporations despite their ability to make everyone money that knows how to manage it. Personally, I couldn't be happier that governors are going after public unions. Unions may have been necessary during late 19th and early 20th century but now they represent an archaic design which slowly bleeds states dry. Gov. Walker is dealing with a situation where the average teacher in Wisconsin makes 51,000 with a 25,000 benefits package. He is asking them to pay 12.6% of their benefits. And the limiting of collective bargaining centers around teachers actually doing their jobs, not on seniority. How unreasonable (insert sarcasm here)! I would be pissed to if I were about to become an actual taxpayer, who like the rest of the middle class, has to pay their own way. I for one commend these steps.
March 3, 2011 at 8:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
The old saying goes something like, "As goes Wall Street, so goes the country."
Yes, genxer, I agree with you on Wall Street stuff, except for one thing. Those Wall Street bankers started taking way too much for themselves, and finding ways to lie to their clients. In the meantime, they skated and their clients were left practically penniless.
If it were all honest and up and up, it would work as you say, and we would all make out. But look at all the people who were hurt. In my case, I'm too old to recoup a nearly $30K loss. You're young yet. You'll come out of it.
When I was teaching, I was a union member, but for two reasons only. Membership with them offered me discounts on my car and house insurance and a team of lawyers in case some kid and his family decided to sue me for some reason, or some principal or other teacher decided to do something illegal. That happened, so the union dues were worth it. Of course, here in Kansas, union membership is a matter of choice. That's a good thing.
I don't think a majority of our taxes go to pay politicians. Most go for public schools. The rest for many other programs and agencies supported by the state. Prisons, for example, and we're running out of room.
March 3, 2011 at 8:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dalelinn (Dale Linn) says...
Genxer, I cannot agree with you if it is your opinion that Wall Street does not deserve to be “bashed”. It is a direct result of control and greed from Wall Street that has brought our great country to it’s knees. These big banks own the Federal Reserve, a private, for profit entity, despite any spin you might read. These banks, the federal reserve, the fed. Treasury, and even the white house is rife with their inbreeding. The Federal Reserve has continued as our elected officials come and go. You mention greedy politicians and greedy unions. Who do you think has had access to more money, and has had the ability to buy these greedy, elected officials, for decade after decade. Who do you think has more money to buy these elected officials than the unions. Who, greedily, has stopped downturns in our economy, and kept things going up, even if it has meant their slicing, dicing, and bundling toxic waste to the world. Then, when they couldn’t keep it going anymore, they influenced their Washington lackeys to hand them more taxpayer largesse. Wall Street has sucked the money out of Main Street until there is no more to suck. Their influence is unbelievable, extending through our media and across the world. The power of our country has been usurped by them.
March 3, 2011 at 10:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dalelinn (Dale Linn) says...
A "Town Without Pity", for the unions?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/mag...
March 3, 2011 at 1:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bloomsbury (SC DIXON) says...
As I understand it Wisconsin is asking public sector folks to ante up 12% of their health care. You know, if someone said to me “you need to pay 12% of your health care insurance,” I’d bee jumping for joy. As it is I pay 100% unless you figure in that part of the taxes that I pay which go to making up at least part of the 88% the public sector unions get a pass on.
As to what they’re being asked to contribute to their pension I’d have to ask, “What is a pension and how do I get one?”
A very great number of these people were raised in a culture that never said “no” and meant it. Ask yourself who paid for you education, you or your parents? Did you buy your first car with your own money? Your first house? Many of us did, of course, but there are a lot of folks out there who just can’t imagine life without entitlements, regardless of who has to really pay for them in the end. They were simply never in a situation where there was someone to say, “We can’t do that. We don’t have any money,” and actually mean it. Welcome to the real world
March 4, 2011 at 12:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
netloafer (anonymous) says...
Peggy Noonan had an interesting op-ed in today's Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001...
I don't think you'd get many of us to argue that collective bargaining isn't valuable, but I think Ms. Noonan has put her finger on the larger pulse.
March 4, 2011 at 12:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Bloomsbury
Pensions are part the of employee compensation, I read an interesting article the other day that explained this:
http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/201...
I also want to point out that the Unions in Wisconsin conceded to everything in Walker's demands with the exception of their collective bargaining rights, this is clearly more of an assault on unions than it is about money, if he was so concerned about money then why did he pass a big tax cut bill?
Finally what really infuriates me about this whole deal is that a teacher making 40k a year is being called out for greed. Says something does it not? What about the the jerks on Wall Street raking record profits the last few years? They are the ones that cause the pensions to become insolvent due to bad investment? Why are they not being held up to scrutiny like the teachers? Why is the not Tea Party not protesting them? Biggest shell game ever, and it is a travesty that no one went to jail and now teachers are being called greedy.
March 4, 2011 at 1:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Even the working class can afford some yummy biscuits and gravy at the Lions club fundraiser sat. at the senior center
March 4, 2011 at 6:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )