Liberal News' Biases and Double Standards.

[Turtle]

I don't think the press has ever met a candidate or an elected official that they're afraid of.

 

[davekc]

I don't think the press has ever met a candidate or an elected official that they're afraid of.

That is true. Maybe more like " many liberals and union folks".

 

[cheri1122]

That is true. Maybe more like " many liberals and union folks".

I wouldn't say they're afraid of him, but they have enough reason to despise him. Like his approval of a raise for the state troopers of 17%, [?!], while other unions are limited to "negotiating raises equal to inflation". It's surely a coincidence that the troopers union is one of the few that backed his campaign, right?
And then there was the just concluded "public comment" period on the "Right to Work" legislation, where the official count of those against was 1751, while for got 25. The time for comment was cut off early, citing a report of a potential disturbance planned: according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the union supporters planned a "quiet protest", which was enough for the early shutdown, while many who took off work to speak were turned away, despite being on the schedule. Who's afraid of who?
Walker and the Republicans who support the bill say "most public opinion polls show a majority of voters support this legislation", but the facts say they're lying through their teeth. A majority of voters understand that union benefits were granted by management, so any concerns should be directed at both parties, but the Republicans only blame the subordinate party in the negotiations.

 

[muttly]

Government employees shouldn't have unions.

 

[RLENT]

Government employees shouldn't have unions.

Was this decreed by The Almighty and put down in a Holy Book somewhere ?

 

[cheri1122]

Was this decreed by The Almighty and put down in a Holy Book somewhere ?

Like this one, you mean? "A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed." Deuteronomy 22:13-21
And people worry about Sharia law?!

 

[Pilgrim]

Government employees shouldn't have unions.

There is sound reasoning behind at least imposing binding legal restraints on federal unions. In many cases they don't need unions. Most are public servants, many whose actions directly impact the nation's economy and security. Strikes by these critical employees should be handled in the same manner as Reagan did in dealing with the air traffic controllers in 1981. (Bold emphasis mine in the following quote)

Federal employees make 30 percent more than similarly skilled private-sector workers. Congress should bring federal pay in line with the private sector. This should involve raising the federal retirement age above 56 years of age and reducing the amount of paid leave federal employees receive...

The founders of the labor movement saw unions as a vehicle to protect workers from being exploited and to get workers a share of the profits they created. Consequently, they never proposed unionizing the government. The government earns no profits. Government unions organize against voters and taxpayers. Unions pressure the government to put their interests ahead of public interests. Not until the late 1950s did the union movement begin to argue that collective bargaining belonged in government.

In most agencies, collective bargaining means less efficiency and higher costs. In national security agencies, it can cost lives. That is why Congress prohibits collective bargaining in the FBI, CIA, and Secret Service. However, the Obama Administration recently decided to begin collective bargaining at the Transportation Security Administration. Canada has a similar policy. In 2006, union protests in Toronto led to 250,000 passengers boarding their flights without being screened. National security must come first. Congress should end collective bargaining at all agencies in the Department of Homeland Security....

• The federal government spends an average of $32,800 a year per employee on non-cash benefits, triple the average non-cash compensation of the average private-sector worker ($10,900 a year).
• Federal employees receive both a defined-benefit and a defined-contribution pension plan. Employees with enough tenure may retire with full pension benefits at 56 years of age.
• A federal employee with three years of experience receives four weeks of paid vacation, 10 federal holidays, and 13 days of paid sick leave. A comparable private-sector worker earns an average of 10 fewer days of paid leave.
• Sixty percent of union members object to unions spending their dues on politics. Two-thirds of union members say that unions should have to get permission before spending dues on politics.
• A majority (51 percent) of union members now work in government. More than twice as many union members work in the Post Office as in the entire domestic auto industry.
• Government unions accounted for three of the top five outside political spenders in the last midterm elections.

What is Labor Policy: Facts, Figures, Recommendations | Solutions 2014

 

[davekc]

I wouldn't say they're afraid of him, but they have enough reason to despise him. Like his approval of a raise for the state troopers of 17%, [?!], while other unions are limited to "negotiating raises equal to inflation". It's surely a coincidence that the troopers union is one of the few that backed his campaign, right?
And then there was the just concluded "public comment" period on the "Right to Work" legislation, where the official count of those against was 1751, while for got 25. The time for comment was cut off early, citing a report of a potential disturbance planned: according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the union supporters planned a "quiet protest", which was enough for the early shutdown, while many who took off work to speak were turned away, despite being on the schedule. Who's afraid of who?
Walker and the Republicans who support the bill say "most public opinion polls show a majority of voters support this legislation", but the facts say they're lying through their teeth. A majority of voters understand that union benefits were granted by management, so any concerns should be directed at both parties, but the Republicans only blame the subordinate party in the negotiations.

