Cute, so what did you want me to post Lar80? How unions are opening contracts to try to find a way to use Scooter's "tools"... or how they already made concessions before he continued to attack them? Or how from a state that is so broke, where he has cut hundreds of millions from educating our youth, AND yet somehow finds millions to give to his biggest supporters? You best stay in the magic kingdom!

MadCityDad
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Thanks for the well thought out response. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop on the jobs thing.. What was Walker thinking about when he made that promise? I wonder if some part of his plan went terribly wrong, or if maybe he never really meant it... I would guess the former, but things are really not going to plan in that case :)
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4bears
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Thank you too for your golden nuggets of wisdom. Rarely does one hear such concise opinions beyond the basement of some poor mother in law.

Lar80 ... you just keep living in your own little "magical world"............

Lar80, we have different definitions of broke. Fair enough. As the state is required to have a balanced budget for each 2 year budget cycle, I still maintain we are not broke. WI came into the calendar year 2011 with a projected surplus for the fiscal year that ended June 30. Still not broke until Walker took over.
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I'm no fan of Doyle; He was a friend to anyone who gave him a contribution and gave a lot of breaks to groups that ended up decreasing revenues for the state (i.e. the tribal gaming compacts).
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Walker has stated recently that he wishes he went about things differently. Not sure if he actually means it or it is just talk. I think if he had handled things better he could have achieved his goals without all the venom and protests. Even with all his rhetoric, he has increased spending from JD's last stimulus bloated budget and hasn't created any jobs.
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In any case, we can respectfully agree to disagree on what "broke" means. I completely agree with your last sentence.

I have decided I will post this message every time the Gazette post one of Eyster's blogs.

GAZETTE: Please DISCONTINUE this blog.

Hopefully others will post the same thing and the Gazette will get the message.

Mad City Dad
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"Broke" means that when the end of the month/year/paycycle comes along, that you have spent more than you have taken in.
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It is "magical thinking" when people, families and governments proceed with continued spending for years and years under these circumstances.
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Governer Doyle was a friend to the unions. I think we can agree on that.. The unions refused for years to compromise with their friend Gov. Doyle and continued to recieve increases that could not be afforded or simply worked "without" a contract for extended periods.. Gov. Doyle warned the unions about being stiff necked.. The unions ignored him.
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Enter Gov. Walker.. Not a fried of the unions.. If the unions would not deal with a friend, what chance did Gov. Walker have? So he nuked the whole thing.. I disapprove of the way he went about it.. But I understand why it was done.
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I'm not a fan of eliminating collective bargaining.. But the budget will be balenced, and the unions by their DEMONSTRATED ACTIONS created the perfect storm for their current crippled condition.
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I hope the unions will wake up and find a way to reclaim collective bargaining and use it with wisdom during hard times.

fake christian, now that made me laugh. that's like a fake union person right...pays into the plate every week for that chance you might need em in a foxhole?

MadCityDad,
Thanks for a well thought out and stated answer.
Nice to see for a change.

bob, broke means no money. We're not broke. The WRS is fully funded, the state is able to make payroll and pay it's bills every month and we have $66 billion dollars in the state budget. That's not broke.
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I'm not denying there are budget issues and it's clear there isn't enough money to do everything that everyone wants to do, but we are far from destitute. Figuring out how to spend the money we have to have the highest benefit to all the people of the state is a challenge, but don't buy into the notion that Wisconsin is wearing a barrel. Other states are far worse off than we are.

When will the folks with their heads in the clouds wake up ??
This is 2011, and you can't go back...you can blame Walker, Obama, Bush, the other Bush, or Clinton, or whoever you want too...(and let's not forget Governor Doyle...)
But the facts today are we are broke....yes this whole country as well as Wisconsin...
Cuts need to be made. Maybe all are not equal in all minds, but good gracious, we are all in serious trouble.
Get used to making sacrifices....this is just the start....and with Congress at an all time rating of ~13%...you sure can't blame one party or another....they all need replacing. FAST...Just saying....

'The great Scott Walker' now that made me LAUGH OUT LOUD. Great at cheating in college, great at cronyism, great at political spin, but a poor excuse for a human being. Anyone ever heard of the golden rule?
Scott Walker= bad eagle scout, fake Christian.

Great governor? Now that's a good one. With the cronyism and raises he has handed to his friends or sons of donors I would suggest maybe we stop with this whole, us vs them political stance that everyone seems to take. I disagree with most of the republicans here on the,"were broke" line. If that were even close to true then how is it that the great governor can look at you with a straight face while handing out hefty raises to his fiends?
If the workers in Wisconsin government don't get a raise, the cronies shouldn't either. Governor of the year? Lol, by the govs association that is easily a conservative majority, so like anything else wislady says its slanted rhetoric.

eyester, your poetic license should be revoked. Perhaps our great governor thinks that the UW system can get by without the frivolous spending they have exercised in the past. Do you really believe that an educational system needs huge marble buildings with expansive spaces and expensive artwork? I don't. If you give an agency a million bucks, they will spend it and say it's not enough. so you give em 2 million and they spend it and say it's not enough. well, the great scott walker is saying "enough is enough"

Please don't include "me" in your "WE THE PEOPLE"
My thinking process is 180 degrees from yours- change it to "SOME OF THE PEOPLE"
Thanks

For a man of the cloth, you sure do think about money and power a lot John. In my opinion, you aren't worth 1/3 your pay. Your students back me up on this. You're a liberal hack with an entitlement mentality.
Sorry for being redundant.

