tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post2028766679052577071..comments2024-03-19T01:52:00.810-05:00Comments on Althouse: Governor Walker's Fireside Chat.Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger200125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-56474212763941291222011-02-26T16:36:02.483-06:002011-02-26T16:36:02.483-06:00Personal anecdotes can be important if not overdon...Personal anecdotes can be important if not overdone. Shows Walker is listening to people and reading emails.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-57552926684670836142011-02-26T16:33:15.027-06:002011-02-26T16:33:15.027-06:00I know a lot of people do not like the personal an...I know a lot of people do not like the personal anecdotes-did that include the comments whom Walker did not know either? That shows that he is a l least reading emails and listening to what others are saying.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16725516642324706722011-02-25T00:20:00.705-06:002011-02-25T00:20:00.705-06:00PB&J: One of us is confused.
"Instead o...PB&J: One of us is confused.<br /><br />"Instead of all out war focused on squeezing a few more percent on HC or pensions, I'd go after the ways unions hinder student progress in the classroom.<br /><br />Instead of being wise, Walker seems like a vindictive, shortsighted man, who says he's motivated by political battles from the past. Not. A. Leader. "<br /><br />The debate would be over if he'd settle for the dollars. The whole fight here is over reducing the collective bargaining powers of the union. Not over wages but exactly over 'how unions hinder progress' - work rules, techniques, staffing, all that.<br /><br />I don't understand your anger and am inclined to conclude that it is insincere, but had not been accustomed to seeing crap after your nick, so maybe you are just mistaken/deluded/deceived. Or I am, of course. Either about you or about Walker's policy. It just seems that you have heard somewhere that black is white, and believe it.Nichevohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12591460407621898458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-64622572020609691972011-02-23T14:14:46.366-06:002011-02-23T14:14:46.366-06:00Did the professor ever address the Cap Times' ...<i>Did the professor ever address the Cap Times' editorial "Walker gins up ‘crisis’ to reward cronies"<br /><br />http://host.madison.com/ct/news<br />/opinion/editorial/article_61064e9a-<br />27b0-5f28-b6d1-a57c8b2aaaf6.html<br /><br />They link to a state Fiscal Bureau report from the end of January stating Wisconsin will end 2011 with the budget in surplus.<br /><br />http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/<br />Misc/2011_01_31Vos&Darling.pdf<br /><br />So did Walker just spout a lot of bullshit?<br /><br /></i><br /><a href="http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2011/feb/18/rachel-maddow/rachel-maddow-says-wisconsin-track-have-budget-sur/" rel="nofollow">No.</a>Sofa Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07659133819240484346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-51159618642707246302011-02-23T11:12:15.722-06:002011-02-23T11:12:15.722-06:00sources familiar with the state's transportati...<i>sources familiar with the state's transportation policy tell The Huffington Post </i><br /><br />Laugh out loud funny.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-18825726524470203722011-02-23T11:11:53.840-06:002011-02-23T11:11:53.840-06:00Did the professor ever address the Cap Times' ...Did the professor ever address the Cap Times' editorial "Walker gins up ‘crisis’ to reward cronies"<br /><br />http://host.madison.com/ct/news<br />/opinion/editorial/article_61064e9a-<br />27b0-5f28-b6d1-a57c8b2aaaf6.html<br /><br />They link to a state Fiscal Bureau report from the end of January stating Wisconsin will end 2011 with the budget in surplus.<br /><br />http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/<br />Misc/2011_01_31Vos&Darling.pdf<br /><br />So did Walker just spout a lot of bullshit?former law studenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15196697206046544350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-28977174075907373562011-02-23T11:11:12.777-06:002011-02-23T11:11:12.777-06:00Jay - So you think the entire cost per pupil is di...<i>Jay - So you think the entire cost per pupil is directly related to the teacher's pay?<br /></i><br /><br />Um, where did I say that again?<br /><br /><i> believing himself to be on the phone with his patron, seems to have had a long conversation about busting Wisconsin's unions.<br /></i><br /><br />Actually, he did no such thing.<br /><br />But of course without lies, you'd have nothing to say.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-38615889373244291122011-02-23T11:02:34.086-06:002011-02-23T11:02:34.086-06:00It's all about busting the unions...and nothin...It's all about busting the unions...and nothing else:<br /><br />"Scott Walker Gets Punked By Journalist Pretending To Be David Koch"<br /><br />Over at the Buffalo Beast -- there appears to be recordings of a phone call between Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and current editor Ian Murphy. Now, why on earth would Scott Walker want to talk on the phone with the editor of an online site in Buffalo? Well, he wouldn't.