WI budget changes, what are we waiting on?

Please, lets not get into a political bashing session. I’m just really interested in reading the thoughts from others on the proposed budget changes that are currently be voted on in Madison….and how that may affect what happens in other states. As I have been reading so many different media forms and “slanted” versions of the bill, I have formed my own opinion on what I believe it will mean to the tax payers.
But, I have read so many quotes from different people across the state that starts out as “We have issues to fix” or “We need to address these….” My question is, what are we waiting on. Are these people so caught up in greed and “not in my back yard” that they are exempt for needing to contribute to a solution to our state’s problems?
Please be civil

This probally isn’t going to be good it might get pulled but leave the unions have there rights

I wish I knew all of the details, but if what I know is correct and that is that they want to have the state employees start paying a portion of their health insurance and a portion of their pension. These items will not be negotiable, but their wages will be.

They would still have it better than a lot of people, I cannot go to my employer and ask for a raise, I have to earn it by doing a good job and getting a good review. I pay over $300 a month for my health insurance which does not include Dental or eye coverage. I pay toward my 401K and pension. I work 12 months of the year and get 4 weeks vacation because I have been here for close to 20 years.

Yes teachers, state health workers, and other state workers are needed and are valuable jobs but teachers work 8 months a year, get a good wage and great benefits. I would love a job where I had every summer off.

I say if you do not like your job there are a whole lot of people that will take it. The alternative is being laid off or released all together. Maybe the state should file Bankruptcy like California will most likely do and they will basically restructure the jobs completely and people will loose all of their pensions and everything.

These teachers are setting a fine example by calling in sick and going to protest. If I were to call in sick and then be seen fishing, I would get written up or possibly worse, but it is OK for them to do this and tell their students they will get an excused absence if they go to the protests also.

Flame me if you want but it seems to me the only people upset are the ones it is affecting, everyone else sees it as about time they pay their share like the rest of us. They should be happy they have a job in todays economy.

Wow, I thought everything was great in Packer land since the S bowl win

Icenutz, you should get your facts straight before you spout out about how everything is wine and roses for state employees. I do pay toward my pension and health care! We are also in the average range when it comes to salary for educators nationwide. I just can’t lose $200 dollars per check and still support my family.

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Yes teachers, state health workers, and other state workers are needed and are valuable jobs but teachers work 8 months a year, get a good wage and great benefits. I would love a job where I had every summer off.

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I heard someone on the radio trying to defend this by saying with all the extra hour and time they put in before and after the school year, it is really only like 2 months off.

This is second hand, but from what I have heard they pay like 2% on their pension but the pension works out to be 8%. Who pays the extra 6%? Gee I wonder. I’d like to have the government pay for my retirement as well. I’ll be lucky if I get 100% of the social insecurity money I have paid in.

In generations past it was all about sacrificing and leaving a better place for our kids. It seems that has been lost. I kept hear how we teetered on the brink of another Great Depression, yet no one thinks they should have to sacrifice. Well if there is no sacrifice, we leave an economy that if it has another sectors bubble burst, they’ll be eating potatoes.

And the teachers aren’t sacrificing nothing, they just have to stop leeching off everyone else with for their pensions. Pay in what you want out.

The problem with capitalism, free markets is that the government has immunity and a monopoly. They don’t have to make sacrifices for the bottom line, if they need money, they just take it.

Another thing I am tired of hearing on the radio is how cutting Aid to Local Governments is going to mean higher taxes. People’s property taxes are going to go up!

First of all, why in the heck is the state government subsidizing cities? Why if I buy something or pay for a service in Richfield does another city get to use that money to build a new firestation? Does that make sense?

The real reason most politicians don’t want to cut ALG is that it is a lot harder to raise revenue through local taxes because that is the most accountable level of government we have. You see it is a lot easier to get away with pooling money for cigarettes, booze, cars and cleaning services to build that fire station than have an assessor come out and tell you your house is worth $300K when you couldn’t sell it for $200K.

Sorry, did I just lock the thread?

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Icenutz, you should get your facts straight before you spout out about how everything is wine and roses for state employees. I do pay toward my pension and health care! We are also in the average range when it comes to salary for educators nationwide. I just can’t lose $200 dollars per check and still support my family.

