Unemployment is still looking pretty bad. In fact, the White House has a new slogan: "Hope and Change the Subject."...Leno
I believe we can all take several messages and lessons from Gov. Walker's crushing win last night.
I believe we can all take several messages and lessons from Gov. Walker's crushing win last night.
- Conservatives won the debate and the battle (Yes, most Republicans are conservative, but conservative and Reagan Democrats came out in full force yesterday. Remember, Wisconsin is considered, by all measures, a blue state). Not only did Walker crush Mayor Tom Barrett by 53% to 46% (at one point, Walker was about 20 points ahead), Walker took all but 11 of the 72 counties in Wisconsin. Walker also won independents by a slight margin and men voted for him big time. Walker lost among women.
- Most of the reforms the public unions took Walker to task for---worked. Unemployment in the state is now down under 7% (it's 8.2% nationally). Note: 7 of 10 states with the lowest unemployment rates are governed by Republicans...PolitiFact)
- The Tea Party notches yet another victory. The Occupy Crowd (aligned with public unions) has yet to win anything.
- Public unions---not all unions---lost big. As Zogby of Zogby Polling said, "The recall battle is Union 'Haves' vs. Private Sector {unions} 'Have Nots.'" (In a lesser known story, public unions also lost in San Jose and San Diego last night. Taxpayers just cannot afford the cost of pensions for public workers anymore. Folks, that's Californians talking---a huge blue state).
- Teacher unions did lose big time and they are losing the PR battle too. For example, in North East Philadelphia, a major school district is on strike right now. It's their second strike in several months. Their salaries range from about $43k to almost $100k a year. They never had to contribute one penny for their own health care. They have been asked to contribute 15% of those premiums. The union replied they would pay 8%, leaving taxpayers to pay 92%. Also in PA, taxpayer contributions to school and state workers pensions will jump from $1.7 billion this year to just over $6 billion---adding $1000 a year for the average home owner. Bottom line: taxpayers cannot afford it anymore. In fact, for the first time I've ever heard, the teachers in that district have actually received threats and passer-bys have thrown stuff at the picket line. Phila. Inquirer/Del. County Daily Times
- But even many teachers are fed up. In Wisconsin, union membership in AFSCME fell from about 68,000 to about 29,000. The American Federation of Teachers lost 6,000 members. Even rank and file are starting to realize this is about privilege not right. As Rich Lowry of National Review pointed out: "Union sisterhood and brotherhood aren't that glorious once the dues are no longer mandatory." And how do they know this? They heard it from their own education Milwaukee teacher's union big-shot Bob Peterson who said educators must be "teachers of unionism." Even teachers are scratching their heads because many believe it should be about the students.
- In other words, as Pres. Obama has been spouting for the last three years---it's about fair share.
- We learned that exit polls should be shown the exit. They were all wrong.
- After I heard the news about Walker's victory, I switched over to the knee-pad media's coverage. Allow me to put this mildly: they were going friggin nuts. They didn't know how to report the story---how to spin it. MSNBC, led by Ed Schultz, were basically telling their meager audience Walker's win was scary. And that Republicans would defund eduction (they can't). Ed, it's progressives that have hurt education. All one has to do is look at the horrific state of almost every urban school district is in. And Ed, if public education is so good, tell Pres. Obama and the political elite to send their children to those "great" schools. Many of the other knee-pad networks were---well---hysterical. Remember, the fake, phony and fraud pictured above works for MSNBC.
- With all of the Walker news, you might have missed something just as important. Bill Clinton went off the reservation again and the Obama campaign can't be too happy. Yesterday, Bubba supported the extension of the Bush tax cuts.
- Perhaps there's another reason why the Obama administration can't get its act together. In 2009, Slo Joe Biden praised that fake, phony and fraud Jon Corzine---failed governor, senator and businessman--- for being a key architect of the "national recovery plan." Now that's precious.
- Did you know our government actually funded Pakistan to develop a version of Sesame Street? Yes, our government gave them $20 mil to fund such a project. But there is good news. The money was withdrawn after we found out there was alleged fraud and abuse in the contract. Wait, fraud and abuse in Pakistan? Say it ain't so "Slo" Joe!
- More good news. We took out another al-Qaeda #2 (that's about 30 number 2's by my math) with a drone missile strike.
- And we took it to the stinking Nazis at Normandy on this day 68 years ago. For those who attended public school, Allied forces landed on Normandy in France during Operation Overlord in World War II or better known as D-Day. 160,000 stormed the beaches, 9000 were killed or wounded. D-Day marked the turning point of WWII in Europe. Gen. Eisenhower famously said that day he would accept nothing short of victory. In addition to American forces, other Allied forces included Great Britain, Canada, France, Poles, Greeks, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Belgium and the Czechs. It was the Greatest Generation at its finest.
Feb. 6, 1911-June 5, 2004
