Democrats & Unions: Unholy Alliance Attacking Democracy

1. 67

   AnnCeeposted 12 years ago

   What else can you call it when every Democrat in the Wisconsin legislature got on a bus and headed out of state to avoid a vote on the Governor's budget?  This is turning into a war between tax payers and the unions.
   
   http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/art … supporters

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2. 67

   AnnCeeposted 12 years ago

   What kind of representative gets on a bus and heads out of state to avoid doing the duty he was elected to do?  I wonder if the bus was YELLOW?

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      jerrylposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      AnnCee,  Once again you cherrypick only certain parts of an article to cast a bad light on dems! Both parties are just as guilty of corruption as the other!
      
      UNHOLY ALLIANCE????
      
      Had you read the entire article, you would have noticed that the Govenor
      threatened layoffs and furloughs if the republican bill wasn't passed!
      
      What do you call those kind of tactics?  Certainly not HOLY!
      
      I can see it now!  The next time Demos take over the majority, the
      Repubs will claim that is was the Dems that voted for workiers rights to be taken away.
      
      Kind of similar to the blame game that the Repubs put on Obama, after he was put in the position to try to untangle the mess that GWB  left him.  GWB and the Repubs had 8 years to sink us into this debt hole, but only allow the Dems 2 years to get us out, then started the blame game! Now the Dems are starting the blame games also!
      
      AnnCee, you evidently must be in support of GHWB's new world order!
      If that comes about, you may not be able to ever voice your opinion again!
      
      When are you going to realize that BOTH PARTIES have, in the past, currently, and will in the future, trod on peoples rights, whether it be workers collective bargaining rights, or the rights of taxpayers. 
      
      Can't you see past their gladiator games?  Rather than solving problems, they stage theatrics to keep your mind off of the real problems that plague this nation, and the world for that matter!  That being the control of the central bankers of the world and their control of the people through debt monetary systems.
      
      Unions putting pressure on elected officials is no different than corporate lobbyists doing the same!  Why not make it illegal for either group to lobby govt representatives.  Corruption comes from both sides of the aisle! They are all working under a system that makes it impossible to have a working government.  A house divided............!

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3. 78

   lovemychrisposted 12 years ago

   It's called expressing your 1st amendment rights.
   Something that you righty's only cared about once the tea-party hit.
   See, you never called the tea-party protests-- which were bussed in-- a war...you called it people sticking up for democracy.
   
   Well, it's the same here!! Only without the guns and derogatory signs.
   
   That gvr wants to take away rights....much as the Repub platform is based on.
   People aren't going to let him.
   
   I guess it hasn't sunk in yet....you do not own this country.
   
   This is ordinary citizens against union-busting Republicorps.
   
   Oh, and gvt workers pay taxes. But....EXXON didn't last year!!!!

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   1. 93

      habeeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You missed the signs, huh? Allow me to recap: Death to Tyrranny! Some had the governor depicted as Hitler. Others compared him to Mubarak. Then there's "Don't retreat, reload." It has a picture of the governor with a target and a bullet hole in his head. I thought the left wanted to tone down the rhetoric??
      
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEq-wj4_W7o

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      1. 78

         lovemychrisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         "It has a picture of the governor with a target and a bullet hole in his head."
         That's disgusting. But geuss what? If the gvr ends up dead, you can't complain about that sign.

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   2. 72

      Rafiniposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      ??  The Democratic Legislators First Amendment Rights??  Are you serious?   
      
      They could have used their First Amendment Rights to a better advantage by Proposing Amendments rather than running away from a difficult job.

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      1. 60

         tony0724posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         AMEN ! That was cowardly.

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      2. 93

         habeeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I agree. They're shirking their duties and not doing the job they've been paid to do. I'm not for or against the bill because I don't know enough about it, but that doesn't matter.

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         1. 71

            pylos26posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Now, Now Habee…You know very well those tactics have been used by both parties in the past…when the stink get too stinky, the most savvy thing to do is to just leave the skunks to their own stink and go fishing.

