Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Daily Kos: The Wisconsin Teacher Story Nobody is Covering
Daily Kos: The Wisconsin Teacher Story Nobody is Covering
Davis says that it is possible, however, for school districts to volunteer to give teachers bonuses for their additional education. This hypothetical make-up pay, to bring wages back up to their current level, would have to occur outside of a union contract. But, even this scenario is implausible considering that the budget will be worse this year than last year and the vast majority of school districts will not have any money left for bonuses after the contracts have been signed.
As an example of how this will play out, below is the pay scale for the Monticello School District's teachers. Previously, the maximum a teacher could earn in the district was $52,927-- which is what someone who has a Masters degree, 24 hours of college credit and 12 years of experience is paid. Under the new rule, the maximum a teacher will be able to earn in future contracts is $38,167, which is the maximum for a teacher that has the minimum educational requirements, but many years of experience.
Tue Apr 24, 2012 at 04:51 PM PDT
The Wisconsin Teacher Story Nobody is Covering
Over at Uppity Wisconsin we are dumbfounded that we seem to be the only media outlet in the state that is covering this story - From our fine blogger Jud Lounsbury, full story and an audio interview from Wisconsin progressive host Sly In The Morning on the topic available here.
Under Act 10, public workers can't negotiate health care benefits, work conditions, or really anything. The one thing they can "negotiate" is whether or not their wages will be adjusted for inflation.
But, now we find that this was just the tip of the iceberg.
The Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (WERC) General Counsel Peter Davis has confirmed that a new rule recently approved by Governor Walker, together with Act 10, will prohibit school districts and other governmental bodies from including most so-called "add-ons" in the pay scales of new contracts. While years-of-experience add-ons largely will be preserved, additional education, advanced degrees and most other add-ons will be prohibited from being put in the contract.
This will hit all public sector workers hard, but will teachers the hardest.
Davis agreed and said that a commonly used "guesstimate" for the effect of the changes was that about 30% of the wages actually paid to teachers would not be counted as part of the total wages.
Under Act 10, public workers can't negotiate health care benefits, work conditions, or really anything. The one thing they can "negotiate" is whether or not their wages will be adjusted for inflation.
But, now we find that this was just the tip of the iceberg.
The Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (WERC) General Counsel Peter Davis has confirmed that a new rule recently approved by Governor Walker, together with Act 10, will prohibit school districts and other governmental bodies from including most so-called "add-ons" in the pay scales of new contracts. While years-of-experience add-ons largely will be preserved, additional education, advanced degrees and most other add-ons will be prohibited from being put in the contract.
This will hit all public sector workers hard, but will teachers the hardest.
Davis agreed and said that a commonly used "guesstimate" for the effect of the changes was that about 30% of the wages actually paid to teachers would not be counted as part of the total wages.
As an example of how this will play out, below is the pay scale for the Monticello School District's teachers. Previously, the maximum a teacher could earn in the district was $52,927-- which is what someone who has a Masters degree, 24 hours of college credit and 12 years of experience is paid. Under the new rule, the maximum a teacher will be able to earn in future contracts is $38,167, which is the maximum for a teacher that has the minimum educational requirements, but many years of experience.
Jon Corzine Is the Original George Zimmerman | Matt Taibbi | Rolling Stone
Jon Corzine Is the Original George Zimmerman | Matt Taibbi | Rolling Stone
"But these people stole over a billion dollars, right out in the open, and nobody is doing anything about it. Instead, we get a lot of chin-scratching legislative hearings, and an almost academic-style public discussion about whether or not a crime even took place. If there aren’t arrests in this case soon, ordinary people will correctly deduce that it simply isn’t a crime to steal in America, if the thefts are executed with a computer by white people in suits.
Just as it was incredible when Florida authorities dragged their feet in the Zimmerman case, it’s incredible that people in Washington don’t see the implications of this continual non-decision on MF Global. Apparently they hope no one notices. The sad thing is, they might be right." Matt Taibbi
"But these people stole over a billion dollars, right out in the open, and nobody is doing anything about it. Instead, we get a lot of chin-scratching legislative hearings, and an almost academic-style public discussion about whether or not a crime even took place. If there aren’t arrests in this case soon, ordinary people will correctly deduce that it simply isn’t a crime to steal in America, if the thefts are executed with a computer by white people in suits.
Just as it was incredible when Florida authorities dragged their feet in the Zimmerman case, it’s incredible that people in Washington don’t see the implications of this continual non-decision on MF Global. Apparently they hope no one notices. The sad thing is, they might be right." Matt Taibbi
Let Them Eat Cupcakes Flash Mob: We Are Not Moving (in solidarity with the General Strike)
From Brooks Brothers, past Chanel to Van Cleef & Arpels - stand against this Eat the Poor, Feed the Rich world and join us as we reclaim Rodeo Drive this May Day. We will be silent no more! We are the people; we have our cake and we're going to make THEM eat it too!
