LANSING – The only jobs the Michigan Republicans have created since taking office in January are those for Emergency Financial Managers (EFM) after the Senate Republicans passed the anti-union and anti-Democratic EFM package of bills on Wednesday
The package will make it easier for financially troubled municipalities and school districts to be taken over by an emergency financial manager, and the bills give the EFM almost dictatorial like powers. The bills take the power and authority out of the hands of the people legally elected by the voters and places it in the hands of a person appointed by the governor and the Legislature, and it allows the EFM - which is why Republicans have placed the bills on the fast track - to terminate contracts negotiated with labor unions in good faith.
Rick Snyder’s proposed budget has deep cuts in school aid and revenue sharing, and that, combined, with falling property values, will guarantee more school districts and municipalities are in finical trouble and ripe for takeover and government expansion.
“This bill, along with the Governor’s proposed cuts to revenue sharing and to our schools, is going to create a race to the bottom, which guarantees many of our cities and schools are going to head into bankruptcy,” said Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer.” How does this fit into the primary objective of jobs as job?”
The vote came on the very day that the Michigan Department of Treasury announced that more than 150 “student" are expected for the next Emergency Financial Manager training seminar slated for some time next month. Subscription only MIRS said “the course content in the two-day seminar will be expanded to include school districts along with local governments that might need what will be known simply as an "emergency manager" down the road.” Last month the two-day seminar graduated 65 people to go forth and shred union contr5ats and fire elected officials.
Like on Tuesday in the debate over third reading, a Democratic amendment to limit the salary of the EFM to that of the highest paid elected official in the state, the Governor at $172,000, failed. Seven Republicans crossed over to vote with the Democrats, resulting in a 19-19 tie, but the Lt. Governor broke the tie.
So far, the only job Republicans have created is that of dictator.
“I would ask the Governor and the Republican members of the Senate: Why are you okay with attacking the secretary who makes $35,000 compared—I would ask you, Governor, and the Governor you work for, and the members of your party: Why is it okay to challenge a secretary’s $35,000 a year job and have members in your cabinet who make $250,000 a year,” Whitmer said. “Why are you okay with attacking the firefighter who runs into a burning house, making $44,000 a year, risking their lives, and having a budget director making $250,000 a year? Why is it okay to attack a cop who ensures our community’s safety, making $46,000 a year, and not the emergency financial manager who can make upwards of $159,000 a year? Why is that okay?”
Yesterday saw 29 amendments floated, but the only ones passed were introduced by Republicans. After the defeat of the amendment limiting the pay of the EFM, Sen. Tupac Hunter, D-Detroit, introduced an amendment saying that if the state is going to appoint an EFM and not limit the salary, the state should pay for the EFM. It only makes sense for struggling municipalities or school districts cutting the pay and firing trusted employees that live in the local community that the dictator from Lansing should be paid from Lansing. Predictably, it failed.
Many Democrats supported the idea of the early triggers that identifies early that a community may be in financial trouble and head off trouble early, but not the broad powers of an EFM. Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, D-Taylor, introduced a substitute that retained all of the good points and got rid of the union-busting crap. But in the end, Republicans, like in Wisconsin, are more concerned with busting the unions.
“My concern is that, I think, we may be opening a can of worms, and we need to be very careful about these expansive powers that we are granting to emergency managers,” Hopgood said. “With this bill, as well as the budget and the laws and the stress that local communities and schools are experiencing currently, there is the concern that we are really balancing our budget through this bill on the backs of our employees, on the backs of our citizens who rely on the services for protection; in terms of our kids who are going to experience increased class sizes and schools that are closed.”
Because amendments were added to the main bill, it must now go back to the House for their concurrence.
22 comments:
Why would you delete your own comment, other than its stupid and wrong? But hey, I’ll repost it and answer it.
“Unions have had their day. Good riddance.”
Then good riddance to the middle class.
The middle class can not afford unions anymore.
Think of it, how are middle class citizens supposed to keep paying more for autos, homes, insurance, teachers and on and on and on when their wages are currently decreasing but the costs of everything keep increasing? Tax the crap out of them seems to be the Democrat way of thinking.
But Obama said no new taxes on middle class people? Oh really? Health insurance premiums are on the rise because of more things it has to cover. The cost of oil is going up, hence more taxes on that. Tanning taxes, cigarette taxes, taxes on real estate, income taxes via states, sales tax increases.
The country can not afford to keep pay increases for public unions. Why should they keep gettting and keep on getting while the private sector keeps getting fired, laid off, cuts in wages, etc.........?
