TRUMP STARES DOWN BIG CORPORATIONS OVER JOBS BEFORE HE'S SWORN IN (REXNORD)

TRUMP STARES DOWN BIG CORPORATIONS OVER JOBS BEFORE HE'S SWORN IN: (REXNORD)

WALL STREET vs MAIN STREET

HE WARNS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF AMERICAN JOBS ARE OUTSOURCED OVERSEAS FOR GREED.


Sources: Russia Today, Fox News, Youtube


******* Corporate Greed': IN Worker Reacts to His Company's Planned Mexico Move


President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter Saturday night after a second American company announced it would be firing hundreds of workers and moving its operations to Monterrey, Mexico.

Rexnord Corporation, a portmanteau of Rex Chain Belt Incorporated and Nordberg Manufacturing, announced it would be cutting 300 jobs in its Indianapolis factory, just days after Trump secured a deal with the Carrier corporation to keep more than 1,000 Americans employed in another Indiana factory.

Trump called Rexnord's announcement "vicious" and later sounded off in a series of tweets warning companies that future outsourcing will be an "expensive mistake", and that they can expect a tariff to be imposed in order to sell their goods back into the United States.

Kyle Beaman, a ten-year employee of Rexnord told Pete Hegseth that his employer's announcement made him "sick to [his] stomach]," especially since the company's severance agreement states Beaman must train his replacement to receive his package.

"Honestly it boils down to corporate greed," he said, "The wages down there in Monterrey would be $3 per hour... At my age [I'd] probably have to reinvent myself again [to find another job]," he said.

However, Beaman expressed confidence that Trump would come through for him and his coworkers, in the way that the president-elect's deal with Carrier preserved those workers' jobs.

Watch the full discussion above and let us know what you think in the comments.

TRUMP & HILLARY WOO BLUE COLLAR WORKERS THIS LABOR DAY

HILLARY & TRUMP VY FOR BLUE COLLAR WORKERS ON LABOR DAY

Sources: WKYC, ABC News, Google, Youtube

**** Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump courting Ohio voters on Labor Day

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are making competing Labor Day pitches in Ohio, setting the stage for a critical month in their testy presidential campaign.

The Republican real estate mogul is joining running mate Mike Pence at a morning round-table discussion with union members in Cleveland.
The Democratic nominee plans to arrive in the city for a Labor Day festival with union leaders and workers.

Trump is also expected to campaign at a fair in Youngstown, Ohio, in a nod to the state's role as a make-or-break proving ground for Republican presidential candidates.

Labor Day has traditionally been the kickoff to the fall campaign. Both Clinton and Trump have been locked in an intense back-and-forth throughout the summer.

MINIMUM WAGE Fight: $15.00 An Hour In America = LIVING WAGES!

"$15 Minimum Wage Supporters Vow To Fight On"


Supporters of a local law in Washington state setting one of the nation's highest minimum wages said Tuesday they were appealing a judge's ruling overturning a big part of the law.

A Washington judge ruled last week that the ballot initiative passed by voters in SeaTac doesn't apply to most workers at the community's largest employer, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

That means about 4,700 employees of airlines, contractors, shops and hotels won't see their minimum wage baseline increase on Wednesday as scheduled, according to Yes!ForSeaTac and Puget Sound Sage, both proponents of the measure.

The increase will still apply to about 1,600 workers outside of the airport, Yes!ForSeaTac estimated.

In November, city voters narrowly approved an increase in the minimum wage for hospitality and transportation workers to $15. It also includes provisions for sick pay and tipped employees.

Workers are currently paid at least the statewide minimum, which increases with inflation and will be $9.32 in 2014.

Judge Andrea Darvas did not strike down the law, but rather ruled on a technical issue. The Sea-Tac airport is under jurisdiction of the Port of Seattle, and the city of SeaTac has limited influence over it, she ruled.

On Tuesday, Yes!ForSeaTac filed an appeal in the state supreme court. It wasn't immediately clear when the high court would act on the appeal.

It's the next step in what could be a long battle between unions -- including the Teamsters and SEIU -- and companies at the airport.

Bill Sherman, a professor at the Seattle University School of Law who said he is not involved with either side, expects the state supreme court to take the case rather than send it back to a lower appeals court.

Alaska Airlines, one of the airport's largest carriers, and several catering companies initially brought the issue to court.

Airline spokesman Paul McElroy said Tuesday the company "believes in fair pay and benefits for all workers and we respect every worker and the job they do."

