tiredofhearingit
"The way the proposal would work is we would take the choice out of the collective bargaining process."
Thanks for proving my point. Taking one thing out of the "collective Bargaining process" is not taking away collective bargaining on everything except pay raises. There is a lot more to CB that was removed besides the insurance portion. This is the exact point of the unions who agreed to pay the pension and insurance payments if they could keep the rest of thier CB.

realist: Here's you answer - on page 3.
Walker supports a bill that would take away the right of unions to negotiate health care benefits. Ryan Murray, Campaign Policy Adviser for Walker, said "The way the proposal would work is we would take the choice out of the collective bargaining process."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/29/10

Tower while I respect your POV, using terms like "slave and theft" really dont do much for me, and takes away from legitimate points you did make.

Oligarchy (from Greek ὀλιγαρχία (oligarkhía); from ὀλίγος (olígos), meaning "a few", and ἄρχω (archo), meaning "to rule, to rule, to command") is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with a small number of people. These people could be distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, corporate, or military control. Such states are often controlled by a few prominent families who pass their influence from one generation to the next.

Sounds like America to me!! USA USA USA!!! Is that what the "founders" had in mind? Doubtful!

Tower - fair enough. I respect you at least for your honesty and adding something to the discussion(without crazy labelling and name calling) no matter how much I may disagree with you.
The thing that I would say is, do you want to belong to a country where those who have found a way strive and step on those who have not. Because I know that you think that every siungle American IS able but I am here to tell you that there are tens of millions of Americans that work as hard as they can , and still cannot survive in this plutocratic oligarchy. Tell the folks in Michigan/Detroit that they should just knuckle up and "just do it", many do nt have the means to just relocate and work elsewhere. Many(millions of) middle class hardworking Americans work hard , pay their insurance premiums and still are rendered bankrupt when they or their kids get ill, because the wonderful free-market insurance companies decide what they will and won't cover.
Honestly I am not here to make excuses , but to point out harsh realities. People can talk of "theft" when it comes to taxes, they can call people like me socialist, or even an evil liberal. Honestly I do not care. I believe tha the main question that you should ask yourselves is do you want to live in an Oligarchy, or you want to live in a society. I prefer a society.
I do not believe in the "cradle to grave" entitlement system that Fox news is constantly talking about. I believe in personal responsibility, however I do not believe that you are in complete control of your destiny anymore, and that in itself due to corruption in government, in the private sector working together with government is very , very sad for a great majority of Americans. Unfortunately it will take a few more decades of citizens united politics before the great majority of Americans will be impoverished and use the power that the founders gave us, and take this nation back from multi-national corps lobbying to change rules to screw over the majority and help the very well-off minority. Society or Oligarchy??

winterstinks said, "You make me want to throw up."

I hope your employer has no religious objections to including anti-emetic medications in your health insurance policy.

@ fear You know I can appreciate the sentiments you have concerning this but I as a personal decision will not accept state aid of any kind as I believe this guarantees one to be a slave. I am a firm believer of "give me freedom or give me death". I have never collected a dime of unemployment during layoff or state aid available to my son. I practice what I preach. It is not an issue of being a humanitarian it is an issue of theft. I am happy to help those less fortunate. I am very spiteful, however that I must do so with no control over where my money goes and under threat of an overbearing federal power. We have become a country where it is acceptable for the earners to pay the way of those who do not. This is not rocket science by the way in a democratic system that allows for socialism eventually the takers always outnumber the givers and that always leads to collapse. FYI the paint we use on towers is very low VOC and do not effect thought they are environmentally friendly of course they do not work as well as the older less eco friendly paint so your cell phone bill does go up.

