Wisconsin Democrats May Return Soon

The Wall Street Journal ^ | 3/6/11 | KRIS MAHER and AMY MERRICK

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

The leader of the 14 Wisconsin Senate Democrats who left the state last month to block legislation that would curb public-employee union rights said the senators plan to return "in the relatively near future," because negotiations with the governor have failed.

[TheConservativeParty]

Man, if you can without any hesitation say that is true, I will be way less angry.

I am sure you are familiar with Mark Belling, and he says those contracts “are contracts” and will be legal.

I sure hope he is wrong. And I hope you have inside knowledge that Mark does not have, and you are correct.

Can you say how you know the contracts will be voided? The conservatives I’ve heard on radio all say they are valid contracts. Sure hope they are all wrong.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“What is wrong with that woman to give up family priorities and a high risk pregancy for this cause?”

She’s a Socialist! She’d sell her own CHILDREN (born & unborn) to further her cause. ;)

(Besides, she can always blame any defects in her child on the Republicans, LOL! It’s a win/win for her!)

[tennmountainman]

I am not making this up.

The whole thing has been surreal. The anarchy, the lawlessness, the chaos...A death gasp from the unions.

[ThE_RiPpEr.]

I would look for any GOP senator that is threatened with recall to vote no, such as Kapanke. This way they still have enough votes to pass it and it kills the lefts argument on why they are recalling him.

Look for future recalls to any Republican elected in the future. I see this as a dangerous trend that the leftist will use when they don’t get their way.

Lets see, soap box, ballet box and ... what is is that thing that comes after the ballet box again?

[rcrngroup]

14 Wisconsin Senate Democrats who left the state last month to block legislation that would curb public-employee union rights said the senators plan to return "in the relatively near future," because negotiations with the governor have failed.

Can the dimturds spell LOSERS!!!

Nah na, Nah na Nah na, Hey Hey Hey, Good bye!
.

[rcrngroup]

If this truly is a solid block of unapologetic, conservative Republicans, I’ll seriously consider moving to that state.

Wisconsin is my original state of birth, and I go to take care of my 93 yr old dad every weekend and his 120 acre farm in the country. It is a beautiful state. I hope to return there & retire...having the state turned GOP across the state legislatures & executive branch is a huge plus!

[rcrngroup]

I thought David Prosser was re-elected by and overwhelming margin.

[rcrngroup]

From tiny villiage to Madison itself, union contracts are being rushed through while the 14 are gone. That is WHY they are gone. They are stopping Walker’s bill by being absent. While they are absent and the bill cannot be voted on, the unions are signing contracts, some for up to 3 years long. This makes the budget fix useless for now. The union thugs get their salary and bennies just like always and we taxpayers are still screwed.

I don't think so. Even though the public sector unions in these cases were raping & pillaging by passing these cadillac extensions, the point is that Gov. Walker announced his budget repair bill, which specified 900 million in cuts to the districts & counties & cities. He has basically passed the mandate to these local entities to balance their own budgets, since there is no money left at the state level.

I think these local entities will realize very quickly that they cannot afford the union contract extensions and the s__t will hit the fan once the local entities are faced with bankruptcies unless they AND the taxpayers rescind the union extensions. I think the unions once again will have screwed themselves and will generate massive taxpayer backlash against the public unions.

[Ladysmith]

Of all the WI R-Senators, Schultz is the one I’m keeping my eye on. Sure hope you’re right, EEE. I don’t know much about him but it did sound like he’s the one who can’t be trusted. Will gladly accept being wrong about him.

[Ladysmith]

Alrighty, then!!

Vote early! Vote often!!

[TheConservativeParty]

I hope you are right. For the sake of my checkbook.
My experience here in Tax Hell, has been the local tax collectors will raise my prop value, and/or raise the mil rate, until it meets their wish for just as much money as they want from WI real estate owners.

I have heard Walker say there is something to deal with this in his budget.

I will be amazed if he can tame the long time habit of raising prop values and mil rates and levies, year after year after year. I’ve paid the school taxes since 1988 and they’ve never failed to take until it hurts and demand even more the next year.

I will believe that my real estate tax won’t go up, when I see my bill next December.

[Mygirlsmom]

Nope, that was the primary vote. It looks good for the general election, but given all that’s happened lately, one never knows.

[WaterWeWaitinFor]

My dear mother, God rest her soul, always told me for years, that if every person were paid his/her full wages in cash, then immediately had to personally hand tax money to each the state, federal, social security, unions, etc. the employee would be awakened and outraged.

Sorry to say that most folks just look at the bottom right hand corner of their pay stub to see what “take home” pay is. If my mother’s theory were put in to place, taxes and fees would come to a screahing halt. Always listen to your mother.

[tenger]

According to Wisconsin's own Election document, here is the way these guys can be recalled:

Recall. The Wisconsin Constitution and statutes provide for the removal of elected officers through a process of petition and special election, known as “recall.” Officials may be recalled after serving the first year of a term, and no reason need be given for the recall in the case of a state, congressional, legislative, state judicial, or county officer. A petition seeking recall of a city, village, town, or school district official must contain a statement of a reason for the recall. The reason must be related to the official responsibilities of the office, but the petitioners need not provide supporting evidence for the reason.

