Also, Rupert Murdoch and David Koch Collude Against Wisconsin Workers:

http://www.alternet.org/story/150047/rupert_murdoch_and_david_
koch_collude_against_wisconsin_workers?page=entire

Koch Front Groups Advocated Taking Down
Unions:
http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/02/koch-front-group-advocated-taking
-down-unions/?utm_source=Raw+Story+Daily+Update&utm;_campaign
=f07cbd82d1-2_26_112_26_2011&utm_medium=email

In addition to destroying liberal Workers Unions, Rupert Murcoch
and the Koch Brothers, David and Charles, have many other
pitfalls for the liberals in their legislation that
Conservatives/Moderates are pushing through the Wisconsin
Congress that will further destroy 70% of the population, the
Common Population:

“According to the Washington Times, “Dozens of leaders of the tea
party movement have come out in support of Wisconsin Gov. Scott
Walker in his standoff with Democrats and public-sector unions
over the state’s budget deficit.”

“That sentence is telling. The battle is not, in fact, “over the state’s
budget deficit,” as those confused tea partiers have been led to
believe; among other things, it gives the governor the power to
sell off state-owned infrastructure—possibly to his well-heeled
patrons—in a no-bid process. As we reported below, government
watch-dogs call that a major “red flag.” It also contains a provision hat centralizes power over the state’s public health programs with
a measure that the legislature’s legal analyst warns may be a
violation of the separation of powers doctrine.

So, these folks who believe in transparency and “cleaning up” the
state house are being sold on a “deficit reduction” bill, but they’re
in fact fighting for a bill that would be ripe for Big Government
corruption and what may be an un-Constitutional centralization of
power. Telling.

http://www.alternet.org/story/149986/workers’_uprising:_two_dozen_protests_launched
_across_wisconsin,_tv_talk_show_blackout_of_union_reps?page=entire

The bill includes a provision that would allow the state to sell or
contract out the operation of heating, cooling, and power plants
without a bidding process and without consulting the state’s
independent utility regulator. Democratic legislators worried aloud
that the process would attract abuse, and Jon Peacock, Director of
the Wisconsin Budget Project, called the no-bid approach a “red
flag.”

The bill also employs “emergency” powers that would allow the
governor’s appointed Secretary of Health to redefine the
foundations of the state’s Medicaid program, Badgercare, ranging
from eligibility to premiums, with only passive legislative review.

The legislation, the lawyer wrote in a “Drafter’s Note” about the
bill, would allow the State Department of Health Services to
“change any Medical Assistance law, for any reason, at any time,
and potentially without notice or public hearing … in addition to
eliminating notice and publication requirements, [the changes]
would leave the emergency rules in effect without any requirement
to make permanent rules and without any time limit.”

http://www.alternet.org/story/149986/workers’_uprising:_two_dozen_protests_launched
_across_wisconsin,_tv_talk_show_blackout_of_union_reps?page=entire

SanFrancisco Rally:
http://www.alternet.org/story/150058/san_francisco_rally_for_the_american_dream_draws_thousands,_demanding_
economic_rights_and_opportunity?akid=6579.130864.XD0Ukt&rd=1&t=5

Rally in DC, Philly, Boston, Fla and more:
http://www.alternet.org/rss/1/486587/rally_photos_from_alternet_readers_in_dc,
_fla,_boston,_philly_and_more!?akid=6579.130864.XD0Ukt&rd=1&t=8

Lansing Michigan Mayor Speaks for Unions:
http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/02/lansing-michigan-mayor-speaks
-up-for-union-rights/?utm_source=Raw+Story+Daily+Update&utm;_campaign
=f07cbd82d1-2_26_112_26_2011&utm_medium=email

8 Authoritarian Tactics Right-Wingers Have Used
to Sabotage the WI Uprising:
http://www.alternet.org/story/150046/8_authoritarian_tactics_right-wingers_have
_used_to_sabotage_the_wisconsin_uprising?akid=6578.130864.NwZu-l&rd=1&t=30

Labor protests beyond Wisconsin draw thousands
Reuters - Michelle Nichols, James Kelleher - ?49 minutes ago?
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thousands of people rallied in cities across the United States on Saturday to express solidarity

-

Precisely as the Tea Protesters have done.  The same intensity, indignation, energy and signs of real anger.

Humans being human.  Not demons.