""A moral sane person " Winter you are not sane , so therefore morality is impossible. You sound like an angry old person with many axes to grind. I wonder why should every taxpayer be subject to what your idea of morality is. Remember you are but one of 300 million taxpayers.
Towerpainter- I give you credit at least you clearly state that you subscribe to a letter for all of your beliefs. Sniff a little too much paint in those towers?? Calling others parasites speaks to your level of humanity. Congrats on being a barbarian. I ffor one hope that if you should get sick and need millions more in care trhan your insurance company is willing to cover, that you get it and dont have to listen to some monkey fart calling you a parasite for it. I also hope that if your 401k takes a huge dump in the market right before you retire , that SS is still around for you to actually live a decent lifestyle.
If you in your life eever use SS, Medicare, or medicaid you are the very parasite that you speak of. Chances are that you will use one or all of those services in your life. You Knucklehead.

winterstinks said, "A moral sane person would be against free contraceptives. Why? Guess! Sex without marriage is wrong, a sin. They are not going to do it on my dime. End of story."

1) It's not on your dime.

2) The contraceptives are not free. The contraceptives are being provided as part of an insurance policy being paid for by an employer. In addition, there may or may not be an employee co-pays.

3) What kind of logic would deny married couples access to contraceptives because you are opposed to unmarried couples having sex?

Oreally......Your last post made me laugh--thanks! You're a little bit of a hypocrite, aren't you buddy? You have been disrespecting Walker on this website since he got into office, and now you take the "preach tolerance" stance when it comes to Obama? Too funny!

I find the crude expressions of disrespect and even hate toward President Obama concerning. Hate is toxic, people, and it prevents you from thinking clearly. Please, strive to overcome your baser instincts. In the history of the human race, haters have never achieved anything positive, but they have done a lot of damage.

I don't hide my agenda I am ardent conservative on every level now that does put me at odds with republicans a part of the time and democrats almost all of the time. I did not support Mr. Cullen before nor do I support him now. Not only did he run away from his responsibilities earlier during all this unrest but now admits to still being a union lapdog in constant support to help them out. Given that he would have no chance to defeat our Governor it was a prudent decision for Mr. Cullen to use this as an excuse to drop out. This was a way to make room for another to take the fall if this recall actually takes place. "I can’t imagine what I would do, if I’m not serving in some capacity.” Let me translate that for you. I don't know what "I would do if I had to get a real job". As to the rest there is no such things as "union rights" under any constitution there are no group rights only God given INDIVIDUAL liberties which, by the way do not include "free" birth control. I have explained this before there is nothing free from government. The taxpayers foot the bill for this. Also you do not qualify as a taxpayer if you get all of your withholdings or more back every year. If you break even you are a parasite to the system just as much as those that get more back. So don't give me everyone pays taxes argument with the exceptions of FICA and sales tax and FICA is an ongoing welfare system.

I think of Cullen as Rubber Man. Maybe that's what the state needs after being traumatized by the rigid Bakelite Walker.

Thanks to Recent Reforms, Merit Pay Coming to Some Wisconsin School Districts
A merit pay program that incentivizes teachers is about to get a test run at the local level. Two Wisconsin school districts are moving forward with a plan that would reward good teachers with salary bonuses in the 2012-2013 school year.

The Cedarburg and Hartland-Lakeside School Districts will be amongst the first to institute merit pay programs for educators in the Badger State. Bonuses will be tied to teacher evaluations – instructors that earn high marks from administrators will be eligible for extra compensation in the following school year. In Cedarburg, these additional payments range from $1,700 to $2,200.

THANK YOU GOVERNOR WALKER
GOOD TEACHERS GET REWARDED WITH ACT10 vs. BAD TEACHERS UNDER UNION RULE.

It amazes me how you support Cullen for not signing a pledge, but all the righties that signed not to raise taxes are stars? The hypocrisy is hysterical!

Answer a direct question, with a direct answer? Good luck on that one!

winterstinks asked, "poobah doesn't believe in freedom of speech?"

Of course I believe in freedom of speech. I said absolutely nothing that would make a reasonable person think I didn't. Or is it that you just come up with a smoke screen like that when it gets a bit too hot for you? I had hoped you would take advantage of your freedom of speech to answer my question in reply to your remark that contraceptives promote sex.

