Thousands fill the Capitol rotunda in Madison, Wis.

[vanlose kid]

US left finds its voice over Wisconsin attack on union rights
State capitol building under occupation as tens of thousands turn out for biggest demonstrations since the Vietnam war

Ewen MacAskill in Madison, Wisconsin
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 24 February 2011 18.25 GMT

Proudly displayed in a corner window of the Barriques coffee shop, a block from Wisconsin's state capitol building, is a poster advocating Workers of the World Unite – not the kind of sign normally seen in shops in America.

But the last fortnight has been unusual. Tens of thousands have been turning out in this normally quiet midwest city for the biggest demonstrations in the US since the Vietnam war, and the state capitol building is under occupation day and night.

After a year dominated by the Tea Party, the American left has found its voice, and a cause, united against a bill backed by the state's Republican governor, Scott Walker, to neuter public sector unions.

The bill, which restricts collective bargaining and other union rights, was close to being passed by the Republican members of the Wisconsin state assembly on Thursday.

Trade union supporters have been pouring in – 160 from Los Angeles arrived on Wednesday – for what is seen as the most important labour dispute in America since the 1950s. It is Organised Labour versus the Tea Party and the outcome is uncertain.

It came after 12 days of continuous protest by teachers, students, steelworkers, pensioners, nurses and a host of others. There are placards proclaiming Cops for Labor, even though the police, with the fire service, are exempt from the anti-union measures.

"We have to stand with our brothers and sisters," said Dane county deputy sheriff Jim Brigham, 41, standing on one of the capitol's snow-covered walls addressing about 50 fellow officers opposed to the bill.

He sees it as part of a systematic campaign by conservatives, backed financially by the billionaire Koch brothers, to dismantle the unions. "They are trying to take this state. If it falls, others will fall too," Brigham said. Ohio, Indiana and other states are at various stages of similar anti-union legislation.

Among the protesters is Dennis Coyier, 63, wearing an Uncle Sam hat and selling button badges at $2 (£1.20) each with messages such as Stop the War on Unions, Kill the Bill and Walker Sucks. He has sold $3,000 worth already, all fundraising for the protest.

"It is far more important than Reagan [who took on the air controllers in the last big union dispute, in 1981]. That was one union. This is all unions. We are at ground zero. This is where the battle is being fought," Coyier said.

Inside the capitol building there are thousands more protesters. The police have strung yellow tape between marble pillars to cut off access to the debating chambers and key offices. Six policemen bar entry to the governor's office. But almost all the rest of the building is in the hands of the protesters. The atmosphere is part Glastonbury, part commune, part polite midwest. Drummers beat out rhythms all day long to chants of Union Power and renditions of the Star-Spangled Banner.

There are sleeping bags piled in corners of the marble floors for the hundreds staying overnight, and piles of pizza cartons and water bottles donated by local businesses or paid for by supporters round the US and the world.

Holding a poster with the words Gays for Unions, John Stavrellis, 27, said inspiration came from student demonstrations in Britain and protests in Tunisia and Egypt. He and about 50 others took part in the first of the protests at the state capitol on 13 February.

Stavrellis was initially pessimistic about the final outcome of the confrontation but changed his mind after watching how rapidly the movement had grown. On the Monday after that initial protest there were 20,000 people, and last Saturday about 70,000. Protests are planned for Saturday in all 50 US state capitals.

Walker, elected last year on the back of the Tea Party movement, argues he is not union-bashing, only trying to reduce the state's deficit. The unions have agreed to the bill's measures that will mean a rise in their health and pension contributions, but Walker is still pushing ahead with the anti-union measures.

Walker let slip during a prank call on Wednesday, which he thought was from one of the Koch brothers, that he believed eventually the media would lose interest, the protests would dwindle and he could then fly to California to join the Kochs in celebration.