"This lawsuit is not about $15 an hour -- its about an initiative that violated state and federal law," he said.

But supporters of the higher wage argued it was an issue of equality.

"Alaska Airlines alone made $157 million in the last three months in part by outsourcing hundreds of good paying jobs" to cheaper contractors, said Sergio Salinas, president of local SEIU.

The airport and city officials haven't taken a position on the law, according to their spokesmen. Airport management is "currently reviewing the judge's decision" and the city is preparing to implement the law.

Several other minimum wage increases are taking effect in the new year. Many are minor -- about 15 cents -- but some workers will see a more sizable bump in their paychecks.

Source: CNN

Obama Admin vs Minimum Wage Laws: Urges Overtime Pay For Home Health Workers

Wage Protection for Home Care Workers

The Obama administration proposed regulations on Thursday to give the nation’s nearly two million home care workers minimum wage and overtime protections. Those workers have long been exempted from coverage.

Labor unions and advocates for low-wage workers have pushed for the changes, contending that the 37-year-old exemption improperly swept these workers, who care for many elderly and disabled Americans, into the same “companion” category as baby sitters. The administration’s move calls for home care aides to be protected under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the nation’s main wage and hour law.

“They work hard and play by the rules,” President Obama said about a group of workers who often feed patients, tend wounds or help with physical therapy. “Today’s action will ensure that these men and women get paid fairly for a service that a growing number of older Americans couldn’t live without.”

These workers, according to industry figures, generally earn $8.50 to $12 an hour, compared with the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. The White House said 92 percent of these workers were women, nearly 30 percent were African-American and 12 percent Hispanic. Nearly 40 percent rely on public benefits like Medicaid and food stamps.

While industry experts say an overwhelming majority are paid at least the minimum wage, many do not receive a time-and-a-half premium when they work more than 40 hours a week. Twenty-two states do not include home health care workers under their wage and hour laws.

“The job they do is a real job and they deserve the same basic rights as any other workers,” said Steven Edelstein, national policy director of PHI PolicyWorks, a nonprofit group that seeks to improve conditions for home care workers. “This industry has one of the nation’s fastest-growing work forces, and the challenge is to make these better jobs if we’re trying to attract good people to come and provide the services.”

According to the federal government, six million of the 40 million Americans older than 65 now need some form of daily assistance to live outside a nursing home. That number, government officials say, is expected to double to 12 million by 2030. Republican lawmakers and business groups criticized the proposed rules, which might be modified after a 60-day public comment period. Industry officials said the proposals would push up costs and might cause home care agencies to reduce the hours of aides who work more than 40 hours a week and instead hire more aides.

“The president’s goal is commendable, but the likely result of this new rule is reduced hours for home care workers and higher costs for taxpayers,” said John Kline, a Minnesota Republican who is chairman of the House Education and the Work Force Committee, and Tim Walberg, a Minnesota Republican who heads the panel’s subcommittee on work force protections. “Moreover, our nation’s elderly may pay the greatest price in the form of more costly services and fewer opportunities to obtain the care they need in the comfort of their own homes.”

William A. Dombi, vice president for law at the National Association of Home Care and Hospice, said workers might not receive much overtime pay as a result of these changes. “These new rules might come out with everybody behind,” he said. “Workers might not get the hours they want and agencies might have higher administrative and recruiting costs.”

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said any increased costs would be modest. She said it was hard to project exactly what employers would do, whether they would have many employees continue to work overtime or would hire additional workers to minimize overtime. She estimated that Medicare or Medicaid, which cover 75 percent of the nation’s home care costs, would pay $31.1 million to $169.5 million more each year toward home care aides, which she said would represent 0.06 percent to 0.29 percent of federal and state outlays for home care.

Secretary Solis said the proposal would ”level the playing field for staffing agencies, who will no longer be pressured to underpay their competitors on wages to gain an edge.”

Noting that nearly 90 percent of the nation’s home care aides work for agencies, Labor Department officials said such aides would receive the new wage and hour protections. The department said some companions employed by individuals for activities like helping them take walks or engage in hobbies would still be exempt from minimum wage and overtime coverage.

In 1974, the Labor Department exempted “companionship” workers from coverage under the Fair Labor Standards Act, a move that focused on baby sitters at a time when the home care industry was in its infancy.

In 2007, the Supreme Court issued a decision involving a New York home care aide, Evelyn Coke, who often worked 70 hours a week, ruling that she was not entitled to overtime pay under existing regulations.