Fun fact of the day, stimulus was a Ponzi scheme for Democrats. For example Wisconsin. They received somewhere around $600 million in stimulus funds. Guess where that money went to? Wisconsin's State Stabilization Funds aka public sector workers. That is stimulus my friends.
http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/TextViewProjSummary.aspx?data=recipientAwardsList&RenderData=ALL&State=WI&Agency=ALL&Amount=ALL&AwardType=CGL and http://www.huliq.com/1/80601/according-recoverygov-600-million-available-wisconsin
Only in America.
The middle class is the union, dolt, and both are disappearing. It’s not a coincidence that both are disappearing. Where are taxes going up? The richer are getting richer, but the middle class is losing wages. How many times do I have to show you how wide the gap between the rich and the peasants is and how the top 2 percent have controlled more and more of the country’s wealth?
That is correct; Obama said no new taxes on middle class people, and he has given them a tax cut. Health insurance premiums have also been on the rise for years, and Health insurance companies continue to reap record profits. Use your heard; at least try. Catching and treating a mole, for example, before it becomes skin cancer and must be treated in an ER saves millions of dollars.
I keep forgetting how stupid you are. The gas tax is on volume, not the total cost. You pay the same 19 cents a gallon for gas whether it costs $20 or $50 dollars to fill up your car. In other words, if you have a 20 gallon tank, the tax is $3.80 regardless if the cost of a gallon of gas is $1.50 or $4.20 a gallon.
Public unions did not create the recession; Bush and Wall Street did. Public unions have made concessions to balance the budget, even though they had a deal, but as Wisconsin proves, it’s not about balancing the budget; it’s about stealing their civil rights.
No, the stimulus got us out of the recession and created jobs. Where did you get that the Wisconsin's State Stabilization Funds went to workers? Walker gave away money to the Koch brothers and other contributors so he could create a crisis to bust the union.
But what does this have to do with stripping away the will of Michigan voters and the civil right of collective bargaining?
No, this has happaned in all Communist bloc countries.
Dolt, Obama gave us a tax cut? No, he signed on to extend tax brackets, already you prove your stupidity.
Next up words have consequences too. Liberals emailing the Senators in Wisconsin, tells them all they will be killed. Lets hope this does not lead to deaths. http://www.620wtmj.com/shows/charliesykes/117726263.html?blog=y Ill look forward to your blog tomorrow about violence and damages and govt shutdowns by the left tomorrow.
That is correct, Dolt, Obama gave us a tax cut.
No, a person, that’s not plural, emailed the Senators in Wisconsin to tell them all they will be killed. This person should be prosecuted just like the teabaggers who threatened Bart Stupack’s family.
Please explain to us how he "gave" us a tax cut?
What about the libs that threatened Stupak?
Also, when you use the words anti-Democratic EFM packages, you should differentiate. I am anti-Democratic Party (stupid they are trying to push that name over the Democrat Party). You have stupid readers on here like yourself and Johnny C, you might confuse people.
The real way to understand what's happened in Wisconsin is that the people who earn the money and who are paying the salaries of these public sector workers -- for the first time -- have somebody representing them in the whole arrangement. Collective bargaining, in this case, is against the taxpayers.
If Jesse Jackson and Michael Moore and Howard Fineman are gonna start talking about 'revolution,' they better be very, very careful what they wish for, because they are outnumbered. People are sick of these cheaters and losers not telling the truth. Youre name will be included in that soon too.
Weekly jobs claims rose unexpectedly? WTF!?!?! My anus. Thats winning the future, not what you think it means.
Two examples of the importance (sarcasm) of unions:
Arbitrator Reinstates Porn-Watching Teacher
A Cedarburg school teacher was reinstated by an arbitrator after being fired for viewing pornography on a school computer. The school district ultimately succeeded in terminating the teacher only after taking the case to the Wisconsin Supreme Court at great cost to the taxpayers.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/23/08
'Outstanding First Year Teacher' Laid Off
Milwaukee Public Schools teacher Megan Sampson was laid off less than one week after being named Outstanding First Year Teacher by the Wisconsin Council of English Teachers. She lost her job because the collective bargaining agreement requires layoffs to be made based on seniority rather than merit.
Informed that her union had rejected a lower-cost health care plan, that still would have required zero contribution from teachers, Sampson said, "Given the opportunity, of course I would switch to a different plan to save my job, or the jobs of 10 other teachers.
The stimulus package contained the biggest one-year tax cut in U.S. history, and 98 percent of us got a tax cut.
No “ libs” threatened Stupak, at least not his life.
I’m a member of the Democratic Party, and the EFM package of bills are both anti-Democratic and anti-Democratic party. As for your confusion, might I suggest a dictionary.
The real way to understand what's happened in Wisconsin is that Republicans created a false financial emergency to bust unions that tend to support Democrats. When that didn’t work they striped it out of the budget bill; because everyone with a brain knew it was just about union busting, and violated the Open Meetings Act and passed it in secret behind closed doors.
