I was in 8th grade in 2001. It was only a week or so into school. I had always been fascinated by skylines for as long as I can remember, and always wanted to visit the top of the World Trade Center. I had first heard a plane had hit the first tower in my second hour. It wasn't big news, nor did it really seem to affect us middle schoolers here in Wisconsin; thinking it was an accident. However, I knew this wasn't the case by my 3rd hour French class. I walked in, and our teacher had her little red radio on. We heard the announcement that a second plane had hit the second tower not too long before we entered the classroom. The teacher turned off the radio and we began our scheduled lesson for the day, but all we could talk about was that two planes hit two buildings. Before the class had ended, she turned the red radio back on, just in time for us to hear the live reports of the first collapse of the World Trade Center. We were in disbelief. All I can remember as I walked out of the classroom was the look of grave concern on my French teacher's face. It was not a look I had never seen before, nor have I seen since. We later learned a plane had hit the Pentagon as well. There was a lot of confusion on what was or was not happening, because some teachers allowed students to watch the news, and some did not. After lunch, our principal came on the loud speaker. He announced that our nation was under attack, and if we needed to call our parents to do so. He also stated that we were on a lockdown; no one in or out without consent from the office. Additionally, he ordered all televisions be turned off and to complete our planned school day. I did not see any images until my 8th hour business class, where our teacher thought it was important for us to see what had happened earlier that morning. The scope of what was happening was far beyond my comprehension. On the bus ride home, none of us really understood the real consequences of this day. I remember traffic was terrible because of Illinois drivers, many of whom were evacuated from Chicago and came to the Milwaukee area to stay with family and friends. I really didn’t think any of this had any real effect on us until the next day. A girl in my grade who I had grown up with and lived down the street was not at school the next day. I came to find out her cousin had died in the Pentagon. This was when I realized that this strike against our nation affected everyone, everywhere. I had gained a sense of patriotism, and learned what it was to truly be an American. The most burning image in my mind was not planes or buildings falling, but a teacher with a look of distress, listening intently to a little red radio.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Little Red Radio
This is my 9/11 story. It's not necessarily a world changing view, but 9/11 affected the entire nation. I submitted this story to the George W. Bush Presidential Library. I titled it Little Red Radio:
Thursday, September 8, 2011
MSNBC More Desperate Than NYT
Last night, I was frantically searching on television for the GOP debate. I ultimately found the channel and caught the last 5 minutes or so. To my astonishment, MSNBC was the only channel I could find it on. I thought that was a bit too weird. I just thought to myself, wow, they must be freakin' desperate for some ratings...any ratings.
And I'm sure my assumption was correct. MSNBC has had an uphill battle rating with CNN and more notably, Fox News. Just a side note, I love how everyone assumes Fox News is conservative. Just because you present both sides doesn't make you conservative, it makes you fair. Which is why Fox News kills MSNBC in ratings. There is no argument here, MSNBC is the most liberal biased news station out there. For them to air the GOP debate was a big accomplishment for them. It was quickly ruined by the commentator directly after the debate. This guy was saying all GOP candidates are dumb and hopeless and should fall off the face of the Earth.
Hey MSNBC, just a note. You can belittle conservatives all you want, but just remember that with 2012 right around the corner, and no one watching your trashy channel, your candidate, the anointed one, won't win over any independent voters. Just so you all know. :)
And I'm sure my assumption was correct. MSNBC has had an uphill battle rating with CNN and more notably, Fox News. Just a side note, I love how everyone assumes Fox News is conservative. Just because you present both sides doesn't make you conservative, it makes you fair. Which is why Fox News kills MSNBC in ratings. There is no argument here, MSNBC is the most liberal biased news station out there. For them to air the GOP debate was a big accomplishment for them. It was quickly ruined by the commentator directly after the debate. This guy was saying all GOP candidates are dumb and hopeless and should fall off the face of the Earth.
- This guy was obviously threatened by what he saw.
- MSNBC ruined a good thing with comments like that.
