Rachel Maddow connects the dots between 2 seemingly unrelated stories. It seems that MR. Walker made a few real bad decision in his other union busting life, fired the union security people in his county, hired some Wakkenhut Security jockeys and had a security chief who had been in jail. He had to hire back the union security and pay back pay to the tune of nearly a half million dollars.
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Mr. Walker’s union busting doesn’t have a real good track record.
We haven’t had Rachel around for a long time. Enjoy. We will bring Jon in on the subject also.
M-H,
Do you remember when Gilmore fired some sector of public workers, was it waste management? I can’t remember, but then it ended up costing more to the tax payers to hire private industry. Can you clarify this vague story I am remembering.
No. This guy really hired some winners. I don’t like how he comes across. He obfuscates the truth. When asks if he is a union buster he says no, he is a budget balancer.
Give me a break.
When my husband supports a real union, there is something wrong. He is supporting the public employee patriots of Wisconsin.
Elena, are you talking about VDOT or something else?
@marin, I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. I know snow removal folks are usually contracted out. We don’t need them year round.
Honestly Marinm, for the life of me, I cannot remember the details. But I do know the cut ended up costing more money to taxpayers in the end. I will have to do some research.
I want to say that your talking about the VDOT cuts under Wilder/Allen and that some smart engineers left and then we’re hired by contractors that then used those guys to win the contracts and use those guys to do the work at a higher rate than what they we’re being paid by the state.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/vdot/vdot13.htm
Sometimes it works out – sometimes it doesn’t. The problem is that sometimes the deadwood doesn’t leave (they are the ones you want to get rid of) but the good, smart ones take the buyout and then come back as a contractor (because smart people can do math and say to themselves — this is a great deal!!)
It’s like killing cancer. You want to kill the bad cells and keep the good ones but sometimes you kill the good ones — sometimes you kill off too many good ones and then the patient kicks. 🙁
He may have cost half a million, but this strike has cost about 9 million.
Hey! Rush is talking about Virginia not allowing unionization of the public sector, and the fact that we are cutting taxes, and running a surplus. He credits the lack of unionization for our financial well being.
Back to the regularly scheduled program – http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/2011/02/union-protests-cost-wisconsin-taxpayers-9-million/
Why is it that all these protesters feel that its ok to litter like that?
@Cargo, because the landscapers union (local #1234) won’t let people pick up their own trash…
Rush is an AH. The fact that we have to have a balanced budget is the reason.
Did he happen to mention that the state used the pension fund as an ATM? They are really under no legal obligation to repay millions.
As for litter, they probably don’t have trash cans. Perhaps someone will bring in garbage bags.
Virginia has unions. Check out the coal mines down in Southwest.
Teachers cannot strike. I guess they can’t say that about others…no way to control it. How teachers are prevented from striking is because the state will pull their license and they are blackballed from public instruction in the state forever. I don’t know what they take away from people who don’t have to be licensed. Something draconian I feel certain.
From National Right to Work:
http://www.nrtw.org/c/vartwlaw.htm
Wisconsin State Journal is reporting:
The 97-union South Central Federation of Labor voted Monday night to prepare for a general strike that would take place if Gov. Scott Walker succeeds in enacting his budget repair bill, which would strip most bargaining rights from most public employee unions.
The strike would call for union and non-union workers in large swaths of the workforce to stop working, said Carl Aniel, labor federation delegate from AFSCME Local 171.
YYYYYYYEEEEESSSSSS!!!!! Show the taxpayers exactly why these changes are needed.
These strikers and looters are winning the hearts and minds of the people for us. 🙂 🙂 🙂
No one has seen any looting. Strikers yes. Looters…not until it happens.
Remember that much of the talk is whipping up your base. Think political rally. I prefer to wait and see what happens.
This is the future of America. White, suburban middle class Americans are at war with other white, suburban middle class Americans in America’s heartland. I fear for our nation’s future.
I was thinking about that the other day, Starry. I also think we are seeing a real blow back with white men. It has been 40 years in the making.
My husband had his also about 35 years ago. As one of the oppressed, its hard to put myself in a white male’s shoes. White males, sound off!
@Moon-howler
The litter left behind are the signs. Can’t these people pick up after themselves. The Tea Party brought their own trash bags when they rallied in DC.
And therefore the Tea Party is far superior to any of the protestors in Wisconsin? How about the Tea Party that is IN Wisconsin.
I havent seen the mess so I cannot comment. Everyone should pick up their own trash. I agree. There were many groups there. Hard to say which group wasn’t a good visitor.
@Starryflights
Absolutely…and the richest tier is laughing all the way to the bank.
Just as poor kids hope to be the next millionaire basketball player, there are a lot of middle class defenders of the tax-absolved wealthy… because just like the kid, they think they’re going to be in Bill Gates’ shoes one day. The chances are just as slim.
@Moon-howler
I agree about the blow back from white men. After decades of privelege they’re having to compete with the rest of society on a slightly more level playing field and they don’t like it.
They’ll soon be a minority within our society and America as they knew it will be no more.
June 2009 — from SecurityInfoWatch (and other related sources)
“The Wackenhut Corporation’s physical security services have made the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s list of approved services for homeland security. It is the first and only contract security service provider in the U.S. to achieve this signifcant status.”
This comes under the federal SAFETY Act, which affords much enhanced liability protection to a private security service and its clients if those clients are actually the object of a terrorist attack.