I do agree a lot of it is political. One can't deny he has had the upper hand with union dealings and has been successful at it. As to what the public supports or doesn't is debatable. He did survive a recall so there is that.

 

[muttly]

More epic fail from the leftist media. This time from the print 'journalism' side. Scott Walker needs to watch his back. They are very anxious to tar and feather the guy. It is showing up in their sloppy hit pieces. Lol.

From article:
Walker’s AG and Undergrads Hate His Sex Assault Cut: The 2016 Hopeful Just Made a Bunch of Enemies

Scott Walker’s budget proposal to delete the requirement that universities report sexual assault cases has not only turned students against him, but also his Republican attorney general.

Incredibly, via Twitter, Weidy appeared to brag Friday about how quickly he was able to produce his phony Walker hit. Apparently, a quick Google search was too much for him.

Big news, right? And a perfect boost to the Democrats’ tired War On Women narrative. This is the kind of reporting that could tie a conservative presidential candidate up in knots until his poll numbers fall through the floor.

There is just one problem.

The reporting is not true.

Not even close.

While The Daily Beast was happy to leave things at there is “no explanation for the deletion,” Draw and Strike blogger Brian Cates put his Magic Google Machine to work for about, oh, 20 seconds and found the explanation:

As it so happens, this Jezebel writer, Natasha Vargas-Cooper, either didn’t do any research at all on this piece or she deliberately left out the whole story.

There is a pretty **** good reason Scott Walker deleted these reporting requirements.

He did it because – get this! – the University of Wisconsin *asked* him to.

No less than the Associated Press reported Friday:

U of Wisconsin asks Walker to remove redundant sexual assault report requirement

The University of Wisconsin requested that Gov. Scott Walker remove a requirement that all 26 campuses report allegations of sexual assaults to the state every year because it already submits similar information to the federal government, a UW spokesman said Friday.

Rape reporting wasn’t deleted. A redundancy was deleted. Rapes will still be reported.

Although Draw and Strike completely debunked The Daily Beast hit-piece more than 13 hours ago, as of this writing, The Beast still hasn’t corrected, deleted, or updated its dual “Walker Would End Rape Reports” lies.

In fact, just two hours ago, 10 full hours after the story was debunked, The Daily Beast used Twitter to promote what has been proven a lie.
This is the fourth major journalistic embarrassment for The Daily Beast in less than a year.

Just last month, Daily Beast editor Justin Miller used his Twitter account to scream “F***You!” at Republican Senator Rand Paul.

In August, Paul was singled by the Beast, this time with the use of violent imagery the Beast itself had previously defined as unacceptable and dangerous.

In January, The Daily Beast suffered a monumental embarrassment after loudly and falsely reporting that Mitt Romney would run for president in 2016. The exact opposite ended up being true.

Another Daily Beast Disaster: Scott Walker 'Rape' Hit Implodes - Breitbart

Scott Walker Wants Colleges to Stop Reporting Sexual Assaults [UPDATED]

Walker Won?t End Campus Rape Reports - The Daily Beast

Walker Unfairly Attacked on College Rape - ORIGINAL STORY RETRACTED - The Daily Beast

 

[cheri1122]

Calm down, Barkley, the Daily Beast has retracted the story and apologized to the Gov. In their defense, they did ask one of his staffers for clarification, [Friday], and got a truly muddled answer, which sounds like the staffer didn't know anything.
It's human to err - what matters is how you fix it, and they did what they could to fix it. Walker can't blame them if his poll numbers fall through the floor.
OTOH, he still hasn't explained why he approved a 17% raise for the State Troopers, while everyone else is limited to raises equal to inflation.......

 

[muttly]

Lol. Cherry Cola . It shouldn't have happened anyway. The reason it did, is because certain leftist publications are stepping over each other to do hit pieces on Walker without doing due diligence. Sloppy reporting by both publications.

From 'journalist' that did the original article :
(twitter)
(1) I realize now that it would have been worth a follow up phone call to Walker's office.

(2) So, you guys, Walker folk and media pundits alike, I screwed up.

(3) I know I said I wasn't going to say sorry but I hope you won't fault me for changing my mind.


At least she went through the stages of denial. First, say there isn't a problem, second, admit to yourself and to others that there was a problem. And third, say you're sorry.

 

[cheri1122]

It happened because someone made a mistake, and someone else repeated it - not unusual, in journalism.
Is the "stepping over each other to do hit pieces" rationale applied to mistakes about liberals, too?

 

[muttly]

Sure, it happens. But not as frequent.

 

[Turtle]

It happened because someone made a mistake, and someone else repeated it - not unusual, in journalism.

Is actually very unusual in journalism, but it's the bread and butter of political Bloggers. The problem comes from those who get their news from political Blogs.

 

[Pilgrim]

OTOH, he still hasn't explained why he approved a 17% raise for the State Troopers, while everyone else is limited to raises equal to inflation.......