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4. 59

   Doug Hughesposted 12 years ago

   If any legislators of either party who oppose gutting workers rights in Wisconsin need a place to hole up, they can stay with me in Florida. If you need to stay out of state to protect workers rights, they you ARE doing the people's business in WI by hanging on the beach in FL. Seventy-four degrees today - but the water is still cold. Contact me through hub pages.

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   1. 60

      tony0724posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Make no mistake the ones who bolted Wisconsin don't see them as downtrodden workers , they see all of them as campaign contributors. They are not noble.

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      pylos26posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That’s a splendid idea and very generous
      Doug.
      You may get some takers.

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   3. 78

      lovemychrisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's right! that gvr is forcing this down the people's throat. Un-doing 50 years of hard work to get these rights.
      
      You must think of R's as the enemy. They are the enemy to human, civil and women's rights. They work for corporate America.
      
      Extreme? I think not.

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5. 0

   IRVING GERSONposted 12 years ago

   Social Security, Medicare, Civil Rights and Voting rights.  All were passed by Democratic Administrations.  Should we repeal these?  Would that help the US democracy?

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   1. 78

      lovemychrisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      No, it would help Republicorp USA.
      
      That IS who we are dealing with here.

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6. 61

   Ron Montgomeryposted 12 years ago

   It really sucks that they show up to rallies packing pistols and talking about watering the tree of liberty with blood..
   
   Oh wait, those were the Teabaggers.  Never mind.

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   1. 67

      AnnCeeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      oh wait, you're a liar.  Never mind.

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      1. 78

         lovemychrisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         You never saw a Tea-P rally?
         Seriously????

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7. 78

   lovemychrisposted 12 years ago

   "RBReich
   Reps seek to divide working Americans, and deflect attention from the unprecedented income and wealth at the top. We must not let them."

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   1. 81

      kerrygposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You should have linked to that article, it's a good read: http://robertreich.org/post/3353591266

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      1. 78

         lovemychrisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         That is a great read.

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8. 81

   kerrygposted 12 years ago

   Sorry, Ann, the unholy alliance is the Republicans and corporations doing their best to destroy the American middle classes and continue "spreading the wealth" of the middle class even more... straight into the pockets of the wealthy.
   
   If they raise a big stink about unionized public employees in Wisconsin - who earn less, on average, than comparably educated private sector employees, by the way - than maybe the rest of us poor shmucks won't notice, for example, that taxing the income of the 13 wealthiest hedge fund managers at the standard income tax rate rather than the 15% capital gains tax rate would be enough to pay for 300,000 teachers. Which is more valuable - 13 guys who make a billion dollars a year moving imaginary money around or 300,000 people who make $45,000 to educate the next generation?

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   1. 67

      AnnCeeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm aware of problems with Republicans and business not just at the level of big corporations but at the grassroots.   Having worked in the real estate industry for years I know full well that two of the main roads to riches in this country are law and real estate law.  It is very common for business to promote Republican politicians who will advance their ability to make money.  Little zoning changes can add up to big cha-ching.  Inside knowledge is worth money.
      
      I know there are wolves out there and sheep.  I made a conscious moral choice not to be a wolf despite many opportunities and many sheep.
      
      However, I still believe that FREE ENTERPRISE has made this country great and provided a better life not just for Americans but for people all over the world not least those who make their way here for a better living.
      
      I don't think the liberal understanding of human nature is correct and any trend toward socialism is ultimately and rather quickly harmful.  The examples are myriad but liberals don't care to see it for what it is.
      
      A few European nations have been able to fund their socialist experiments for a good length of time because their populations are small, tractable, homogenous, they are expensive for outsiders, and resource rich.

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      1. 81

         kerrygposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Sorry, anyone who thinks we live in a free market system is delusional. We don't, and we never have. Rich people know this. They have been buying government influence for decades in order to get an ever-increasing number of handouts of all sorts. Hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies and payments annually for everything from billion dollar bombers that can't fly in the rain to the 13 billion bushels of corn currently making us fat and sick with HFCS and factory farmed meat. Why is socialism okay when it benefits the rich and "unAmerican" when it benefits the poor?

