You can watch movies right in the palm of your hand!
http://pd.gophercentral.com/u/3442/c/186/a/541
------------------------------------------------------------
THE CONSERVATIVE REVIEW - March 1, 2011
Madison Madness
by: Larry Kudlow
Townhall.com
The Democratic/government-union days of rage in Madison,
Wis., are a disgrace. Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan calls it
Cairo coming to Madison. But the protesters in Egypt were
pro-democracy. The government-union protesters in Madison
are anti-democracy -- they are trying to prevent a vote
in the legislature. In fact, Democratic legislators them-
selves are fleeing the state so as not to vote on Gov.
Scott Walker's budget cuts.
That's not democracy.
The teachers' union is going on strike in Milwaukee and
elsewhere. They ought to be fired. Think Ronald Reagan
PATCO in 1981. Think Calvin Coolidge police strike in
1919.
The teachers' union on strike? Wisconsin parents should go
on strike against the teachers' union. A friend e-mailed
me to say that the graduation rate in Milwaukee public
schools is 46 percent. The graduation rate for African-
Americans in Milwaukee public schools is 34 percent.
Shouldn't somebody be protesting that?
Gov. Walker is facing a $3.6 billion budget deficit, and
he wants state workers to pay one-half of their pension
costs and 12.6 percent of their health benefits. Currently,
most state employees pay nothing for their pensions and
virtually nothing for their health insurance. That's an
outrage.
Nationwide, state and local government unions have a 45
percent total-compensation advantage over their private-
sector counterpart. With high-pay compensation and
virtually no benefits co-pay, the politically arrogant
unions are bankrupting America -- which by some estimates
is suffering from $3 trillion in unfunded liabilities.
Exempting police, fire and state troopers, Walker would
end collective bargaining over pensions and benefits for
the rest. Collective bargaining for wages would still be
permitted, but there would be no wage hikes above the
consumer price index. Unions could still represent workers,
but they could not force employees to pay dues. In exchange
for this, Walker promises no furloughs or layoffs.
------------------------------------------------------------
YOUR VIDEO SNACK BAR
Top Viewed Videos...
1. Dancing To The Archies
http://c.gophercentral.com/0cA6
2. The Amazing Jennifer Hudson
http://c.gophercentral.com/2oZw
3. Guess Who? - When They Were Young
http://c.gophercentral.com/42qJ
4. I Could Get Used To This
http://c.gophercentral.com/g2Hv
5. Day of the Kamikaze
http://c.gophercentral.com/yCWX
6. One For The Money, Two for the Show.
http://c.gophercentral.com/90u0
------------------------------------------------------------
Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is also pushing a bill to limit
the collective-bargaining rights of teachers for wages and
wage-related benefits. Similar proposals are being discuss-
ed in Idaho and Tennessee. In Ohio, Gov. John Kasich wants
to restrict union rights across the board for all state
and local government workers. More generally, both Democr-
atic and Republican governors across the country are taking
on the extravagant pay of government unions.
Why? Because taxpayers won't stand for it anymore.
In an interesting twist on this story, even private unions
are revolting against government unions. Private unions
pay taxes, too. And they don't have near the total
compensation of the public unions. It's no wonder they're
fed up.
So, having lost badly in the last election, the government-
union Democrats in Wisconsin have taken to the streets.
This is a European-style revolt, like those seen in
Greece, France and elsewhere. So it becomes greater than
just a fiscal issue. It is becoming a law-and-order issue.
President Obama, who keeps telling us he's a budget
cutter, has taken the side of the public unions. House
Speaker John Boehner correctly rapped Obama's knuckles
for this. If the state of Wisconsin voters elected a
Chris Christie-type governor with a Republican legislature,
then it is a local states' rights issue.
But does President Obama even know that the scope of
collective bargaining for federal employees is sharply
limited? According to the Manhattan Institute, federal
workers are forbidden to collectively bargain for wages
or benefits. Instead, pay increases are determined
annually through legislation.
Meanwhile, Walker said it would be "wise" for President
Obama to keep his attentions on Washington, not Wisconsin.
"We're focused on balancing our budget," he said in a
television interview. "It would be wise for the president
and others in Washington to be focused on balancing their
budget, which they're a long ways from doing."
Amen.
Obama should stay out. And Walker should stand tall and
stick to his principles. A nationwide taxpayer revolt
against public unions can save the country. Otherwise,
the spiraling out-of-control costs of state public-union
entitlements will destroy the local fisc, just as surely
as the unreformed federal entitlements of Social Security
and health care are wrecking our national finances.
------------------------------------------------------------
Follow Your Favorite GopherCentral Publications on Twitter:
http://www.gophertweets.com/ More Coming Soon!
------------------------------------------------------------