Hey MSNBC, just a note. You can belittle conservatives all you want, but just remember that with 2012 right around the corner, and no one watching your trashy channel, your candidate, the anointed one, won't win over any independent voters. Just so you all know. :)
Cupid Shuffle: To The Right
We've all heard and danced to the Cupid Shuffle. To the right, to the right, to the right, to the right. It's interesting to think about how our musicians vote, particularly rap and hip hop stars. While many would simply assume they're all liberal Obama lovers (or simply don't care), I think differently. Much of the mainstream hip hop world is about putting on a show. Many rap songs include lines about how awesome our president is, or that we finally have a 'black' president. Many stars go public endorsing progressive ideology. Kanye West is definitely one of those people, but how much influence should we take from a person who stumbles up on stage to ruin the night of a teenage girl winning an award for her hard work?
Here's an interesting fact. Most of these hip hop stars like the president for his race, not for his policies. You see, most all of them make $250k+ per year. They want to use that money to purchase bling and cars to keep up appearances, not give 40% or more of it away in taxes. They rap about the hard life on the streets, when most of them actually haven't been on a single street other than their mansions' mile long driveways for years. You think Lil Wayne wants to give up $40 million of his $100 million a year to the government?
I don't think so. And Lil Wayne really doesn't get into politics at all. But I believe since making it big, he'd be voting Republican. In "Out Here Grindin," Lil Wayne states that he is "right right, and you're wrong left." What the hell does that mean? My only reasonable explanation is that Lil Wayne is saying the liberal progressive agenda is wrong. At least that's my interpretation. Besides, grindin is slang for working that money. And why would anyone be working hard for what they earn to have a large chunk of it taken away. In fact, in one song, Lil Wayne says he hides it from the IRS. Seems like someone doesn't like the Obama tax policies to me.
It's just interesting to assume one thing, and come to a completely different conclusion after a little research and background checking. Besides, who wants to be anything like Soulja Boy who followed the footsteps of the federal government in spending too much of his money and is facing foreclosure on a mansion? The answer? No one in the music industry. It's where appearances are everything.
Here's an interesting fact. Most of these hip hop stars like the president for his race, not for his policies. You see, most all of them make $250k+ per year. They want to use that money to purchase bling and cars to keep up appearances, not give 40% or more of it away in taxes. They rap about the hard life on the streets, when most of them actually haven't been on a single street other than their mansions' mile long driveways for years. You think Lil Wayne wants to give up $40 million of his $100 million a year to the government?
I don't think so. And Lil Wayne really doesn't get into politics at all. But I believe since making it big, he'd be voting Republican. In "Out Here Grindin," Lil Wayne states that he is "right right, and you're wrong left." What the hell does that mean? My only reasonable explanation is that Lil Wayne is saying the liberal progressive agenda is wrong. At least that's my interpretation. Besides, grindin is slang for working that money. And why would anyone be working hard for what they earn to have a large chunk of it taken away. In fact, in one song, Lil Wayne says he hides it from the IRS. Seems like someone doesn't like the Obama tax policies to me.
It's just interesting to assume one thing, and come to a completely different conclusion after a little research and background checking. Besides, who wants to be anything like Soulja Boy who followed the footsteps of the federal government in spending too much of his money and is facing foreclosure on a mansion? The answer? No one in the music industry. It's where appearances are everything.
Spring City Dries Up
In late July, I scheduled a meeting with Waukesha Mayor Jeff Scrima. I was curious to find out more about the local water issue as well as his stance on it. As I waited, I was having a nice conversation with his secretary about some of the things I would be discussing with Mayor Scrima. She told me to read an article in the previous day's local newspaper. It was about the Water Planning Commission. Everybody and their mother was mentioned in the article, with the exception of our mayor. This surprised me at the time, considering there was a large picture of our former mayor Larry Nelson.
Larry Nelson was elected mayor by pretending to have a conservative background. Boy, did he ever fool us. He spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire a commission to tell him how to do his job better. If that wasn't wasteful enough, he alone screwed our city into submission to the EPA. There was concern for years over radium in our water source. There were several ultimatums given to all of Southeastern Wisconsin by the EPA.
