Scott Walker: Wisconsin GOP Considering Expanding Anti-Union Restrictions To Police, Firefighters

[onehandle]

Source: Huffington Post



Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R ) said this week that state Republicans might expand the state's controversial restrictions on collective bargaining to the two sectors spared from the new law more than two years ago.

Wisconsin Public Radio reports that Walker commented during a town hall meeting Monday that Republicans in the state Legislature are open to expanding the restrictions to police officers and firefighters. He added that he had not made a proposal to further the restrictions.

"There are some voices in the Legislature that talked about [expansion]," Walker said at the forum in Milwaukee, before defending his reforms. "Public employees across the state have seen that the fears that some of them projected just haven't happened."

In 2011, Walker and Republicans in the Legislature made national headlines when they permanently eliminated collective bargaining rights -- with an exception for wage inflation adjustments -- for public-sector employees. Although first-responders were exempted from the law, they joined mass protests at the state Capitol in Madison in solidarity with other public employees. Mahlon Mitchell, the leader of the state's firefighters union, ran for lieutenant governor against incumbent Rebecca Kleefisch in last year's unsuccessful recall election.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/31/scott-walker-anti-union-restrictions_n_3682957.html

[apnu]

1. Do it Scotty, you'll flip WI to the dems for a generation.

Come on Scotty, destroy the WI Republican party. I dare you!

[Mr. David]

6. WI Republicans are being destroyed by sheer idiocy

I mean, you guys elected Paul Ryan and he's already in danger of losing his damn seat.

[apnu]

16. This remains to be seen

WI is an odd mix of people. They're mostly moderate folks, and rural too I've found from my travels up there.

If the Dems could ever get an appealing message to moderates and rural people, the GOP would cease to exist in America.

And I believe its possible for the Dems to cut through the Republican noise machine, by appealing to the core principles of which we subscribe to.

For too long the Dems have allowed the GOP to define them as bogey men, and the party's message is muddled and difficult to explain in a 30 second clip.

[TBF]

2. My dad is a small town guy -

worked in a factory when I was growing up in the 70s (in a small town in Wisconsin). When this douchebag was elected I asked him his impressions and he said "oh man - that guy. He just wants to break the unions".

Yup.

[warrant46]

29. Stand Trial with Walker

[TBF]

41. Nice graphic! nt

[benld74]

3. The sound of the other shoe dropping,,,,,,,,,,,

[hrmjustin]

4. He really is a jerk!

[AsahinaKimi]

9. and it seems an arrogant one at that.

Goman na hitoga kirada (I hate arrogance).

[hrmjustin]

12. I hope the democrats put up a great candidate against him.

[AsahinaKimi]

14. It be nice if we could just have more

Democrats like Alan Grayson.

[hrmjustin]

17. I know! I love the congressman.

[bluedigger]

5. Nobody could have predicted that.

[Squinch]

30. I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

7. Morons thought they could trust him.

Maybe the police unions will apologize for arresting protesters instead of joining the protests? Hopefully this will put an end to public sector unions endorsing Republicans.

[Bandit]

27. It will put an end to Public Unions PERIOD

That is the goal afterall, is it not?

[SoapBox]

28. DITTO!!!!!!

...idiots that seriously thought that they were off the hook with this Gov. CLOWN?!?

Wake up and smell the Anti-Union, police and fire! And then join the rest of the world that the TeaPukes want to put into poverty.

[Pharaoh]

33. The firefighters

were at the protests all along..........law enforcements hands were somewhat tied. This may loosen the cuffs,.........

[a kennedy]

8. his name will forever be wanker to me.

[Myrina]

10. That'll go over well ...

Snot must be either incredibly arrogant and stupid, or not interested in re-election. Or all of the above.

[montanacowboy]

11. First they came for the teachers...

did the others think they were safe?

[lark]

13. Unfortunately, those delusions hurt others as well as themselves.

Any cops or firemen who voted to retain Walker and the Repugs deserves exactly what they'll get. What burns me up is how they messed up everyone else who was smart enough to know that this would certainly happen. Hopefully the Dems and other thinking people will bail out their butts at the next election.