<br /><br />But what if said editor pretended to be David Koch of the famed Koch Brothers? Well, that's a different story altogether, apparently! And so Walker, believing himself to be on the phone with his patron, seems to have had a long conversation about busting Wisconsin's unions.<br /><br />http://www.buffalobeast.com/?p=5045Jeremyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08569643253261527506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-2292989886461362102011-02-23T10:55:24.576-06:002011-02-23T10:55:24.576-06:00Jay - So you think the entire cost per pupil is di...Jay - So you think the entire cost per pupil is directly related to the teacher's pay?<br /><br />Even YOU can't be that dense...but, then again...<br /><br />Naw...you are that dense.Jeremyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08569643253261527506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-56808521891750462292011-02-23T10:52:48.517-06:002011-02-23T10:52:48.517-06:00Fenny Boy - "You should move to DC. They have...Fenny Boy - "You should move to DC. They have the highest spending per student in the nation..."<br /><br />You're wrong again...as usual:<br /><br />New York State’s public schools spent $15,981 a pupil in 2007. That’s more than any other state or state equivalent, according to data released today by the Census Bureau.Jeremyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08569643253261527506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-63938544821612141582011-02-23T10:50:19.775-06:002011-02-23T10:50:19.775-06:00WASHINGTON -- Budget referees and transportation o...WASHINGTON -- Budget referees and transportation officials in Wisconsin have informed Gov. Scott Walker (R) that if he were to pass his controversial anti-union legislation into law, he could be forfeiting tens of millions of dollars in federal funds for transportation.<br /><br />Under an obscure provision of federal labor law, states risk losing federal funds should they eliminate "collective bargaining rights" that existed at the time when federal assistance was first granted. The provision, known as "protective arrangements" or "Section 13C arrangements," is meant as a means of cushioning union (and even some non-union) members who, while working on local projects, are affected by federal grants.<br /><br />It also could potentially hamstring governors like Walker who want dramatic changes to labor laws in their states. Wisconsin received $74 million in federal transit funds this fiscal year. Of that, $46.6 million would be put at risk should the collective-bargaining bill come to pass -- in the process creating an even more difficult fiscal situation than the one that, ostensibly, compelled Walker to push the legislation in the first place.<br /><br />The governor is certainly aware of this. While the potential loss of funds may have escaped the attention of many observers, sources familiar with the state's transportation policy tell The Huffington Post that Walker's office has been informed of the relevant legal language. Moreover, in an a nearly unnoticed report filed by the state's Legislative Fiscal Bureau, the non-partisaJeremyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08569643253261527506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-75319911429154813092011-02-23T08:18:31.387-06:002011-02-23T08:18:31.387-06:00I've only seen the Gov, and I don't think ...<i>I've only seen the Gov, and I don't think he really explained why it's not good enough for him to accept the union's conceding to the budget related issues.</i><br /><br />Because the Milwaukee public schools union spent last summer in a snit because the board didn't want to cover Viagra. Because MPS union accepted layoffs of hundreds of (junior) teachers rather than take a reduction in their very rich health insurance benefits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-75317743798075962022011-02-23T08:16:33.636-06:002011-02-23T08:16:33.636-06:00I want to have the best schools in the country, an...<i>I want to have the best schools in the country, and the world. To get there I'm willing to pay some serious dough because the community will make it back in the long run.</i><br /><br />You should move to DC. They have the highest spending per student in the nation...Fenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16734571593963330215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-46383997657081105372011-02-23T06:41:59.125-06:002011-02-23T06:41:59.125-06:00I come late to this thread but just noticed Shiloh...I come late to this thread but just noticed Shiloh's inability to tell the difference between 1,000,000 and 100,000. This explains a great deal! <br /><br />Hint to Shiloh: if counting the number places is too hard, you can just count the commas, which ought to be within your grasp since you'll only have to count to two.<br /><br />Best part: "You do the math."mrs whatsithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14798352621860024353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16093679276328100362011-02-23T06:31:56.232-06:002011-02-23T06:31:56.232-06:00"I want to have the best schools in the count...