Are you opposed to sex or are you only opposed to safe sex?"

So to your point Winter its not YOUR money , its our money and some of US dont have a problem with contraceptives being forced in coverage. Just because you do , doesnt make it YOUR money. Plus once it is taken out of your check, its not yours anymore. Geez.
dont know why I even repond to people that compare any American Politicians to a party that was directly responsible for the slaughter of 8 million jews, you sir are a true idiot.

""BTW fear, have all your teacher friends or relatives obtained part time jobs to make up for having to pay more for insurance and pension payments?""
Not all, but some yes!! Many of my friends with families(kids) mortages , etc that arent exactly living high on the hog are now working part time to keep their homes , vehicles , and standard of living where it is.
My brother, who is a younger teacher lost almost 10% of his annual salary is now working 3 nights a week and weekends to make up for it and so he can keep putting money away for his kids college.

""Holding an a bachelors degree in education does not make you effective.......""
You keep making that statement as if that means something. It just makes you qualified to teach, because when trusting people to be such important public servants, what else would you suggest? A panel of people like you and others who like to THINK they have an idea of the dynamics of a classroom, but really have a political axe to grind and nothing else?
Offer real solutions instead of ridiculous hyperbole, and it might be easier to listen. You offer nothing. A bachelors degree in education shows that you have made the decision to make an attempt toward a acreer in education. Who should we trust this to? What should be the qualifications? Arent you the same person who has stated that the "young teachers"(college grads) should be the ones to be the highest paid?Now to a person with ZERO knowledge of reality in a classroom, wants to talk about what makes a teacher qualified? What would qualified be to you? A High school grad that is an anti-union young republican? What would be on your list of qualifications? Who would be the person, people to determine who is/isnt qualified?

""
I have to call the medical examiner every morning to remove all the dead bodies in front of my driveway because of the law passed to carry a concealed weapon.......catch my drift?
""
No I dont Vato, because I support cc. The problem with the idiotic way its been rammed through in this state is the lack of training required. That aside, I support CC so no I dont "catch your drift" they are 2 completely separte issues. Record cuts to education adn Concealed carry legislation? Is that where you want to go? Maybe comparable in the lack of thought when passed by the morons in control.

""700 people polled.....yeah fear.....a real valid poll.........get out of here with that garbage........."" you and all of your friends have been touting that poll when it favored the Governor.
Again, the voting public by wide margins supports funding for public education. In almost every poll done. So you can hate the poll all you like the FACT of the matter is that the VAST majority of the state does NOT support cuts to education, and its not even arguable.

""I would too reconsider if I had to deal with most of the negative nellies in education who only like to bang drums instead of focusing on improving education......""
Another statement made by someone with really no clue and not based in any sort of factual world.

Winterstinks its not YOUR money, wake up buttercup!

RAF, time for you to to give winterstinks your "nothing is free" speech. Contraceptives promote sex, winterstinks? Are you opposed to sex or are you only opposed to safe sex?

Actually, I was surprised the union snubbed Cullen. He has always been a shill for the unions. Cullen is an architect of the fiscal woes of the Janesville School System. It wasn't long ago that he had a hissy fit when a board member suggested outsourcing custodial sick day replacements because of the scam custodians were pulling. It would seem the unions want 250% obedient servitude and Tim only offered 240%. Do not confuse him with a moderate - that he is not. Never has he uttered a single word of criticism to the uncivil behavior of his occupier fans. Instead, Cullen based in their adoration.

29 percent favored and 65 percent opposed reductions in state aid to public school

https://law.marquette.edu/poll/2012/01/2...

Of course unless test scores drop instatntaneously there is no effect on public ed,right?
Hard to ask complex questions ofsomeone who has hard enough time with 1+1=2 , take your head out of the sand vato, and look around, you may be surprised what you find.
I would suggest taking an Algebra course , and staying away from fast food restaurants. Maybe then you could understand a little bit better about variables, and instant gratification.
Winterstinks, Nazis? Another really dumb label from a really dumb person, congrats!!

