Thread: Obama joins Wisconsin's budget battle, opposing Republican anti-union bill

Of course...Obama can't keep his nose out of State issues. Especially when they are trying to get their financial house in order.

Perhaps he should concern himself with the Federal budget more and leave the States alone.

President Obama thrust himself and his political operation this week into Wisconsin's broiling budget battle, mobilizing opposition Thursday to a Republican bill that would curb public-worker benefits and planning similar protests in other state capitals.

Obama accused Scott Walker, the state's new Republican governor, of unleashing an "assault" on unions in pushing emergency legislation that would change future collective-bargaining agreements that affect most public employees, including teachers.

The president's political machine worked in close coordination Thursday with state and national union officials to get thousands of protesters to gather in Madison and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals.

read more at: Obama joins Wisconsin's budget battle, opposing Republican anti-union bill

As stated in the article, this might come back to bite him in the ass come election time.

It's not an anti-union bill. It removes collective bargaining rights when it comes to BENEFITS.

The benefits are a major problem and they need to be reworked. Anybody who disagrees with that doesn't know much about the issue/

What is wrong is that teachers are forcing school districts to shutdown. This should be done on their time off and the on the weekends. It is SHAMEFUL to hurt the students education by striking.

Originally Posted by JoJoGunne

Of course...Obama can't keep his nose out of State issues. Especially when they are trying to get their financial house in order.

Perhaps he should concern himself with the Federal budget more and leave the States alone.




As stated in the article, this might come back to bite him in the ass come election time.

"The president's political machine worked in close coordination Thursday with state and national union officials to get thousands of protesters to gather in Madison and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals...."


A number of states are battling serious economic budget issues. (Here in Illinois we are the poster child for incompetence/corruption). Does seem surreal that a sitting president would have his minions coordinating protesters and demonstations against a several state legislations.

Sort of like he (Obama) is letting himself regress back to his community organizer days.

Seems a little troubling.....


.

Getting involved in this is at least a bad political move for Obama. It's basically handing his opponents an excuse to blast him on a plate. Cutting collective bargaining from the unions may be a little overboard, but the current situation is untenable, and if the unions will not negotiate the benefits package in good faith, then neutering them in order to get the budget under control is the only real option.

The damned GOP continues an unpaid for tax break for their rich buddies (which this country can't afford) & wants to shift the burden to middle class teachers. It's open class warfare & I say Goto Hell!!

Nope, very cut and Dry. Middle class people being asked to "show restraint" to cover the arses of the Banker elite who seem to have the financial acumen of a colander.
never mind that . Walker engineered this crisis after inheriting a surplus

the state's fiscal bureau -- the Wisconsin equivalent of the Congressional Budget Office -- concluded that Wisconsin isn't even in need of austerity measures, and could conclude the fiscal year with a surplus.

But keep your nose out it Mr. Obama it's just an attack on your base driven by attitudes similar to 19th century mill owners
I haven't the stomach to watch it but apparently Beck has linked it to the Global Caliphate.

Originally Posted by Singularity

Getting involved in this is at least a bad political move for Obama. It's basically handing his opponents an excuse to blast him on a plate. Cutting collective bargaining from the unions may be a little overboard, but the current situation is untenable, and if the unions will not negotiate the benefits package in good faith, then neutering them in order to get the budget under control is the only real option.

A contract is a contract. So..... cut the pay and benefits of management and workers who did not have the good sense to join, or organize, a union that would negioate a better deal for them than they could on there own. A contract was negioated, it was approved and signed by both parties.

Go to suppliers of services and goods to the state, insurance companies, utility cpmpanies, whoeverer sells them goods from copier paper to snowplows to paper clips to Stae police squad cars, etc. and tell them the state's in in dire economic straits and we need to reduce our payments to you bY X percent. THEY will say.......a contract is a contract, it was negioated in good faith and signed by both parties, now go piss up a rope.

The GOP NEVER misses a chance to try and weaken the economic position of the working man in general and the union working man in particular.

Originally Posted by Riddley

Nope, very cut and Dry. Middle class people being asked to "show restraint" to cover the arses of the Banker elite who seem to have the financial acumen of a colander.
never mind that . Walker engineered this crisis after inheriting a surplus

But keep your nose out it Mr. Obama it's just an attack on your base driven by attitudes similar to 19th century mill owners
I haven't the stomach to watch it but apparently Beck has linked it to the Global Caliphate.

Sounds like Walker was using measures that would be approved by Obama himself:

$25 million for an economic development fund for job creation, which still holds $73 million because of anemic job growth.

$48 million for private health savings accounts -- a perennial Republican favorite.

$67 million for a tax incentive plan that benefits employers, but at levels too low to spur hiring.