During my meeting with Mayor Scrima, I was given information I wasn't sure much of Waukesha knew. For all you out of towners, Waukesha, in general, is a fairly conservative city of 70,000. While it is in the Milwaukee metro area, Waukesha is far enough away that it has its own characteristics of being a city; its own transit, its own suburban areas, and its own problems. Mayor Scrima informed me as of current, a pipe to receive Milwaukee water and the system to drain it back into the lake is estimated to cost $160 million. This is three times more than Waukesha's tax revenue. The costs will be forced onto Waukesha residents on the sewage and water bills. This means water costs of our city, which was founded because of its natural springs, was inevitably going to skyrocket 100's of dollars per month. If most residents knew this, the city council would be banned from any affairs in the city of Waukesha. I mean, many residents have a hard enough time paying bills as it is, but to add that much money for a human necessity is outrageous.
I don't really care if Mayor Scrima is conservative, liberal, Marxist, communist, socialist, or anything else. He wanted to do the right thing and let us decide through referendum. Unlike fake conservative Larry Nelson, Mayor Scrima knew the residents of Waukesha would never agree to purchase dirty lake water for a higher price. Give me $160 million and I'll build a dang pipe myself! But to my disbelief, the cost wasn't the worst of it.
Milwaukee, being 5 times larger, has had very little influence over the development of our city. However, now that Waukesha needs something from Milwaukee, the big bad wolf wants to put stipulations in the purchase of water. And Milwaukee will huff and it will puff until these stipulations drive everybody out of Waukesha. See, Milwaukee wants several things from us in addition to our $160 million + monthly water costs. First, the city wants Waukesha to have a lot more low income housing projects. While there is nothing seemingly wrong with this at first glance, there is a lot wrong with this particular stipulation.
First, Waukesha's housing projects help Waukesha residents in their times of need. Milwaukee wants Waukesha, an independent city, to help them. Basically, the city of Milwaukee wants to take out the trash, and the dumping site will be Waukesha itself. Milwaukee has tried gentrification numerous times, ultimately failing on the North side, the South side, and parts of the East side. The problem? There is no where else for low income families to go but West. This is partially the reason Milwaukee is consistently voted as the most segregated city in America. Milwaukee already has a strong hold on the cities of Wauwatosa, West Allis, and West Milwaukee, but those are much more built up and condense than Waukesha. Waukesha is an expansive city in size, perfect for Milwaukee to send its garbage; simply fill undeveloped areas and parks with low income housing. They have never before had such a great opportunity to strong arm a city 20 minutes away into doing as they please. While Jeff Scrima never actually said Milwaukee wants to send their trash here to clean themselves up, I'm smart enough to draw my own conclusions from what I hear and see happening every day.
One might say, well low income housing projects bring opportunity for families to relocate to better and safer areas, giving their children better opportunities. Well, facts are facts. Housing projects failed miserably in the 1950's, and they won't succeed today either. It will just plague other unprepared cities and suburbs with the violent crimes seen in the larger city of the metropolitan area. All the meanwhile, Milwaukee will go about building million dollar condos to compliment their shoreline, bring in much needed tax dollars, and steal businesses away from other deserving cities. Waukesha, as an independent city, seat of Waukesha county, has a right to develop on its own, as well as protect what it has. You don't get put on Money Magazine's Best Small Cities list by having hoards of project housing. In fact, with Milwaukee's encroaching power over Waukesha, our city has fallen from number 36 on this list, to the 70's, and not even appearing on the list this past year. Why? It is becoming an increasingly crime ridden city as it is.
Additionally, Milwaukee wants more direct transportation lines. The reasoning being to better connect the Milwaukee metro area. Yet they don't push this on Ozaukee, probably because Ozaukee county is made up of a majority of white, upper class folks who don't need anything from the city of Milwaukee; who in fact want nothing to do with the city. Now I'm not coming at this from the perspective of being rich and white (because I am definitely not rich). Waukesha has always been a city of people with all different backgrounds, poor and rich; all races, all which work together to make Waukesha a great small city. The majority of Waukesha is the working middle class. A middle class who works to see their city as where they live, work and play. One might say Waukesha is a bourgouise town, however 40% of residents are renters, not home owners. This shows even apartment dwellers in our great city (which I have grown up as one of them in an apartment near Horeb Springs Park) work to make it just that, great. Milwaukee's continuing interference in our local affairs is like spitting in the face of every man, woman, and child who have worked so hard to make our city so nice.