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         1. 67

            AnnCeeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Perhaps you don't live in the same country I live in.   
            
            Any person can make heaven out of hell or hell out of heaven.
            
            You make your own reality. 
            
            In a slum you can wash and bleach your white lace curtains and grow your own tomatoes.  You can have a nice cup of tea and water your houseplants.  You can keep your front door clean and sweep your entry. Soap, as my old granny used to say, is cheap.
            
            In a mansion you can pump your veins full of poison and destroy your soul with porn.
            
            Free will. 
            
            Liberals want their leaders to create heaven on earth for them.

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            1. 81

               kerrygposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               So, what? You're okay with rich people turning the US into a third world country (we now have income inequality rates comparable to Latin America) because poor people will get their reward in heaven and rich people will spend eternity burning? Doesn't do us much good in the here-and-now.
               
               It also doesn't bode well for the future, since extreme income inequality tends to produce high rates of civil unrest. Last time income inequality was this severe in the US (the Gilded Age), we had a major problem with violent anarchists setting off bombs. The French and Russian Revolutions are also prime examples - even the current unrest in North Africa, where you have bread riots started by the desperately poor of Egypt sparking a wider revolution that toppled one of the wealthiest men in the world. We've managed to keep genuine populist anger to a simmer in the US so far, but Wisconsin could be the start of a trend.

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9. 78

   lovemychrisposted 12 years ago

   Thanks kerry!!
   
   and watch this: Walker's ties to Koch Bros and Tea-Party!
   ps: his father was a pastor.....
   
   http://fuckconservatives.wordpress.com/ … -brothers/
   
   plus, Maddow may have been right too!
   They want total control of the government...no Democrats allowed.
   
   http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/ … atic-party

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10. 78

    lovemychrisposted 12 years ago

    Here's what Maddow pointed out on her show:
    
    After the Citizens United decision, of the top 10 contributors to political campaigns, only 2 contribute to Democrats...number 5 and 6 in line of wealth.
    They are both unions.
    All other heavy funding from lobbies comes from Corporations, and goes to Republicans.
    So--if they do away with unions, the Democrats will have NO lobbies to equal the Republicans.
    
    It will be a steam-roller, Republican-Corporate money rolling over and crushing all the rest of America.
    
    Or, as I coined this morning: Scamerica!!

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11. 67

    SparklingJewelposted 12 years ago

    I think this guy as a good point on this issue...
    
    His name is Lloyd Marcus....
    
    "My mom, a black woman, when we were living in an east Baltimore ghetto, cried upon hearing Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were getting a divorce. My parents, four younger siblings and I loved watching the Andy Griffith show.
    
    “I Love Lucy” and “The Andy Griffith Show” represented something good and wholesome; a sense of right and wrong. Andy (Sheriff Taylor) was my hero. He always knew when to sternly enforce the law and when to grant a little grace.
    
    What has become of “that America”, where right is right and wrong is wrong; where good behavior is rewarded and bad behavior is punished?
    
    We did not have any of this “Cultural and Moral Relativism” intellectual mumbo jumbo nonsense which is really code for “get out of my way and let me do evil”.
    
    A young intern gave the married U.S. president oral sex and was rewarded with instant celebrity and her own television show. As for the president on the receiving end, left with a big smile on his face, the liberal media and his sycophants said, “Hey, “any” man given the same opportunity would have accepted the young woman's pleasuring”.
    Black rapper, Kanye West made an irresponsible, divisive and outrageous statement on national TV. West said federal relief for victims of hurricane Katrina was slow because “President Bush hates black people”. A few days later, West received a music award and guest star appearances on several TV shows.
    
    A more serious situation has arose to reveal how far we have or have not strayed from the core values and sense of right and wrong of days gone by.
    