Of course you dont , because unfortunately you cant see past your own ignorance. Teaching is quickly becoming a devalued profession, and many who may have thought of entering the profession out of college will reconsider. Why would you gain a $50k plus education that has limited salary , and can be restricted by greedy do nothing, say everything politicians. Can be constantly attacked by people who know nothing of what it takes to be an effective teacher, but think they know everything. Understand a little more Mr. Vomit?

Please POINT out one lie vato, just one. Thanks!! Puke , vomit, ooze? A whole new set of labels from a very simple minded , unintelligent individual. Keep on trucking.

So Tim would not placate the Unions so they took their ball and chose to play a different game. Those of you who still do not get is surely can see now who runs the Dems party.
Falk for governor? No Falk'n way.

Read your last two comments, winterstinks, paying attention to spelling errors, grammatical errors and the abundance of ignorance. And you're brazen enough to use the term Odumba to refer to others?

BTW- what are economic realities? Walker told us he blanced the budget, we now know that wasn't reality. Walker has awarded dozens of appointees in state government, paid with your prcious tax dollars with very large raises. Is that reality?
I guess your definition of an economic reality depends on your friends these days doesnt it?
I love generalizations with no specifics, very easy to pick apart.
The reality is that a vast majority of Wisconsinites disagree with your contentions that act 10 is working, especially when it comes to public ed funding where in a recent poll , Wisconsinites oppose the record cuts in funding to education 70% to 30. Any guesses how many of that 30% are empty nesters who already got their public ed paid for and dont think that they should have to contribute??

ACT 10 is working? How exactly is it "working"?? I would like some specifics please. If you wish to look at public education like a balance sheet then I guess your idea of what is working and what is not is different than mine. We should be making rteaching a more attractive career choice not less. Unfortunately many of you fail to see the value in a publicly educated society, you would rather pay 20 dollars less a year in property taxes than see children have well-paid , good teachers. Because YOU are struggling, so should they? Nice logic TCB. We as a society are taxed less now than in the last 60 years, why all the whining?

Fear,

ACt 10 is working just as Walker promised. Walker has been vindicated-this issue lies with a teachers union unwilling to accept economic realities.

""In fact isn't it the unions fault for rushing to lock in a new contract for 2-3 years last year the reason why again there is a huge deficit facing the Janesville School District?""
MacD- This is a perfect example of the exact repetetive talking points coming from the supporters of Walker etc... The Janesville contracts were not rushed into, they were negotiated over a YEAR AND A HALF!! They were signed in SEPTEMBER Walker was elected in November and "dropped his bomb" in February. So this notion that has been repeated over and over by the Walker parrots is just false , wrong, and a lie, flat out, bottom line, period, not even arguable.
Maybe instead of repeating talking points we can actually start thinking for ourselves a little bit, instead of the same old blah, blah, blah. Do you have any Idea how many times I have had to refute that EXACT claim? At least 2 dozen,in these blogs alone!!

As usual Ezoner you just regurgitate labels when you have nothing to add. I do not proclaim to be the middle , left, or right of any point of view. You clearly have laid out the map for what you believe to be "far left" , thanks for that one Bill Orielly.
I don't know why you fools cannot understand how people can believe in something without subscribing to an ideology? Maybe because you just are incapable of independant thought.
People like you claim that I have stated that I am "middle of the road", other labellers like bebe say that I claim to be libertarian, many of you call me socialist. Those are the tactics of rpeaters who have no substance to add to a discussion.
I hold MANY positions on either side of the proverbial "aisle" , the difference between me and many of you right/left wing parrots , I have clearly thought out my positions and hold beliefs firmly.
So to you bebe and the rest of the simple minded labellers enjoy your tea, me I will keep thinking for myself, living in the real world of facts, not fearandrhetoricfor.......dummmies(ezoner,donnaw,fedup,kaysbrew,etc...parrots)

