The new face of education reform
Over at Forbes I talk about Scott Walker’s plans to layoff 1,500 state workers and cut $1 billion in state aid to schools and local governments. I think Walker is doing what Chris Christie would like to do, and what reformers like Michelle Rhee never had the power to do – he calls it balancing [...]
February 28, 2011
· 
E.D. Kain · 
53 Comments
Tags: education reform, Scott Walker, unions · Posted in: Education
Quote for the day
“And understand this: If American workers are being denied their right to organize and collectively bargain when I’m in the White House, I’ll put on a put on a comfortable pair of shoes myself. I’ll walk on that picket line with you as president of the United States.” ~ Barack Obama in 2007 on the [...]
February 25, 2011
· E.D. Kain · 108 Comments
Tags: Barack Obama, Scott Walker, wisconsin · Posted in: Domestic Affairs
The Walker Roadmap
Mike Konczal has an excellent post up on the three-pronged approach Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is taking in his stealth budget. In fact, he’s charted the whole thing out: The assault on unions is currently the most obvious and contested part of this plan (despite the health of the public pension system in Wisconsin), but [...]
February 24, 2011
· E.D. Kain · 82 Comments
Tags: healthcare reform, medicaid, organized labor, Scott Walker, unions, wisconsin · Posted in: Domestic Affairs
Three Decades of Union-Busting
Andrew Sullivan has two more posts up on Wisconsin, and both are remarkably even-keeled. In the first, he looks at Walker’s campaign promises and notes that Walker did campaign on cutting public sector wages and benefits: But not end their collective bargaining rights on everything but wages. There’s no reference to any such bid in [...]
February 22, 2011
· E.D. Kain · 162 Comments
Tags: Andrew Sullivan, Kevin Drum, organized labor, Robert Reich, Scott Walker, unions, wisconsin · Posted in: Decline and Fall, Domestic Affairs
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Part Deux
Ed at Gin and Tacos gets into the less-discussed weeds of Scott Walker’s budget [pdf]. Apparently, governor Walker likes his union-busting to come with a side of crony-capitalism: 16.896 Sale or contractual operation of state−owned heating, cooling, and power plants. (1) Notwithstanding ss. 13.48 (14) (am) and 16.705 (1), the department may sell any state−owned [...]
February 21, 2011
· E.D. Kain · 78 Comments
Tags: organized labor, Scott Walker, wisconsin · Posted in: Domestic Affairs
The Death and Life of the Great American Middle Class
I don’t agree with Andrew on the issue of public sector unions at all but at least this post is a good deal more measured than many of his recent efforts. It’s also revealing of a certain mindset that I think a lot of Americans share. I will try to explain how I see the situation. [...]
February 21, 2011
· E.D. Kain · 254 Comments
Tags: Democratic Party, Madison, public sector unions, Scott Walker, the middle class, unions, wisconsin · Posted in: Decline and Fall, Domestic Affairs
Yes, cutting spending will hurt people
Ezra Klein sums up the anti-union proposal put forth by Wisconsin’s Governor: The best way to understand Walker’s proposal is as a multi-part attack on the state’s labor unions. In part one, their ability to bargain benefits for their members is reduced. In part two, their ability to collect dues, and thus spend money organizing [...]
February 18, 2011
· E.D. Kain · 221 Comments
Tags: Andrew Sullivan, deficits, Ezra Klein, public education, public pensions, Scott Walker, spending · Posted in: Domestic Affairs
