Blaming The Victim (GOP Style)
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First they tried to tell you that the reason Wisconsin was broke was because teachers (and nurses, and 9-1-1 operators, and social workers, etc.) made too much $ and had drained the system. Remember Belling and Sykes screeching that the average teacher makes $100,000 per year? Of course they forgot to mention that that figure includes salaries of superintendents and principals, who are non-union professionals, who all have their doctorates and that that figure includes the cost of all benefits and insurance.
What the Republicans neglected to mention was the fact that EVERY state was broke because we tried to finance two foreign wars while giving tax breaks to the wealthy and handing out no-bid military contracts to companies like Blackwater and Halliburton (run by Dick Cheney).
What the conservatives forgot to mention was that the state was struggling financially because people lost their jobs, then paid less or no income taxes, and lost their homes and then paid less or no property taxes. They forgot to mention that while the state took in less money in taxes than ever before, it was shoveling it out in unemployment benefits.
Then we saw Republican Supreme Court Justice David Prosser narrowly miss charges for the choking of Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, but it was Bradley who took the blame for the altercation because she had the audacity to ask Prosser to leave her office and point towards the door.
What else is a man supposed to do when threatened by a small woman and her finger but to put your hands around her neck? (Yes, she is smaller than he despite Justice Gableman stating the opposite).
Prosser got away with an attempted choke scott-free and Bradley got blamed for "instigating" the situation. So again, the Republicans blamed the victim - in this case, Bradley for standing up to a bully.
Then Republican pretty-boy Paul Ryan tried to blame the poor and the elderly for the lack in funding to Social Security and Medicare by coming up with the ingenious solution to end Medicare as we know it and instead send out coupons and vouchers of up to $8,000 per year.
Imagine an 82 year old grandmother fighting cancer or diabetes and trying to "shop" for a deal in the private insurance market with her "pre-existing conditions". No insurance company would touch her with a 10 foot thermometer. And if "Obama-Care" managed to go into full effect before she died and her pre-existing" conditions could not be used against her, how long do you think $8,000 would last when treating cancer or paying for medications?
But it is the fault of the old person after all, right? They should evaporate their entire life savings, sell their family home and cash every last bond they have to pay for their health care instead of every American slowly pitching into a shared pot that we can dip into when we are in trouble and elderly. How Socialist can you get, right?
Now they are trying to tell you that the reason Wisconsin is bleeding jobs at a jackrabbit pace is also the fault of the teachers and other public sector workers. The teacher - the "greedy" "lazy" teacher - who is upset over losing 50 years of bargaining rights and hard-fought negotiations is at fault.
They are trying to tell you that Scott Walker's mean-spirited and Scrooge-like approach of balancing the budget on the broken backs of the working-class and poor is the fault of none other than the teachers. The Republicans have stripped funding for the poor and disabled and public education, then given it away to private schools and big corporations, all while blaming the public worker for a loss in spending-power for middle class families.
There are 250,000 public-sector workers who have been blamed for the financial troubles of the state, had their entire retirement restructured, salaries lowered and benefits decreased. Now because they are attempting to have another election in a few months, it is their fault (again) that WI is losing jobs.
It is the fault of the teacher and the garbage man and road crew member that private companies are closing shop and laying workers off. It has nothing to do with the fact that 250,000 families saw a 10% decrease in salaries and have less $ to buy goods with.
Let's take my family for example. We saw a hike in our insurance to a $4,000 deductible (next year it goes to $5,000, then $6,000). We also saw an increase in our retirement contributions and a pay freeze of two years, and an elimination of all overload and overtime.
All this after paying $11,000 to earn a Master's Degree in Education (at our own expense) because in order to retain your educator's license you have to continually take college courses.
My family has cancelled our membership to the YMCA and has stopped going to Ferch's. And instead of buying from Half-Priced books, we borrow from the library. All these actions are hurting local businesses, so I guess it is our fault that WI is losing jobs. I guess we should put everything on the credit card and do our patriotic duty of going into deeper debt to keep the economy rolling.