To indulge your imagination, please view the Grand Central Flashmob video for reference @ http://www.youtube.com/
This video had over 30 MILLION hits. This flash mob could be a powerful piece that spreads our message far and wide. Please join us, invite peeps and spread the word!
EVENT DETAILS:
9:30 AM: Meet, brief and get ready in the park on Rodeo Drive & Santa Monica Blvd.
11:50 AM: Flashmob commences & heads to Wilshire & Rodeo Drive to join the West Wind Caravan into downtown L.A.
What to bring: yourself, friends and whatever you need to display how you feel about what greed is doing to our world (creativity, props, signs, etc). Materials will also be available at the briefing. For inquiries or to join the cupcake preparation team, please contact us at maydayflashmob@gmail.com. Your help at any level is greatly appreciated.
Hope to see you there.
Team Cupcakes
Follow us on Twitter: @MayDayFlashMob
Evite: www.pingg.com/rsvp/
Meetup Page: www.meetup.com/
The Costs of Fracking - NYTimes.com
The Costs of Fracking - NYTimes.com
To the Editor:
As regulators weigh the benefits of drilling 40,000 gas wells across New
York State, the Department of Environmental Conservation’s scant
analysis of fracking’s potential costs overstates job benefits and omits
state Transportation Department estimates of road maintenance costs
exceeding $375 million.
Numerous studies show that drill-friendly communities underperform their
neighbors in income, employment, education and investment. The D.E.C.
now admits that its review was inadequate. Worse, the department
completely ignores fracking’s health effects despite compelling evidence
from Texas of asthma levels three times higher in areas affected by
fracking.
Pennsylvanians are sick from arsenic, benzene and toluene from nearby
fracking wells. Two hundred fifty medical professionals petitioned New
York State last year for a health assessment and received no response.
The director of the National Center for Environmental Health at the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Christopher Portier,
recently urged, “More research is needed for us to understand public
health impacts from natural gas drilling and new gas drilling
technologies.”
It is an unwise gamble for New York State to make its fracking decision without the facts.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY Jr.
PAUL GALLAY
White Plains, March 23, 2012
PAUL GALLAY
White Plains, March 23, 2012
The writers are presidents of, respectively, the Waterkeeper Alliance and Hudson Riverkeeper.
John Nichols: How Republican scheming could help Arthur Kohl-Riggs
John Nichols: How Republican scheming could help Arthur Kohl-Riggs
Last year, Wisconsin state Rep. Robin Vos was a prime mover in the Republican effort to pass voter ID legislation that was so restrictive that the courts have rejected it as anti-democratic. Vos, the co-chair of the powerful legislative Joint Finance Committee, said the draconian measure was necessary in order to maintain the integrity of Wisconsin elections.
So Vos must be really serious about election integrity, right?
Wrong.
The Republican who hopes to become the next speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly is urging fellow partisans to cross over and vote in the Democratic primary in order to undermine Democratic prospects in the upcoming recall elections.
"We are encouraging Republicans to vote in the Democratic primaries," says Vos.
The hope, Vos explains, is that Republicans will nominate the weakest Democratic contenders in Democratic primaries, this making it possible for Gov. Scott Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and targeted Republican state senators to prevail in the June 5 recall election where they would otherwise be defeated. Read Full Article Here | John Nichols
Last year, Wisconsin state Rep. Robin Vos was a prime mover in the Republican effort to pass voter ID legislation that was so restrictive that the courts have rejected it as anti-democratic. Vos, the co-chair of the powerful legislative Joint Finance Committee, said the draconian measure was necessary in order to maintain the integrity of Wisconsin elections.
So Vos must be really serious about election integrity, right?
Wrong.
The Republican who hopes to become the next speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly is urging fellow partisans to cross over and vote in the Democratic primary in order to undermine Democratic prospects in the upcoming recall elections.
"We are encouraging Republicans to vote in the Democratic primaries," says Vos.
The hope, Vos explains, is that Republicans will nominate the weakest Democratic contenders in Democratic primaries, this making it possible for Gov. Scott Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and targeted Republican state senators to prevail in the June 5 recall election where they would otherwise be defeated. Read Full Article Here | John Nichols
State posts largest percentage job loss in U.S. over past year, report shows - JSOnline
State posts largest percentage job loss in U.S. over past year, report shows - JSOnline
Wisconsin is the only state that had "statistically significant" job losses over the most recent 12-month period, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
From March 2011 to March 2012, Wisconsin lost 23,900 jobs. That was the largest decrease in percentage terms in the country.
Those job losses came from both the public and private sector, but the public sector job losses (17,800) were larger than the private-sector job losses (6,100).
