"Wins" for the Middle Class

Whether or not the Budget Repair Bill ultimately gets passed, the victory lies in the fact that no matter how "right" Governor Walker feels his ideas for Wisconsin are, he and those on his side are not above the law.

And in Indiana, the middle class was heard.

Said Indiana House Minority Leader Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, whose Statehouse return Monday was greeted by cheering union workers, "We won a battle, but we recognize the war goes on."


The fight goes on across the country for those of us who are tired of "sharing" the sacrifice.


Richard Thayer said, "Rather than pointing fingers of blame at unions demanding that their quality of life be reduced to the level of non-union members, we should be pointing those fingers at corporations and demanding that some of those obscene profits they’re making be paid out to their hard-working employees, the ones whose productivity and creativity are making those profits possible."


(I urge you to read what Thayer had to say in its entirety.)


Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) has introduced legislation imposing a surtax on households earning one million dollars or more and elimination of tax loopholes oil companies take advantage of.  Now that sounds more like "shared" to me!

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Any 5th grader should be able to tell you what Separation of Powers means and why Checks and Balances are so important to this messy thing we call Democracy.


The race between Prosser and Kloppenburg has brought this topic to the forefront in Wisconsin. 
Here's a quote from the Oshkosh Northwestern from last week:


"If there is any doubt about the impending collapse of the "checks and balances" that three independent branches of government represent, consider this statement from Prosser's campaign manager. 'Our campaign efforts will include building an organization that will return Justice Prosser to the bench, protecting the conservative judicial majority and acting as a common sense complement to both the new (Republican) administration and legislature.'"


And from the Lakeland Times this week.  


"The citizens of Wisconsin expect and deserve that their Supreme Court justices be independent and render impartial and fair rulings. They expect their justices to exercise sound judgment, avoiding even the hint of impropriety. They deserve honorable justices who would recuse themselves if there is a conflict of interest."


But this is a nationwide epidemic- our justices seem to be taking political sides rather than remaining impartial and independent.


Like Justice Scalia and the Tea Party

And Clarence Thomas and the Koch brothers

It's scary stuff to think about these extremist conservative politicians wanting to run government like a business (see last post) and our checks and balances system run by extremist conservative justices.

Fight back America's middle class.  Let your voice be heard!  I'll see you at the polls April 5th!

The CEO of Wisconsin

Otherwise titled "The Privatization of Government"

Can Government really be run like a business?  

No, said James Beattie Morison this past February, because their goals are different.

"if only government adhered to business principles, the United States would be solvent, more efficient, and more prosperous." As with all trivializations in economics, this one resonates well with the public. But it is dangerously wrong, says this article.


And in a 2002 report by James E. Roper, the author makes a very strong case for why government should not be run like a business, including this quote:


"The conclusion that this country would no longer be a democracy if government decisions were made on the business model points to the most profound deficiency in the idea that government should function like a corporation: The individual rights and freedoms that are the foundation of our society would cease to exist. In their defense of taxes, The Cost of Rights, Holmes and Sunstein argue that all rights presuppose an elaborate and costly infrastructure of courts and law enforcement (1999). Without such institutional support, rights and related liberties cannot be sustained. Even if the "law" recognizes them, rights and liberties cease to function if they cannot be defended; and they cannot be preserved without an infrastructure dedicated to maintaining them (1999)."


Frederick E. Allen of Forbes has included additional links to people who have argued that government can not be run like business.


The business model is good for business- let's leave it there. 

Let My Voice Be Heard

I refuse to be a victim of those in power, either political power or financial power.  I will do everything I can to make my voice heard.  Here's a list of things I will be contacting people about.  You may want to have your voice heard as well.

Call In Day To Block Social Security Cuts

On March 28 and 29, join the Social Security coalition in a National Call-In to protect Social Security.  To reduce the federal deficit, some in Washington are proposing deep cuts to Social Security benefits.  We need to stop them.  Social Security belongs to the people who pay for it in every paycheck.  Don’t let Congress cut benefits, raise the retirement age, or reduce the COLA.  Senators Sanders (I-VT) and Reid (D-NV) have introduced the Social Security Protection amendment to block cuts to Social Security.  Call your U.S. Senators on March 29th and 30th, by dialing 1-866-251-4044.  Tell them: Hands off Social Security!  Vote YES on the Sanders-Reid Social Security Protection Amendment! Our Students’ Future At Stake —They Are Counting On Congress For Support! As Congress returns from their district work period, negotiations will continue on a long-term continuing resolution (CR) to fund programs through the end of the current fiscal year (September 30, 2011).  The current short-term CR will expire on April 8; Congress must act on a full-year CR prior to that date to avoid a government shutdown.  At stake is funding for critical education programs like Title I, IDEA special education, and Pell Grants – programs that are critical to ensuring every student the opportunity to succeed in the 21st century.  Compromise will be necessary to get any bill passed.  But, conservative Members will be pushing for deep cuts in education and other programs.  Your voice is critical to keep up the pressure for investments in education.  Take Action TODAY:  Tell Congress to craft a continuing resolution that invests in education for our nation’s future.  We Are One: Stand Up For Workers’ Rights On April 4 On April 4, 1968, 43 years ago in Memphis, a long struggle for human rights and human dignity ended in the tragic assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but it brought economic justice and the respect that all people deserve to 1,300 city sanitation workers. On April 4 this year, the anniversary of Dr. King’s death, labor unions, civil rights organizations, and religious leaders will stand together across this country for the same human rights and human dignity for working men and women.  We will remember the courage and determination of Dr. King and those workers who endured assault and arrest as they walked a picket line for two months.  We have stood together as one with public workers across this country whose bargaining rights are under attack, with private workers who can’t get bargaining rights, and against those politicians and their allies who want to silence our political voice. On April 4, 2011, on the job, in our schools and in our communities, we will remind our elected officials that workers rights are human rights, and that those rights will not be destroyed. Learn more about We Are One Stand with those struggling to defend collective bargaining rights.  Sign theNEA National Petition for Workers' Rights.