Silly me - I thought we were losing jobs because people had less disposable income to spend, but then again, that is the kind of liberal thinking you would come across in a college economics class (but our Governor wouldn't know anything about that would he)?
What the right-wing conservatives do not, and never will understand, is that while you can kill leaders (MLK, JFK) and unions (WEAC, MTI), and crush opposition with force (OCW) you can NEVER, EVER kill an idea (like the idea of workers having the right to bargain for living wages, healthy working conditions, decent benefits and a voice).
Ron Clone
6:48 am on Sunday, January 1, 2012
Well stated.
Karen
8:37 am on Sunday, January 1, 2012
Bravo Jason.
Rees Roberts
10:38 am on Sunday, January 1, 2012
Jason, thank you. I am going to share this on Facebook.
mau
12:06 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
Oh my gosh, we never could afford the YMCA or to buy books. We are in a private sector union that has been seeing our benefits decrease for the past 30 years. The same benefits that you are now just giving up. And we didn't have a Republican governor all those years. Thing is we all had to change our lifestyles and we are still surviving ok.
clearthinker
12:06 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
New year, same ol same.
Bren
12:48 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
Isn't it a typical behavior of abusive people to try to make the victim feel they "deserve" what is happening to them?
We didn't create the problems in our country and we are not going to feel guilty about them, or let ourselves be manipulated into helping our abusers get even more power. Let's make a New Year's resolution to think carefully about what we spend our money on, and where we spend it. If we can take a few moments to research stores that pay employees decently, and to find American-made versions of the products we need/want, let's do it. Let's not support companies that treat employees like disposable waste.
Lisa B.
1:58 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
If American's would stop the entitlement factor things would get better. Our forefathers worked hard something many do not want to do now. We live in the greatest country in the world, but when Americans find out it takes REAL work many feel they are entitled and want it to be handed to them. They instead will walk away from homes, file bankruptcy and max out credit cards to brag about what they have. In the mean time my home goes down in value 55,000 dollars my bills are paid but we struggle my husband and I, a nurse and a firefighter paramedic. We the "so called"over paid the demise of America! Yes, we are so over paid to be spit on, bled on, vomited on and maybe go home with AIDS, HIV, HEPATITIS,MRSA or some other disease. We work weekends, holidays, nights, pay our bills, our taxes and our student loans, but we should give up all our benefits because our lives are as glamours as Grey's Anatomy or Rescue Me!
Bren
2:24 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
Lisa, you and your husband are uncelebrated heroes.
But I disagree with you about Americans feeling "entitled." I don't think that expecting to earn a fair wage for comparable work is exhibiting a sense of "entitlement." A few years ago, Jim Sensenbrenner (in the context of the issue of illegal immigration) spoke at a Town Hall meeting about the damping down of American wages, getting people to work for much less than they should be paid to increase corporate profits. Illegal immigration may contribute to this issue, but outsourcing and just plain greed are to me a much larger concern. The impact of underpaying people affects the overall economy in the form of decreased spending power.
Medical costs also pay a huge part of foreclosure, bankruptcy and maxed out credit cards. Here's a link to an article that discusses this issue in greater detail: http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100153442
Last year I broke my leg falling on ice. I paid more than $500/month for health insurance last year (I say paid because my health insurance went up $100/month today). How much of my $1,200 in medical costs were covered? $0. So I paid out more than $6,000 for insurance in 2011 and still had no coverage when I had a bona fide medical issue. Imagine the expense of cancer or more than one family member being sick. Financial problems usually have real-life causes.
Lisa B.