A petition for the recall of an officer must be signed by electors equal to at least 25% of the vote cast in the district or territory served by the official during the last gubernatorial election. Following the filing of a successful recall petition, an election is held to fill the office. A recall primary is required whenever two or more persons compete for a nonpartisan office or whenever more than one person competes for the nomination of a political party for a partisan office. Unless the official facing recall resigns, he or she is listed on the recall ballot along with the other candidates who have been nominated.

Prior to 1977, the recall was seldom used. In August of that year, five La Crosse school board members were recalled, and in the following month a county judge was recalled for the first time in Wisconsin history. Attempts to recall state legislators are rare, but on June 4, 1996, a state senator became the first state legislator to be recalled. Since 1996 only one other legislator has been recalled, a state senator defeated in a special recall primary on October 21, 2003.

[GAgal]

I don’t understand how Green Bay can okay these “emeritus teacher” salaries that the other 449 school districts don’t offer, unless Green Bay raises their own taxes to cover it. I can’t imagine WI voters will willingly pay for Green Bay’s “generosity”.

[Secret Agent Man]

I have looked through the state constitution and do not find that.

I have only found that the legislatures can set up their own rules and that the governor issues writs of special election when seats are declared vacant.

[dennisw]

Exactly. Being the moochers/freeloaders/parasites that they are ..... How many Wisconsin teachers and other public union members will voluntarily pay union dues? They will want to gyp their union too. Which as I understand are about $1000/year for teachers there. So my guess is 33% will pay union dues and they will be lowered to entice more Gov’t workers to kick in

The fat-cat union bosses see their their outlandish paychecks and lifestyles threatened when this cash flow turns into a trickle. This is why they are lashing out in Wisconsin by getting the State Capitol occupied by SDS/hippie protesters and other measures of intimidating Republican Senators of Wisconsin

[Grumplestiltskin]

“All of the WI Senate Republicans are firmly behind Walker. There’s no Arlen Specters there.”

I don’t believe this. We shall see.

Seems like just as victory comes close their grasp, formerly “firm” Republicans always cave. Just so they won’t be seen as “mean”.

They’ll surrender and call it a “compromise”.

I hope you’re right and I’m proven completely wrong.

BTW, I see the struggle going on in Wisconsin as _the_ defining moment in the struggle to return states (and, eventually, the nation) to fiscal health.

If we lose there, and in the other states where these issues are in contention, this battle is pretty much over. That is to say, there will be no chances left to fix the problems before the entire system is taken down, in the best Ayn Randian style.

Old saying where I work:
When does something get fixed on the railroad?

Looks like it’s going to be that way for America, as well.

[LEESTORM]

This is my first post. I am so glad to hear that the Unions have been crushed. This will now sweep the nation as state spending is cut beyond our wildest expectations. In my state we get nothing for our money.

[Freedom56v2]

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:AAWiR9GXicEJ:www.americanthinker.com/2011/02/two_solutions_to_the_wisconsin.html+wisconsin+constitution+senators+30+days+vacancy&cd=13&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com

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ARTICLE IV LEGISLATIVE

Organization of legislature; quorum; compulsory attendance. SECTION 7. Each house shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own members; and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business, but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may compel the attendance of absent members in such manner and under such penalties as each house may provide.

That’s it. The only definitions provided in the Wisconsin Constitution for what is a quorum are the very limited ones setting the number of legislators needed in order for a vote to pass. The constitution is written so that a majority cannot gather in secret or too quickly for members to have a chance to arrive. The quorum requirement is not a right in itself, but rather a safeguard against trickery. It protects the rights of citizens to be represented. It is not a power granted to a minority to block a vote of a majority. The Wisconsin Constitution does not require an affirmative vote by three-fifths of the elected legislators, but only the opportunity for at least three-fifths of its members to vote. Contrast this with the sixty-vote filibuster-ending requirement in the U.S. Senate.

Consider this, too: the Wisconsin Constitution authorizes passage of money-legislation by an affirmative vote of as few as 11 senators, or only one-third of the entire state senate. That is, a majority of the 20 Senators needed for a quorum. Yet, all 19 legislators showing up for work have said that they will vote for the pending legislation.

What is unambiguously not in the Wisconsin Constitution is a statement as to where those legislators must be in order to be counted towards a quorum.

The Wisconsin Constitution assigns the state legislature the responsibility of crafting rules and definitions governing how voting is to be conducted, i.e., the mechanics of voting. Article IV, Section 7 empowers 51% of the elected legislators in each house of the Wisconsin legislature to do the following:

* 1) Define a quorum to include those legislators who have the ability — if they choose — to vote absently, either by electronic means or proxy. This would ensure that no citizens are ever deprived of representation in the state legislature even if their representative is in the hospital or out of town; and/or
* 2) Pass a statute (or legislative rules) that any legislator who refuses or fails to represent his constituents by participating in the deliberations of that body for more than 30 days is to be regarded as having resigned his office. Once again, this would ensure that no citizens are ever deprived of representation in the state legislature even if their representative is in the hospital or out of town or just refuses to show up for work.

This is what I found...not sure if this was done, but they have the authority to do it and I have read numerous articles relating to 30 days as well as Charlie Sykes, Mark Belling, and Vicky McKenna reference 30 days as the magic number to declare them vacant.