Well GRYM, you cleared that up! .......Obviously it sounds as if we agree GRYM, neither of us have any idea of what the Tea Baggers see or stand for except it is some sort of movement?

Maybe I should ask my doctor about the Tea Bag movement?

The Strategy Behind the Budget Battles
by Allan Lichtman
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/02/25-7

“Republican responses to budget challenges nationally and in
Wisconsin come together as part of a long-standing strategy to
destroy institutions that allegedly sustain the American left.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Republicans in the state
legislature have targeted teachers’ unions. Republicans
budget-cutters in Congress have targeted Planned Parenthood,
the Public Broadcasting Corporation, and the Legal Services
Corporation, among other groups. Their budget inflicts little or no
pain on Republican-leaning organizations such as the
agribusinesses that garner most farm payments or the oil
companies that receive billions in special tax subsidies.

The GOP first elaborated this strategy in a 1999 memo on priorities
for the new millennium that I discovered in the papers of
former Republican Representative Dick Armey of Texas. A
copy of the memo can be found in the photo essay of my book,
White Protestant Nation: The Rise of the American Conservative
Movement.

The memo outlined strategies for “defunding the left” by
eliminating “sources of hard currency for the Democratic Party”
following President Ronald Reagan’s “model for cutting off the flow
of hard currency to the Soviet Union.” To weaken the unions,
Republicans would promote free trade and repeal the Davis Bacon
Act that required prevailing wages on federally funded or assisted
projects. The party would strive to restrict the use of compulsory
union dues for political purposes. It would push for liability
limitations on lawsuits to stanch the flow of funds to liberal groups
and political candidates from trial lawyers. The GOP would weaken
the National Education Association and teachers’ unions by
promoting “school choice.” It would work to abolish
the Legal Services Corporation and the Public Broadcasting System
and kill incentives for tax-deductible donations to “liberal
foundations” by repealing estate taxes.

In the House of Representatives, Republicans are likewise
weakening what they view as left-leaning institutions. The
proposed House budget ends funding for public broadcasting,
which Republicans say provides a forum for liberal views. The
budget eliminates funding to Planned Parenthood, a mainstay of
the liberal pro-choice movement. Federal law already prohibits
funding for abortion. The proposed cuts will instead eradicate
contraceptive services, cancer and HIV screening, and health
counseling. The budget slashes funding by 17 percent for the
Legal Services Corporation, which represents poor people and it
eliminates funding for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, considered a source of leftwing views on global warming.

As in Wisconsin, these Republican initiatives in Washington have
little to do with deficit reduction. Even if the Senate and President
Obama accepted all $61 billion in proposed Republican cutbacks,
the $1.6 billion deficit would shrink by less than 4 percent. As the
President’s Bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility
and Reform made clear, real deficit reduction means seriously
addressing entitlement programs, the defense budget, all farm
payments, and the federal tax code.

In attempting to weaken the foundations of American liberalism,
Republicans may have reached too far. Since their successful
demonstrations in the battle for Florida after the 2000 election,
conservatives have dominated the streets. Now, for the first time
in recent memory, liberal protesters have taken to the streets in
large numbers, portending perhaps the rise of the grassroots
leftwing base that Obama promised, but failed to deliver thus far.”
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/02/25-7

Leefeller, - “I do not know what the Tea Baggers see or stand for…”

-

Precisely.  How is it, then, you have so many opinions of this movement that has effected politics in every state from coast to coast and beyond?

Actually GRYM, I do not know what the Tea Baggers see or stand for, the only possibly I see, is a clear lack of coherence and a fine display of ignorance, Tea Baggers remind me of the mob in the novel “The Ox Bow incident”, hanging the wrong person. Oh well! Spokes persons Palain and the her other sister Palin from Minnissota, makes the Tea Baggers more of a joke than what they were before! No comment GRYM? Via the Koch Brothers and how the Tea Beggers are manipulated and funded by Fox and Koch brothers to produce distractions from real issues, actually; GRYM, sort of simmilar to what you seem to attempt here.  Compassion for the rights of others, is so well hidden GRYM.

I would expect the Tea Party to stand side by side with the protesters in Wisconsin, but maybe they cannot, because that would be against the wishes of Koch Brothers interests.

The simple fact I support the protesters in Wisconsin, does not explain why you do not?