In spite of its passage by assembly members the bill still has a long way to go. It needs to be passed by the state senate, whose Democratic members have fled to a neighbouring state to deny the Republicans a quorum. If the bill is passed by the senate, unions are preparing for an initial one-day general strike, even though general strikes are restricted in the US.

There is a political side to this. The unions are the biggest financial contributors to the Democratic party and the protesters argue that the end of the unions would mean the Republicans in power across the US for a generation.

One of the Democratic members of the assembly, Nick Milroy, wearing under his suit a bright orange T-shirt with the slogan Fighting for Working Families, said conservatives had been pushing the anti-union agenda for years. He did not know how it would end but hoped the protests in Wisconsin would give other governors pause for thought.

Holding a banner proclaiming Painters and Allied Trades Support Our Public Workers, Mike Minon, 56, a glazer who has been protesting every day since Tuesday last week, said losing the battle would mean workers facing falling wages without protection. "I don't even want to think about it," Minon said.

State of the unions

It is no coincidence that the confrontation is taking place in Wisconsin. The state has a history of strong union movements and it is symbolically important as the first state in the US, in 1959, to recognise the right to collective bargaining.

The trade union movement in the US has had a long and at times violent history, characterised in its early years by battles with Pinkerton private detective agents. In recent decades, it has seen its membership and power dwindle, but still remains influential, particularly as the largest financial backer of the Democratic party.

One of the landmark victories of the US union movement in the 20th century was over the car industry in a dispute in Flint, Michigan, in 1936-37, which ended with the United Automobile Workers winning the right to collective bargaining.

The unions suffered a big defeat in 1947, however, with the passage through Congress of the Taft-Hartley legislation, which introduced restrictions on general strikes and introduced other restrictions.

Another setback came in 1981, when then president Ronald Reagan took on striking air traffic controllers and won – by sacking them all.

The latest confrontation in Wisconsin is the biggest union dispute since then, and could yet grow bigger.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/fe ... ts-protest

*

[justdrew]

walker has phucked up badly. he's going down

Koch Brothers "Prank" No Laughing Matter
by Mary Bottari on February 24, 2011 - 7:50am

Embattled Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker came under fire today after news broke about statements he made in a 20-minute phone call from a Buffalo-area alternative news reporter, Ian Murphy of the Daily Beast, posing as David Koch, a billionaire whose corporate PAC directly supported Walker and who has given millions to groups that have run ads to aid Walker's rise to the state's highest office. (Listen to the call here.)

As the Center for Media and Democracy has reported, the Koch PAC not only spent $43,000 directly on Walker's race, but Koch personally donated $1 million to the Republican Governors Association which spent $5 million in the state. Besides the Governor, the Koch brothers have other "vested interests" in the state.

They include Koch Pipeline Company, which operates a pipeline system that crosses Wisconsin. It also owns Flint Hill Resources, which distributes refined fuel through pipelines and terminals in Junction City, Waupun, Madison and Milwaukee. Koch Industries also owns the C. Reiss Coal Company, a power plant company located in Green Bay, Manitowoc, Ashland and Sheboygan.

The Koch company opened a lobby shop in Wisconsin two days after Walker was elected. Many protesters have suspected that the "budget repair bill" provisions allowing the no-bid sell-off of any state-owned heating, cooling, or power plant, plus new rules on pipeline transport may be of interest to Koch. The company has denied any interest in these assets.
Pink Slips as Poker Chips Raises Legal Concerns

At the start of the call, Walker eagerly reports on all he is doing: First, he tells the fake Koch brother about a plan to change Senate rules on pay to reel-in the out-of state Democratic senators who are holding out to protect collective bargaining. The new rule would force the Senators to pick up their paychecks in person. This rule was passed in a partisan vote in the Senate yesterday -- a move that went unnoticed by the mainstream press. The fake Koch asks Walker how they might get others in Senate to vote to stop collective bargaining. Walker responds that he's involved the Justice Department in investigating whether the union is paying the absent Democratic senators to remain out of state, or providing them with food, shelter, etc., saying it would be an ethics violation or potentially a felony. Wisconsin legislators are well aware of these rules and have already stated they are using their own money while they are out of state.

