Comments on: The Streak is Over: Wisconsin Loses 4,300 Private Sector Jobs in March

By: bluecheddar

bluecheddar — Thu, 31 May 2012 23:56:02 +0000

“As lean and efficient as it can possibly be” – We could agree that government should be lean and efficient. But how lean, how efficient, and who benefits from the agenda? I don’t think government is something that should be gutted for the sake of enriching some corporations. It can and should serve the people that pay taxes into it and we should ALL pay taxes into it – - that means corporations don’t get a pass in the way that Walker’s benefactors like ABC corporation do. Walker went too far with his agenda and in a fashion that was authoritarian in nature. The worst point in his extreme agenda, in my opinion, is privatizing of public education K-12. That would enrich Betsy DeVos, Rupert Murdoch and others who have investments in online charter schools and especially devastate rural schools. Right now the cuts in state aid and the inability of rural and poor schools to raise property taxes is causing mayhem that is squeezing schools in the direction of private services or closure. By the way – honest question: Who will babysit all the kids sitting in front of their charter school classwork at home while mom and dad are at work? Or is this part of the plan too – because money “isn’t important for women” they will stay home? [that's the line Glenn Grothman and Tom Tiffany repeat] And here’s 1 more question only a little tongue in cheek: Is this online charter school thing some sort of social engineering from the right wing?

By: Heiner

Heiner — Wed, 30 May 2012 00:04:48 +0000

The problem you’re missing is this: government is an expense. We need it, but more is not better–the rest of the citizens have to work to pay for it.

If there are too many government workers, it’s best for everyone for them to find work as ordinary citizens. That way they make a good living, and help pay for the government we do need (instead of adding to the expense).

Whenever you spend money on things you don’t need, you have less for things you do.

Everyone benefits from a government that’s as lean and efficient as it can possibly be.

By: Giles Goat Boy

Giles Goat Boy — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:18:06 +0000

mamaraby, I think you hit the nail on the head. Our family took a big hit starting last fall due to a renegotiated contract at my wife’s public sector job. Multiply four or five hundred dollars a month times thousands of employees and there is less and less demand for goods and services. More private businesses then fail or lay off employees, taking even more money out of the marketplace. It’s a snowball effect that is only going to get worse as contracts expire, as you pointed out. And was it all predictable by anyone who took a basic course in economics.

By: mamaraby

mamaraby — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:50:17 +0000

I don’t know if it’s related per se, but as a public employee family, March was the first month that we really felt the squeeze from the paycheck my husband took. His contract expired at the end of last year and more significant changes to staffing levels, overtime, etc started taking place in February. Since they pay two weeks behind when you’ve actually earned it, it was like a slow slide. I know we’ve spent less every paycheck since.

Is it possible, if nothing else changes that we’ll see corresponding losses as other employee contract groups come off contract?