<i><br />"I want to have the best schools in the country, and the world. To get there I'm willing to pay some serious dough because the community will make it back in the long run."<br /></i><br /><br />OOPS!<br /><br /><i>In 1998, according to the U.S. Department of Education, Wisconsin public school eighth graders scored an average of 266 out of 500 on the NAEP reading test. In 2009, Wisconsin public school eighth graders once again scored an average of 266 out of 500 on the NAEP reading test. Meanwhile, Wisconsin public schools increased their per pupil expenditures from $4,956 per pupil in 1998 to 10,791 per pupil in 2008. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculator the $4,956 Wisconsin spent per pupil in 1998 dollars equaled $6,546 in 2008 dollars. That means that from 1998 to 2008, Wisconsin public schools increased their per pupil spending by $4,245 in real terms yet did not add a single point to the reading scores of their eighth graders and still could lift only one-third of their eighth graders to at least a “proficient” level in reading.<br /><br />The $10,791 that Wisconsin spent per pupil in its public elementary and secondary schools in fiscal year 2008 was more than <a href="http://cnsnews.com/news/article/two-thirds-wisconsin-public-school-8th-g" rel="nofollow">any other state</a> in the Midwest</i><br /><br />Please stop telling me good salaries & benefits are needed to attract these "talented" teachers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-17289823063867240112011-02-23T06:21:36.874-06:002011-02-23T06:21:36.874-06:00As a resident of upstate NY, it seems to me that G...As a resident of upstate NY, it seems to me that Gov. Walker was attempting to educate people outside of Wisconsin too in his fireside address. That seems to be a wise tactic. <br /><br /><br />It was mentioned elsewhere (NRO, I think) that he is communicating with other GOP governors. Could it be that he is setting the stage for the next front of the battle? We all know that a vast majority of citizens are not political junkies, so the specifics of the issues are always battling the optics. Optics are much easier to massage into a narrative that suits a side - can't change specifics unless you're willing to give ground. Gov. Walker used personal stories very effectively to control the optics to illustrate the specifics. That is smart politics. I can't help but think that the RGA is advising here as part of the larger war where the next front is set to take place in Ohio and is already underway in Indiana.<br /><br />Believe me, my Democrat governor is paying close attention to the narrative in Wisconsin as we have to do the same thing here in NY. The editorial pages are filled with commentary on how all budget fixes begin with pension reform. Cuomo appears to be planning to take advantage of the narrative to achieve his goal of getting NY's monstrous budget under control. It's very interesting to watch.Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03680006892613882759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-63348628551190449912011-02-23T06:14:36.914-06:002011-02-23T06:14:36.914-06:00"I want to have the best schools in the count...<i>"I want to have the best schools in the country, and the world. To get there I'm willing to pay some serious dough because the community will make it back in the long run."</i><br /><br />And therein lies the fallacy that more spending = better results.<br /><br />I suggest you do some reading on that topic and get back to us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-58414205068273256732011-02-23T06:01:40.421-06:002011-02-23T06:01:40.421-06:00Don't live in WI and only been there once so i...Don't live in WI and only been there once so it is not my fight and didn't watch the whole thing. The "fireside chat" is an interesting example of communication. He failed and perhaps hurt his cause.<br /><br />Why did he do this? They must have internal polls that show him losing. Ten minutes is waaaaayyyyy toooooooo loooooonnnnnnnnnnng for the XXI century. No one except the Governor and maybe his mother will watch the whole thing.<br /><br />Worst mistake is that in the few minutes I watched he never once, not even for a nanosecond, looked at the camera. Obama suffers from the same problem, but this guy is worse.<br /><br />The best WI can hope for is a compromise that ends the union shop. The fear is that WI's taxpayers will lose big time in the future and AA will keep her $10,000.MDIJimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06859384900140499140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-66028992539854735552011-02-23T03:59:15.049-06:002011-02-23T03:59:15.049-06:00So basically union members have to pay their fair ...So basically union members have to pay their fair share and the Republicans are also removing part of the collective bargaining agreement because a crisis is a terrible thing to waste. <br /><br />ISTM that the modern right also engages in class warfare. School vouchers or eliminating the mandate on the education of other people's children would be more cost-effective and socially beneficial. <br /><br />How come nobody asks what Adele Brise would do?888https://www.blogger.com/profile/09852426183686801677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-62124926582936066512011-02-23T02:17:02.886-06:002011-02-23T02:17:02.886-06:00The best part of the speech by Walker, at least fo...