Back In Madison

Politifact digs deeply and concludes that Walker's union-busting proposals (as contrasted with the cost-sharing proposals) were ot part of his campaign and really did come out of right field.  I had reluctantly reached that same conclusion (on much less research) on Monday.

Comments

[Dan Collins]

Bet they didn't mention this.

[MayBee]

So?

[MayBee]

Very good stuff, Dan Collins (and hi!!)

Tommy Thompson mentioned that on Parker Spitzer tonight.

[Porchlight]

Yeah, really. So what?

[bgates]

If he didn't talk about it last fall, then I guess the unions aren't really costing the state any money. Problem solved!

[MayBee]

Obama didn't run on a stimulus package, either.

[PD]

The unions were solidly behind Tom Barrett during the campaign, they knew where Walker was coming from.

I haven't heard any Walker voters complaining that he's taking on the unions. Why did we vote for him? Certainly not to go along with them.

[MayBee]

I bet the Democrats didn't campaign on running out of town, either.

[Porchlight]

Heh, MayBee.

[PD]

For some reason, I'm unable to recall Walker running on a promise to withold the paychecks of Dem. senators who flee the state and don't show up for work.

[PD]

Aww, I should have refreshed. MayBee beat me to it.

[Rob Crawford]

Politifact -- who are they, again? We're supposed to cede authority to them why, exactly?

In any case, what's so horrible about requiring the unions to collect their own dues and be recertified every year? Heck, compromise and say recertify every two.

[MayBee]

Politifact chose it because he said "all", and therefore they could decide whether he had campaigned on "all" of it. That's what they do.

Great. They got to call it untrue.

[narciso]

They are McClatchey, the St. Petersburg Times,
might as well be Izvestia, Pravda was too obvious.

[Rob Crawford]

Didn't someone figure out that politifact was being a bit selective when it came to which claims they were assessing?

[JB]

I did my own digging. This newsletter, from the WEAC web site of all places, shows that Walker was clear on his intent to end collective bargaining for health benefits. (Look at the very end of the document.) It was posted before the election, to help folks choose between Walker and Barrett.

http://www.weac.org/TRUE/newsletters/2010%20November%20Final.pdf

[PD]

I did my own digging.

a.k.a. shining the sunlight of truth on the lies of the left.

[boris]

JB's link

Health Care
BARRETT: Barrett opposes legislation that would take school employees’ voices out of the decision-making over health care by allowing school boards to unilaterally change employee health care coverage plan providers. “I believe in collective bargaining.” WEAC Interview, 5/15/10
WALKER: Walker supports a bill that would take away the right of unions to negotiate health care benefits. Ryan Murray, Campaign Policy Adviser for Walker, said “The way the proposal would work is we would take the choice out of the collective bargaining process.”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, 8/29/10

Maybe right field not so much.

[JB]

I don't think that link worked. Here is a true link to the WEAC document (I hope this works)

WEAC Doc

If it doesn't work, the document name, to finish the link above, is:

2010%20November%20Final.pdf

[JB]

It would be nice to find the Journal Sentinel article referenced in the newsletter.

[Ranger]

Via Instapundit:

http://online.wsj.com/community/groups/question-day-229/topics/should-state-employees-have-collective-bargaining>SHOULD STATE EMPLOYEES HAVE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS?

A reader emails that the Teamsters are mailing this link out to their members.

[Rob Crawford]

So politfact was (once more) carrying the water for lefties?

Huh.

[Threadkiller]

">http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/101771723.html"> Milwaukee Journal Sentinal article for you JB.

[narciso]

I know, Rob, water also happens to be wet, in other news.

[squaredance]

Just more sophistry and casuistry out of Marxist propaganda organs, not to mention projection by the Left at large. It is wholly irrelevant and is the attempt to personalize the whole matter. The issue would remain should Walker never had been born. Moreover, you can bet it will be an issue the next time around. The Left has engaged in an attempt to overthrow government--though the nation cannot yet admit that this is indeed what they have been about.

It is an absurd formulation to agree with this drivel or to give it any support whatsoever.

[bgates]

Hey, small world - the Journal Sentinel is the paper that employs the hack that wrote the Politifact hit piece.