[Merlot]

20. Any cops or firemen who voted to retain Walker and the Repugs deserves exactly what they'll get

Unfortunately, I couldn't agree more. They had a golden opportunity to remove walker and didn't. Did they think that because they were firemen and police instead of teachers that walker wouldn't come after their union?

Anyone else with half a brain saw this coming back when walker started after the unions.

[Dan]

21. so now,

who will stand up for the firemen and police... as the man said a couple years ago, divide and conquer.

[Merlot]

36. If walker had gone for teachers AND firefighters AND police at the same time

It would have been harder to get it passed - much more opposition. Now, the jobs half done and they just need to clean up.

[BlueStater]

15. What is this fuckball's approval rating?

I can't imagine this is going to make him Mr. Popular.

[madrchsod]

18. the kiss of death....

if he goes after these guys and gals he can kiss his ass good-bye

[Eatacig]

19. Votes

It doesn't matter what his approval rating is or what the people want in Wisconson.
The Republicans own the voting machines and they have no intention of allowing
the people to actually vote. As long as the voters allow this, they are doomed.
Wake up people!!!!

[Downtown Hound]

22. LOL. Keep voting Republican piggies

They love your ass that protects them so.

[Jackpine Radical]

23. A whole lot of cops & firefighters stood in solidarity

With the people of WI in 2011. Walker actually had trouble finding cops to do his dirty work & had to use the Stste Patrol after he put Fitzgerald in charge of them.

He also had to install his own goons in charge of the Capital Police to get the results he wanted.

[Plucketeer]

35. It should be REALLY intersting

to see how many state police willingly clear the capitol building from here on out!

[mtasselin]

24. cops

Most but not all of law enforcement in Wisconsin supported this asshole, lets see how they like it now.

[truth2power]

25. Even that prick couldn't be that stupid, could he???...

[Scootaloo]

26. Well, since he bought out those two in 2010, why not?

Divide and conquer, after all.

I wonder if the firefighters and pigs are having second thoughts now about turning their backs on the other public workers? Myeh, too late now, I guess.

[pitbullgirl1965]

31. Bhahahhahaha!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/101488472

Good. LEO are arrogant, bullying, dog shooting, murdering thugs who are protected by their unions, no matter what they do. And I don't buy the few bad apples theory either. Read the PoliceOne.com internet forum sometime. The majority of them are Teabagger types, who unswervingly defend their fellow LEO, and the militarization of their occupation.

I'd love to see their union broken up.

[City Lights]

32. I'm still dumbfounded that WI voted for this putz. nt

[mokawanis]

34. He's an extremist with a shit-ton of financial backing

The problem with him having a shit-ton of money is that he can use it to convince sheeple to vote for him. He outspends his opponents by a huge margin, and air-time gets votes every time.

What all that money won't do is make his dismal record go away. Wisconsin is near the bottom when it comes to jobs, and if that doesn't convince people to throw the bum out of office nothing will.

[blkmusclmachine]

37. I bet Walker is a Christian Dominionist, and part of the 7 Mountains Theology movement.

Part of the New Apostolic Reformation cult that runs the Presidential Prayer Breakfasts and owns the notorious "Frathouse for Jesus" located on C street in Washington DC.

[blackspade]

38. Kick to expose this asshat's continued union breaking

[Sunlei]

39. That sounded like a threat to keep the police behind him.

[TRoN33]

40. You guys have to admit that...

we all should have seen this coming for long time. I knew its inevitable that Walker would make his next calculated move against police/firefighter unions. That is really cold for Walker. He's under the orders from Koch brothers so its not surprisingly anymore.

[Teamster Jeff]

42. "Milwaukee Police Association endorses Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in recall election"

http://archive.postcrescent.com/article/20120425/APC010405/304250139/Milwaukee-Police-Association-endorses-Wisconsin-Governor-Scott-Walker-recall-election


Bit of a fuck up there.