<i>The best part of the speech by Walker, at least for me: mentioning the WEA Trust. Finally. Its been a point that has hardly been brought up before, and its one of the big reasons schools all over the state are going bankrupt.</i><br /><br />While I appreciate Governor Walker raising the issue of WEA Trust I don't think he explained it sufficiently for the general public to understand. First, with his Wisconsin accent, he pronounced it as <i>WE Trust</i>; someone from outside the state - and even some Wisconsin residents - must wonder what he was talking about. Was it Wisconsin Energies (WE) Trust?<br /><br />Secondly he failed to fully explain why WEA Trust is such a bad idea. Throughout the state, the teachers' union locals have used collective bargaining to force local school districts to purchase the teachers' health insurance from an entity wholly-owned by the state teachers' union - WEAC.<br /><br />So in most cases local school boards are paying above-market rates for teachers' insurance from an entity owned by the teachers' union.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07567899161777565306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-3231899683921307802011-02-23T01:15:21.991-06:002011-02-23T01:15:21.991-06:00@revenant
@Revenent
Reform is not possible while...@revenant<br /><br />@Revenent<br /><br /><i>Reform is not possible while teachers can collectively dictate the conditions of their employment.</i><br /><br />Exactly. Here is what Wisconsin taxpayers and parents are receiving for their money. WI 8th grade reading report card:<br /><br /><i>In the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests administered by the U.S. Department of Education in <a href="http://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_2009/" rel="nofollow">2009</a>—the latest year available—only 32 percent of Wisconsin public-school eighth graders earned a “proficient” rating while another 2 percent earned an “advanced” rating. The other 66 percent of Wisconsin public-school eighth graders earned ratings below “proficient,” including 44 percent who earned a rating of “basic” and 22 percent who earned a rating of “below basic”. </i><br /><br />Our public school system is failing a significant percentage of students. Even as spending per student has risen, scores have only improved in low single digits since _1992_.<br /><br />Science and math scores are poor as well...a pathetic report card. <br /><br />Teacher competence can no longer be off the table or Shiloh's future voters will not have the reading and comprehension skills to make a decent living, let alone fund the government or cast an informed vote.BJMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04447134335568803085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-89722288453170252642011-02-23T00:51:06.364-06:002011-02-23T00:51:06.364-06:00@Shiloh
No...the sleeping giant is 77 million Boo...@Shiloh<br /><br />No...the sleeping giant is 77 million Boomers.BJMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04447134335568803085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-35497319449104198952011-02-22T23:39:33.195-06:002011-02-22T23:39:33.195-06:00I have been away from the internet all day and it ...I have been away from the internet all day and it seems nothing has changed.<br /><br />I always thought Wisconsin was boring but man you Cheeseheads just don't know when to quit.Trooper Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978703998566102194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-43110183337795032482011-02-22T22:36:52.576-06:002011-02-22T22:36:52.576-06:00The PEU seem to have lost Richard Cohen "Gove...The PEU seem to have lost Richard Cohen "Government pensions, an obesity epidemic"<br /><br />And, so what's everyone's thoughts on a General Strike that ASCME is trying to set up?<br /><br />Sorry I don't know how to use HTML to get an automatic link:<br /><br />http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/21/AR2011022103775.htmlUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00844705448790365117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-61258399125732054212011-02-22T22:32:00.999-06:002011-02-22T22:32:00.999-06:00You need more than just money. But, really skilled...<i>You need more than just money. But, really skilled and competent people do expect to be paid.</i><br /><br />The problem with public education is that the clueless and incompetent people expect to get paid, too -- and the teachers fight tooth and nail to make sure that they do.<br /><br />Teachers do not get to demand that they all be treated equally and then whine that the "good" teachers will leave if pay is cut. Maybe this will serve as a wake-up call.Revenanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11374515200055384226noreply@blogger.com