GRYM, there is not one iota of dialogue from your person, all I see are sound bites and a constant retrenching of the same old screw the people mantra with a sprinkling of the word racism.

Tea Baggers represent special interests, show me different GRYM, oh, ....I know unfortunately this would require some sort of deeper thought and of course dialog.

This is about politics and money.

“It Is Not Because We care About Children. It Is Not Because We Have A Great Vision Of A Great Public School System For Every Child. NEA And It’s Affiliates Are Effective Advocates Because We Have POWER! We Have Power Because 3.2 Million Teachers Pay Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars To Us In Union Dues.” - National Education Assoc. spokesman Bob Chenin, July 2009.

Leefeller,

Yes, yes.  You have said it all before.  The Tea protesters, those you demean incessantly, do not see things the way you do.  They’re bad and stupid people undeserving of even being listened to.  But get angry about issues dear to you, and you’re full of all types of compassion and statuesque moral dignity.

The angry and threatening signage found at last year’s protests are identical to what you have seen in Wisconsin of late.  Where are your cries of caution regarding the anger, danger and racism today?

I sit here nearly certain that you know you’re full of crap.  Feel free to deny your double standards.

I did not know the Tea Baggers supported the right to collective bargaining? Maybe the Koch brothers should send some money to the Unions instead of Walker and the Tea Baggers, to kinda even out the playing field maybe?

GRYM, my entrenched opinions just do not have the massive entrenching which yours seem to display.

I do agree with the one issue the Tea Baggers have focused on, the illumination of the Patriotic Act, why not support workers rights to Collective Bargain?

The hopelessness of it all, really requires some sort of focus, the Tea Baggers portray a special interested and manipulated knee jerk hokey poky. ....Of course this is just my opinion!

Leefeller,

Fascinating that you have a completely different take on groups of people with issues when it’s a Tea Protest.

How simple is that?

A simple difference for a simple mind.

Unions are a collective group of people (in this case teachers) who have a common interest, the Teachers union, lobbies on behalf of teachers thus represents the union members. The Chamber of Commerce is a collective group of special interests which lobbies on behalf of special interests, some or many of these special interests do not live or pay taxes in our country and in the last election it was brought to attention, the Chamber of Commerce received funds from outside of the USA.

Its the lobbies.

Maybe this is just to simple?

Without the unions, the United States would NEVER have had an educated middle-class with disposable income to drive the economy for 60 years.

The decline of unions started with Reagan, as did the buying power of workers and the dumbing down of education.  The rich (top 1 %) ended up with 80% of the value gained since then.

No wonder our economy is in the tank.  It was built on the backs of workers and corporations and Wall Street have managed to kill the goose that laid the golden egg of a vibrant middle class through a combination of intentional fraud and offshoring all jobs.

The protests in Wisconsin has everything to do with politics and money. 

Don’t like the outcome of the last election?  Whine like a small child, illegally leave the state so no business gets done, lie to your employer, get an illegal doctor’s excuse, leave thousands of children and their parents across the state in a lurch, put cross-hairs on the face of an elected public official and liken him to Hitler, call it “compassion” for labor and the minority will eat it up.

It just doesn’t get any weaker than what we’re all witnessing in Wisconsin of late.

-

Want to truly break unions?  Give laborers a real choice.  Unions will go the way of the Dodo.

The protests in Wisconsin has little to do with wealth, unless one looks at the tax Breaks Walker instituted after his election. Protesters in Wisconsin are fighting for the right of collective bargaining, The Republican agenda seems to be forcing Wisconsin into a right to work state. Wisconsin may be he the political template of a devious Republican agenda, paid for and sponsored by the Koch brothers.

The American workers have had to fight for every inch of their accumulated rights, which includes collective bargaining and the right to have representation.  A never ending battle, the workers should be aware of who they are fighting, from the chambers of commerce to Monsanto’s of the corporate world.

China is a right to work country, so are most of the third world countries and so is great state of Texas, and amusingly, Texas just happens to have a mighty large deficit right now, without unions or collective bargaining (I do not know this for sure) I believe Texas also happens to be a strong Republican state.

One thing about special interests, they can promote deluded programs of selfishness and greed with a straight face. Creating constant divisiveness of one varying kind or another. The Republicans sponsorship is known, their agenda is known so way are they seemingly able to exist?

Evidently there are many people in our society who seek a comfort zone, at any cost, even against their own best economic interests? Republicans act like they are victims, when in fact they are the criminals.