5:00 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
Bren,
We are not heros we do our jobs. Just as you said we would like fair pay for fair work $22.00 a hr to go into a burning building and maybe a good retirement is not to much to ask! You may be mistaken, we pay for our health care insurance as well as you do. The cost of a broken leg is driven up by spending 70% of our health benefit on the last 6months of life. I know the expense of cancer I see it everyday. The entitlement factor I speak of is as such: having as many tattoos or body piercing and expecting a top paying job--mainstream is uncool, the entitlement factor of oh I'll go on Badger Care if I get pregnant that is what is there for, taking a baby with a cough to the ER instead of the Walk in clinic because I am entitled and I do not have to pay the bill anyway, being in a grocery store with a coach purse, I-phone and new manicure and pay with an EBT card! These are things I cannot afford. I understand that medical costs are big part of bankruptcy with all do respect I do not live under a rock. However, I know people that vacationed in Europe then walked away from their homes. However my home value went down in value 55 grand! Fair pay for fair work exactly!
Bren
5:50 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
Lisa, we'll have to agree to disagree on the tremendous value of the services you and your husband provide!
I know you also pay for your healthcare, same as for me it is part of your employment compensation benefits, which some apparently now believe only CEOs should receive (along with huge bonuses while their employees lose their jobs).
Tattoos and piercings used to be mainstream, but I know a lot of people who have them and cover/remove them at work. I can't speak for Badgercare because the only people I know who have it depend on it for their families' sake. I do know why a lot of insured people go to the ER--because a lot of health insurance policies offer better ER benefits than walk-in clinics.
I know you don't live under a rock--I never meant to imply that you did! Concerning European vacations, I don't know the circumstances you addressed, but I do know someone who went on vacation and returned to find he had been downsized (and this after speaking to his CEO about his job security before planning the vacation!). I know how life circumstances can change drastically in moments, and I honour you for your efforts to pay your bills and retain your home, despite the losses you have incurred.
Things are out of balance in this country.
Ed Willing
5:23 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
You said "Of course they forgot to mention that that figure includes salaries of superintendents and principals, who are non-union professionals, who all have their doctorates and that that figure includes the cost of all benefits and insurance."
Not true. Much time was spent breaking it down, and we know how the system has been set up to hide the rel costs. They make significantly more than their counterparts, double and triple dipping is preposterous, and the biggest concern of all is efficiency, not pay/salary/compensation. Waiting for Superman did a great job explaining this, and the film acknowledged the inability to locally negotiate every aspect of the factor affecting education is one of the biggest detriments to the education of our children.
These issues have been over simplified and made much more black and white than they should be. Governor walker is doing what he was supposed to do, and we are already seeing the benefits. I can't wait until these changes begin to create permanent benefits for all residents to see... Even you
Bren
6:07 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
Edward Willing, I agree that "double and triple dipping" pensions "is preposterous," which is why many were outraged when Stephen Fitzgerald was appointed to the job of heading up the Wisconsin State Patrol (over others who actually had related work experience). As memory serves, this appointment gave Stephen a "triple" pension dip.
I agree that the issues have been over-simplified, and if I may say so, misrepresented. Wisconsin wasn't "broke," and state workers and "union bosses" aren't enemies of the state.
If you consider that leading the U.S. in job loss is a positive benefit you'll forgive me for disagreeing with you. I see the impact of budget cuts in the MPS schools and know many people lost their jobs. Class sizes are larger and most parents in the MPS district can't afford to replace services lost at the school. How will this help close the academic achievement gap? The impact on diminished education on children at the age when they are most receptive to learning will be long-lasting for them and on our economy/community. I don't see this as a "benefit," I see it as a tragedy.
That's why I support the recall of Scott Walker.
Lisa B.
6:34 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
Bren,
I think we are both on the same page, my point is things are out of balance as well. My CEO makes 2.5 million a not for profit company? That is out of balance compared to my 23.70 per hour. I bet he didn't work like my husband did on Christmas or was on call like I was for the hospital. Nevertheless life does have undesired circumstances my anger is not at the people that need help. My anger is at those that want a hand out instead of a hand up!