Tim, you're a good man with an idea that being fair and moral will win you political respect... when in fact our system is so broken - it's the opposite. You still have the respect of those who elected you - and many more in the country for what you have done, what you're doing, and where you're going. Please don't give up, we need you in office.

tiredofhearingit
Guess what, I looked at your link and no where in there does it say anything about collective bargaining. It does talk about health care payments and wrs payments but I must of missed the collective bargaining part. If i did miss it please cut and paste the paragraph on here so I can site exactly what you are talking about. If you have any other links to sites of walker "campagning" on destroying public unions collective bargaining rights I would love to see those as well. It seems to me you must have had a magic crystal ball in 2010. you and macdaddy should read something other than the blogs from wislady, ezoner, vat ect.

I use the Avalon Rd-I90/39 interchange every day.

--

From now on, it will be the "Cullen Interchange". Everyone should call it that.

--

For those of you that hate Unions must not understand them what-so-ever. It must be a sad life you have to only worry about bashing other that want to make things better for others. If you nevet got any good out of Uniont you must not have put amything in. Just everything if Life you gain only what you put into. Nothing is free. A Union is the entire group not the leaders just like America. The good of all out-ways the good of a few. Pretty simple but hard to understand for some!

janesvillejoe

maybe he should have said he would fight for ALL workers and the right to CHOSE whether or not to join a union, and pay union dues.

Wislady,
-
If Cullen (or any legislator) were to say that he would continue to fight for women's rights in Wisconsin, would you assume he meant that he will only fight for women's rights and nothing else? Of course not.
-
At some point, you have to take the blinders off.

realist: Maybe you should try reading a little as well and regarding your comment of spewing lies and believing everything you hear - why doesn't the Anti-Walker clan start telling the truth about Collective Bargaining. He campaigned on the issue yet the left says he never mentioned it or said how he would balance the budget. All lies - I knew it before the election in 2010 and guess what, I didn't even have a WEAC newsletter mailed to my house. See page 2 & 3
http://www.weac.org/luc/newsletters/Octo...

"They urged him to continue fighting for union rights in Wisconsin.
Cullen replied that he would."

So, does he only support unions, not the majority of Wisconsin hard working citizens?

You want to fix things? Get rid of mandatory WEAC. Done. Next topic

Hats off for Tim Cullen,I agree with and respect his decision. There have long been stories of Union leaders acting more like the people they're supposed to be opposing than the people they're representing. Standing up and saying that he isn't ready to force the issue just because of some bad blood and out of what really is becoming spite is A+ in my book.

Liverpool. What makes you think that the unions "owning" a candadate makes them somehow better than your claim of out of state billionaires "owning" a candidate? In either case, the person, when elected does not represent the people. That is the problem with the whole idea of this recall. It is one small group of people (union supporters) that think they have the right to tell elected people what to do. If you think otherwise, you are not being honest.

I am as much for the recall of wanker as anybody, but I also feel Mary Bell and Marty Beil should not have asked for the pledge. We need a governor and legislature that are open and honest. We are not getting that with wanker.

I continue to find it disturbing that so many are so upset about union members (Wisconsin citizens) interested in endorsing candidates, but are not upset at all about out of state billionaires buying our State politicians. These out of state billionaires are not looking out for any of you. They are looking to depress wages and benefits throughout the country so they can make more money. What we really need, is to get all money out of politics so the politicians actually do what is best for Wisconsin and not for whoever gives them the most money.

Why do I keep hearing A flock of seagulls singing I ran?