The court said it was up to Congress or the Labor Department to change the rules.


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Sources: CNN, NY Times, White House.gov, Youtube, Google Maps

Wall Street Moves Jobs To North Carolina: Right-To-Work State & Lower Wages

Financial Giants Are Moving Jobs Off Wall Street

New York’s biggest investment houses are shifting jobs out of the area and expanding in cheaper locales in the United States, threatening the vast middle tier of positions that form the backbone of employment on Wall Street.

The shift comes even as banks consider deeper staff cuts here, which could undermine the state and city tax base long term.

“Places like New York or London will remain financial centers, but most of the players are taking a much harder look and asking whether they can move large numbers of jobs,” said James Malick, a partner at the Boston Consulting Group who advises banks on relocation. In addition to higher taxes in the New York region, employers face real estate and labor costs significantly above the national average.

Consultants say they have seen a sharp pickup in this trend, known as near-shoring, as opposed to offshoring overseas. Goldman Sachs, during a presentation to investors in late May, even boasted of the cost savings that relocating jobs can bring.

“Some functions need to stay in the United States, but they don’t need to be in New York City or near the client,” Mr. Malick said. And with most investment giants facing anemic revenue and more stringent regulation that cuts into trading revenues, relocation is more tempting than it was before the financial crisis.

Low-level jobs have already migrated to call centers and back offices overseas, while top-end traders and bankers are secure in the New York area, experts say. Instead, services like accounting, trading and legal support, and human resources and compliance are being shifted to places like Salt Lake City, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Fla.

Garry Douyon enjoyed his job helping process trades and working with clients and traders at RBS in Stamford, Conn., earning nearly $100,000 a year, but when the firm decided last fall to move his team to Salt Lake City with a salary of $60,000, he said he really didn’t have much of a choice.

“I didn’t even consider moving,” said Mr. Douyon, who founded a biofuels company, All-City Clean Energy, in Brooklyn with four partners. “I liked RBS but I have my roots here, I have a home, I have kids in school.” A few members of his team decided to go, he added, but most chose to stay in the New York area.

The potential shift has profound implications for New York’s tax base and economy because of Wall Street’s outsize financial profile. Last year, the industry contributed 14 percent of New York State’s tax revenue.

After peaking at 213,000 in August 2007, securities industry jobs in the state fell more than 15 percent in the wake of the financial crisis, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since then they have risen nearly 12,000, but at 191,200, employment is well below pre-crisis levels. By contrast, over the same period, Delaware gained 1,300 securities jobs while Arizona picked up 2,600.

The federal government does not specifically track securities jobs in Utah, North Carolina or Florida, popular locations for near-shoring. But data from firms illustrates the trend.

Since the end of 2009, Deutsche Bank’s work force in the New York area has fallen to 6,900 from 7,400 even as its staff in Jacksonville rose to 1,000 from 600. Credit Suisse’s staff in the New York region has dropped by 500 in the past four years, but the firm has added 450 positions in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, in the area of Raleigh, Cary, Durham and Chapel Hill. And last year, Bank of New York Mellon cut 350 jobs in New York City while hiring 150 people in Lake Mary, Fla.

New York’s status as a financial capital is not likely to fade, and the state’s share of securities jobs in the United States has held steady at about 24 percent in recent years. “Even as the securities industry goes through a difficult time, New York remains the financial capital of the world and I don’t see that changing anytime soon,” said Thomas P. DiNapoli, the New York State comptroller.

But regional offices perform more and more of the sophisticated work usually associated with Wall Street and nearby trading hubs like Jersey City and Stamford. This parallels a shift in some technology jobs away from Silicon Valley to Portland, Ore., and cities in Texas, said Michael Shires, a professor at the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine, who prepares an annual ranking of the best cities for employment.

“I expect to see an acceleration,” he said, noting that while these middle-tier jobs may lack the salaries and glamour usually associated with Wall Street, “these are the support people that actually make the stuff work.” What’s more, there are many more positions in the middle of the jobs pyramid at Wall Street firms than at the top.

Deutsche Bank’s office in Jacksonville started out in 2008 as a back-office service center, according to bank officials. Since then, technology workers, legal and compliance staff members, and trading support jobs have been added. More recently, some traders who deal directly with clients are being located there. Lower costs and taxes are behind the moves, the officials said.

J. Keith Crisco, the North Carolina secretary of commerce, visits New York three to five times a year, meeting with executives from firms already in North Carolina, like Credit Suisse, while reaching out to prospects. Another trip is planned this month.