    Popping up in states across America are ”Budget Wars”; state governors attempting to take fiscal responsibility vs selfish unions.
    
    Scenarios similar to scenes in, “The Sopranos”, are being played out across America. Governors are saying, “We are billions of dollars in the red. Our budget is unsustainable. We're bordering bankruptcy. We must cut spending. We simply do not have the money.”
    
    In response, state unions and teachers are saying, “Screw you. Pay me!”
    
    Rather than getting into the details of these budget battles, I wish to stay focused on the moral issues embedded in the situation.
    
    Teachers unions are protesting in the streets and giving tearful interviews to the press, despicably using our children as pawns of their selfish temper tantrums. Is this who we have become as Americans? I think not.
    
    In the past, a sure fire way for unions and democrat politicians to get their way was to, while choking back tears, claim, “It's for the children”. Any and all opposition to their requests was dead in the water.
    
    The Tea Party Movement has spawned a new era of sophisticated well informed voters. Taxpayers instinctively know, ”Something has got to be done”. States can not continue their crazy spending. Despite media attempts to portray the union protesters in a positive light, “folks ain't buyin' it”.
    
    In my travels to over 200 tea parties across America including Alaska, I am proud to report that millions still celebrate character and playing by the rules.
    
    My mom has passed away. She was a romantic. When my dad worked the night shift as a Baltimore City Firefighter, she would let me stay up a little late to watch movies with her.
    
    Occasionally, I would witness a tear rolling down her cheek when the handsome brave hero got the girl and they lived happily ever after.
    
    A little more about my mom. She worked as a domestic, cleaning white folks homes. She also did ironing. Whenever a white client came by our home to pick up their ironing, even as a little boy, I sensed their respect for my mom. Both my parents lived by the rules. They were honest, hard working and strove for excellence. We were taught, “Nobody owes you anything. You're only entitled to what you worked for.”
    
    I know it sounds corny, but if we think we are entitled to reap the rewards of the risks and hard work of others; if we are all about self; if we do not care about our state or our country, if our attitude is “Screw you. Pay me”, than we will have lost the America my mom loved.
    
    As I said, I believe such selfish thinking is in a minority. Americans overwhelmingly elected republicans to reign in the out of control irresponsible spending. Even democrat New York governor Andrew Cuomo is attempting to reign in spending.
    
    We must stand behind these courageous governors. Encourage them to stay strong and vigilant in their herculean task; moving us a step closer to taking back America.
    
    
    Lloyd Marcus, Proud Unhyphenated American

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12. 59

    knolyourselfposted 12 years ago

    Its the eternal war between capitalists and socialists, cowboys and Indians.

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13. 78

    lovemychrisposted 12 years ago

    It is no Herculean task!!!!
    
    It is easy as Apple Pie.
    Stop taking from those who can't afford it, while giving a pass to those who can!
    
    If you don't want to be rich and pay taxes....don't live here!
    
    They just cut Planned Parenthood while funding NASCAR....
    We pay for Viagra......
    There is no rhyme or reason to it...it's politics and ideology.

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14. 60

    TomC35posted 12 years ago

    Anne hates the evil that unions and laws about worker rights have brought during history.
    
    She wants to go back to the lovely days of nearly slave wages for 80 hour work days when the market is good for the people doing the hiring, which is almost always in their favor now.
    
    She thinks if given the chance the wonderful, great rich, tycoons of business will shelter and help us all, if the evil Democrats and unions would just allow them to.

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15. 67

    SparklingJewelposted 12 years ago

    "...honest, hard working and strove for excellence. We were taught, “Nobody owes you anything. You're only entitled to what you worked for.”
    
    that is the basis to live by, regardless of who you are or where you come from...it's not healthy to want government to hand you anything you haven't worked for...
    
    then again... it not correct for anyone with a lot to not be ethical in his business dealings and offering jobs to others
    
    or for some to not accept that everyone is going to have to give up something in these times...or face his own extinction because he didn't help his "fellow man" that was helping him in his business...it seems that many rich aren't looking down the road.

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