A single metropolitan transportation system will not benefit Waukesha, but hurt it. Downtown Waukesha revitalization is increasing ever more rapidly. People actually enjoy our downtown. This transit line, whether it be a bus system or light rail, will cut right through the heart of Waukesha. More people will work in downtown Milwaukee because of it, yes, but that will take away much needed jobs and business from our own city. Additionally, it'll make cleaning up Milwaukee all the much easier to do.
The mayor gave me information on the water issue that most citizens don't know. This is very concerning to me; not that we don't know, but that the city council and water planning commission don't readily put this information out there. I hope to meet with our Mayor again sometime to further discuss some local issues. I personally believe that Mayor Jeff Scrima is doing a fantastic job, and should keep fighting the good fight.
Waukesha, aka Spring City, was founded because of its natural spring waters. Now, we can't even use the water under our own feet because of federal regulations. Former liar, I mean mayor, Larry Nelson sent Waukesha on an expensive journey. To agree with the EPA on this issue is to strike a deal with the devil. Nelson chose to build a pipe, a very expensive pipe. When Mayor Scrima ousted Nelson, the Nelson loving city council ousted Scrima from having any say in the water commission. This ultimately ousted the citizens of Waukesha. The radium in our water is not at dangerous levels, and to spend hundreds of millions of dollars we don't have over cleaning up what we do have is simply obsurd. The radium hasn't killed anyone here yet. And it's been there from the start.
I say if the EPA gives Waukesha an ultimatum for getting a survival necessity, then the EPA should pay for it. It's too bad they can't, because last time I checked, due to federal policies such as these, they don't have any money to pay for changes. So they put it all on us. Talk about corrupt regulations.
Larry Nelson was elected mayor by pretending to have a conservative background. Boy, did he ever fool us. He spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire a commission to tell him how to do his job better. If that wasn't wasteful enough, he alone screwed our city into submission to the EPA. There was concern for years over radium in our water source. There were several ultimatums given to all of Southeastern Wisconsin by the EPA.
- Buy technology to remove the radium from the water.
- Get water from Lake Michigan.
During my meeting with Mayor Scrima, I was given information I wasn't sure much of Waukesha knew. For all you out of towners, Waukesha, in general, is a fairly conservative city of 70,000. While it is in the Milwaukee metro area, Waukesha is far enough away that it has its own characteristics of being a city; its own transit, its own suburban areas, and its own problems. Mayor Scrima informed me as of current, a pipe to receive Milwaukee water and the system to drain it back into the lake is estimated to cost $160 million. This is three times more than Waukesha's tax revenue. The costs will be forced onto Waukesha residents on the sewage and water bills. This means water costs of our city, which was founded because of its natural springs, was inevitably going to skyrocket 100's of dollars per month. If most residents knew this, the city council would be banned from any affairs in the city of Waukesha. I mean, many residents have a hard enough time paying bills as it is, but to add that much money for a human necessity is outrageous.
I don't really care if Mayor Scrima is conservative, liberal, Marxist, communist, socialist, or anything else. He wanted to do the right thing and let us decide through referendum. Unlike fake conservative Larry Nelson, Mayor Scrima knew the residents of Waukesha would never agree to purchase dirty lake water for a higher price. Give me $160 million and I'll build a dang pipe myself! But to my disbelief, the cost wasn't the worst of it.
Milwaukee, being 5 times larger, has had very little influence over the development of our city. However, now that Waukesha needs something from Milwaukee, the big bad wolf wants to put stipulations in the purchase of water. And Milwaukee will huff and it will puff until these stipulations drive everybody out of Waukesha. See, Milwaukee wants several things from us in addition to our $160 million + monthly water costs. First, the city wants Waukesha to have a lot more low income housing projects. While there is nothing seemingly wrong with this at first glance, there is a lot wrong with this particular stipulation.