When Wackenhut was sold to Brit interests (2006, I think), the Bush II administration appeared ready to forego their services because of potential security considerations. However, a subsquent examination showed that, while the top ownership was British, the company’s operations were American-controlled, including the very large number of ex-U.S. military who have been hired by the company. It looks to me like the Obama administration accepted this assessment. Wackenhut has had some problems — guards caught napping at a nuclear facility; billing disputes with certain Florida clients; those stupid yoyos seen in the video — but they are still all over the place. If I am recalling correctly, the guard who was killed by that old coot at the Holocaust Museum was Wackenhut. So were the two guards who downed that crazy killer. So, when Rachel talks about those “coconut bra vodka butt jockeys”, guess who also hires them? She sort of skipped over that a bit when showing that atrocious video.
You know, if I was a county administrator looking to hire a private security service, I might just be led to believe that an outfit which is the only one on that special DHS list…..Maybe Milwaukee should sue the feds for false advertising?
@Wolverine
Remember, the Feds also think the TSA is competent to protect us too. My experience with Wackenhut is seeing them operate in private security, including banks.
I wasn’t impressed. I think that they got it because of their size and money.
And one group of idiots doesn’t make the entire batch of idiots all rotten…or something like that. I think the key is that the original crew that was fired had to be rehired. I don’t think Wakkenhut is a major part of this story.
Moon, I actually think you are right on Wackenhut, although somebody at both Wackenhut and Walker’s own office really dropped the ball on that ex-police chief. From what I have read about his case, that guy WAS a definite “No way!” Disgusting stuff. And in a small town of only 1300. Looks to me like Walker didn’t have a good “detail man” on his staff — the kind of watchdog staffer who has your back and doesn’t let anything go by unsniffed.
As far as Wackenhut itself is concerned, I was just tweeking Rachel’s nose since she was the one hacking away at the idea of the vodka butts. But, what the hey, Rachel is Rachel.
All of which reminds me to say that your latest posting of Jon Stewart was a laugh riot. The guy is a genius at comedic timing. I doubt that there is very much he and I would ever agree on politically; but, if you have the talent to make the rest of us laugh at ourselves, you’ve got something valuable there. Everybody needs a tension breaker.
@Wolverine, I think he is hilarious! And he doesn’t even take himself seriously most of the time. His politics are funny. Some times you think he is a liberal and other times, I catch myself thinking, he is to the right of me. He is all over the board. I relate to that!!!
When an government function is privatized, there is usually a problem. The government tries to hire qualified competent people and to do so must offer a fair wage and benefits. Private enterprise, because of the profit motive, tries to hire competent people for less money that the government was paying and, usually, gets people who are happy to earn less money (i.e. less competent). As an example, years ago, the Fairfax County Board hired private firms to provide vehicle maintenance for school buses to save money. The County staff retained the safety inspection function. County staff failed most of the recently privately serviced buses for safety violations. The Board howled that the County staff was obviously turning down the buses because they wanted the maintence functions back. The County then hired a private firm to do the safety inspections. That firm also failed the privately maintained buses. The County then hired a second private maintenance firm to replace the poorly performing first group. The new firms buses also failed. The Board then un-privatized the maintenance functions and returned the duty to government workers. The government workers were concerned with bus safety and not profit margins.
“I agree about the blow back from white men. After decades of privelege they’re having to compete with the rest of society on a slightly more level playing field and they don’t like it.
They’ll soon be a minority within our society and America as they knew it will be no more.”
Odd, I’m a white male in my early 30’s. I’ve never experienced “decades of privelege”, only seen job opportunities pass me by simply because of the color of my skin.
I honestly look forward to soon being in the minority within our society because Ill get preferred treatment with everything from job opportunities, to loans, to grants, to…. as well as my children. Bring on being the minority I say! This is one white male who can’t wait!
I am a minority of one. The individual is the smallest minority. And that is to whom our laws should be geared. “All men are created equal” means just that.
You women are going to have to work a little harder….. 👿
@BS in VA
I understand what you are saying, but, then, how do you explain the TSA? Just sayin’…
@ Hello: Actually if you are white, you have experienced centuries of privelege. Your great-great-great grandfather prospered more than the great-great-great grandfathers of 99% of African-Americans. Your great-great grandfather was priveleged more than the great-great grandfathers of American Indians because he was the son of a white family. Your great grandfather was able to earn more money and build more equity for the family than the great grandfather of most Asian Americans because he had an advantage of being white and went through a door that might as well have written “whites only” on it. Your father probably had a higher education and owned more wordly things than most households headed by females because of his background. The America we are living in today is trying to let everyone start from the same point on the road of life and not start earlier or closer to the finish line. We white boys were and still are priveleged. In the future, if you fairly compete with women and minorities and still win the race, then it will be to your credit and hard work and preparation. You can well be proud of that accomplishment. However, currently as well as in the past, white males started the race earlier and nearer the goal of financial success, not because we are better, smarter, or have a better work ethic, but because of the privelege that was unfairly given to our white grandfathers.
Hello, I’ve had one job opportunity lost because of race. (I know this because I carpooled with the interviewer’s boss.) Despite my having the best portfolio and being the top candidate, the call came from personnel department to hire the second in line. I could be angry about that or I could look at it objectively and realize that I’d had an unwarranted advantage as well – knowing the supervisor. What I lacked was any experience managing people which the second candidate may have had. The nuts and bolts of that job could be fairly easily learned. We’re not always privy to all the deatils related to a hire or to an organization’s objectives.
Good luck in qualifying for those minority “priveleges” in the future. Sometimes when all things are equal, attitude may be the determing factor in whether you’re hired but that minority status might help ya..