But the Governor also explains how he is going to lay off thousands of Wisconsin workers as a tactic to get the Democrats to cooperate: "So, we're trying about four or five different angles. Each day we crank up a little bit more pressure. The other thing is I've got layoff notices ready, we put out the at-risk notices, we'll announce Thursday, they'll go out early next week and we'll probably get five to six thousand state workers will get at-risk notices for layoffs. We might
 ratchet that up a little bit too."

The move has been called "despicable" and "ruthless " and "sickening." But most importantly, if Walker is choosing to lay off workers as a political tactic when he wasn't otherwise planning to do so, then it is not just morally repugnant, but legally questionable. State and federal contract and labor law has protections against this type of abusive behavior and inappropriate quid pro quo.

This morning the Capital Times quotes the state's former Attorney General: "There clearly are potential ethics violations, and there are potential election-law violations and there are a lot of what look to me like labor-law violations," said Peg Lautenschlager, a Democrat who served as Wisconsin's Attorney General after serving for many years as a U.S. Attorney. The head of the state teacher's association, Mary Bell, reminds us: "He literally planned to use five to six thousand hardworking Wisconsin taxpayers as political pawns in his political game. He actually thought through a strategy to lay people off -- deny them the ability to feed their families -- and use it as leverage for his political goals."
Kids and Hired Thugs

Walker also says he considered then rejected the idea of hiring trouble makers to disrupt the rallies, which have been packed with elementary school children and highs schoolers. When fake Koch says "We'll back you any way we can. But what we were thinking about the crowd was, uh, was planting some troublemakers." Walker says: "we thought about that," but he rejected the idea in case it back-fired, but not in the way one might think. He didn't want to "scare the public into thinking maybe the governor as to settle to avoid all these problems."

Madison Police Chief Noble Wray said Thursday "very unsettling and troubling." "I would like to hear more of an explanation from Governor Walker as to what exactly was being considered, and to what degree it was discussed by his cabinet members. I find it very unsettling and troubling that anyone would consider creating safety risks for our citizens and law enforcement officers," the chief said.
Wisconsin Ethics Rules

Wisconsin has the toughest ethics law in the nation. Public officials are prohibited from soliciting or receiving anything of value if it could reasonably be expected to influence or reward official actions. The rules against "pay-to-play politics" say a public official is prohibited from taking official action in exchange for political contributions, or anything else of value for the benefit of a candidate, political party, or any person making certain candidate-related communications. You can't even take a cup of coffee from a lobbyist.

Earlier in the call, Walker had asked the fake Koch for help "spreading the word," especially in the "swing" districts, in defense of his determination to break the unions, and help get calls in to shore up his Republican allies in the legislature. Walker benefited from a high-dollar "issue ad" campaign by groups funded by Koch group before the election. Americans for Prosperity, which Koch chairs, also promoted and funded a couple thousand counter-protestors last Saturday.

On the same day that the scandal broke here in Wisconsin, Americans for Prosperity went up with a $342,000 TV ad campaign in support of Walker –- an enormous sum in a state like Wisconsin. If such ads are effectively coordinated with the Governor's office, they may be subject to rules requiring greater disclosure of expenditures and contributors.

Toward the end of the call, the fake Koch offers to fly Walker out to California, after they "crush the bastards," and show him "a good time," to which Walker responds enthusiastically, "All right, that would be outstanding." But,Wisconsin rules bar state officials from taking action for something of value. After Walker agrees to the junket, the fake Koch adds, "And, you know, we have a little bit of a vested interest as well" to which Walker responds, "Well that's just it."
Conclusion

So while Walker did not apparently not recognize Koch's voice, he certainly recognized his name, eagerly recounting his efforts to crush collective bargaining in Wisconsin to an out-of-state billionaire backer and thanking him for all Koch had done for him. The entire conversation raises ethical concerns that warrant much closer examination, especially with Wisconsin's tough pay-to-play rules. A week ago the Center for Media and Democracy filed an open records request for the Governor's phone records, email records, and other communications. Perhaps these records will help us understand all the influences behind the Governor's recent radical actions.