[Ignatz]

From a link I posted earlier today:

Twenty-five states - Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin have laws granting state workers the right to use unions to negotiate wages, benefits, hours and other working conditions, or bargain collectively in labor parlance. In Indiana and Missouri, these rights were extended through executive order and did not have the force of law.[And have since rescinded those orders.]

By my math that means as of 2005 there were 32 states that did not have laws granting public employees the right to form unions. They act like Walker is doing something novel here. He's just following a growing trend of getting the status back to the quo of where it used to and should be. Deal with it lefties.

[Danube of Thought]

Where does the figure 32 come from?

[Rob Crawford]

Obama said there were 57 states during the campaign. The rest is simple arithmetic.

[bgates]

Obama joke (57 states).

[Rick Ballard]

Did Walker pen the bill or were there, just perhaps, legislators who had some small input to the content of the legislation? If Walker did not disclose, during his campaign, his intention to allow legislators to legislate during his tenure as Governor should he be impeached or is a simple recall sufficient punishment?

[narciso]

Good god, we've gone beyond python, and we're now at the 'scary door'

[narciso]

For those not well versed on the topic, in the LUN

[Strawman Cometh]

Michelle Malkin recently published a nice rip on Politifact that includes this email excerpt:
I am an opinion journalist who has always been transparent about my ideology.
You are opinion journalists who masquerade as neutral arbiters of fact.
Nice work if you can get it.

[Danube of Thought]

Somebody here not long ago gave a bit of background on Politifact's left-wing roots at the St. Petersburg Times, including an analysis of which side's claims they elect to check out in what proportions. No surprises.

But the other day there was an analysis done by something called Politifact-Wisconsin. It was favorable to the Walker side. Anybody know the connection?

OK, OK, I'm hip to the 57 states. A little late, maybe, but hip,

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

In Last 24 Hours Dem Protesters Have Assaulted a Young Woman, Tortured a Camel, Called Opponents “Bad Jews” & Attacked Gay Black Tea Partier… They Must Be Very Proud

Gateway Pundit|Jim Hoft

[JM Hanes]

From Politifact:

"There is no dispute that Walker campaigned on getting concessions on health and pension benefits from state employees..... But for Walker to be right, he has to be correct on the entirety of the plan."

LOL! I'm trying to remember a politician who managed to meet that standard.

[Jim]

Obama ran as a middle of the road centrist. He sure as heck didn't run on ramming through health care.

Why is this Walker accusation even relevant? No politician tells anyone their agenda, or they lose the middle.

[daveinboca]

Politifact is wrong as often as it's right and always gives the benefit of the doubt to the WRONG side.

And since when did the Indonesian Imbecile campaign in 2008 on totally revamping the country's health care system, in the middle of a terrible recession? Walker is MUCH more honest than the dummy in the Oval Office, and should be praised for bringing the hammer of Thor down on shiftless unions whose teaching skills are worse than those of the parochial and private schools in Wisconsin.

Remember that voucher program in Milwaukee a few years back? Desperate parents want to get their kids out of a dead-end public school system.

[Soylent Red]

Walker's job is, in part, to bring budget deficits under control. He was damn well elected on that platform plank. This is part of that process. Politifact is just gritching about how Walker is choosing to suck the egg,

The public has never, in any election ever, voted on the minutiae of policy, just on its desired and actual effect.

Oh, and by the way, the people of Wisconsin are behind this plan by a wide margin. So I guess that counts as some sort of referendum. Last time I checked, polling data and elections were the measures of wise policy. Not "journalism".

Did Walker Obama pen the bill Healthcare Reform or were there, just perhaps, legislators who had some small input to the content of the legislation? If Walker Obama did not disclose, during his campaign, his intention to allow legislators to legislate during his tenure as Governor Presinizzle should he be impeached or is a simple recall sufficient punishment?

Just a little thought experiment there...

[Sandy Daze]

24 Feb 11

This boils down to a debate between the Rule of Law and the Law of Rule. The Rule of Law insists the people have spoken, that Gov Walker campaigned upon a particular platform and that the citizens elected him to fulfill his campaign promises. He is now doing that.

The Law of Rule insists that elections don't matter except when we want them to matter and that particularly in this case, we rule differently from what the people voted for and thus, we will do everything in our power--get bloody--to frustrate the Rule of Law.