Dignity and self esteem demands all working people have a right to collective bargaining if they want it. I may add health care to the list.

Yes it seems the idea is to create an even more ignorant society who will work part time for eight dollars an hour, just to see if you they can pay their energy bills.

As poster Tao Walker stated; “we are all Indians now!”

Power and Money

According to the Federal Election Commission 17 of the top 20 lobbying firms in Washington give almost entirely to the democratic political machine.  12 of those lobbying firms represent labor unions.

“It Is Not Because We care About Children. It Is Not Because We Have A Great Vision Of A Great Public School System For Every Child. NEA And It’s Affiliates Are Effective Advocates Because We Have POWER! We Have Power Because 3.2 Million Teachers Pay Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars To Us In Union Dues.” - National Education Assoc. spokesman Bob Chenin, July 2009.

-

Wealth in America.

Wealthiest Americans Support Democrats
Apr 1, 2008 ... John Kerry and the democrats enjoy lavish donations from the majority of America’s wealthiest individuals, according to observers..

RealClearPolitics - Wealthy Dems Stand by Obama
Aug 10, 2010 ... But polls have continuously shown that Democrats have far more reason to ... That wealthiest bloc represented the largest marginal shift in ...

Top 10 Richest US Lawmakers Mostly Dems
Sep 20, 2010 ... Richest, Congress, Democrats, Republicans, Kerry Of the wealthiest 50 in Congress, 27 are Democrats and 23 are Republicans. ...

Madison has finally restarted the conversation in the media about how the
states and cities got into this mess in the first place. Except for four states, all
the rest are in various degrees of financial difficulty. A light finally went on
again and lo and behold, it is Wall Street and the banksters who sold states and
public pension funds mortgage backed securities graded AAA that should have
been graded B.S. Add to that cities and states who failed to ante up their
pension contributions when they should have when times were better, and we
have a nice financial crisis in the making. So who do we blame but some
teacher in Oshkosh and some fireman in Madison. Adding insult to injury Scott
Walker decides in this financial panic to start handing out additional tax breaks
to business. Because Obama failed to go after Wall Street in fear of offending
them, they got away scott free, and now guys like Rick Santelli of CNBC who
makes a nice six figure income at least, complaining about the “parasites” in
the public sector.
We progressives just may have gotten the wakeup call we needed - the
Republican’s really are serious about dismanteling every social safety net this
country has put in place over the last 75 years. Too many of us sat on our
hands last November and let the conservatives elect their slate of reactionaries
who now think they have the mandate to return to the era of Herbert Hoover.
Madison has been an inspiration. The videos of the protestors has been
amazing and truly inspirational. Now is the time to fight back and take back the
country that we know and love, not the one that reactionaries are trying to
destroy.

Let’s do it!
While you are all sitting around - Do a good deed - make a call to one of these providers and donate to help them provide support to the Madison thousands….

Willy Street Coop folks seem pretty sincere and grateful for any and all help.

list courtesy of:
http://my.firedoglake.com/newdealfarmgrrrlll/2011/02/21/supporting-the-protesters-in-madison/

Capital Centre Market (608) 255-2616
Cargo Coffee (608) 268-0597
Community Pharmacy (608) 251-3242
Fromagination (608) 255-2430
Himal Chuli (608) 251-9225
Ian’s Pizza (608) 257-9248
Just Coffee (608) 204-9011
Ma Cha (608) 442-0500
Marigold Kitchen (608) 661-5559
Mermaid Cafe (608) 249-9719
Regent Street Market (608) 233-4329
Steep n’ Brew (608) 256-2902
Underground Kitchen (608) 514-1516
Union Cab (608) 242-2000
Weary Traveler (608) 442-6207
Willy Street Coop (608) 251-6776
Zu Zu Cafe (608) 260-9898

The protesters in Wisconsin certainly are an inspiration, or should be, to others
in the Democratic Party. 2012 elections are coming. We need to march into that
arena organized and energized. There is so much at stake in this election.
Perhaps more than was at stake in the last elections (2010). It’s going to be
harder to hold on to the Senate, but maybe we can take back the House.