Macdaddy,
Maybe you should spend a little less time Mackin' and more time reading. There were only about 200 articles in this paper about the teachers contract that was signed before the walker crap and it was the school board that wanted the 4 year contract. Keep spewing lies and believing everything you hear. It is obvious you don't have the ability to research anything and only listen to gossip and BS from your buddies. It is one thing if your opinion is based on facts, it is completely ignorant when it is based on BS.
Your Comment,
"In fact isn't it the unions fault for rushing to lock in a new contract for 2-3 years last year the reason why again there is a huge deficit facing the Janesville School District?"
A real genius aren't you?

Union endorsement has no credibility in my book. 12 years in a union and they never one time endorsed a republican in any race. No way in twelve years only one party had the best canidate in every race.

Ezoner...exactly!

hdonlybob -- Fear is only interested in supporting far left agendas while proclaiming to be middle of the road. He thinks he is a magic man.... look at my right hand -- while I trcik you with my left......He really not intersted in fair, or facts. Only in left wing ideology.

Careful there Fear....
My comment does not change my non support of him. I still would not vote for him. However I try to recognize positives in anyone, regardless of party affiliation, and he does deserve respect for this action....kinda like respecting a sports opponent for his/her skills in a game.. :-)

"I was railroaded by a couple of union leaders who were not representing their members" And that, ladies and gentlemen is the problem with the unions and a lesson that the last 12 months should have taught. I've been a union officer, I detest Scott Walker, but the unions deserve to lose for continuing to be so arrogant and instituting that ridiculous and election losing pledge.

Too bad, Tim. You would have been a great governor.

So, Mr. Cullen would not sign the pledge, but will automatically support the candidate that did.
Sorry, no respect here.

Falk the Unions!!

I'm not a Cullen fan by any means but at least he can say he wasn't bought and paid for by the Union! Corruption at its best, right?

His trip to Rockford disappointed me but his stance on the overall good for the state without blind loyalty to the unions reassures me of why I voted for Tim. I’m a Walker supporter and when this whole recall movement started gaining steam, I could see Cullen being a formidable challenge to Walker. Since that’s not going to happen, I like Walker’s chances to beat Falk or any one else who decides to run.

Now that the “College of Cardinals” has had their wings clipped, they are called the "School of Stooges".

This is not surprising in the least. Cullen said the right thing but the union bosses, who run the democratic party, were having none of this.

how does cuts to education, where employees could make up the difference by contributing a little more to their OWN retirement have anything to do with the kids?

In fact isn't it the unions fault for rushing to lock in a new contract for 2-3 years last year the reason why again there is a huge deficit facing the Janesville School District?

Admit Fear: Neither side truly cares about the so called kids? They are just playing on them for emotion's sake! The unions care about keeping union dues mandatory and the other side wants to make them optional and they both realize the long-term consequences if either side wins the recall election. If teacher's truly cared about educating children they would be willing in light of the past 4 years economic downturn, of which their wages nor benefits ever went down, to contribute a little more to their OWN retirement and health benefits. Is that really that evil of a request???

Most in the private sector have had to make those same sacrifices and are hardly willing, while making less than a few years ago, continue to have taxes raised at every level to make sure someone doesn't have to contribute to their OWN benefits.

I really think the democrats are going to be in for a surprise when our state does not vote for Obama in the fall along with overwhelmingly re-electing Governor Walker if there is a recall election.

I give him credit for seeking to continue to work for the benefit of local union workers while also recognizing that 'Marty and Mary' have their own political agendas that, if you ask me, aren't helping their cause. Backing Kathleen Falk is a mistake. I hope a good candidate emerges soon.

I also LOVE all of the right wing midgets on here that as early as yesterday calling him every name in the book, are now calling him a man of charecter. No thanks friends we dont need you now, stay away. many of us whom support the good senator understand that he is a good man, and don't require support for any pledge one way or another to know this.
For a great many people the recalls are NOT solely about act 10 or CB, many of us have other reasons as well. Obviously those who hate unions, have only that axe to grind and are blind to every other issue where this governor has failed so miserably. Number 1 the record funding cuts handed down to public education. Number 2 huge raises to political appointees paid with tax dollars.
I could list at leats 10 other completely legitimate issues that are not ACT 10, yet all of the opponents of recalling these people want to ignore the failures of these people. Just union this and union that. Same old simpleton GARBAGE.