Wisconsin is not Illinois; it has a reputation for being a squeaky clean state where lesser scandals than this have brought down political officials. Governor Walker likes to complain of "outside agitators." It's hard to imagine an outside agitator with more influence and money than the Koch-family.

Updated at 2:30 CST/02-24-11.

[StarmanSkye]

"walker has phucked up badly. he's going down."

One potential bright-spot in the midst of tremendously gloomy, disheartening shiite. Something to look forward to, as the facade of moral integrity & political 'righteousness' is ripped asunder by the hypocrite's OWN words of vested-interest venality & calculated duplicity.

I'd love to see this worm squirm in front of the spotlights of public humility and disgrace.

Just desserts and all that.

[Jeff]

Respect.

Police assoc. urges members to sleep at Capitol

The Associated Press • February 25, 2011

MADISON— The Wisconsin Professional Police Association is urging its members to camp out at the state Capitol with protesters.

Executive Director Jim Palmer says the group is asking Gov. Scott Walker to allow protesters to continue their overnight demonstrations.

State officials voted Wednesday to remove protesters from offices and hearing rooms after Saturday’s normal business hours. Law enforcement officials in the Capitol also decided on new restrictions on items and sleeping areas that will go into effect Friday at 4 p.m.

Palmer says Wisconsin’s law enforcement community opposes Walker’s bill that cuts collective bargaining for most state employees.

The Capitol will remain open Friday night.

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/articl ... at-Capitol

[Laodicean]

[seemslikeadream]

[seemslikeadream]

Large Protests in Madison Today; 1 Million Predicted Nationwide Tomorrow
By: David Dayen Friday February 25, 2011 11:54 am

MADISON, WI (FDL) – Thousands of people have turned out in Madison today to protest the budget repair bill, which passed the State Assembly in a wildcat vote Thursday night. Members of several unions, most prominently the Plumbers and Steamfitters union of Madison and Milwaukee, were out in force. Madison schools are closed today, so many teachers and students are out as well. And while labor has brought numbers, the students really kicked this all off and still are the nominal leaders of this movement. The local teaching assistant’s association at UW-Madison has done a lot of the ground-level organizing work as well. It’s odd yet inspiring to see students walking and leading the crowd in union chants.

Some bagpipers from the Firefighter’s union led the crowd up to 10 Doty St., site of that now-infamous Koch Brothers lobby shop. Thousands packed the street, which was temporarily closed off to cards, for the noontime rally. The lobbyists have apparently begun the work of taking the Koch name off the door.

This is just the beginning of two days of action in Madison. The number that organizers and plugged-in folks are throwing around is 100,000 for the protest and concert tomorrow. The West Wing’s Bradley Whitford, a native Wisconsinite, will emcee the event, and I heard an unconfirmed report that Steve Earle will be playing. In addition to that, nationwide rallies are happening across the country. John Nichols from The Nation made a prediction this afternoon – he believes that 1 million people will be out in solidarity with Wisconsin public employees tomorrow. You can find the rally near you here.

Now, at 4:00 CT, apparently law enforcement at the Capitol will begin to restrict the upper floors of the Rotunda to protesters. This is the beginning of a movement to shut down the Capitol that will probably happen tomorrow night. With the professional police association opposed to the restriction and planning to sleep in the Capitol tonight, I don’t know if this will actually come off. But it should be interesting.

This is the one city in America right now where some stranger can come up to you and say, “I hear talk of a general strike.”