First, Waukesha's housing projects help Waukesha residents in their times of need. Milwaukee wants Waukesha, an independent city, to help them. Basically, the city of Milwaukee wants to take out the trash, and the dumping site will be Waukesha itself. Milwaukee has tried gentrification numerous times, ultimately failing on the North side, the South side, and parts of the East side. The problem? There is no where else for low income families to go but West. This is partially the reason Milwaukee is consistently voted as the most segregated city in America. Milwaukee already has a strong hold on the cities of Wauwatosa, West Allis, and West Milwaukee, but those are much more built up and condense than Waukesha. Waukesha is an expansive city in size, perfect for Milwaukee to send its garbage; simply fill undeveloped areas and parks with low income housing. They have never before had such a great opportunity to strong arm a city 20 minutes away into doing as they please. While Jeff Scrima never actually said Milwaukee wants to send their trash here to clean themselves up, I'm smart enough to draw my own conclusions from what I hear and see happening every day.
One might say, well low income housing projects bring opportunity for families to relocate to better and safer areas, giving their children better opportunities. Well, facts are facts. Housing projects failed miserably in the 1950's, and they won't succeed today either. It will just plague other unprepared cities and suburbs with the violent crimes seen in the larger city of the metropolitan area. All the meanwhile, Milwaukee will go about building million dollar condos to compliment their shoreline, bring in much needed tax dollars, and steal businesses away from other deserving cities. Waukesha, as an independent city, seat of Waukesha county, has a right to develop on its own, as well as protect what it has. You don't get put on Money Magazine's Best Small Cities list by having hoards of project housing. In fact, with Milwaukee's encroaching power over Waukesha, our city has fallen from number 36 on this list, to the 70's, and not even appearing on the list this past year. Why? It is becoming an increasingly crime ridden city as it is.
Additionally, Milwaukee wants more direct transportation lines. The reasoning being to better connect the Milwaukee metro area. Yet they don't push this on Ozaukee, probably because Ozaukee county is made up of a majority of white, upper class folks who don't need anything from the city of Milwaukee; who in fact want nothing to do with the city. Now I'm not coming at this from the perspective of being rich and white (because I am definitely not rich). Waukesha has always been a city of people with all different backgrounds, poor and rich; all races, all which work together to make Waukesha a great small city. The majority of Waukesha is the working middle class. A middle class who works to see their city as where they live, work and play. One might say Waukesha is a bourgouise town, however 40% of residents are renters, not home owners. This shows even apartment dwellers in our great city (which I have grown up as one of them in an apartment near Horeb Springs Park) work to make it just that, great. Milwaukee's continuing interference in our local affairs is like spitting in the face of every man, woman, and child who have worked so hard to make our city so nice.
A single metropolitan transportation system will not benefit Waukesha, but hurt it. Downtown Waukesha revitalization is increasing ever more rapidly. People actually enjoy our downtown. This transit line, whether it be a bus system or light rail, will cut right through the heart of Waukesha. More people will work in downtown Milwaukee because of it, yes, but that will take away much needed jobs and business from our own city. Additionally, it'll make cleaning up Milwaukee all the much easier to do.
The mayor gave me information on the water issue that most citizens don't know. This is very concerning to me; not that we don't know, but that the city council and water planning commission don't readily put this information out there. I hope to meet with our Mayor again sometime to further discuss some local issues. I personally believe that Mayor Jeff Scrima is doing a fantastic job, and should keep fighting the good fight.
Waukesha, aka Spring City, was founded because of its natural spring waters. Now, we can't even use the water under our own feet because of federal regulations. Former liar, I mean mayor, Larry Nelson sent Waukesha on an expensive journey. To agree with the EPA on this issue is to strike a deal with the devil. Nelson chose to build a pipe, a very expensive pipe. When Mayor Scrima ousted Nelson, the Nelson loving city council ousted Scrima from having any say in the water commission. This ultimately ousted the citizens of Waukesha. The radium in our water is not at dangerous levels, and to spend hundreds of millions of dollars we don't have over cleaning up what we do have is simply obsurd. The radium hasn't killed anyone here yet. And it's been there from the start.