The results of the last election overturned conventional wisdom that said the
Senate would fall to the Tea Baggers, but the House would remain Democratic
by a narrow margin. Current conventional wisdom is that the Tea Baggers (the
former Republican Party) can’t produce a viable candidate against Obama. If
Obama wins in 2012, but both the House and Senate become Tea Bagger
territory, then we can look forward to at least two years of do nothing. As Mr.
Boyarsky points out, the Republican Party has been intent on dismantling the
last remnants of FDR’s New Deal. They want America to be broken into Rich v.
Poor with no pesky, educated middle class to stand between them and their
corporate profits. It’s sick making.

Those Tea Baggers are such hypocrites! I can’t believe anybody with half a mind
votes for them. They are the enemy of the poor and middle class of America.
They just want an uneducated proletarian work force that will accept slave
wages with no benefits. Thank god that Obama got the Affordable Medical
Insurance Act passed. Who would be against affordable health insurance? The
Insurance companies want their rates to go up in tandem, like a real monopoly
operates. The corporations don’t want to pay premiums to keep their workers
healthy. If someone gets sick, they can just throw them overboard and pluck
another proletarian from the swollen workforce in a landscape where there are
few jobs.

Poverty and prolonged unemployment will force workers to accept anything.
With the pro-corporate SCOTUS running our Constitution into the murky
swamps of partisan right wing politics, the prospects don’t look good. Why
aren’t more people outraged at the behavior of Scalia and Thomas who
basically accept bribes from corporations. They are nothing but schills. Oh, and
don’t forget Alito whose wife got him his seat by throwing a hissy fit in the
middle of confirmation hearings. Always remember to throw a hissy fit if things
get a little hot in the kitchen.

Bravo! Mr. Boyarsky for your timely and informative column! Hollywood Russ

Sherry Ackerman, “The College is becoming another Corporation.”  Yes, for many years now! I found that out fighting GMO’s!

Lets see the Unions should not collect money for lobbying because that is wrong?  Now, I believe lobbies should not be allowed in the halls of Congress, but that would be for all special interests, including Unions.

As to collective bargaining for government employees I do not see any differences in ones labor whether working for the state of Wisconsin or Wal Mart and both should have a right to collective bargaining.

What difference is there if one belongs to the Republican Party or a Union, both or caucuses, except they serve different purposes. I would rather be in a Union myself, for I am not independently wealthy. In-fact I see absolutely northing emanating from the Republican Party which serves my interests, why does the Republican party even exist, to serve special interests, the Koch Brothers, the Bush Family, the military complex, oh do the Democrats serve my interests, I am doubting it. 

At least in Wisconsin, the democrats are showing some support for the working folks.

“The demonstrators in Madison, Wis., are fighting to preserve American hopes for opportunity and security that conservative Republicans are trying to destroy.”

By this opening sentence the author announces his prejudices. Thus we have another example of the kind of demonization in US Politics that is beneath contempt. To believe such nonsense about either of the major US political parties is to forfeit any serious deliberation on the opinions expressed.

Obama is a compromised, DNC pig type Democrat like Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago. Obama just appointed Daley’s son chief of staff at the White House. That is sad.

There’s not a solitary right-winger who will listen to any of the the Lefties’ rant. It’s a paper tiger that gets washed away the next time the moon transits.

If “We the People”, who seem to have the facts, want to get the Right’s attention, “we” have to quit pissing in the corner like Seinfeld and grow a couple.

Okay, a liberal black guy gets to be POTUS and the guns come out and all the Left bitches and moans.

Wanna get respect? Then counter that move and take a similar stand. Play chess and quit playing checkers. A face off is better than getting railroaded out of town. Do I have to quote Ben Franklin? If they mess with military retirement bennies, you can bet we’ll be out there with some heat.

Anybody spy any iron at the Wisconsin protest? Ooops, that would be “escalation” or some shit, huh? (Teachers have to show the right example.) Hmm, what if…? Then it makes the MSM. Ut oh, here come some counter-protestors with their 9 millimeters. Somebody gets shot in the leg and a return volley catches the other side guy in the arm. [Camera pans to the wounded ~ “Just lucky, I guess. And I pray every night.”] Does the crowd run for cover. Who’s left standing in the square? Did they hold their ground? Get it? Fucking google Egypt! That all that matters. Hemmingway would be proud. LOL. Life worth living and to hell with sentimentality.

Okay, governor, whatever the flip your name is, what now? 