Dirk
10:13 am on Monday, January 2, 2012
But where is the money coming from Jason? Is it again the private sector who should be penalized further by higher taxation while the public sector continues with extreme benefits and feels no pain? That's why nobody should be supporting an ineffective administration in Washington whose only platform is to continue to blame Bush going into the 4th year of this abominable regime.
There's a reason Walker is Governor of the Year. He took on the tough choices the voters demanded rather than kicking the can again and again. Enough. Our next President's main concern is job growth and all of this goes away. Time for REAL change in 2012!!
SkinnyDude
11:46 am on Monday, January 2, 2012
WALKER or BUST! Thats a literal statement. Jim Doyle and the Libs are BANKRUPT of solutions . Anyone can cherry pick stories and put a negetive slant on them. Unfortuantely, The education system is full of liberal failings and lack the will do te much harder job of sollving the problems the UNION shell game has created. I am PRO private sector Unions if the employees want that. Public Unions I will agree with Pro union president FDR who clearly and accurately warned us of there short comings as they completely go against the public trust and clearly rape the public treasure. Just Look at the TEACHERS UNION shell game Insurance corperation which the school districts were forced to purchase from . Walker fixed that alone and saved the taxpayers millions and millions of dollars in leagalized fraud. DO THE MATH .....WALKER solution based and balance budget vs Doyle loans, higher fees and taxes . The welfare expansion vs physical santiy will decide this election. I am voting for fiscal sanity. Every LIBERAL state is sinking with democratic leadership in Illinios and California While the largest conservative state of Texas is one of the more economically sound states. DO THE MATH ....THE LIBERAL WAY IS A FAILURE! This is not my grandfathers democratic party . What is the democratic alternative? tax, loan and spend doyle or a balanced budgetpro growth reform agenda? DO THE MATH!
Bren
4:40 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
There's a lot of hyperbole in your post, but let's isolate your statement that "the liberal way is a failure." Let's review modern Republican recessions/depressions and strategies.
Herbert Hoover: Great Depression. He inherited and kept tax rate cuts for top earners that reached 73%. As the economy free-fell and unemployment peaked at 24.9%, HH raised the top earner tax rate back up to 63% among other initiatives to stimulate the economy.
Richard Nixon severed the connection between the U.S. dollar and gold in 1971. He inherited 3.3% unemployment and 5.5% inflation. During his recession, unemployment peaked at 6+%, then he stimulated the economy by increasing govt spending and the money supply and inflation reached 12.2% in 1974. (Remember this before blaming Bernanke!)
Ronald Reagan: His 1982 recession was caused by tax and budget cuts. Unemployment rose from 5.5% to 9.7% (peak). He grew the deficit from $997b to $2.85t. He addressed the recession by raising taxes.
George H.W. Bush: He inherited Reagan's mess and made it bigger. Corporate "reorganizations" contributed to a 1992 recession with unemployment peaking at 7.8% Listening to Democrats, Bush raised taxes which lowered inflation and interest rates.
George W. Bush: Well I think everyone knows what happened here. Unlike other recession presidents, he didn't lower taxes and see where we are.
Bottom line, budget cuts+tax cuts=Epic.Fail.
J. B. Schmidt
9:16 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
@Bren
Whatever amount of hyperbole in Skinny's post, you included that same amount of distorted history.
Your tax reasoning for the depression follows no logical path. By giving more money to the people via less tax collection, the stock market collapsed. I would be curious how that works? The truth of the matter is, it was the Federal Reserve, as instituted by the great progressive Woodrow Wilson, lowered interest rates and grew inflation which ultimately lead to the collapse.
Richard Nixon was the worst republican we have seen. He had more jackass then elephant in his blood. I find it funny that Obama followed his lead with stimulus and yet you celebrate him.