[Luther Blissett]

Shepherd Smith going off-script on Fox News:

[Nordic]

Ha. Shepard Smith, and all the newscasters, are union members. AFTRA at the very least.

[chump]

Here's a little more background on the Bradley Foundation and it's relationship with the Cheesy Revolt:

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/21/zom ... ch-walker/
How John Birch Society Extremism Never Dies: The Fortune Behind Scott Walker’s Union-Busting Campaign

Over 68,000 people have mobilized in Madison and progressive organizers are planning solidarity efforts across the country to denounce Gov. Scott Walker’s (R-WI) radical attempt to bust Wisconsin’s public sector unions. So far, Walker has refused to compromise, even though Wisconsin labor leaders are already coming to the table with large concessions. How can Walker press on, even with public opinion beginning to turn against him? Much of Walker’s critical political support can be credited to a network of right-wing fronts and astroturf groups in Wisconsin supported largely by a single foundation in Milwaukee: the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, a $460 million conservative honey pot dedicated to crushing the labor movement.

Walker has deeply entwined his administration with the Bradley Foundation. The Bradley Foundation’s CEO, former state GOP chairman Michele Grebe, chaired Walker’s campaign and headed his transition. But more importantly, the organizations lining up to support Walker are financed by Bradley cash:

– The MacIver Institute is a conservative nonprofit that has provided rapid-response attacks on those opposed to Walker’s power grab. MacIver staffers produced a series of videos attacking anti-Walker protesters, including one mocking children. Naturally, the videos have become grist for Fox News and conservative bloggers. In addition, MacIver created studies claiming that Wisconsin teachers and nurses are paid too “generously” and other reports claiming that collective bargaining rights hurt taxpayers. The Bradley Foundation has supported MacIver with over $300,000 in grants over the last three years alone.

– The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute is a major conservative think tank helping Walker win support from the media. The Institute has funded polls to bolster Walker’s position, and like MacIver, produced a flurry of attack videos against Walker’s political adversaries and a series of pieces supporting his drive against the state’s labor movement. Over the weekend, the Institute secured a pro-Walker item in the New York Times. The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute is supported with over $10 million in grants from the Bradley Foundation.

– As ThinkProgress has reported, the powerful astroturf group Americans for Prosperity not only helped to elect Walker, but bused in Tea Party supporters to hold a pro-Walker demonstration on Saturday. In 2005, the Bradley Foundation earmarked funds to help Koch Industries establish the Americans for Prosperity office in Wisconsin. From 2005-2009, the Bradley Foundation has given about $200,000 to Americans for Prosperity Wisconsin (also called Fight Back Wisconsin).

It should be no surprise that Walker’s radicalism is boosted by Bradley money. Today, the Bradley Foundation is controlled by a group of establishment Republicans, along with Washington Post columnist George Will. However, the Foundation’s agenda still reflects the extremist views of its founder, Harry Bradley. Although he passed away in 1965, Harry, a member of one Wisconsin’s most powerful families and a key financier of nationalist hate groups, would have eagerly applauded Walker’s union-busting agenda.

Harry, along with his older brother Lynde, started the Allen-Bradley company, a major manufacturer of electronics and engine parts. After a bitter strike in 1939, Harry became increasingly political. Although his company boomed because of World War 2-era contracts from the government, Harry abhorred any intrusions into his business: especially labor organizers (who he termed “communists” in his memoirs), as well as pressure to hire women and minorities in his plants, a move he resisted until his death. Responding to the civil rights movement and liberalism in society, Harry became obsessed with right-wing politics. According to scholar William Schambra, Harry even studied Lenin and Stalin for ideas on how to wage guerrilla warfare against the left. He joined candy manufacturer Robert Welch to be one of the charter members of the John Birch Society (along with JBS board member Fred Koch, the father of Koch Industries executives Charles and David Koch), and financed other right-wing firebrands. Media Transparency’s profile of the Bradley Foundation sheds light on its founder:

Robert Welch, who founded the Society in 1958, was a regular speaker at Allen-Bradley sales meetings. Harry distributed Birchite literature, as did Fred Loock, another key figure at the company. They also supported the Australian doctor Fred Schwarz, founder of the Christian Anti-Communist Crusade; William F. Buckley, Jr.’s National Review; and a right-wing Midwest radio program produced by anti-communist producer Bob Siegrist. Harry’s main political targets were “World Communism” and the U.S. federal government, not necessarily in that order. His political philosophy was laissez-faire capitalism, and he was strongly opposed to anything that might restrict his freedom to conduct his business as he saw fit. His promotion of “freedom”, however, did not extend to his own workers. While women had worked at the plant since 1918, and made up nearly a third of the workforce during World War II, they weren’t paid the same as men. They finally sued in 1966, charging the company paid less to women than male workers operating the same machines. A federal judge ruled in their favor. Allen-Bradley was one of the last major Milwaukee employers to racially integrate, and then only through public and legal pressure. By 1968, when the company’s workforce had grown to more than 7,000, Allen-Bradley employed only 32 Blacks and 14 Latinos.

After the Allen-Bradley company was purchased by Rockwell International in 1985, the Bradley Foundation surged with an additional $290 million in funds. The money has gone on to finance ideas held strongly by Harry Bradley: anti-affirmative action scholars, anti-multiculturalism books (the Bradley Foundation underwrote the notoriously racist book The Bell Curve), anti-welfare campaigns, privatization efforts, neoconservative fronts, and tens of millions for groups opposed to public and private sector unions, particular in the field of education. As conservative writer Al Regnery has observed, conservatives have relied on the Bradley Foundation to finance the backbone of radical policy ideas that first take root in Wisconsin but are then championed by Republicans around the country. Gov. Scott Walker’s current fight to crush labor rights in Wisconsin is the fulfillment of Harry Bradley’s John Birch Society dream.

Where is Karl Rove in all this?


------------

[seemslikeadream]

Report:

“Hundreds of cops have just marched into the Wisconsin state capitol building to protest the anti-Union bill, to massive applause." “Police have just announced to the crowds inside the occupied State Capitol of Wisconsin: ‘We have been ordered by the legislature to kick you all out at 4:00 today. But we know what’s right from wrong. We will not be kicking anyone out, in fact, we will be sleeping here with you!’ Unreal.”

[23]

Live updates: Americans answer call to protest for workers’ rights

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/26/l ... rs-rights/

This is a live blog of ongoing events around the nation related to the workers' rights demonstrations.

[Nordic]

Hadn't seen this here yet:

http://blogs.forbes.com/rickungar/2011/ ... -pensions/

The Wisconsin Lie Exposed – Taxpayers Actually Contribute Nothing To Public Employee Pensions

Pulitzer Prize winning tax reporter, David Cay Johnston, has written a brilliant piece for tax.com exposing the truth about who really pays for the pension and benefits for public employees in Wisconsin.

Gov. Scott Walker says he wants state workers covered by collective bargaining agreements to “contribute more” to their pension and health insurance plans. Accepting Gov. Walker’ s assertions as fact, and failing to check, creates the impression that somehow the workers are getting something extra, a gift from taxpayers. They are not. Out of every dollar that funds Wisconsin’ s pension and health insurance plans for state workers, 100 cents comes from the state workers.

Via tax.com

How can this be possible?

Simple. The pension plan is the direct result of deferred compensation- money that employees would have been paid as cash salary but choose, instead, to have placed in the state operated pension fund where the money can be professionally invested (at a lower cost of management) for the future.

Many of us are familiar with the concept of deferred compensation from reading about the latest multi-million dollar deal with some professional athlete. As a means of allowing their ball club to have enough money to operate, lowering their own tax obligations and for other benefits, ball players often defer payment of money they are to be paid to a later date. In the meantime, that money is invested for the ball player’s benefit and then paid over at the time and in the manner agreed to in the contract between the parties.