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Shouldn’t you be in class?

well said icenutz. With a median income of a state employee coming in at 53K, I would be happy to quit the low paying full time job I work so I can provide insurance for my family (which incidentally went up by $1600 this year while my employer kicks in an extra $20) in addition to my other part/full time I’ve had for the last 6 years to make ends meet and have one of theirs. I’ve been trying to get in with the state or municipality around here for a long time now and wouldnt mind riding the gravy train for a while. I hate to even mention this on the board but I feel the teachers are acting very selfishly by not showing up for class the past two days. I’ve got a 6 year old in the Madison School District and didnt get a call until 9:30 last night telling me there was no school today. I’m sure there are a lot of parents within the district that just flat out cannot afford to take 2 days off of work and possibly a 3rd tomorrow while they go picket downtown. I’m fortunate to be able to afford before and after school care for my daughter and they’re open while the teachers strike, but its costing me an extra 100+ to send her there while I go to work. As a whole, this has costed a lot of people a lot of money, whether its in extra daycare costs or lost wages.

This is a serious question. Are their any reports on how the 2 day walk out has been received by the general public?

Phishirman I;m sure you can get a job at UW Madison as a janitor At 11 something an hour but wait thats along way from 53K so you probally would want it not all State workers make any wheres near 53K

Just for the record I don’t make $53K either. I don’t even make $30K…

Wy should they be any different than the private sector. Everyone in the state is going to hurt.

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Just for the record I don’t make $53K either. I don’t even make $30K…

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That is because according to your profile you are a student.

Just kidding, trying to keep it light in here…now.

We all chose the jobs we have, and have the opportunity to make changes. Teachers went to school to be teachers knowing what the hours and benifits were. We all knew the hours, and could have done the same. I realize the economy makes it hard for someone to make a change right now, but to expect these employees to just roll over and give these things up without fighting is crazy. The changes don’t affect me, but if they did I would try me best to stop them. Small cuts are one thing, this is something else.

Nut

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Icenutz, you should get your facts straight before you spout out about how everything is wine and roses for state employees. I do pay toward my pension and health care! We are also in the average range when it comes to salary for educators nationwide. I just can’t lose $200 dollars per check and still support my family.

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I work for a company that does not get supported by tax payer dollars, in the last few years I have had to give back 5% of my pay, lost a 10% shift premium, lost a 6% match on my 401K and every visit to the hospital is a $3000 dollars out of pocket before I get any real family coverage. Basically disaster insurance. I say to all public employee’s is its your time for a dose of reality. Change is a good thing and that should include publicly funded jobs. IMHO

quote]Phishirman I;m sure you can get a job at UW Madison as a janitor At 11 something an hour but wait thats along way from 53K so you probally would want it not all State workers make any wheres near 53K

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you are correct sir. I am an Arborist by trade working in corporate america for the benes and have applied/turned down an Arborist position with the UW because of the laughable $11.00 an hour starting wage. Obviously not all state workers make great money, but 53k a year is the median wage. I struggle to keep a roof over my family’s head, clothes on our backs and food on the table. With the state of our economy, we’ve seen a lot of cut backs with the company I am with, lots of positions dissolved, entire sites shut down, raise and bonus freezes for the past 2 years and now finally my insurance going up by a substantial amount. It obviously hasn’t been well received within the company, but you also won’t see me outside holding a sign voicing my displeasure with our CEO who makes 6M a year. I’m just happy I have a place where I can show up for work everyday….

I find it refreshing to watch the government officials we just voted in actually following through with their campaign promise of reducing the size of government. Makes you wonder if the people that are protesting would rather have 20 – 30% of their jobs eliminated. I know I don’t want my taxes to increase 20 – 30% in order for them to continue their ride on the gravy train.

In other news, its going to be a lovely day outside

Well said wiswalleyenut

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In other news, its going to be a lovely day outside

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Yeah, but I’ll be working, not fishing, so I am only going to get crabbier as the day goes along.

I think that there is a big misconception about state, county, and government workers pay and actual compensation. You’d be surprised to know how much they actually make.

I’m a jailer that works for a major metro county. I’m certainly not living high off the hog!

We haven’t had a cost of living bump in 4 years.

We also lost our annual pay step increases altogehter.

I pay 435 dollars per month for health insurance.

I also pay into my retirement program. I’d kill for a 6% 401k match.

Not all public employees are living high off the hog. So bigpike, am I not paying my fair share? Reality?