Reagan's recession was created by raising interest rates in order to slow down the inflation created by Carter. If you look at the income numbers during the 80's, every one's wealth increased between 1980 and 1989 due to lower taxes. Your unemployment stats are incorrect. The unemployment rate hadn't seen 5.5% since 1974. It was 7.1% when he took office, 9.7% in 1982 and 5.5% when he left office. I would call that a success (in fact it was down below O's unemployment at the end of his first 4 years).
George H. W. Bush rose taxes, which you fail to mention. Which must be because it doesn't fit your narrative of history.
J. B. Schmidt
9:17 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
@Bren (cont.)
As for Bush, he had already lowered taxes. That recession was long in the making, starting with a Carter Administration housing requirement. We had been undermining the housing industry for a couple of decades. It was a liberal notion that all people deserved a house of their own and removed safe market practices.
Although your equation includes budget cuts, you never mention them, so I am not sure how they factor in. However, if you notice tax revenues as a percentage of GDP increase with tax decreases. It happened in the 80’s, revenues went down in the 90’s and back up again after the Bush tax cuts in the Naughties.
Bren
1:50 pm on Wednesday, January 4, 2012
J.B., tomes have been written about 20th century economics, so it was an interesting exercise to isolate the salient facts for my review within the 1,500 character context of a Patch post. I correctly cited consistent facts in my synopsis. The word "peak" refers to top level (suggesting other "aqueous" movement in the economy such as "ebb" and "flow,"). I did mention that GWHB raised taxes (para 5). Remember that going back on his "No New Taxes" theme made him a one-term president (not because he raised taxes, I would say, but because he put it out there then reneged).
Until GWB landed in office, I would have agreed that Richard Nixon was the worst U.S. president in modern history in terms of foreign policy and severing gold from our currency/economic policy. But I do believe that he did care about America and Americans, which I do not believe the bought-and-paid-for politicians of our modern Robber Barons do.
Jason Patzfahl
7:17 am on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Do you really want to bring Texas into the picture as being an "economically sound" state?
"Texas is the uninsured capital of the United States. More than 5.8 million Texans (30%) - including 1.5 million children - lack health insurance. Texas' uninsurance rates, 1.5 to 2 times the national average, create significant problems in the financing and delivery of health care to all Texans. Those who lack insurance coverage typically enjoy far-worse health status than their insured counterparts." ~ http://www.texmed.org/template.aspx?id=5517
. . . and balancing the budget is great - I just think we should do it by raising taxes on the top 1% or by creating a beer tax, or a toll booth coming in from Illinois (instead of cutting the take-home pay of public servants by 10%).
It is easier for a millionaire to pay an extra 1% than a person earning $40,000 per year to give up 10%. Do the math!
SkinnyDude
1:05 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Well Jason ....its funny how you dont mention the Fiscal troubles and Liberal leadership of the two democcratic states. They will likely be begging the federal government for tax money from everyone and a considerate amount from Texas. If you dont have solutions keep your mouth shut. Do you really think people in this state want to go back .....to what GOV DOYLE DID? Thats not solutions thats failure . Democrats desire to kick te can down the road and put their heads in the sand do not work . That was my point . And as a typical LIBERAL your attack on TEXAS was they werent basically taxing and spending more on welfare entitlements. GEEEZ you are ignorant. If you are clueless to solutions and just complain about being a victim you will always be a failure. So if thats your goal .......keep up the good work!
Bren
4:46 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Texas' education system overhaul resulted in the best teachers going to the best-paying districts, cheating the state's poorest children. When I think of Texas, I recall that quote from The Merchant of Venice: "All that glisters is not gold."
Mike
9:27 am on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Jason, you're article is comical, slanted and factually wrong. You could write for MSN. Oh well, freedom of the press.
J. B. Schmidt
9:39 am on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
@Jason and other liberals
Welcome to the real world. I go the library all the time with my kids, we never go out to eat, our insurance continues to go up and my wife's bonus is gone this year. Stop crying. My mom is private school teacher for decades and hasn't broken the 40K mark with bennies. Only subs need to worry about that in public education.
