Wisconsin by AURaptor

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Wisconsin

POSTED BY: AURAPTOR
UPDATED: Friday, June 15, 2012 12:27
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Monday, June 11, 2012 10:16 AM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Quote:
Actually, your pension probably is funded in part by taxpayer dollars.
If you're a public employee, and part of the contribution to your pension plan is made by the government (Federal, state, or local) that employs you, that money most likely comes from some sort of taxes.

Not at all. I am not a federal, state, or local employee. Neither my salary nor any benefits are paid by taxes. So there you go.

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Monday, June 11, 2012 3:04 PM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Go Sig. There's also the fact that contributions to pension/healthcare are paid for by the employees and EMPLOYERS. That's true in the private sector; why should it be different in the public sector? To say it's taxpayers' dollars contributing is amusing when you think of the fact that it's CONSUMERS' dollars who fund pension/healthcare for the private sector (for those lucky enough to HAVE pension/healthcare). So consumers are paying for both in the end: goods/services provided by companies (public and private) which contribute to their pension/healthcare.

How about a little education on that "union" thing, and where we stand, politically:

2010 Biggest Outside Groups Campaign Spending:

Conservatives:

American Action Network
American Crossroads
Crossroads GPS
American Future Fund
Americans for Job Security
Chamber of Commerce

Liberals:

SEIU
AFSCME
National Education Association

There's also the National Association of Realtors, but they divide pretty equally. Ergo, if you took the unions out of the picture, who would there be to oppose the wishes of conservatives? The Republicans could virtually "run the table" without much opposition, and certainly with little if any organizations with the money to compete with them.

At which point, who's left to represent the working people of America? You can make all kinds of noise about unions "taking" money to contribute to Democrats, but I'll bet if you asked the workers who GIVE that money to support progressive causes and politicians, they'd be grateful there's someone to represent them against the corporate and moneyed interests who don't give a shit about them.

Let's try this (all of the following comes from http://www.opensecrets.org/index.php, compiled by figures from the FEC): As of June 11, 2012, 589 groups organized as Super PACs have reported total receipts of $220,454,152. American Crossroads ALONE has $29,927,515...over 10%. So of 589 groups, American Crossroads "represents" over 10% of all SuperPAC money!

If we look at just the SuperPACs which have over $10 mil, the three biggest conservative SuperPACs have a total of $110,348,114; there's only one liberal SuperPAC, with a grand total of $10,578,305. So conservative SuperPACs make up ALMOST HALF of the money in all SuperPACs; liberal SuperPACs make up about 10%.

Let's try the 20 top PAC contributors, 2011-2012. Twelve of them give the highest percentage to Republicans, with the top four giving the most to Republicans.

Foreign corporations can contribute now, too. Guess who they give the most to?

Total: $9,304,207
To Dems: $3,851,526
To Repubs: $5,454,681

How about top 20 PACs for Democratic candidates:

American Assn for Justice
Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees
Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union
Operating Engineers Union
Plumbers/Pipefitters Union
Teamsters Union
Sheet Metal Workers Union
United Food & Commercial Workers Union
Ironworkers Union
American Federation of Teachers
Carpenters & Joiners Union
AmeriPAC: The Fund for a Greater America
National Assn of Realtors
National Assn of Letter Carriers
Communications Workers of America
UNITE HERE
National Beer Wholesalers Assn
American Postal Workers Union
Honeywell International

To 20 PACs supporting Republican candidates:

Every Republican is Crucial PAC
Honeywell International
AT&T Inc
American Bankers Assn
Freedom Project
National Beer Wholesalers Assn
National Auto Dealers Assn
National Assn of Realtors
Lockheed Martin
Koch Industries
Exxon Mobil
Deloitte & Touche
Boeing Co
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
United Parcel Service
PricewaterhouseCoopers
New York Life Insurance
National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn
Associated Builders & Contractors

Look like a bunch who'd just love to donate to Dems? So take the unions out of that equation, and look who's running away with the money. Should explain pretty clearly why the Republicans want to kill ALL unions.

Leaving out corporations v. unions, in the 2012 election campaign, most of the money given to super PACs has come not from corporations but from wealthy individuals. Of course we don't know who most of them are, given the lack of transparency required for SuperPACs, but anyone want to take bets how many "wealthy individuals" contribute to Democrats as opposed to Republicans? The top 100 individual super PAC donors in 2011–2012 made up just 3.7% of contributors, but accounted for more than 80% of the total money raised. So again, take out unions, and it's the wealthy individuals and corporate interest groups who have the most influence in our politics.

The bullshit about union power is pretty ridiculous. The way things are now, they have by far less to work with than corporate, wealthy and special-interest groups on the right. Thank you, Supremes. It was a lot closer before Citizens United, but once again, the bought-and-paid-for Supremes bowed to their "masters". So now if the Repubs manage to kill the unions (which have been going down in membership, power and money for decades anyway), gues who runs the country?

Unions are the biggest representative of the American workers; they are for the most part the ONLY powerful voice the workers have. As we all know, they're responsible for almost all the things that benefit workers since they began...you know, stuff like five-day workweeks, lunch breaks, overtime, and so much more...NONE of which benefit corporate interests or the wealthy--as in "Republicans"--so it's only natural they want to get rid of them. Given the facts and figures, everything else is just bullshit.

Obviously none of this means anything to those who live and breathe by right-wing talking points, I put it up for the edification of any THINKING people here who might be interested.

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Monday, June 11, 2012 6:40 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

"Actually, your pension probably is funded in part by taxpayer dollars."

Ah yes, Geezer. Ever the pretender as THE source of TRUTH, when in actual fact, he's just babbling - but with pretentiousness.

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Tuesday, June 12, 2012 3:41 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
Actually, your pension probably is funded in part by taxpayer dollars.
If you're a public employee, and part of the contribution to your pension plan is made by the government (Federal, state, or local) that employs you, that money most likely comes from some sort of taxes.
Not at all. I am not a federal, state, or local employee. Neither my salary nor any benefits are paid by taxes. So there you go.

So how do you become a public employee? Just asking.

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Tuesday, June 12, 2012 5:46 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK

Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:
Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
Actually, your pension probably is funded in part by taxpayer dollars.
If you're a public employee, and part of the contribution to your pension plan is made by the government (Federal, state, or local) that employs you, that money most likely comes from some sort of taxes.
Not at all. I am not a federal, state, or local employee. Neither my salary nor any benefits are paid by taxes. So there you go.

So how do you become a public employee? Just asking.

Good question...

I know I'd have ZERO problems the rest of my life on the Government dole....

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Wednesday, June 13, 2012 2:10 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
Actually, your pension probably is funded in part by taxpayer dollars.
If you're a public employee, and part of the contribution to your pension plan is made by the government (Federal, state, or local) that employs you, that money most likely comes from some sort of taxes.
Not at all. I am not a federal, state, or local employee. Neither my salary nor any benefits are paid by taxes. So there you go.

And once again, how are you a public employee who is not a federal, state, or local employee, and whose salary or benefits are not paid for by taxes?

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Friday, June 15, 2012 12:27 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

This made me laugh -

" We're all just folk. " - Mal

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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