Not much different that what Obama has done on a national level, eh?

A little further research comes up with this:

(referring to the fiscal bureau report)

Here's what the report really said:

2010-11 General Fund Condition Statement
Based upon the November/December reports, the administration's general fund condition statement for 2010-11 reflects a gross ending balance (June 30, 2011) of $67.4 million and a net balance (after consideration of the $65.0 million required statutory balance) of $2.4 million.
Our analysis indicates a general fund gross balance of $121.4 million and a net balance of $56.4 million. This is $54.0 million above that of the administration's reports. The 2010-11 general fund condition statement is shown in Table 1.

arkred">Then you have the other items that were "forgotten"?

Minnesota/Wisconsin Income Tax Reciprocity Payment. On September 18, 2009, Minnesota's Governor informed Wisconsin's Governor that Minnesota was terminating the two states' income tax reciprocity agreement as of tax year 2010 (beginning January 1, 2010). Therefore, the agreement last applied to tax year 2009. Because more individuals live in Wisconsin and earn income in Minnesota than live in Minnesota and earn income in Wisconsin, Wisconsin's estimated net payment to Minnesota due on December 1, 2010, for tax year 2009, was $58.7 million. In addition, under the agreement, interest is applied to late payments. The daily interest cost owed to Minnesota is $4,584. To date, these payments have not been made.

Patients Compensation Fund. On July 20, 2010, the State Supreme Court ruled that the state cannot transfer monies out of the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund (Fund). In the 2007-09 state budget, $200 million was transferred from the Fund to advantage the general fund. The Court remanded the case to the circuit court with directions that the $200 million, with lost earnings and interest, be placed in the Fund. To date, the circuit court has not established an amount or date of payment.
A status conference was scheduled to be held on January 24, 2011, regarding progress of the parties in coming to an agreement in calculating earnings and attorney fees pertaining to the Fund transfer. That conference was cancelled and has been rescheduled for March 21, 2011. Pending the outcome of the court directive, the state may be required to return some, or all, of the court-ordered amount to the Fund in 2010-11.
2010-11 Appropriation Shortfalls
year.
There are some programs which are facing potential GPR shortfalls in the 2010-11 fiscal
Page 3
Medical Assistance. It is estimated that an additional $153.2 million GPR will be required to fund medical assistance (MA) benefit costs through June 30, 2011. The projected shortfall is primarily due to MA enrollment costs and service costs exceeding Act 28 estimates.
The current estimate reflects a number of adjustments that have partially offset the shortfall, including the following: federal legislation that extended, from December 31, 2010, to June 30, 2011, the period during which the state will receive an enhanced federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP); (b) the receipt of $23.1 million in federal "bonus payments" authorized under the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, for states that have simplified their enrollment and renewal processes; (c) $11.9 million in supplemental funding authorized by the Joint Committee on Finance at its December 14, 2010 meeting; and (d) $25.0 million in savings the state realized by making payments to managed care organizations in December, 2010, for services they will provide in January through April, 2011, in order to take advantage of the higher FMAP rates that applied prior to January 1, 2011.

The current estimate also reflects a reduction of $9.7 million in estimated GPR savings the MA program will generate under the Wisconsin Medicaid cost reporting (WIMCR) program in 2010-11, due to a change in the timing of payments the Department of Health Services will make to counties for certain MA-eligible services counties provide. This change is intended to address an issue raised by the Legislative Audit Bureau in a January 20, 2011, letter regarding certain 2009-10 expenditures that agencies charged to 2010-11 appropriations. Beginning in 2010-11, the costs of these payments will be charged to the fiscal year in which these payments are made.
In addition, the administration indicates that an additional $16.0 million GPR will be required in 2010-11 to support contracted administrative services for MA and other public assistance programs and an additional $5.0 million GPR will be required in 2010-11 to support income maintenance activities, including support for Milwaukee enrollment services.

Public Defender, Private Bar Shortfall. In December, 2010, the State Public Defender's shortfall was estimated at $8.9 million. After supplementation by the Joint Committee on Finance at its December 14, 2010, meeting, the remaining shortfall is projected at $3.5 million in 2010-11.

Department of Corrections. The Department of Corrections (DOC) is projecting an overall GPR funding shortfall of $21.7 million in 2010-11. According to the Department, the shortfall is associated with insufficient funding to address: the 2% raise provided for represented staff in 2009; (b) fringe benefit expenditures, which are higher than the anticipated supplement amount; (c) non-salary institutional costs, including health care services and inmate supplies; and (d) increased limited-term-employee costs related to providing mental health services.
Tosa Town Square

So, it appears that TPM misrepresented the report and Riddley eagerly gobbled up their gobbldy-gook.