Just going to speak to my wife’s exact situation. She is a full time teacher. The teachers in her district actually pay 20% of their health care premium. This is MORE that what Walker’s plan calls for. She is willing to contribute to her pension. That only makes sense. When I was in corporate america, I remember when my company had to drop their matching down to 3%, 2%, and eventually 0 due to the economy. Times are tough she understands that.

I don’t like how everything gets generalized in the papers. Teachers seem to get the most paper/face time on this matter. And let’s me honest, it does not seem to portray them in a positive light. They may only work 8 months of the year, but I believe that their pay also reflects that. The months they are off, they don’t get to claim unemployment benefits like other occupations that are seasonal. But they do get to keep insurance.

I am not a member of a union, but I don’t like how Walker has picked who can and can’t negotiate work conditions and terms of their employment. There is nothing to stop a school district in telling my wife that she has to have a math class of 60 kids in it. I don’t think that is what a parent would like to hear from their son or daughter on their first day of school.

If you talk to police officers or firemen, I would think that they would agree that the dispatch workers are critical to what they do daily. Yet it seems as though they are not considered critical public servants. So they too will be losing their right to negotiate anything other than their wage.

This legislation is going to effect the lives of many ordinary people. It is not about the teachers, they are just a part of it all. The ones I feel for are the retired, fixed income, elderly of our state.

There is so much involved in the 144 pages, but it seems some of it has changed in the last 12-24 hours so I will leave it at that.

FDR

We all know that unless you have a relatively high profile position with the state, you probably aren’t going to be living the high life, but I’m willing to bet the average position probably affords most state employees a comfortable lifestyle.

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We all know that unless you have a relatively high profile position with the state, you probably aren’t going to be living the high life, but I’m willing to bet the average position probably affords most state employees a comfortable lifestyle.

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Like anything else, decent wages, vacation, and pensions are earned by seniority and paying your dues. Private sector included.

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I find it refreshing to watch the government officials we just voted in actually following through with their campaign promise of reducing the size of government. Makes you wonder if the people that are protesting would rather have 20 – 30% of their jobs eliminated. I know I don’t want my taxes to increase 20 – 30% in order for them to continue their ride on the gravy train.

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Just for the record, I do believe the median wage some of you are referencing, includes all U.W. Prof’s, Chancellors, Deans, Asst. Deans, Provost…..and many, many more high paid positions that most of us average Joe fisherman types will never have access too. And I’m just as sure that most of us couldn’t care less if those people have to pay more.

But this bill also includes a ton of state workers who are no better off than the average worker in the private sector and their median income is considerably less than $53k. I’m sure many of them would also be willing to contribute more to help the state out of this mess. I think what really peaves people is that there was no good will on the Governor’s part what so ever.

If he would have come out and said something like: I only have two weeks to negotiate this contract or else we will have to go the extreme route, then the union most likely would have tried to stall like they always do. But at least he would have made the offer to negotiate. At the very least, he would have been able to say he gave the union a chance and they balked. Instead, our Governor came right out with the nuclear option.

As you can see, that didn’t go over very well.

Boy.. I didn’t know that 25, or 30,000 a year was riding the gravy train.. Walker used an “average wage” of what ever.. and that very well may be the case.. when you average that Barry Alaverz is getting $4 million a year.. and the football coach and the basketball coach is making over a million dollars a year..

and there are prof’s on UW Madison that are the RAIN MAKERS, who are making over a Million a year.. not counting the Chancellors..

Yeah when you add ALL THOSE FIGURES, it averages out to people on the “gravy Train”.. but its those exceptions that raises every one else..

heck, take my wife’s $30,000 and Barry’s $4 million and we must be making $2 million dollars in my house..

There are numerous prof’s who make the big money.. but the majority of the workers make less then $50000.. and I would say closer to $40000 a year.. or LESS…

please get your “true facts” straight.. oh and my wife’s $35000, that’s after 20 plus years of SERVICE..

we have taken a pay cut every year for the past four years..

and if you want to talk about dividing an office.. THe State Patrol, isn’t going to be subject to this ..meaning that they get all the “current benefits” if not more.. HOWEVER their office staff. the people who make things run.. Guess what .. all their benefits will get cut.. so all those “little people” who you STAND ON EVERY DAY to make yourself LOOK BIG, Yep those guys.. well they are going to get crapped on , just like the rest of us..