Thursday, May 31, 2012

Poverty Will Set You Free?

Owen Robinson, RWNJ blogger at Loots and Slobbers, is celebrating the fact that union membership has dropped considerably since Scott Walker and his Republican cronies illegally rammed through Act 10:
Wow. Thousands of people are finally free from the unions that they were forced by law to join and finance. It’s a beautiful thing.
But Robinson, being the irrational union-phobe that he is, lets his hatred keep him from admitting, or even recognizing the truth.

Putting aside the fact that people could opt out of unions if they wanted to, he either ignores or is completely ignorant of the fact that this isn't a matter of choice, but of economic necessity for many people.

As Jeff pointed out the other day, Act 10 has serious financial consequences for working families across the state.  And it's not just the public sector workers who have had their wages docked by as much as 10 to 20%, but are also facing higher costs to see the doctor or to get medication.  There are public sector workers that now qualify for financial aid and food stamps because of Act 10.

People in the private sector, most notably the service industry, are also getting hurt as the demand dries up as the cash is being taken out of our economy.  This is why we're seeing more businesses shutting their doors and more and more people getting laid off.

Another way that this malicious sabotage of our economy is hurting is by driving highly qualified people from their fields, because they can no longer afford it or deal with the stress of it:
Stephanie Kline resigned from her position as an 8th grade math teacher at New Richmond Middle School in Wisconsin. Her last day of teaching is June 6, 2012.  A final straw for Kline came when her 5-year-old son was refused services at her New Richmond Clinic for an outstanding medical bill accrued this past year.  Her medical deductible increased $3,500 coupled with a salary decrease of $2000 in the 2011-2012 school year.  The decreasing ability to support her family, along with stress, uncertainty, and lack of communication has pushed her out of the teaching profession. Her story may resonate with many workers around the state who have experienced changes in their profession due to public policy choices. However, Kline’s story is a personal one.  She states several times throughout this interview that she is “only speaking for myself, and not other teachers.”
What Robinson is celebrating is not the liberation of thousands of people suddenly freed from a tyrannical union, but people having to drop their memberships because they need that money to put food on the table, keep a roof over their head and make sure their families get the medical care they need.

What Robinson is celebrating is the impoverishment and indenturing of tens of thousands of families, just so that he can save a whopping $12 on his property taxes.

Is it any wonder that this greed-driven miscreant supports the sociopath Walker, even with all of his corruption?  It takes a special kind of depravity to take enjoyment in needlessly hurting others, a quality that these two have in common.

3 comments:

  1. And I see the non-union people not as being free, but as being free-loaders. Getting the benefit of having a union without actually paying for it.

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  2. Loots and Slobbers? They've been doing a bunch of odd posts lately: man-on-man mud-wrestling, peeing in the pool, "girls are icky." Makes my job much easier.

    Fearing his inner non-conformities, Owen will post anything to show his GOP conformity.

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  3. I was happy to see boots and kittens updated!

    ReplyDelete