When the money is all gone, it is all gone. End of story.

wonder when the lefties will get around to looking at the million dollar question...namely WHY is tuition ungodly high? Nah, they would rather complain that Walker is not strong arming the taxpayer to give them more money. I do get a kick out of the first line of this article..perhaps you will garner some sympathy with some folk rather than some woman being stripped and beaten in Egypt. After all, greedy public servants having to do with less is FAR more important,,,,

Its a fact.....that money spent on education in the long run creates more jobs than money given to corporations....always has and always will, unfortunately our college dropout/academic cheat Governor and his suppoters don't want to hear that and want everyone brought down to their level

Eyster, you remind me of my uncle Ottar he was a subborn norwegian also

Sad how people think pay should be judged based on a degree and not what a position is worth. Trying to compare PhD pay between teaching and non teaching fields is always funny to watch.

By the way, most UW professors are completely under paid- PhD for Madison start at $59,000. But this is not the actual pay, as you have to take away the health insurance co-pay and retirement. A new PhD can leave the state and start at 2 year colleges for $90 to $120. The thing to keep in mind is that in most fields, the pay outside will be significantly higher for a PhD, but the UW system needs to be competitive. For those of you who say it is too much for such little work, why don't you go back to school and get the PhD in your field to meet the need then?

Of course you would be against it eyester, you're anti Walker after all! Hopefully you will get the pay cut that you deserve! GO WALKER!

Holy apoplexy, John! An "attack" on the UW system!!!! Wow, what an overstatement! It's easy to tell that you have skin in the game. The budget cuts must be hitting a little too close to home.

Didn't I once see something from you about shared sacrifice not long ago, John? I guess you didn't mean your share.

I wonder why the Gazette doesn't just subscribe to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to republish its editorial content, since John seems to be trying to do that anyway in a round-about fashion. Of course, then we wouldn't get the benefit of John's gushing over their "wisdom" and his keen insight into which of their editorials he thinks are worthwhile. Heaven knows we need his input!

Mommy its not fair!!!! Okay john stop stomping your feet and at least try acting like an adult.

Thank you, S Walker....Governor of the Year!

No amount of money will make a bad teacher a good teacher, Milwaukee schools prove that.

Yeah....

Where was the outrage when Diamond Jim Doyle make huge cuts in state funding for the UW system? Prior to Doyle (and this is only for UWW), the majority of funding came from the state, after Doyle took office, that burden was put disproportionately on students.. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?...

LAR 80... There is not enough money, because Walker gave way too much to his wealthy friends.
I do not begrudge
the RICH getting RICHER, as long as the POOR don't get POORER.

Merry Christmas Mr. E!
Being a constituent of Mr. Olsen, I would tell you to not hold your breath on an answer. Once upon a time he did listen to his constituents and his conscience, now IMO he does not. Still waiting for a reply from Sept.

totellthetruth...The reason for the season would not do many things the way they are being done IMO. I remember things like..do unto others as you would have done to you...suffer the little children to come to me, and forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of God...there too was a story of loaves and fishes. Those kinds of things.

I hope all have the blessings of Christmas. Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.

Walker takes a small step to try and reverse years of the Democrat’s excessive spending, and Eyster wants to turn Christmas Eve into Kristallnacht. Take a deep breath, son, and try to keep things in perspective.

Christmas season is in a way a perfect time to announce these cuts, and here’s why. Christmas has turned into a time where almost everyone temporarily lives outside of their means, spending more on gifts than they can really afford. It’s always well-intended but ill-advised, and when January brings the credit card bills in the mail, there is plenty of regret. So it goes with entitlement programs and state universities that are free to spend and grow virtually unchecked, until the bill comes in the mail. Then reality intrudes, we have to give our heads a shake, and hope there is a responsible person running things who would rather make cuts than continue to tax and borrow.

It couldn’t be more obvious that Walker wants to slice into your personal rice bowl, and honestly, I can’t think of a better place to start.

Rediscover the reason for the season, Eyster. Round up some old friends, share some Christmas cheer, go around your neighbourhood caroling, and try to remember what we’re supposed to be celebrating tomorrow.

John,
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"WE THE PEOPLE" Don't have enough money.
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The UW is taking cuts because there is not enough money.. Not because Gov. Walker is a big meanie!
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Your rhetoric, using words like "ATTACK" is hiedous, childish and much akin to a foot stomping tantrum from a child who can't have what he wants..
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Look Jr. The family is out of money. It's time to tighten the belts for a season, until things are better.
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I'm a teacher who took a sizable reduction in salary and benefits,,, BECAUSE THERE IS NOT ENOUGH MONEY>.. It hurts and I diddn't like it.. But much like the UW.. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH MONEY... so we tighten our belts.. If it gets too bad I will take my skills and sell them elsewhere... But I doubt this will happen because after these cuts, teachers in Wisconsin still out earn and have better benefits than most teachers in the nation.

John- Chill out. It's Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you.
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True believers know based on your previous posts, that you have no clue about the real meaning of Christmas. You claim to be a man of the cloth, but continue to support sinful nature. You show your continued, excessive selfish behavior and lack of connection with reality in this blog. Scott Walker may not be an honest Eagle Scout, but you really should remove that plank from your own eye before commenting on others specks. Merry Christmas to you, and I pray that you and your family take a moment to reflect on the real meaning of Christmas, which is not what you think it is.

The GOP does not care about education. They only care about cutting taxes for corporations and the wealthy because that's what creates jobs. Or so we've been told over and over. It sire seems to be working well in Wisconsin. As the jobs leave the state, the people won't need an education.