Does anyone believe that, in the case of the ball player, the deferred money belongs to the club owner rather than the ball player? Is the owner simply providing this money to the athlete as some sort of gift? Of course not. The money is salary to be paid to the ball player, deferred for receipt at a later date.

A review of the state’s collective bargaining agreements – many of which are available for review at the Wisconsin Office of State Employees web site - bears out that it is no different for state employees. The numbers are just lower.

Check out section 13 of the Wisconsin Association of State Prosecutors collective bargaining agreement – “For the duration of this Agreement, the Employer will contribute on behalf of the employee five percent (5%) of the employee’s earnings paid by the State. ”

Johnston goes on to point out that Governor Walker has gotten away with this false narrative because journalists have failed to look closely at how employee pension plans work and have simply accepted the Governor’s word for it. Because of this, those who wish the unions ill have been able to seize on that narrative to score points by running ads and spreading the word that state employees pay next to nothing for their pensions and that it is all a big taxpayer give-away.

If it is true that pension and benefit money is money that already belongs to state workers, you might ask why state employees would not just take the cash as direct compensation and do their own investing for their retirement through their own individual retirement plans.

Again, simple.

Mr. Johnston continues-

Expecting individuals to be experts at investing their retirement money in defined contribution plans — instead of pooling the money so professional investors can manage the money as is done in defined benefit plans — is not sound economics. The concept, at its most basic, is buying wholesale instead of retail. Wholesale is cheaper for the buyers. That is, it saves taxpayers money. The Wisconsin State Investment Board manages about $74.5 billion for an all-in cost of $224 million. That is a cost of about 30-cents per $100, which is good but not great. However it is far less than many defined contribution plans, where costs are often $1 or more per $100.”

If the Wisconsin governor and state legislature were to be honest, they would correctly frame this issue. They are not, in fact, asking state employees to make a larger contribution to their pension and benefits programs as that would not be possible- the employees are already paying 100% of the contributions.

What they are actually asking is that the employees take a pay cut.

That may or may not be an appropriate request depending on your point of view – but the argument that the taxpayers are providing state workers with some gift is as false as the argument that state workers are paid better than employees with comparable education and skills in private industry.

Maybe state workers need to take pay cut along with so many of their fellow Americans. But let’s, at the least, recognize this sacrifice for what it is rather than pretending they’ve been getting away with some sweet deal that now must be brought to an end.

UPDATE: Since this post was published earlier today, many commenters have made the point that, while it is true that it is state employees’ own money that funds the pension plan, when the pension plan comes up short it is up to the taxpayer to make up the difference.

There is some truth in this – but not as much as many seem to think. Because the pension plan is a defined benefit plan – requiring the state to pay the agreed benefit for however long the employee may live in retirement- if the employee lives longer than the actuarial plan anticipated, the taxpayer is on the hook for the pay-outs during the longer life.

But is this the fault of the state employees? The pension agreements are the result of collective bargaining. That means that the state has every opportunity to properly calculate the anticipated lifespan and then add on some margin for error. What’s more, the losses taken by the pension funds over the past few years can hardly be blamed on the employees.

Take a look at what Sue Urahn, an expert on the subject at the Pew Center on the States, has to say about this when describing the $1 trillion gap that existed between the $2.35 trillion states had set aside to pay for employees’ retirement benefits and the $3.35 trillion price tag of those promises.at the end of 2008-

To a significant degree, the $1 trillion reflects states’ own policy choices and lack of discipline:

• failing to make annual payments for pension systems at the levels recommended by their own actuaries;
• expanding benefits and offering cost-of-living increases without fully considering their long-term price tag or determining how to pay for them; and
• providing retiree health care without adequately funding it
Via Pew Center on the States

That is the point. While the governor of Wisconsin is busy trying to shift the blame to the workers in an effort to put an end to collective bargaining, the reality is that it was the state who punted on this – not the employees.