That scenario and its like are the only thing they understand, viz., “might is right”. The phraseology sounds good and plays into the “just for shits and grins”, rhetorical subterfuge of “rightness” and wrongness that ultimately gets picked up by the marginally informed who actually vote. You lose again. It’s rigged. It’s rigged because it is not denounced as downright hokum and a fist in the pie hole of the expositor.

This is planet Earth where the predator/quarry scenario plays out every day and today, in subtlties we tend to think are less pernicious than the tooth and claw, but in reality erode your footing setting you up for the kill.

The so-called New Left of the 60’s and it’s intelligensia, who at the time showed some clout, have melted into mediocrity. If they haven’t sold out for the cozy corporate desk with a view of the parking lot, they play in the blogisphere hoping word-play will deter the cold hard world of reality. Daydreaming, they pray for some irreducible proof of global warming.

Yeah, they had to answer the biologiical clock and propigate the species, but when that happens, all principle drips slowly out the bottom ‘cause the “establishment” is still the house dealer and to bet the substantial winnings of racial equality and women’s rights would have been imprudent. It is estimated that having kids diminishes an adult’s IQ by about 10%. Just about enough to dumb you down.

Well, now maybe that the promisary 401K is ravaged and the kids are grown up or whatever, its time to put your life on the line again. Fat, f-ing (euphemism) chance.

“You’re not going to do anything, LOL.” So sayeth the Wall Street moguls, “You can’t even muster up a decent boycott or a one day national strike.” Frankly, it’s like taking candy from a baby. Remember that line? How about the one that goes, “It can’t happen here.”

I was wondering when Americans were going to “get as mad as hell that they wouldn’t take it anymore” and this looks like the beginning. I think the greatest obstacle to not organizing for your own economic interests lies with false consciousness - the poor and middle class identify with rich sports and movie star celebrities and not their own class. I think we are seeing that they are beginning to identify with their own class.

Pure and simple; anyone who takes home a paycheck and doesn’t support unions is a scab.

An ignorance of history and a susceptibility to the propaganda of self interest is probably the primary reason why a person would think like a scab, but I believe psychology and philosophy are important factors as well. There have been scabs since day one of the union movement, so history in that particular context would not be applicable. The personality characteristics of these people are easily recognized by insightful people. There is a general mean spiritedness, a sociopathic unconcern for the welfare of others, coldness, and a general self-centeredness obvious in their interactions with others. In addition, knowing their selves as they do, or because of past experiences, the have a general distrust for others. I’m not a psychologist, sociologist, or a licensed therapist, but my inclination is that these people didn’t receive a lot of love in their formative years, or they experienced an emotional trauma of some sort in their formative years, and that they have difficulty with love in their personal lives. That’s not to say that they are necessarily social rejects in their personal lives, they are frequently quite clever and successful, but I believe them to be disloyal and untrustworthy, with sociopathic characteristics.  Again, I don’t claim to be an authority on these matters, it’s only an inclination, a theory, an attempt to understand what makes them what they are. I’m quite sure that these people will be angered by my laymen’s analysis, but I don’t care, I’m long past caring what these people think of me. That’s not to say that I don’t have empathy for them, or that I don’t care about them; I’m just inured to them. The government is stealing from me, and giving what’s mine to others is what they frequently say in reference to government unions, social programs, and tax policies in general. Obviously a sense of community and a concern for the welfare of others is not a part of their psychological or philosophical makeup. Rationales are interesting. A concept of fairness, or a concern for what’s just, is the rationale they use to justify their selfishness. Being virtuous is synonymous with being successful to them. I’ve worked hard for everything I have they proclaim, which is often an egocentric delusion. The wise and experienced know that those who work the hardest are those that have the least. Some people work hard out of necessity, duty, responsibility, or a desire for communal contribution, they are easily exploited. Others work only for their own personal welfare, and those who exploit, see their exploitation of others as proof of their superiority, while others see personal sacrifice as proof of their worth.

A violent upheaval gripped the world in the early twentieth century, catastrophic was this upheaval, and hard lessons were learned during this upheaval, and there was a new paradigm adopted by most, as a result of this upheaval, but that new paradigm was not accepted without reactionary opposition, and that new paradigm was, and is, in constant jeopardy, and the lessons learned from that upheaval are being forgotten, and are already forgotten by some. The sinister forces that caused this upheaval were defeated, and repressed, through community purpose and great sacrifice, but those sinister forces were not extinguished, and those sinister forces are evident today, those sinister forces seem to be in ascendance at the present time.