Take good care,
Sandy

[Sandy Daze]

24 Feb 11

Topical, is not a bit off topic, who recently said:

". . .we should have no illusions. Gaddafi is a brutal killer and Libya – not to mention the world – would be better off if he were out of power. Now is the time to speak out. Speak out for the long-suffering Libyan people. Speak out for the victims of Gaddafi’s terror. NATO and our allies should look at establishing a no-fly zone so Libyan air forces cannot continue slaughtering the Libyan people. We should not be afraid of freedom, especially when it comes to people suffering under a brutal enemy of America. . . ."

Answer LUN

Take good care,
Sandy

[Sandy Daze]

24 Feb 11

Much like the Western World, where we are want to say,
Thank God (or Goodness) It's Friday or TGIF,
here, in Baghdad, years ago we started saying, Sure Happy It's Thursday, in recognition that today, Thursday, is the last day of the 'work-week' with Friday being the traditional day of rest and prayer day in the mosques--as you well know.

Tomorrow promises to be a "special" day here, with Motaquar al Sadr promising a Million Man March to the Zone. StratFor highlights tomorrow on its calendar:

Feb. 25: A “Revolution of Iraqi Rage” demonstration demanding change, freedom and genuine democracy will be held in central Baghdad’s Tahrir Square.

In view of tomorrow's planned activities, today everything is quieting down, most locations that can, are increasing security. Movement limitations have been directed across the remaining FOBs and compounds and for most observers, if they don't need to go anywhere, they aren't planning to do so until Saturday.

Details at 11.

So, from Iraq with Love:

Sure
Happy
It's
Thursday !!!!

Take good care,
Sandy

[glasater]

You take care Sandy!

Here is a lengthy article I'm wading through with this headline:

Another Runaway General: Army Deploys Psy-Ops on U.S. Senators

It just seems that Rolling Stone is trying to stir the military pot once again.

[daddy]

Hi Soylent and Sandy Daze,

Stay safe.

If you were wondering, in Nome this moment it is midnight and just at freezing, but a winter storm warning is in effect and its supposed to start snowing soon with gusts to 50 knots and zero visibility. I tell you this because Sarah's husband, Todd Palin, is in second place in the Iron Dog Snow Machine Race, and are currently parked at Nome, having completed the first thousand miles of the contest. It's just after midnight here, but pretty shortly they'll be cranking up the old hog and whizzing off the last thousand miles to Fairbanks. Brrrrrrrrrrr!

Here's a ">http://www.adn.com/2011/02/23/1718375/as-iron-dog-pack-rests-in-nome.html"> link.

[Sandy Daze]

24 Feb 11

Ranging further off topic, but topical nevertheless, to expand upon earlier thoughts re the pirate problem off the Somalia coast. In my view the only reason why piracy there remains a problem is simply because we choose to not respond appropriately to the challenge to the Rule of Law.

The esteemed lawyers in our group can more clearly describe the legal aspects of the approach. My understanding is that as humanity has become more civilized, piratical activity commonly understood as hostis humani generic or "enemies of humanity" has become more tolerated, not less.

That is, in days of yore (gawd I sometimes I wish I had been born in days of yore, rather than days of Gore--heh) we were able to distinguish enemies of humanity rather easily. The response, when encountered, typically went something like:

- short drop on a long rope

- blow em out of the water

Now, it seems civilization is flummoxed about how to respond. I understand in applying that apparently antiquated response identified above, future incidences of piracy were lessened. Pirates knew such behavior would not be rewarded. Rather pirates and would-be pirates understood piratical acts would be punished, severely, swiftly and mercilessly.

Today we'll spend millions if not billions to dance around the issue, allow citizens to be murdered, and then capture, take to trial and then imprison perps, but we will not, actually kill the cancer; we will only treat the symptom, which often is a better life result for the perp.

Even a "mothership" has a home port. Somalia piracy is a finite problem. We can go large and sophisticated and sanitary with tomahawks, or we could make it more of a ground tactical problem with SEALS and NGFS. Either way, Somalia piracy could be dispatched "oh when - ? next Monday at 2300? Sure, we've got room on our planner. . ." How many lives of innocents must be sacrificed to ensure the political correctness of not killing the pirates?