Reliable Plating Works Update

Just wanted to share the email I sent Reliable tonight in response to the comments their president made in the JS Online article.

Dear Mr. Jaime Maliszewski:

I am a full time working mother, and I was deeply saddened by your comments in today's JS Online article about the Milwaukee Sick Pay Law.  I admit, I did not know too much about your company, so I did a little research.  I read about your grandfather starting the company that your father worked at, and which you and your brothers followed suit.  And I also read about the tough times RPW, along with so many other businesses, has had to go through in this recession.  I do not pretend to know your situation or the situation of your workers.  But I do know my situation and that of my family.  And when you made comments against the Sick Pay Law, I was angered.  You see, as a working member of the middle class, I too have suffered from the recession.  I have seen more and more of the benefits I received as a worker taken away or reduced.  I, like so many others, am paying more for health care.  My husband and I saw the money we had worked so hard for disappear from our retirement accounts when the market crashed.  And we have given up on our dreams of sending our kids to college.  Both my husband and I are facing layoffs from our jobs.  To me, giving workers paid sick time is a small concession a business can make for its employees.  It's disheartening to see in Milwaukee CEO's of companies like Harley-Davidson and Sensient Technologies making millions of dollars while my employer is talking of cutting my pay and eliminating my sick time.  I do not work in Milwaukee, but I would hope that instead of banning together to fight the Sick Pay Law, companies like yours would ban together with workers to try to improve Wisconsin worker's conditions across the state.  I will end this letter with a quote from your brother Jeff on your website:

"Superior quality doesn't just mean happier customers and higher profits.  It means the satisfaction of a job well done and a company that fulfills its promise of excellence."  How about being a leader in our state and fulfilling a promise of excellent treatment of workers- or at the very least supporting workers in their struggle to support their families by having paid sick time- a very small concession in my opinion for the hard work we do for our employers.  It is a matter of mutual respect.

Sincerely, 

Jane

A (Small) Victory for the Middle Class

Today marks a victory for Middle Class workers in Milwaukee as the Court of Appeals ruled to uphold the paid sick day law.

Dana Schultz, Lead Organizer of 9 to 5, the National Organization of Working Women, said:
"Milwaukeeans have made their decision on paid sick days, and now the courts have upheld their vote. The State Legislature should not be trying to rob voters in Milwaukee and cities across the state of their basic right to local decision-making on sick days or any other laws…It’s time for the State Legislature to stop its attacks on hard-working families and get to work on policies that will help create jobs and grow our economy."

Not everyone was pleased with results, including the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and Milwaukee's Mayor, Tom Barrett.  They feel businesses will leave Milwaukee and move to other parts of the state to avoid the law.

Sadly, this may be true, which once again reaffirms our nation's lack of respect and support for the middle class, working families of our country.  Rather than trying to overturn the Milwaukee law, wouldn't it be better to try to get the law passed across the state?

Reliable Plating Works president said no one was happy with the court's decision, not even the workers.  Really?  I plan to contact Reliable to share with them my feelings about the law.  You should as well.  It's time we start telling businesses that we are tired of them taking advantage of the working people of Wisconsin.  Rather than seeing how low can you go, how about for once a business showing you can take care of your workers and still earn a profit!!

Here's how to contact Reliable:

Reliable Plating Works, Inc. 

5230 South 13th Street 

PO Box 210500 

Milwaukee WI 53221 

Phone: (414) 282-4RPW(4779)  

Email: info@rpwinc.net

And by the way, Prosser voted to affirm the Milwaukee County Circuit Judge's decision to halt the ordinance.  I can't wait to send him a message about how I feel in the April 5th election!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

When I entered my career as a public school educator, little did I know the lack of respect there would be for what I did every day.  Never, in my wildest dreams would I have imagined being called lazy, a bottom feeder, a leech, a thug, and other, much worse names.

It's clear to me that Scott Walker does not respect the effort and education it takes to be a teacher. A teacher needs to have education in child development, teaching methodology, and child psychology.  A bachelor's degree does not mean someone can teach.  But what's really come as a slap in the face is Walker's provision that teachers with revoked licenses can come back to teach in charter schools.

Really, this goes back to the general lack of respect for us "lower class citizens"- the working and middle class.  And to Walker's seemingly lack of ethics and common decency.  Really, now, is someone who is willing to put an individual with a criminal record in front of our children showing us the respect we as humans deserve?

See what William Cronon has to say... I couldn't agree with him more.