I say if the EPA gives Waukesha an ultimatum for getting a survival necessity, then the EPA should pay for it. It's too bad they can't, because last time I checked, due to federal policies such as these, they don't have any money to pay for changes. So they put it all on us. Talk about corrupt regulations.
Labor Union Crackdown Cracks Me Up
On Tuesday evening, I attended a small live fantasy football draft with my father. It just so happens, all of the people there were members of a union. None of them seemed to like Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker; surprised, right? One in particular was very vocal about his hatred for the Wisconsin governor. Keep in mind, this was not a political event by any means. He made jokes about conservatives, yelled at people who agreed with him, and basically made a fool out of himself in every sense. This one individual at one point was even talking about working on a recall election for Governor Scott Walker. Not realizing I was conservative and highly offended, he simply kept running his mouth and making up facts about our nation.
On one of the breaks from the draft, we were all outside smoking. The same man (I'd call him a gentleman but he was anything but) was complaining about the private industry. He said everyone in the private industry was lazy, simple minded, and doesn't know what is best for our state. Not only did I find this hilarious, but one would think the exact opposite was true. Actually, common sense proves otherwise; the best and brightest, the ones with talent, the ones that work hard to succeed generally work in private industries. Can you imagine government bureaucracies recruiting the best and brightest? The DMV sure would be a much different experience than the one we currently have. But I diverge. The ultra liberal man stated how people are 'so dumb because under Scott Walker, Wisconsin will give billions of dollars of tax breaks to small businesses and corporations.' He then complained that these businesses only create 'a bunch of $8 an hour jobs with those tax incentives.' He called it a 'waste of resources' and said we could use that money for our public school system, which is apparently in shambles. Another gentleman blindly agreed and complained that the crackdown on the unions is costing him. He 'only makes $25 an hour,' and thought it was preposterous he should have to pay a little bit more for his already free benefits. It would 'hamper' his lifestyle and make it 'hard to support his family.'
This was all stated without facts, and here are the facts. A USA Today article on March 3, 2011, stated Wisconsin is one of 41 states where average salaries of public workers is higher than that of their private counterparts. In fact, they make about $1800 more. Add benefits, guaranteed raises, and easy work, the Wisconsin public sector sure is living the life.
Now I find it funny these men were complaining about lower paying jobs being created, when they themselves make about $15 more on average than these new jobs. Also, I find it hilarious that they're complaining about job creation under a Republican governor. With unemployment hovering around 9% nationwide, foreclosure rates at their highest ever, and people desperate for work, I'd think people would be grateful for finding a job that pays $9 per hour. They asked how can one support a family on that. Well, how can one support a family on no income? Additionally, tax incentives and breaks not only creates minimum wage jobs, but encourages additional investment in communities and business. Why do we have a major problem with companies like GE moving overseas? Maybe it's because the corporate tax rate in America is the HIGHEST in the world. Don't believe me? Google it. It's a fact.
Also, tax breaks and incentives encourage companies to relocate, creating jobs that pay in all ranges. And like I said, at least our governor is creating jobs, not losing them as seen under President Obama. Here's a fact: more conservative states with conservative policies such as Louisiana and Texas were much more insulated from the blows of the economic depression than were heavily unionized liberal manufacturing states such as Michigan and Wisconsin. Unemployment, foreclosure rates, and bankruptcies are at lower rates in more conservative states. I know this because I lived in Louisiana when the recession first hit. Governor Scott Walker realized this, ran for governor, and won on economic issues. There was no vendetta against labor unions; they were simply costing our state too much money that we simply didn't have. The end of collective bargaining will be the greatest achievement for Wisconsin, that is until conceal carry passes. It will ultimately lead to a balanced budget, job growth and creation, investment from the private industry, and ultimately prosperity for a state ran into the ground by former Governor Doyle. I don't think anyone making a secure $25 an hour, who probably lives in an expensive house with a huge plot of land, and driving a brand new vehicle has any right to complain about job creation under a Republican governor.