At the same time, Wisconsin was one of 18 states that had a statistically significant drop in the unemployment rate during the same period, from 7.6% to 6.8%. Read Full Article Here | JSOnline
From March 2011 to March 2012, Wisconsin lost 23,900 jobs. That was the largest decrease in percentage terms in the country.
Those job losses came from both the public and private sector, but the public sector job losses (17,800) were larger than the private-sector job losses (6,100).
At the same time, Wisconsin was one of 18 states that had a statistically significant drop in the unemployment rate during the same period, from 7.6% to 6.8%. Read Full Article Here | JSOnline
Monday, April 23, 2012
Supreme Court to Hear Arizona Immigration Case This Week
Supreme Court to Hear Arizona Immigration Case This Week
The US Supreme Court Building. (Photo: matt.h.wade) Washington — Immigration politics will hit the Supreme Court this week as justices weigh how much border-control clout the states can deploy.
In their latest highly charged faceoff, the justices must decide whether Arizona went too far with a crackdown that includes ordering police to routinely check the legal residency status of people they stop. The court's final answer this election year could ignite Capitol Hill, other states and, not least, Hispanic voters.
"This is a huge case, of great importance," said Andrew I. Schoenholtz, a visiting professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center. Read Full Article Here | Supreme Court
The US Supreme Court Building. (Photo: matt.h.wade) Washington — Immigration politics will hit the Supreme Court this week as justices weigh how much border-control clout the states can deploy.In their latest highly charged faceoff, the justices must decide whether Arizona went too far with a crackdown that includes ordering police to routinely check the legal residency status of people they stop. The court's final answer this election year could ignite Capitol Hill, other states and, not least, Hispanic voters.
"This is a huge case, of great importance," said Andrew I. Schoenholtz, a visiting professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center. Read Full Article Here | Supreme Court
A Panicked and Desperate ALEC Admits that They Are Being Defeated
A Panicked and Desperate ALEC Admits that They Are Being Defeated
"The main stream media has been remiss to do their job and inform the public about who is writing and pushing legislation to disenfranchise voters, lengthen prison sentences, expand the war on drugs, privatize prisons, criminalize immigrants, and “thwart pre-trial release programs in favor of for-profit bail bonding” that all serve to enrich corporations. In lieu of responsible journalism, activists have turned to social media to enlighten the public on the anti-democratic agenda of the corporation-funded ALEC and the activists have “encouraged” eleven (at last count) large corporation to dump ALEC out of fear of consumer boycotts and public relation disasters that affect their profits. " Read More Here | ALEC Admits that They Are Being Defeated
"The main stream media has been remiss to do their job and inform the public about who is writing and pushing legislation to disenfranchise voters, lengthen prison sentences, expand the war on drugs, privatize prisons, criminalize immigrants, and “thwart pre-trial release programs in favor of for-profit bail bonding” that all serve to enrich corporations. In lieu of responsible journalism, activists have turned to social media to enlighten the public on the anti-democratic agenda of the corporation-funded ALEC and the activists have “encouraged” eleven (at last count) large corporation to dump ALEC out of fear of consumer boycotts and public relation disasters that affect their profits. " Read More Here | ALEC Admits that They Are Being Defeated
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Sensationalist Media Miss the Mark by Ralph Nader « Dandelion Salad
Sensationalist Media Miss the Mark by Ralph Nader « Dandelion Salad
"The presenters were among the most experienced and articulate activists in the country regarding these important areas of American concerns. The media were informed in advance, yet no major news reporters, feature writers or columnists showed up.
Among the many leaders in fields of corporate injustice who spoke at the conference were: Harvey Wasserman, Rob Richie, Patrick Burns, Robert Weissman, Phineas Baxandall, David Morris, Wenonah Hauter, Jamie Love, Margaret Flowers, Greg LeRoy, Gayle McLaughlin, Michael Gecan, Russell Mokhiber, Chris Hedges and David Freeman.
Ever hear of them? Do you know how much better, safer, economically-secure, freer and more influential your lives would be were these and other civic leaders given print and airtime like the scoundrels and distracters that daily fill the screens and pages of newspapers, television and radio?" Ralph Nader
"The presenters were among the most experienced and articulate activists in the country regarding these important areas of American concerns. The media were informed in advance, yet no major news reporters, feature writers or columnists showed up.
Among the many leaders in fields of corporate injustice who spoke at the conference were: Harvey Wasserman, Rob Richie, Patrick Burns, Robert Weissman, Phineas Baxandall, David Morris, Wenonah Hauter, Jamie Love, Margaret Flowers, Greg LeRoy, Gayle McLaughlin, Michael Gecan, Russell Mokhiber, Chris Hedges and David Freeman.
Ever hear of them? Do you know how much better, safer, economically-secure, freer and more influential your lives would be were these and other civic leaders given print and airtime like the scoundrels and distracters that daily fill the screens and pages of newspapers, television and radio?" Ralph Nader
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