(More)

(Cont.)

Perhaps I’ve been too generous in my attribution of a new paradigm to this recent period of history. Perhaps what occurred was only a fluctuation in human awareness, and not a new paradigm, barely noticed by some, but strong enough in its influence to bring some minor, but measurable, positive change. Current realities indicate that the positive fluctuation is now, in many respects, precipitously falling into the negative.

I suppose that many believe that progress, like time, is a constant, but regress is an evident entity, and progress has not been constant. Recent history validates this claim in terms of man’s inhumanity to man, and in terms of social justice.

Social Justice, Dictionary.com:

Definition:    “The distribution of advantages and disadvantages within a society.”

I’ll suggest that when there is a large disparity between advantages and disadvantages, in all or some of their definitions, social justice is in need of improvement.

I suppose that some believe that economic disparity, with all its extremities, is the natural order of things and needs no correction, but is it? Shouldn’t excesses in economic disparity be corrected in order to achieve social justice?

There was a time in our nation’s history, following the industrial revolution, when economic disparity and great hardship was common place. A two tiered economic class system was evident in urban as well as rural settings. Robber barons reigned. As conditions deteriorated people joined together in struggle to right perceived wrongs. This struggle proceeded through many decades and, despite violence and atrocity, advances were made resulting in a reduction in disparity, and a new and prosperous middle class came into existence, and exploitation of the working class was moderated and regulated by a combination of rank and file, and government action. Much to the credit of the nation, advances in social justice became evident. Despite what many would like to believe, the Union Movement was directly responsible for the new prosperity. There were many other historical events that occurred during this period of history, but these historical events did not greatly shape the new prosperity, and were tangential to advances in social justice. These other historical events did not create, in and of themselves, the new prosperity. It was the Union Movement operating separate, and distinct, from these historical events, that created the new prosperity. These historical events would have occurred with or without the Union Movement, and did not significantly impact the new more egalitarian prosperity. These historical events may have contributed to prosperity, but the prosperity would not have been, more, egalitarian without the Union Movement.

Now, at the present time, and over the last few decades, the prosperity causing Unions have been, and are, in decline. Contrary to what many will argue, this decline was not caused by rank and file union corruption. The overstated and exaggerated examples of union corruption were manifested by “Sweet heart deals,” resulting from conspiracy between corrupt union officials and corrupt business interests. Organized crime involvement in unions was, minimal, overstated, and exploited by propagandists and those interested in seeing the demise of unions. Government Legislation, economic policy, and corporate and personal profit seeking also contributed to the decline of unions. Corporate and personal profit seeking served the interests of corporations and profit seekers well, but this corporate profit seeking has been a detriment to the previous advances in more egalitarian prosperity, and a detriment to the financial well being of the middle class, and more detrimental to the financial well being of the working poor.

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The last bastion of union strength is found within Government Employee’s Unions. Behind the overwhelming negative propaganda directed at Government Employee’s Unions is a sinister force, a sinister force motivated by ideology, a sinister force that is effectively destroying the middle and lower classes for the sake of profits. The evidence that supports this contention is glaring, and can only be obfuscated by disingenuous ideologues who value their destructive ideology, and their profits, more than they value social justice.

An understanding of the issues involved in Wisconsin are concerned with ideological union busting, and the advance of corporatism.

It may be hard for certain working people to see Government Union Employees receive benefits and protections that they them selves do not receive, especially when current tax policies result in them bearing the brunt of financing social justice, but the sacrifices are exaggerated, and the self centered complaints only serve the interests of sinister forces, and will in the long run only be a detriment to their own interests.

Support social justice, and not the interests of sinister forces that put self interested greed above social justice, and your welfare.

Which side are you on?

“... Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
  because I was not a trade unionist…”

The corrupt labor-politician negotiations can’t be fair when the unions can put so much money into campaign spending. Victor Gotbaum, a leader in the New York City chapter of AFSCME, summed up the problem decades ago when he boasted, “We have the ability, in a sense, to elect our own boss.”

This is why FDR believed that “the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service,” and why even George Meany, the first head of the AFL-CIO, held that it was “impossible to bargain collectively with the government.”

The glories of freedom and choice:  Public service employees; democrat, libertarian, moderate, independent and republicans alike have no choice.  In order to be simply employed by the government one MUST give money to the democratic party machine.  Democrats love and applaud that forcible control over others.