Well actually he has, but the national media has conveniently ignored the facts supporting his reasoning and that his fellow WI Republican legislators probably won't approve it. It's still in the negotiation process, and not surprising that Walker and his spokesmen aren't talking too much about it to the press. (Bold emphasis mine)

But troopers said they deserve a substantial pay hike because they have gone years without a boost in pay. Trooper Randy Gordon said in his nine years on the job he's gotten just one raise. Some of his colleagues make so little they qualify for heating assistance, he said.

Gordon makes $20.25 an hour, 30 cents more than a new hire...

Glen Jones, president of the troopers association and vice president of the group that negotiates contracts for troopers, said the raise was justified because they haven't seen a pay increase since June 2009...

The raise is aimed at covering the past 5 1/2 years, said Jones. Negotiations were completed about two years ago and the union ratified a contract a year ago, but the contract only recently was forwarded to the Legislature...

The starting wage would rise to $21.21 under the contract. That's 6.3% higher than the current starting pay. Those at the top of the scale would make $30.30 an hour, according to a summary of the deal put together by the troopers.
Troopers would have to pay higher insurance premiums under the agreement.

Walker administration proposes 17% pay hikes for troopers

Keep in mind everyone in the country wants better quality people in law enforcement. Now when somebody proposes paying LEOs a higher wage to attract and retain better personnel to a position that requires them to face life threatening situations as part of their job description, legislators from both parties start shouting concern about the budget.

For comparison, take a look at the compensation for WI teachers - also represented by a union which has had considerable influence in past WI legislatures. There have been several sets of numbers thrown around, but this article seems to boil them down to a reasonable average. (Bold emphasis mine)

The latest figures from the National Education Association actually put the average salary for a Wisconsin teacher at $51,264.
The $51,000 salary figure is further substantiated by district-by-district data provided by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction...
Average benefits amount to about $25,000 a year, said Marlena Deutsch, a spokeswoman for WEAC.

Fox Business Network's Eric Bolling says Wisconsin teachers get compensated nearly double those in private sector | PolitiFact

The math is easy; average WI teacher's salary + benefits = $76,264.

Nine year veteran WI trooper wages (based on a 40-hr week) = $42,120.

Now what's wrong with that picture

 

[Turtle]

The math is easy; average WI teacher's salary + benefits = $76,264.

Nine year veteran WI trooper wages (based on a 40-hr week) = $42,120.

Now what's wrong with that picture

The math may be too easy. For one, Wisconsin state troopers average $22,000 in benefits themselves. That additional figure doesn't bring a cop's salary to that of a teacher, but then again you don't need a college degree to be a cop. Plus, the notion that high salaries attract and retain high quality workers is largely a fallacy in nearly every job category. It's one of those things that always sounds good, but rarely proves itself in reality. If you doubt that, all you have to do is look at the quality of our nation's teachers.

 

[LDB]

Oh, much better. Cops who work year round only make $1,000 per month less than teachers. Granted, teacher's jobs can sometimes be pretty dangerous, but probably less so overall than cops. The $1,000 per month deficit, the lack of a raise for over a half decade, none of that will matter or be taken into consideration by one group.

 

[Turtle]

If people were compensated based on the danger of the job, the Army would attract and retain like, everybody, because they'd all be paid millions.

 

[Ragman]

Oh, much better. Cops who work year round only make $1,000 per month less than teachers. Granted, teacher's jobs can sometimes be pretty dangerous, but probably less so overall than cops. The $1,000 per month deficit, the lack of a raise for over a half decade, none of that will matter or be taken into consideration by one group.

 

[Pilgrim]

The math may be too easy. For one, Wisconsin state troopers average $22,000 in benefits themselves. That additional figure doesn't bring a cop's salary to that of a teacher, but then again you don't need a college degree to be a cop. Plus, the notion that high salaries attract and retain high quality workers is largely a fallacy in nearly every job category. It's one of those things that always sounds good, but rarely proves itself in reality. If you doubt that, all you have to do is look at the quality of our nation's teachers.

True, a college degree isn't required to be a cop in most cases but the demands of the job and the services they provide certainly justify higher compensation than that of public school teachers. In the real world people leave current jobs for higher paying jobs every day, and many companies are very willing to pay higher salaries to lure top performers away from competitors. This is true in every industry from professional sports to high tech firms to real estate agencies to trucking companies. One of the problems WI faced with their Troopers is the attrition rate of people leaving for higher paying positions. Teachers are one of the very few professions that offer tenure after a brief period of employment, ensuring their position as long as they want it regardless of their quality of work.

It's a sad commentary on the current state of our economy that govt workers - who are almost as secure as tenured teachers - get paid higher salaries and benefits than private sector employees. Of course these private sector companies have to pay their employees from their profits that are hopefully high enough to keep them in business. Government doesn't have to make a profit - they just take other people's money.