Further, by the state employee unions agreeing to the deal proposed by Walker on their benefits (as they have despite Walker’s refusal to accept it) they are taking on much - and possibly all – of the obligation out of their own pockets.

As a result, the taxpayers do not contribute to the public employee pension programs so much as serve as insurers. If their elected officials have been sloppy , the taxpayers must stand behind it. But if the market continues to perform as it has been performing this past year, don’t be surprised if the funding crisis begins to recede. If it does, what will you say then?

[justdrew]

time to smash the toilet paper magnates...

Anonymous targets Koch bros with #OpWisconsin
February 26th, 2011 2:06 pm ET

Anonymous, the notorious collective of unnamed Internet activists, is declaring war on the controversial Koch brothers. In a press release this weekend Anonymous accuses the brothers and their financial empire of attempting "to usurp American Democracy," and call for a "boycott all Koch Industries' paper products." Anonymous accuses the Koch brothers of taking "actions to undermine the legitimate political process in Wisconsin."

David and Charles Koch of Koch Industries are billionaire brothers responsible for financing numerous conservative causes and Tea Party activities. In their press release Anonymous claims:

The Koch brothers have made a science of fabricating 'grassroots' organizations and advertising campaigns to support them in an attempt to sway voters based on their falsehoods. Americans for Prosperity, Club for Growth and Citizens United are just a few of these organizations. In a world where corporate money has become the lifeblood of political influence, the labor unions are one of the few ways citizens have to fight against corporate greed. Anonymous cannot ignore the plight of the citizen-workers of Wisconsin, or the opportunity to fight for the people in America's broken political system. For these reasons, we feel that the Koch brothers threaten the United States democratic system and, by extension, all freedom-loving individuals everywhere. As such, we have no choice but to spread the word of the Koch brothers' political manipulation, their single-minded intent and the insidious truth of their actions in Wisconsin, for all to witness.

Anonymous is "an online pool of consciousness," a formidable group of aggressive hackers or hactivists, a notorious collective of unnamed Internet activists. Anonymous is free of hierarchical leaderships structure. Hence, no one press release, no one statement, speaks for all who pledge allegiance to the group. Anonymous as a group often stands up for human rights and freedom of speech, many members consider themselves freedom fighters, while others are simply in it for the "Lulz."

From the press release:

Anonymous hears the voice of the downtrodden American people, whose rights and liberties are being systematically removed one by one, even when their own government refuses to listen or worse - is complicit in these attacks. We are actively seeking vulnerabilities, but in the mean time we are calling for all supporters of true Democracy, and Freedom of The People, to boycott all Koch Industries' paper products. We welcome unions across the globe to join us in this boycott to show that you will not allow big business to dictate your freedom.

Anonymous suggests
U.S. Product Boycott List:

• Vanity Fair
• Quilted Northern
• Angel Soft
• Sparkle
• Brawny
• Mardi Gras
• Dixie

European Product Boycott List:

• Demak'Up
• Kitten Soft
• Lotus / Lotus Soft
• Tenderly
• Nouvelle Soft
• Okay Ktchen Towels
• Colhogar
• Delica
• Inversoft
• Tutto

To identify these brands, please look for the following logo anywhere on the packaging:

---

real Koch bros product:

[justdrew]

http://anonnews.org/?p=press&a=item&i=585

Koch Industries, and oligarchs like them, have most recently started to manipulate the political agenda in Wisconsin. Governor Walker's union-busting budget plan contains a clause that went nearly un-noticed. This clause would allow the sale of publicly owned utility plants in Wisconsin to private parties (specifically, Koch Industries) at any price, no matter how low, without a public bidding process. The Koch's have helped to fuel the unrest in Wisconsin and the drive behind the bill to eliminate the collective bargaining power of unions in a bid to gain a monopoly over the state's power supplies.