Wislady- Someone has to care about the kids, because you and most of the right wing "freinds" certainly don't. Your bantering about who "cares" and who doesnt deserves a reply. You are such a disgusting ideologue. Leave the kids out of it, hating their teachers because they feel they need protection from fools like you and your governor , is truly pathetic. Like most of your posts.

Where was the press at this college of cardinals meeting? It is safe to assume that any democrat running and attending these college of cardinal meetings are recieving their marching orders from these union leaders. The irony that Cullen feels is telling. Now that he has become the target of union demands Cullen finds it appropriate to ask the "rank and file" how they feel! For decades Cullen was the recipient of good will from the union leadership and didn't find it necessary to consult with rank and file now he agrees? I wonder if Mrcullen actually believes that the membership rank and file subscribe to the political talking points the leaders say or does Cullen finally understand that forcing people to pay union dues to support a political position the member does not believe in is inherently unfair.

I applaude Mr Cullens reason for standing up the union demands and he is absolutely correct in say that it is irresponsible to committ to a veto without knowing what the Budget would look like. The union leadership is not concerned about doing what is responsible the union is and only is concerned aout protecting and expanding its benefits at the expense of tax payers.

It's nice that Sen. Cullen has his own press secretary.

Will tomorrow bring yet another Cullen story?

Reality for Cullen, the unions care about him as much as they care about the kids.

I was railroaded by a couple of union leaders who were not representing their members.”....and so it goes....and so it goes..... and so will you soon i suppose

Here we go again with the Koch/Walker smoky, backroom deal theory. Yet, a 20 minute secretly taped "Koch"/Walker phone call left Walker smelling fresh as a daisy. In other words, no secret deals happening.

Macdaddy: How is it a backroom deal if it is public? Better look at what the Koch brothers are doing if you want to learn about backroom deals?

I just love it how the Unions say this is not all about them, but the so-called middle class, yet they are making backroom deals with potential candidates and even have support for candidates before a primary is scheduled or for that matter the recall is even official.

the union leaders show their true colors, it is all about them.

And again, I do not understand why people are so upset when Walker did a GREAT thing by allowing people to opt of mandatory union dues. Again that saves the middle-class. But that doesn't get enough pub.

Since the other choice for Governor would be Walker, it's easy to say any democratic candidate is preferable. My cat, is preferable to Walker.

“I will endorse the Democratic candidate,” - really?! a $60 Billion, 1,500 page document was too much for Cullen to commit to but you will endorse the Democratic candidate already? Knowing full well whomever it is most likely will have to pledge exactly that. Also not knowing what else will K Falk or others may promise away to the unions? You have no idea, yet you already threw your hat in the ring for whomever. Amazing, and Cullen considers himself a moderate leader when it appears he's just willing to go toe in step with whatever they say, more like a sheep than a leader - so long as its not his voting record, huh.Interesting.

I am not a Cullen supporter, and have voiced my discust over his Clock Tower Inn escapade...
But his action on this stupid Union request just brought him a bunch of respect from me.
Good for him.

Cullen has skin of steel to still support the unions even after this. Many would have said it is time to hang up the hat and just be done with it. My personal feelings are that Cullen is a man of character and is for the people. Have what opinion you have of him for his run to Illinois, but no one can say he is a sell-out.

poobah:I'd call you a libtard, but someone may again not realize I'm joking. So all I'll say is that Cullen and Schultz are two people who seem to work together. Therefore, they have my respect.

Cullen made the right decision to not agree to the pledge. The unions lost one of their most effective legislators as a candidate for governor in exchange for a candidate who has much less of a chance of defeating Walker and an even lesser chance of repealing the collective bargaining and union dues legislation. The unions need to stop their guppy-like behavior of eating their own.