North Carolina provided Credit Suisse with roughly $14 million in incentives to bring it to the state.

Delaware, which announced in April it had lured up to 1,200 JPMorgan Chase jobs to the state, is set to pay the giant bank $10.1 million in cash incentives. Alan Levin, director of the Delaware Economic Development Office, estimates the typical salary for those jobs at $78,000 a year.

“These jobs will be here for a long time,” he said. “We want to create not just jobs but careers.”

The erosion of middle-tier jobs in the financial sector is not limited to New York. In a presentation to analysts in late May, the president of Goldman Sachs, Gary Cohn, described what he called the firm’s “high-value location strategy.” By looking outside hubs like New York, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong, he said, the firm could save 40 percent to 75 percent on job-related expenses.

Over a third of Goldman hires in 2011 and 2012 have been in cities like Bangalore in India, Salt Lake City, Dallas and Singapore, Mr. Cohn said. Utah, with looser regulation and lower taxes than New York, has been a particular area of growth for Goldman.

While Goldman’s work force in the New York area has been flat since the end of 2009 at just over 10,000, full-time employees in Salt Lake City have doubled to 1,400, making that office Goldman’s sixth-largest globally. In addition to its technology and operations staff, Goldman has expanded activities like research and investment management there.

These days, Mr. Douyon is building a refinery at the Brooklyn Navy Yard that aims to make biodiesel from waste products like vegetable oil and grease from restaurants. While he says it is a more flexible way of life and, he hopes, more lucrative, he still feels the tug of the trading floor.

“To be honest, I miss working on Wall Street,” he said.


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Sources: Financial News Online, Fox News, NY Times, The Young Turks, Youtube, Google Maps

Scott Walker Wins Recall Election 52-48! Time For Economic Reform! Snapshot Of General Election!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Scott Walker a Republican once again Defeats his Democrat Opponent Tom Barrett in the Wisconsin Governor's Recall Race.

YES! This race was a Snapshot of November's Election.

YES! Many Pundits perceive this to be some sort of Referendum on Pres. Obama's Economic Policies.
YES! Its time for Economic Reform in America.
YES! Scott Walker won because even though Democrat Voters were Ticked off at Walker, many of them are still Unemployed, Broke, Busted & Disgusted thus they voted for Walker anyway.
YES! Pres. Obama will still most likely eke out a Win against Mitt Romney, however he'll come in limping, Battered & Badly Bruised over the Finish line.


Scott Walker wins Wisconsin recall election

First-term Republican Gov. Scott Walker will win the Wisconsin recall election, CBS News estimates, beating back a labor-backed effort to unseat him and again handing defeat to his Democratic challenger, 58-year-old Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

With 56 percent of the expected vote in, Walker led Barrett 57 percent to 42 percent.

The recall fight, prompted by Walker's decision to strip Wisconsin public workers of their collective bargaining rights, has doubled as a proxy fight over whether Republicans can push through spending cuts and confront organized labor - and live to tell about it.

"Wisconsin has given their stamp of approval to Gov. Walker's successful reforms that balanced the budget, put people back to work, and put government back on the side of the people," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Tuesday night.

Added Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney: "Governor Walker has demonstrated over the past year what sound fiscal policies can do to turn an economy around, and I believe that in November voters across the country will demonstrate that they want the same in Washington, D.C. Tonight's results will echo beyond the borders of Wisconsin."

According to the Center for Public Integrity, candidates and outside groups spent in excess of $63 million on the recall election - an enormous figure that easily breaks the previous record of $37.4 million (set in the 2010 gubernatorial contest) for spending in a Wisconsin election. According to the New York Times, Walker and his Republican allies spent $45.6 million on the race as of May 21, while Barrett and his allies have spent $17.9 million.

Turnout had been expected to exceed the 2010 election total, with an estimated 2.8 million people expected to cast ballots. Reports emerged from Wisconsin Tuesday of robocalls informing voters, falsely, they don't have to vote if they signed the recall petition, among other attempts to depress turnout among Barrett voters using false information. The Walker campaign said in response to the reports that "any accusation that our campaign is making those calls is categorically false and unfounded."

Early CBS News exit polls found that 51 percent of voters in Wisconsin approve of how Walker has handled the issue of collective bargaining, and 52 percent approve of how he has handled job creation. Fifty percent said they approved of the recent changes to state law that limits collective bargaining for government workers, while 48 percent disapproved of these changes.

