Ruth Ann Dailey (Pittsbrgh Post-Gazette freeper columnist): Walker's 'fiscal sanity'

[RT_Fanatic]

Wisconsin fiscal sanity, from sea to shining sea?

By Ruth Ann Dailey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Franklin D. Roosevelt had at least one fear besides fear itself: irresponsible public-sector unions. Wisconsin isn't the only state to prove his fear justified.
In a 1937 letter to the National Federation of Federal Employees (much-quoted since the 2010 elections), Roosevelt warned that "collective bargaining ... cannot be transplanted into public service" and claimed that "the very nature and purposes of government make it impossible for administrative officials ... to bind the employer" -- that is, "the whole people" -- in contract negotiations.

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Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/ruth-ann-dailey/wisconsin-fiscal-sanity-from-sea-to-shining-sea-638834/#ixzz1wpn931F8

[Archae]

1. What a ditz.

"The Obama administration engineered the conflict, Mr. Limbaugh argued, to shape the Republican primary, knowing it could rely on its media handmaidens to frame the issue in its favor -- to turn the conversation away from Obamacare's real threat to liberty and toward the Republicans' fantastical one."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/ruth-ann-dailey/rushs-ruckus-obscures-real-threat-to-liberty-220980/#ixzz1wpqq3w7P

[modrepub]

2. Don't know how to counter this

PA is currently suffering from pension contribution problems for teachers and state workers; the pension formula (projected) shortfalls will require huge contributions ($billions) to make up. As a former state worker who has a vested pension and someone who has to pay property taxes I can understand how it is easy to blame the unions for our problem; compound this with the Repubs refusal to raise taxes or impose a fair tax structure on natural gas extraction in PA, which has lead to lower tax receipts and higher budget shortfalls, and the storyline only gets worse. I can see how Walker gets support.

On the other side I have seen that Privatization isn't the answer either. Our school districts were forced to pay private contractors for busing services. Some districts have figured out this requirement is more expensive than maintaining their own fleets (no surprise here). The private sector is more expensive than the public, how many times have you heard private industry lament that they can't compete with the government? Most people can't comprehend how our system works so simple (albeit wrong) explanations will rule the day.