Time to kill all of the pirates.

There's a widow in sleepy Chester
Who weeps for her only son;
There's a grave on the Pabeng River,
A grave that the Burmans shun;
And there's Subadar Prag Tewarri
Who tells how the work was done.

Take good care,
Sandy

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Sandy: I read somewhere today that the Russian way is to shoot 'em and level their boats/ships to the water line. Pirates, what pirates?

[AL]

In every Western country there is provision in Constitution, Bill of Rights, other legislation, etc., which prohibits (including in workplace) discrimination based on race, skin color, political affiliation, gender, age, country of origin, sexual orientation, etc., etc., etc.

In short, such legislation prohibits any imaginable kind of discrimination, except for discrimination based on membership in trade union. How funny is that?

As for fiscal matter, there is one thing everyone understand, but are too damn coward to voice. The only way for any level of government to be fiscally responsible and solvent is to permanently remove Democrats (at least current breed) from power. It is exactly what Wisconsin Repubs are trying to do.

“Should state employees have collective bargaining rights?”

Sure they should. State just should not bargain with them on collective basis.

[Janet]

Soylent Red & Sandy Daze - Be safe, strong, & cunning! God bless you!

piracy there remains a problem is simply because we choose to not respond appropriately to the challenge to the Rule of Law.

This administration is a boatload of pirates.

[Extraneus]

Only 206 days until International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Maybe we can dig a grave the Somalis shun before then.

[Pagar]

I don't think the 57 states thing with Obama was a joke. He just forgot what country he was in. LUN

"I goofed when I ridiculed Barack Obama for claiming he had campaigned in 57 states. I thought he was referring to American states — which in Obama's case was a truly foolish assumption. I should have realized that the Organisation of the Islamic Conference is made up of 57 states."

[Neo]

President Barack Obama, after initially lending his support to organized labor, has stepped back from the fights spreading in state capitals from Wisconsin to Tennessee, leaving union officials divided about his tactics.

Democratic officials said that with Mr. Obama heading into battles over the federal budget, a plunge into the fray over public-sector collective bargaining could weaken his position as a deal-maker in Washington.

Mr. Obama is eager to occupy the political center, Democratic officials said, to help him forge a bipartisan deal on the nation's long-term finances that could strengthen his position heading into the 2012 election. Mr. Obama has already tacked to the center on taxes, on trade and by working to forge stronger ties with business leaders.

Obama needs the attention back in DC, signalling that a Government shutdown is ahead

[Neo]

“The governor’s conduct is especially egregious in light of a Wisconsin law specifically barring troopers from taking part in any dispute between an employer and employee over wages, hours, labor, or working conditions -- the subject of the governor’s bill.”
This seems a bit of a stretch since the troopers were trying to get legislators to return to their duties

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

After Obama's new position on DOMA no one will believe he has moved to the center.

[PD]

But for Walker to be right, he has to be correct on the entirety of the plan."

LOL! I'm trying to remember a politician who managed to meet that standard.

I'll bet PolitiFact is correct 100% of the time, though. Right? Surely they come up to the standard they expect others to meet.

[sbw]

he has to be correct on the entirety of the plan

Like FDR.

[Ann]

Soylent and Sandy,

Godspeed. You are are both in my heart and prayers.

daddy,

Thanks for the update on Todd Palin. I haven't heard a peep from the Psy-Ops news organizations (don't you love that story this morning) on Todd being in second place. Go Todd!!

[PD]

After Obama's new position on DOMA no one will believe he has moved to the center.

I disbelieved that long ago. It's all feint, every time he tries it.

-- still disenfranchised in WI by my Democrat senator

[Melinda Romanoff]

Why am I thinking that this Psy-Ops story is really a hit-and-run piece involving a bus?

[clarice]

I read this morning in the examiner that DC has something like 18k cases of HIV/AIDS--3% of the population,the highest percentage in the nation; that we are now offering free health care to everyone who has it though the author of the article says no one has said who is paying for this care.

[Ann]

President's Thursday Schedule:

9:30-intelligence briefing; 10:00-senior advisors; 1:45-Council on Jobs and Competitiveness;3:00-Sec.Treasury Geithner; 7:15: "Motown: In Performance at the White House” Carney briefing: 1:00

Tonight's "The Motown Sound: In Performance" taping in the East Room includes such Motown legends as...Sheryl Crow & Nick Jonas

AWOL

[Melinda Romanoff]

Ann-

You need to watch Valerie's schedule.

