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Recall eve: Wisconsin collective bargaining law will save Milwaukee millions in health-care costs
Hotair ^ | 08/08/2011 | Allahpundit

Posted on 08/08/2011 8:00:53 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

Via John McCormack at the Standard. Tomorrow’s Recall Day, so here’s a little gasoline in the turnout engine for Hot Air readers in Wisconsin.

The city projects it will save at least $25 million a year – and potentially as much as $36 million in 2012 – from health care benefit changes it didn’t have to negotiate with unions, as a result of provisions in the 2009-’11 budget-repair measure that ended most collective bargaining for most public employees.

That saving would be partly offset by about $14 million in cuts in state aid to the city in the 2011-’13 state budget, down from earlier estimates of more than $17 million.

As a result, the city would come out with a net gain of at least $11 million for its 2012 budget, slicing into the “structural deficit” created by costs rising faster than revenue, and reducing the spending cuts that Mayor Tom Barrett and the Common Council must impose…

At that time, Barrett said the combination of aid cuts, rising expenses, a property tax levy freeze and exempting public safety workers from health care and pension benefit changes “just makes our structural deficit explode.”

“It’s a false question,” Barrett said when asked whether Walker was right in his contention that his bargaining changes more than offset the impact of his aid cuts. Barrett said most people would agree that public employees should pay more of their health care and pension costs, but Walker didn’t have to eliminate most of their collective bargaining power to do it.

Yeah. Walker should have just trusted unions to voluntarily pay more, because that’s what public-employee unions are famous for. Putting the taxpayer and fiscal solvency first.

Six Republican state senators are facing recall tomorrow, making it the single biggest recall event in American history. Democrats need to bump off three and then hold on in the final two recall elections next week, when their own incumbents will be up, in order to take back the senate and block Walker’s agenda. Here’s the election-eve poll by PPP for Daily Kos. Four races are close, one of them’s very close, and one of them looks like an easy Democratic pick-up. If you’re wavering about voting tomorrow, stop wavering.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: healthcare; recall; union; wisconsin; wisconsinshowdown

1 posted on 08/08/2011 8:00:57 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
Well it was easy for Scott Walker...it's not like he "inherited" a defi.....

Well Scott Walker raised ta.....

Did you know Scott Walker didn't finish college? Obama went to Har...

nevermind!

2 posted on 08/08/2011 8:18:11 PM PDT by Mygirlsmom ("Did you plug the deficit yet Daddy?" - "Sasha, be quiet and eat your peas")
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To: SeekAndFind

We’re working our butts off here. PPP polls are biased Dem.


3 posted on 08/08/2011 8:29:16 PM PDT by sgtyork (The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom, courage. Thucydides)
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To: SeekAndFind

Are people there smart enough to look at the S&P downgrade and financial collapse caused by these huge defiits, and realize something had to be done to control spending?


4 posted on 08/08/2011 8:30:21 PM PDT by Williams (Honey Badger Don't Care)
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To: Williams

No


5 posted on 08/08/2011 8:31:09 PM PDT by rdcbn
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To: rdcbn

Sorry to hear that.


6 posted on 08/08/2011 8:32:38 PM PDT by Williams (Honey Badger Don't Care)
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To: SeekAndFind

Barrett, it isn’t a false question. It was proved true.

Milwaukee School Teachers’ union proved it. They signed a contract extension before the Walker Budget Repair Bill went into effect.

They had to lay off over 500 people, over 200 teachers, because the teachers would not kick in to their pensions at the rate of Walker’s BRB law. THey had no way to legally make the teachers do it, and they didn’t do it voluntarily.

So, Barrett, you’ve been proven wrong. Collective bargaining HAD to go away, otherwise the unions would do what your school teachers did and say “screw you” to the collective public.

Asshat Barrett. But I won’t single him out on being an asshat for this. He’s an asshat on many, many issues.


7 posted on 08/08/2011 8:48:35 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I sound like a broken record today. Please everyone get out to vote if your GOP senator here in Wisconsin is up for recall. This is the biggest recall in American history, I have read. So LET’S show the country what Wisconsin is made of.

These union thugs / Obama peeps have spent millions here in WI for fake recalls on 6 GOP senators that stayed at work to do a job they were elected for, while 14 fleebag RATS spent a 3 week paid vacation on the union and teacher’s assoc. dime. Lied about who was paying their bills.

DON’T let the RATS steel this election. Don’t let them reverse the great WI election of 2010. This IS ground Zero - for the rats.

You say 2012 can’t come soon enough? Well THIS IS the first battle of that 2012 election. Get er done Wisconsin.


8 posted on 08/08/2011 8:51:31 PM PDT by WaterWeWaitinFor (If WE don't change things and stand up for what is right, then who will?)
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To: Williams

Outside of Madison and Milwaukee, yes. Inside Madison and Milwaukee, no.


9 posted on 08/08/2011 10:51:02 PM PDT by phatus maximus ( John 6:29. Learn it, love it, live it.)
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To: Williams

Outside of Madison and Milwaukee, yes. Inside Madison and Milwaukee, no.


10 posted on 08/08/2011 10:51:21 PM PDT by phatus maximus ( John 6:29. Learn it, love it, live it.)
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