The events that took place that night were astounding. Of course, I kept my mouth shut, not because I had nothing to say, but because I am part of a silent majority in Wisconsin. Governor Scott Walker's labor union crackdown has a lot of people hostile and bitter. Why? I can't quite say. They're all still making their $25+ an hour for work ethics that most in the private industry would be fired for.
My father is in this union as well, and don't get me wrong, not every union worker is lazy. My father is probably the hardest working man I have ever known. And for what? He took a pay cut to keep his job, he does others work, and he does the work of 10 of those union workers. Yet, because he isn't the top of this union hierarchy, he gets nothing. He receives MUCH lower pay than many of his coworkers. He pays his union dues and has no voice in his union. He does work that needs to be done that many of his coworkers are simply too lazy, and with union protection, too stubborn, to do. Before landing a state job, he worked in the private industry. Sure he makes more with the State of Wisconsin, but not much more. And for what? To work tirelessly to support his family. Well I'm sorry, but I know he sure wouldn't complain about $25 an hour, and definitely deserves it.
The union crackdown cracks me up with how bitter fat cat union bosses are. Jokes, threats of recall elections, hostility; all coming from the progressive union leaders. It is no surprise that unions cost the government a huge some of money, but those with power will claw at the thought of losing it. Now that they have lost it, the unions will claw at anyone to get it back. But here's what gets to me. Honest, hardworking men like my father, whether part of a union or not, are the ones that get hurt. The unions take away individual voices of both the private sector employees who pay to support their high wages, as well as the voices of union men and women who aren't fat cat union bosses. I see and I know that anyone in a union without power or tenure is subjugated to union will, and have no option but to simply deal with the demeaning ways the union bosses keep them down.
I know that my father is so hardworking and honest, that had he chosen the private industry, even at minimum wage, he'd have worked his way up. Then maybe my family would be one enjoying a $25 per hour salary. Only difference? My father would have deserved it.
Cauchon, Dennis. "Wisconsin one of 41 states where public workers earn more." USA Today 2 Mar. 2011. Web. 7 Sept. 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-03-01-1Apublicworkers01_ST_N.htm>.
On one of the breaks from the draft, we were all outside smoking. The same man (I'd call him a gentleman but he was anything but) was complaining about the private industry. He said everyone in the private industry was lazy, simple minded, and doesn't know what is best for our state. Not only did I find this hilarious, but one would think the exact opposite was true. Actually, common sense proves otherwise; the best and brightest, the ones with talent, the ones that work hard to succeed generally work in private industries. Can you imagine government bureaucracies recruiting the best and brightest? The DMV sure would be a much different experience than the one we currently have. But I diverge. The ultra liberal man stated how people are 'so dumb because under Scott Walker, Wisconsin will give billions of dollars of tax breaks to small businesses and corporations.' He then complained that these businesses only create 'a bunch of $8 an hour jobs with those tax incentives.' He called it a 'waste of resources' and said we could use that money for our public school system, which is apparently in shambles. Another gentleman blindly agreed and complained that the crackdown on the unions is costing him. He 'only makes $25 an hour,' and thought it was preposterous he should have to pay a little bit more for his already free benefits. It would 'hamper' his lifestyle and make it 'hard to support his family.'
This was all stated without facts, and here are the facts. A USA Today article on March 3, 2011, stated Wisconsin is one of 41 states where average salaries of public workers is higher than that of their private counterparts. In fact, they make about $1800 more. Add benefits, guaranteed raises, and easy work, the Wisconsin public sector sure is living the life.
