Rep. Robin Vos of Burlington, R-63rd District, and Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, who chair the Joint Finance Committee, issued the following statement after the bill was sent along to the Senate:
“Two years ago, the Legislature passed a budget repair bill with no public hearing. By contrast, this week we provided a 17-hour-long forum for the citizens of Wisconsin to speak to their elected representatives.
"We listened to the many hundreds of citizens who testified on the bill and to the legislators who brought issues to our attention and, as a result, we made changes. The committee increased civil service protections for public employees, retained benefits for limited-term employees and provided greater flexibility for local governments.
"We cannot ignore the fact that Wisconsin is in a fiscal crisis. Our state is $137 million in the red. While some people seem content with doing nothing, the consequences of inaction are dire. By asking for modest cost sharing from public employees, we solved the budget crisis without layoffs and without raising taxes.”
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I can not afford more taxes. I demand that State/local public Union Members are fired for any illegal job actions
ReplyDeleteThis is class warfare/union busting!
ReplyDeleteWorkers have a right to negotiate!
If concessions must be made so be it.
King Walker can not take rights away by decree.
Voss is loved by the old family Republicans -- Who will vote for a dog if it's on the GOP ballot.
ReplyDeleteWhen Vos, and the minority GOP, were run over the by dems the last few years he stayed and fought. The dems have a lot to answer for running away from a vote. That is the only reason these folks were elected. You may not agree with Vos but he doesn't run from a fight like the dems did today. I hope that the taxpayer doesn't see a bill from the Best Western in Rockford Ill to pay for the dems childish stunt.
ReplyDeleteTwo weeks ago a report was issued that said the state of Wisconsin was $56 million dollars in the green... I guess I'm confused representative Vos. Please explain where you got YOUR figures from. Mine are from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau's Annual Fund Report... Here it is... http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/Misc/2011_01_31Vos&Darling.pdf
ReplyDeleteIf any other worker refused to do his/her job for a day, he or she would be fired. I don't care if republicans or democrats chose this tactic, it is completely unethical. I hope those that chose to not do their jobs today return the days wages and or benefits. Workers have simple choice. Either make a few cuts now, or lose your jobs in the long run. I wonder how many workers would be upset if instead of the cuts, people were fired to help offset the deficit?
ReplyDeleteWalker has passed $140 million in new spending in less than 2 months all for special interests. The $137 figure is complete crap and they're doing it on the backs of everyday workers just to break the unions.
ReplyDeleteThe Wisconsin Budget Office forecasted yesterday the Wisconsin budget is on track to be in a surplus this year.
Don't believe the lies.
The real problem is not the idea of asking workers to take wage freezes because they already have. It's not asking them to pay towards their benefits packages because that is always on the table at every union contract negotiation. It's that the republicans want to take union negotiationing away entirely.
ReplyDeleteAnd, really, using a tactic to stall a vote is something being done in DC right now by Boehner who allowed over 600 amendements to be added to a bill so that the debate on it will literally go on for weeks.......different tactic same effect.
pardon my typos!
ReplyDeleteVos voted in favor of a tax break that applies to all 4 of his are businesses. I guess only the working class must pay in this economy
ReplyDeleteMADISON – Thousands of AARP members in Wisconsin sent letters and made phone calls to their local legislators this week urging members of the State Senate and Assembly to oppose Governor Walker’s proposed budget repair bill.
ReplyDeleteThe bill (Special Session Senate Bill 11 and Assembly Bill 11) would allow Governor Walker’s administration to make sweeping changes to Medicaid programs such as SeniorCare Rx, FamilyCare and BadgerCare without public input or approval from the state legislature.
“AARP Wisconsin is concerned that decisions could be made behind closed doors to increase costs and change existing benefits and services to Medicaid program participants,” AARP Wisconsin State Director D’Anna Bowman. “We alerted our members to this provision in the budget repair bill and thousands of them immediately contacted their legislators letting them know this is unacceptable.
“Despite the Joint Finance Committee’s modifications to the bill, we still urge the Senate and Assembly to oppose this bill so that sweeping changes to vital Medicaid programs cannot be made without legislative approval or input from consumers,” Bowman said.
IN ADDITION, POLITIFACT.COM FOUND THAT THE RHETORIC THAT Walker and Voss are spouting has earned the label [LIAR LIAR} Pants in Fire award.
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ReplyDelete