THEN, you have never actually read the Paul Ryan plan. If you had, you would realize you posted a completely false statement. It grandfathered in anyone over 55.
THEN, a Democrat and supporter of George Wallace killed MLK. James Earl Ray had no affiliation to the GOP. He was a segregationist Democrat. JFK was killed by a communist. Again NO affiliation to the GOP. Those are absurd statements.
THEN, a liberal Madison justice system found that Justice Bradley was the aggressor and Prosser only attempted to push her away. But why start using facts now.
Do you even have an idea how much money a 1% tax on the 'wealthy' would bring in? Also you want to blame Wisconsin's deficit on the wars, while we had a Democratic Governor. Are kidding me?
Lastly, their are many good teachers out their. Teacher that deserve a good pay. However, their are also compete bums that can now be disposed of. I have a family member that is a public employee and he says that ACT 10's ability to get rid of bums is the greatest achievement, since now the unions can't protect them. He supports all of Act 10.
GearHead
2:14 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
@Jason: "... the fact that EVERY state was broke because we tried to finance two foreign wars while blah, blah, blah." Wow. Whatever advanced public education you received didn't clue you in to the fact that WI revenue and spending have nothing to do with federal spending on foreign wars, did it? As for the rest of your diatribe, JB beautifully dissects it as the bog gas it is. No wonder you are always so angry. So much of what you believe is nonsense.
SkinnyDude
3:30 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Great factual response J.B ! Have you noticed the Liberal platform is complaint based .The CRY ME A RIVER PLATFORM ! Clearly , everyone wont like all the heavy lifting Scott Walker did. But it was Solution based . There is a BIG difference and the Liberals just dont get it and they never will.
Bren
4:55 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Gearhead, how can you seriously believe that national financial issues don't resonate through every level?
Skinny, Scott Walker's "heavy lifting" was not solution based, it was agenda based. But you're right. The people who have and are losing their jobs aren't happy, the people whose property taxes went up aren't happy, etc. etc.
I'm not a liberal, and I'm not happy to see statistics that we lead the nation in job loss. I'm not happy that Scott Walker embarrassed himself over that "fake Dave Koch" call that people are still chuckling about around the planet. And I'm not happy about any decisions that cause people to lose their jobs. Or to have their salaries cut when other options are available (such as not budgeting in massive, unfinanced corporate tax breaks into your budget).
SkinnyDude
6:22 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Bren and your not a liberal but you were so much more impressed with the DOYLE days LOL ......WALKER will win re election. Its a no brainer from what we had to where he went. If it wasnt heavy lifting why were all the libs crying about having to pay their FAIR share. Theyre even fighting Walker when he tries to create jobs. Yet the state budget is Balanced. Doyle never had a clue. If you want to go BACK to that I hate to break it to you , but you are a LIBERAL.
Dan B
7:44 am on Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Bren, "i'm not a liberal" WHAT!!! Walgreens Pharmacy opens at 8:00, I think they have a prescription waiting for you!
SkinnyDude
6:07 pm on Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Interesting to see the liberals blame Walker and than want to see Barret run as he was so opposed to Walkers reforms , but he GLADLY used them to keep property taxes flat for the 1st time and many many years in Milwaukee.. Its pretty hard for Barret to be anti Walker when Barret own actions iillustrate that even Milwaukees city budget is in the best shape its been in for god knows how many years. Clearly , Barret support for a silly Trolly car development investment which will be illustrated that he doesnt know what WASTE is . But he certainly knows the benefits of Walkers reforms as he used the toolbox created by Conservatives to put Milwaukees budget in a better light than it has seen in a few decades. He didnt want to buy the cow ( Walker plan ) , but he sure is enjoying the milk . ( CITIES SAVINGS). That will be a tough sell to voters to say I AGAINST THESE REFORMS SO MUCH .....THAT I USED THERE BENEFITS FULLY! That is laughable! lol