[narciso]

That's the thing about Hastings, and earlier
Rosen, they think the Taliban is legitimate
in what they do, and we are illegitimate just
for defending ourselves, like the French proverb

[centralcal]

lol, Ann! Yep, Motown legends alright.

[BR]

Thanks for Obama's 57 states origin, Pagar!

Here's the full list of member states.

Wiki: "...Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) is an international organisation with a permanent delegation to the United Nations, with 57 member states. The Organisation attempts to be the collective voice of the Muslim world (Ummah)."

Marvelous. Great playing field for the domino effect to continue on.

[Ann]

Mel,

I figured she was in Chicago partying with Rahm.

Hey, heard you are going to get 9 inches of snow. Can you stop it from coming this way. My daughter is flying to Colorado Springs tomorrow morning thru Detroit.

[Pagar]

Clarice, I don't know whether this article is current. But it has some indications who was paying when it was written.

LUN

[Ranger]

That sounds like Barry. Slide into the office around 9:30, work until maybe 11:00. Then a nice long lunch till 1:45. A couple more meetings in the afternoon, then a serious elbow rubbing with some celebs.

[centralcal]

Clarice got an Instalanche for her Tatler's piece.

[DebinNC]

For those who want to follow the saga of Walker's bill. Bottom line, the assembly will pass it later today, but the senate fleebaggers seem determined to remain awol.

[Janet]

Clarice gets an Instalaunch.
Flop Sweat on Obamacare

Instapundit says, "Funny that when it was William O. Douglas with — rather extensive — financial and sexual conflicts, there weren’t a bunch of lawprofs calling for Congress to create a code of ethics."

Ya know though....it is all not funny at all anymore. The double standard is more than just sickening. The left is lawless & their propaganda arm the MFM is their advocate.

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

-- still disenfranchised in WI by my Democrat senator

PD,

Have you looked into the requirements for a recall? Your tea party groups should be all over that.

Ann,

I'm announcing that on the radio today.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Ann-

Election rhetoric has ebbed, so the local high pressure system ( excessive hot air ) is collapsing and will soon return to Winter. I do believe that condition is "normal" for most airports and she'll fly, just the same.

[I R A Darth Aggie]

what's so horrible about requiring the unions to collect their own dues

Because once the people the unions represent see just how much money their union actually takes from them, they'll be pissed off, too.

From the union's perspective, that's catastrophic. Also, people will be lazy and not pay, or just up and quit the union.

[BR]

Can't wait to hear the latest on al-Sadr, Sandy.

(2006) King Abdullah; al-Sadr.

I can envision how beautiful the Bedouin sword dancers are.

[Ann]

I love the comparison of the Union protesters and the Tea Party:

Hillbuzz.org

I think we could call this Truth To Power...no? :)

[Danube of Thought]

This just in...

MADISON, Wis. - Republicans and Democrats in the Wisconsin Assembly have agreed to a deal that will limit further debate on a bill taking away collective bargaining rights for public workers and lead to a vote on the measure later Thursday.

Article is here.

[Danube of Thought]

Congressional efforts to affect the way the Supreme Court justices decide on recusals will be of zero effect. Zero.

[clarice]

DoT, Insty has linked to a Jennifer Rubin blog at the WaPo where she details how Walker's winning everything, including voter IDs at the polls.

[DebinNC]

The WI Assembly (House) is not the WI Senate from whence the fleebaggers fled.

[Sandy Daze]

The sweat level seems to be a bit higher for this event, tomorrow, than usual.

BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's prime minister warned his people to boycott a planned anti-government protest scheduled for Friday, saying it was being organized by supporters of Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida

Iraq, and particularly al Maliki has a lot riding on Baghdad being relatively stable. The Arab Summit is to occur in Baghdad at the end of March, preparation are in high gear, although to many casual observers, the smart money is against Iraq being ready on time.

Five days ago, Libya, currently head of the Arab Summit, announced a postponement of the gathering.

Two days ago, Iraq announced there would be no delay.

Of course, the room temperature and Qudaffy's body temperature may reach equilibrium well before then.