Sorry, Jesse Jackson and Michael Moore and Howard Fineman are not outnumbered. The people the Republicans represent are only the richest 2 percent. You forget that the majority of Americans support collective bargaining for public sector unions. In fact, I’m still waiting for you to comment on the post about the WSJ poll that proved that.
I don’t want to hear abut your anus, but the fact is the unemployment rate fell to 8.9 percent in February, the lowest in almost two years, and ending the longest period of unemployment at 9 percent or higher since monthly records began in 1948. Granted, good news is bad news for you and Republicans but there it is.
How doers this reflect badly on unions?
The majority of Americans believe in due process. I noticed you left out the part where he was fired for 67 seconds and the arbitrator ruled that Zellner should have been reprimanded and not fired.
Layoffs are the biggest, and probably the only target, when cutting costs. You are aware that is was not teachers that created the Bush recession, right?
But as I have said numerous times, there is nothing more Democratic in the workplace that a union. Every worker gets to vote on the contract.
Once again, anonymous coward, I am still waiting for you to back up your outrageous lie that we were “nearly shoulder to shoulder once.”
Gee GAD good if you were referring to continue the tax rates as a tax cut, then you would have needed a padded helmet and start to yell WINNING.
Wisconsin again? You and Michael Moore can be bosom buddies. So when a state has a $3.6 billion deficit thats showing you they arent broke? The US has a $14 Trillion deficit, the US isnt broke?
Wisconsin is done with now, if the Dems retake control they can put CB back in, get tenure and seniority in layoffs back. The fact of the matter is, the state cant afford all these perks anymore and they dont want to pay the union dues for the members, they should pay for that themselves. Idaho just did the same thing, passed it where was the protest there? Same thing will happen in Ohio, 2011 is turning into a good year so far.
What? English please. Like I said, he cut taxes for, actually, 94.3 percent of Americans.
http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/jan/28/barack-obama/tax-cut-95-percent-stimulus-made-it-so/
Yes, Wisconsin and union-busting again, but you brought it up. Can you refute anything written? I didn’t think so.
The state has a deficit because Walker created it. Public sector unions have given concessions even though any financial issues was created by Bush’s recession.
Wisconsin is far from done. The union busting law can he overturned by voters as well as the courts. The state has never paid union dues for union members.
Yes, 2011 is turning into a good year for the richest 2 percent, but not for the 98 percent of us trying to make a living.
Liberals are for Democracy until the loose.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaSnDrZNEg8&feature=player_embedded
Commie Guru, pedal a little faster try to keep up here.
http://badgerherald.com/news/2010/01/17/state_ends_2008-2010.php ill use a local paper, looks like they had deficits prior and leading up to Walker running the show. Without what Walker did, at least 6000 people were going to get fired. See here repubs are saving jobs and unions would rather them get fired it seems.
Boom lawyered, youre a hack, I love reading your written accidents daily and refuting every freaking one of them.
Not. Who says 6,000 people will be laid off, Walker? The man is a liar, and nothing was going to derail his agenda of killing the union.
You have refuted nothing, and I’m surprised you can even spell it. But hey, thanks for the compliment; it means a lot coming from an brain trust like you.
Thanks for playing, because you cant prove Walker spent the state into a deficit. You are hilariously inaccurate.
So if he is a liar, and they didnt sign that bill and fired 6000 people, you would say he is trying to break up the union againl. He cant win in your eyes, you cant win in life. So again, please from Wisconsin's website i think its wisconsin.gov show me there was a surplus when walker took over?
“Despite shortfalls in revenue following the economic downturn that hit its peak with the Bush-era stock market collapse, the state has balanced budgets, maintained basic services and high-quality schools, and kept employment and business development steadier than the rest of the country. It has managed so well, in fact, that the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau recently released a memo detailing how the state will end the 2009-2011 budget biennium with a budget surplus.”
Like I said, Walker had an agenda to break the union, and he is willing to bankrupt the state in order to do it. If there was any doubt, his middle-of-the-night double cross conformed it.
http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/editorial/article_61064e9a-27b0-5f28-b6d1-a57c8b2aaaf6.html
The "PROGRESSIVE VOICE"? does not count. Find me something else. Ill show you factcheck.org http://factcheck.org/2011/03/wisconsins-baffling-budget-battle/
Please stop playing, youre a liar and cant post anything factually based unless its made up on some POS progressive voice liberal commie rag.
Grow a set and admit you are in the wrong for once. I know you wont and cant even when youre proven again and again. Snyder's guys should cut and erase your blog with his people's new powers.
Yeah Brad what's more factual than using an opinion page to make your point. Beat it douche you don't know what the fuck you're talking about.
Ha, you said Troll, thanks Charlie Sheen.
Using opinion pieces as facts isnt "more factual" than a factual page.
Johnny C = Charlie Sheen of this entire blog. Winning!
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