Fifty-two percent of Wisconsin voters in the early exit polls said they have a favorable view of unions for government workers -- a group that largely backed the recall -- while 43 percent have an unfavorable opinion of these unions.

The early exit polls showed Barrett winning handily among union households, while Walker dominated among Tea Party voters. While independents backed Walker over Barrett by 14 points in 2010, the two effectively tied among independents this time around. The polls showed Walker winning with men and those making more than $50,000, and Barrett winning among women and those making less than $50,000 per year.

"I think most people are just happy to have the election over," Walker said as he cast his ballot in suburban Milwaukee Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. "I think most voters of the state want to have all the attack ads off. They want to have their TVs back. They want to have their lives back."

Walker, 44, defeated Barrett by nearly six points in the 2010 Wisconsin gubernatorial race.

Walker dominated Barrett in the money race this time around thanks in large part to donors from outside the state. As of campaign filings released on May 29, Walker had raised $30.5 million, with about two-thirds of that total coming from donors outside Wisconsin. Barrett had raised roughly $4 million, with about one-fourth coming from outside the state. Part of the disparity can be explained by the fact that Walker, as a sitting governor facing recall, is not subject to the state's legal limits on campaign contributions under Wisconsin law. Barrett, by contrast, was legally barred from accepting contributions in excess of $10,000 per person.

The rest of the spending in the race has been from outside ideological groups. The Tea Party-linked group Americans for Prosperity alone told CBS News it has spent $10 million on the race since January 2011 on what it says is education over the positive impact of Walker's budget reform efforts.

The effort to recall Walker effectively began last February. That's when the newly-elected governor, who had defeated Barrett in the 2010 election, released a budget plan that proposed elimination of most public employee bargaining rights.

Walker had suggested during his 2010 campaign that he would close the state's $3.6 billion budget shortfall in part through cuts to public employee pensions, but he said nothing about eliminating collective bargaining rights. His announcement in February galvanized many on the left, who began chanting "Recall Walker" at the Wisconsin statehouse as part of massive protests against the plan. Wisconsin Senate Democrats even temporarily fled the state in an ultimately futile effort to keep Walker's plan from being passed.

In January, Walker's opponents submitted more than 900,000 valid signatures to the state to trigger the recall election, far more than the 540,208 needed to do so. Barrett won the Democratic primary last month, beating organized labor's preferred candidate.

Sixty percent of Wisconsin voters said in early CBS News exit polls that recall elections are only appropriate for official misconduct. Twenty-eight percent said they think they are suitable for any reason, while nine percent think they are never appropriate.

President Obama did not campaign for Barrett, prompting grumbling from some Wisconsin Democrats and labor leaders. Among those who did was former President Bill Clinton, who said a Walker victory would prompt Republicans around the nation to conclude: "We're finally going to break every union in America. We're going to break every government in America. We're going to stop worrying about the middle class. We don't give a rip whether poor people will get to work their way into it. We've got our way now. We've got it all. Divide and conquer works."

Republicans called the race a test of whether they can push through the difficult reforms needed to deal with massive federal, state and local budget deficits.

"Governor Walker has shown that citizens and taxpayers can fight back - and prevail - against the runaway government costs imposed by labor bosses," Romney said Tuesday evening. "Tonight voters said 'no' to the tired, liberal ideas of yesterday, and 'yes' to fiscal responsibility and a new direction. I look forward to working with Governor Walker to help build a better, brighter future for all Americans."

Mr. Obama won Wisconsin by 14 points in 2008, but the recall fight has Republicans suggesting it may be within reach for Romney. The early exit polls found that Mr. Obama led Romney 51 percent to 45 percent among voters in the recall election.

In the exit polls, 53 percent of Barrett's supporters say their vote today was mainly for their candidate, while 45 percent say it was against his opponents. Among Walker's supporters, about nine in 10 describe their vote as mainly for Walker -- only 8 percent say their vote was mainly against his opponents.

While Republicans held a major advantage on the airwaves thanks to the massive spending by Walker and his backers, Democrats had a big advantage in organization on the ground, thanks in part to a get-out-the-vote effort backed by organized labor. Walker's victory suggests that the newly-legal unlimited spending by super PACs and other outside groups - which was unleashed by a pair of recent Supreme Court decisions, including Citizens United - can overcome the ground game Democrats have steadily built up around the nation in recent years.