Now I find it funny these men were complaining about lower paying jobs being created, when they themselves make about $15 more on average than these new jobs. Also, I find it hilarious that they're complaining about job creation under a Republican governor. With unemployment hovering around 9% nationwide, foreclosure rates at their highest ever, and people desperate for work, I'd think people would be grateful for finding a job that pays $9 per hour. They asked how can one support a family on that. Well, how can one support a family on no income? Additionally, tax incentives and breaks not only creates minimum wage jobs, but encourages additional investment in communities and business. Why do we have a major problem with companies like GE moving overseas? Maybe it's because the corporate tax rate in America is the HIGHEST in the world. Don't believe me? Google it. It's a fact.
Also, tax breaks and incentives encourage companies to relocate, creating jobs that pay in all ranges. And like I said, at least our governor is creating jobs, not losing them as seen under President Obama. Here's a fact: more conservative states with conservative policies such as Louisiana and Texas were much more insulated from the blows of the economic depression than were heavily unionized liberal manufacturing states such as Michigan and Wisconsin. Unemployment, foreclosure rates, and bankruptcies are at lower rates in more conservative states. I know this because I lived in Louisiana when the recession first hit. Governor Scott Walker realized this, ran for governor, and won on economic issues. There was no vendetta against labor unions; they were simply costing our state too much money that we simply didn't have. The end of collective bargaining will be the greatest achievement for Wisconsin, that is until conceal carry passes. It will ultimately lead to a balanced budget, job growth and creation, investment from the private industry, and ultimately prosperity for a state ran into the ground by former Governor Doyle. I don't think anyone making a secure $25 an hour, who probably lives in an expensive house with a huge plot of land, and driving a brand new vehicle has any right to complain about job creation under a Republican governor.
The events that took place that night were astounding. Of course, I kept my mouth shut, not because I had nothing to say, but because I am part of a silent majority in Wisconsin. Governor Scott Walker's labor union crackdown has a lot of people hostile and bitter. Why? I can't quite say. They're all still making their $25+ an hour for work ethics that most in the private industry would be fired for.
My father is in this union as well, and don't get me wrong, not every union worker is lazy. My father is probably the hardest working man I have ever known. And for what? He took a pay cut to keep his job, he does others work, and he does the work of 10 of those union workers. Yet, because he isn't the top of this union hierarchy, he gets nothing. He receives MUCH lower pay than many of his coworkers. He pays his union dues and has no voice in his union. He does work that needs to be done that many of his coworkers are simply too lazy, and with union protection, too stubborn, to do. Before landing a state job, he worked in the private industry. Sure he makes more with the State of Wisconsin, but not much more. And for what? To work tirelessly to support his family. Well I'm sorry, but I know he sure wouldn't complain about $25 an hour, and definitely deserves it.
The union crackdown cracks me up with how bitter fat cat union bosses are. Jokes, threats of recall elections, hostility; all coming from the progressive union leaders. It is no surprise that unions cost the government a huge some of money, but those with power will claw at the thought of losing it. Now that they have lost it, the unions will claw at anyone to get it back. But here's what gets to me. Honest, hardworking men like my father, whether part of a union or not, are the ones that get hurt. The unions take away individual voices of both the private sector employees who pay to support their high wages, as well as the voices of union men and women who aren't fat cat union bosses. I see and I know that anyone in a union without power or tenure is subjugated to union will, and have no option but to simply deal with the demeaning ways the union bosses keep them down.
I know that my father is so hardworking and honest, that had he chosen the private industry, even at minimum wage, he'd have worked his way up. Then maybe my family would be one enjoying a $25 per hour salary. Only difference? My father would have deserved it.
Cauchon, Dennis. "Wisconsin one of 41 states where public workers earn more." USA Today 2 Mar. 2011. Web. 7 Sept. 2011. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-03-01-1Apublicworkers01_ST_N.htm>.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Have A Great Labor Day
I thought a lot about creating a blog about conservative values, beliefs, and thoughts. What better day to do so to celebrate our nation than on Labor Day! America is a great country to live in; people can believe what they wish, and are able to freely state their beliefs without fear. The direction our nation has taken in recent years is concerning to me. Thus, taking full advantage of our Constitutional rights of speech, I will give you all a look into my own beliefs on current events and modern America.
More to come, but for now, I wish everybody a great Labor Day!
More to come, but for now, I wish everybody a great Labor Day!
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