Collective bargaining with public service -for-profit unions- is about the very corruption, power and money most on this Web space complain about daily.  Only not when that corruption, power and money serves the “correct” purpose. - So much for taking a principled stand against sweetheart deals, influence peddling and wide-spread corruption.

The people rallying in Madison, WI are a part of the American
Common Populace who are not being represented in the making and enforcing of
legislated law and order in the United States, as
the American Common Populace as a class and
culture are unrepresented in the making and
enforcing of legislated law and
order and it is time for a change.  It is time for the American Common
Populace to have EQUAL representation as a class and culture in the
making and enforcing of legislated law and order in the United States
equivalent with the class and culture of the American Aristocracy and
the American Middle Class, the Democratic Party and the Republican
Party.  It is time for a NEW political party to represent EQUALLY the
American Common Populace as a class and culture.

There is a fundamental difference between, Educators, who have a lobby, to try and prevent the polichickens, especially Rethuglicans from totatly dismanteling the education system, and bankers hiring lobbyists, to ensure that there is no regulation of what they do, so the can rob cheat and steal with impunity.

Educators have a stake in the future, and in the students they teach.

Rethuglicans don’t, because they have been an enemy of education in this country for decades, and have done everything they can to gut it’s funding, fire it’s teachers, break its unions.

Now look at us, America is a laughing stock, with one of the worst education systems in the world.

Where is the Conservative nirvana promised by the Rethuglicans?

Where is it?

There isn’t one for the people, but there is a Nirvana for the rich and powerful filled with untold wealth.

Keep em barefoot stupid and pregnant - no abortion - that is the Rethuglican way.

There is a difference between doing something soley for greed and because you care about children.

So boo hoo, boo hoo, Educators have a lobby.

We’ve become a bunch of egg plants in this country. Then we wonder why it’s a mess. Everyone in this country has an opinion and no gumption. Game Over, time to anty up…

“WAKE UP PEOPLE!”  -  JOIN THE REVOLUTION
Read “Common Sense 3.1” at ( http://www.revolution2.osixs.org )

We don’t have to live like this anymore. “Spread the News”

In an opinion piece reprinted on TruthDig, Eugene Robinson correctly points out that For-Profit labor unions give hundreds of millions of dollars almost entirely to the democratic party, however, Mr. Robinson goes on to write that the issue of power and money is not about the “special interest” relationship between labor unions and the democratic party.

According to the Federal Election Commission 17 of the top 20 lobbying firms in Washington give almost entirely to the democratic party’s political machine.  12 of those lobbying firms represent labor unions.

FEC records show that the American Federation of Teachers have given $28,731,591 in total campaign contributions since the early 90’s.  98% going into the coffers or pockets of the democratic political machine.  Zero to the republican party.

According to the FEC the National Education Association has afforded $32,021,910 in contributions. 93% to democrat party efforts.

What’s interesting in all this?  Liberal politicians, commentators, labor unions, and countless TruthDig regulars, in Tea Party fashion, constantly rail against the evils of the “powerful lobby” in Washington.

Sherry Ackerman

I have had students go to the Chair of the Dpt and complain that I will not give them an automatic ‘B.’  I expected them to earn it with attendance, participation, required reading responses, and completed work.

The new WebCT programs have saved me from vague persecution from Administration.  The program lists work completed (or not), grade, and calculates grade percentage according to the work completed by the majority.

I just send the figures to the Chair whenever the disgrunteled student raises the head of the beast. It keeps me technically in the clear.

They are wealthy, you are poor.

They spend their riches on luxury items.

You, have a dificult time putting any food at all on the table.

They take your jobs, lay you off, and send the work overseas. They cut your pay while giving out massive corporate bonuses.

They turn you into debt slaves, with no way out of your debts from the cradle to the grave. They tout free enterprise for you, but demand government bailouts for them.

They begruge you social security, while they spend hidden fortunes from overseas bank accounts in luxury retirement communities abroad.

They hide behind tax loopholes and armies of accountantss, so they pay little or no taxes.
You pay the lions share of all income taxes in this country.

You are the middle class and they are killing you. They are the Rethuglican party, whose hands are stained with your blood and the blood of your children.

If you let them they will take it all, to leave you starving, in the streets. When you are dead they will blame you, and say it was your fault.