News at 11.

As for tomorrow, 25 February (hard to believe it has already been two months since Christmas), when you awake the day's news for Iraq should be in the can. There's an eight hour swing between here and the US East coast.

Take good care,
Sandy

[Danube of Thought]

Nice item by Rubin. I have trouble seeing what the endgame will be, but it seems to me that a firm date for a likely-successful recall of one of the bastards would establish an absolute final date.

I have no idea on where any recall efforts stand, nor how likely any of them is to succeed. Henry?

[DebinNC]

DoT, from a Freeper:

"Recall Jim Holperin in Wisconsin is now in the process of gaining steam 15,000 votes are needed and there are 300 volunteers whom are lining up to get the signatures from registered Wisconsin voters."

Holperin barely won last time, and is one of the few Dems who've been in office long enough to be recalled. I'm hoping the Teamsters and SEIU folks said to be arriving in WI now will be illustrative.

[Danube of Thought]

Thanks Deb.

[clarice]

Deb, Isn't the argument that only a regular quorum is needed in the wi Senate for non-fiscal matters and the cb rights are not a fiscal issue so if the House passes it , the Senate can also without the fleebaggers.

[Henry]

re: recalls. the last two successful recalls were of the state senator (Racine) that voted to apply the Miller Field sales tax surcharge to all of SE WI instead of just Milwaukee County (he was an R and the seat has traded parties each election since), and the recall of Milwaukee County Executive Jim Ament (D) in 2003 (big public worker pension scandal, Walker replaced Ament).

So they can happen, and have been successful when they involve government excess.

[BR]

July 2010

Al-Sadr and Syria's President Bashar al-Assad

I wonder when the dominos will start falling in Syria.

[Ranger]

I think part of the issue is that until the assembly passes the bill, the fleebaggers can claim they aren't obstructing anything. Once there is a bill passed, the fleebaggers are obsticle, and they are going to cost the state $165 million if they don't show up and vote. It just puts that much more pressure on them.

[DebinNC]

Clarice, Walker has said repeatedly that the cb rights are a fiscal issue. So the senators could separate them, but won't.

[Henry]

Clarice, both the assembly and senate need to pass the same language or things get delayed. The assembly is passing the identical budget repair bill the flee-baggers ran away from while tabling all amendments. The news this morning was that the R's got fed up with the D's running a true filibuster and limited the number of amendments to be considered as well as time for debate.

[Danube of Thought]

Raz: 67% of LV's of legislators' fleeing.

[clarice]

Thanks, Deb and Henry for clarifying that.

So, if this passes and the fleebaggers do not return and Walker is forced to start discharging state employees he can blame it on the fleebaggers and the teachers union?

[Danube of Thought]

*disapprove*

(link failed)

[Rick Ballard]

I don't see any need for a recall. Per Article 13 of the Wisconsin Constitution:

SECTION 10. [Vacancies in office.]
(1) The legislature may declare the cases in which any office shall be deemed vacant, and also the manner of filling the vacancy where no provision is made for that purpose in this constitution.

A bill deeming the vacant seats to be vacant would not require any Dem Senators to be present when brought to the floor of the Senate and passed. The vacancies would reduce the quorum required and the spending legislation could proceed on its inevitable path.

[Henry]

Clarice, that is the argument Walker has been putting out. The question is whether the local MSM (TV plus Journal Sentinal) can con the people. I don't think they can, but the will certainly try.

[clarice]

Neat idea, Rick.

[Jim Miller]

Rob Crawford - Here's the PolitiFact comparison you are probably thinking of.

(I've started saying "even" PolitiFact when they do criticize a Democrat.)

[DebinNC]

Whatever they do has to pass the "lefty judge test" or risk being overturned. Deeming a seat vacant when the fleebagger is valiantly phoning and faxing in his active participation is ripe for overturning imo.

[DebinNC]

Here's a good summary of why Walker considers collective bargaining a fiscal issue.

[Rick Ballard]

The fleebaggers are providing a textbook example of dereliction of duty through their failure to show up. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is (per Henry) of conservative bent and there is no Federal issue involved.

Failure to show up for a vote deeming their seats vacant would seem to me to be rather solid evidence that the seat was, in fact, vacant.