While a loss may well have effectively ended Walker's political career, his victory will elevate him to superstar status among conservatives and likely prompt talk of a presidential run. It also feeds the notion that the influence of organized labor - which made the governor's defeat a top priority - continues to wane.

Also facing recall on Tuesday were the state's Republican lieutenant governor, Rebecca Kleefisch, and four Republican state senators. If Democrats successfully recall one of the GOP state senators, they will win a majority in the Wisconsin Senate and be able to block Walker's agenda even though he remains in office.


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Sources: CBS News, CNN, MSNBC, Google Maps

Walker vs Barrett Recall Battle Referendum On Obama's Economic Policies: Will Shape America's Future

My thoughts on today's Wisconsin Recall race:

I think Scott Walker will Win by a nose & due to the lingering High Unemployment Numbers, Walker's Victory will be viewed by many in the Political arena as a Referendum on Pres. Obama's Economic Policies.

Why?

Because even Hardcore Democrats want to WORK and Properly Provide for their Families.
Are We Better Off Now Than We Were 4 Years Ago?

If You are a Wall Street Executive, Billionaire or Millionaire: YES!

But if you are a Middle Class or Low Income Citizen: NO! WORSE!

Republicans in Congress can't be blamed for all that Ails America's Stagnant Economy when Congressional Democrats were in Power for almost 2 Years (Both Chambers) and basically just sat on their hands!

So in essence the Wisconsin Recall race can be perceived as a Snapshot of this November's General Election.

Pres. Obama can still eke out a Win but he will cross the finish line Badly Bruised & Battered by Romney's camp.




Round 2: Walker and Barrett stake out opposing positions

The recall election will be over June 5, but its shadow could stretch for years.

Voters will have to decide whether to support Gov. Scott Walker or to dump him from office after less than a year and a half in favor of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the candidate they rejected for the job in 2010. On jobs, taxes, education, health care and unions, the candidates are already marking out positions that differ sharply.

Brett Healy, president of the conservative think tank the MacIver Institute, says the fundamental difference between the candidates is that Barrett hasn't said how he would have budgeted differently from Walker.

"It's a fundamental question that should be part of this debate," Healy said.

David Riemer, a former top administrative and budget officer for Democrats in both the state and the city of Milwaukee, said the difference is that Walker is focused on holding down or cutting taxes and helping corporations to the exclusion of all other concerns, such as the quality of public services.

"The basic difference is between someone who has a balanced approach to government and someone who has one thing to say," said Riemer, who also ran unsuccessfully against Walker while he was still county executive.

In his own words, Walker talks about the role of government by emphasizing limits on it.

"Government is there to do things that we can't do on our own," Walker said. "For the most part, it's supposed to stay out of our lives. It's why the state constitution here in our state says modesty and frugality in government leads to freedom and prosperity."

For his part, Barrett sees state government as also creating opportunities.

"Government is there to make sure we protect our liberties, that we have public safety, education . . . roads, transportation," Barrett said. "It's to make sure we have a civilized society where everyone has an opportunity and people are respected."

Here's a breakdown on the differences between the candidates:

JOBS

Walker passed a series of bills focused on the state's economic climate in January 2011, including a measure to limit liability lawsuits and another bill to turn the state Department of Commerce into the quasi-public Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.

"We want to move forward because we've set the table for tremendous job growth and prosperity," Walker said. "Unfortunately, our opponents want to go exactly the opposite way."

Walker said he wants to hold down costs for businesses from taxes and regulations and promote skilled workers in the labor market and good infrastructure.

Walker campaigned on creating 250,000 jobs in his four-year term and so far, according to numbers released early by his administration, the state created 23,321 jobs in 2011. A separate set of numbers that is considered an inferior measure by economists shows the state lost jobs and ranked worst in the nation last year.

Barrett has said that Walker is failing on his jobs promise and has harmed the economic climate by stirring up political turmoil and by stifling growth in renewable energy such as the wind industry.

"By starting that ideological civil war, he took his eye off the goal, which was the creation of jobs," Barrett said.

The mayor has also criticized Walker for cutting the state's technical colleges; failing to pass a bill to promote venture capital funding; and turning down more than $800 million in federal funds for a passenger rail line between Madison and Milwaukee.

Barrett has said that he's been successful in promoting jobs in a poverty-stricken community through efforts such as the redevelopment of the Menomonee Valley. Walker has responded that Barrett has failed to create jobs in the city of Milwaukee, where the labor market ranks poorly compared with other large cities.

The mayor said that, though he would work immediately on economic development, he didn't expect to seek new legislation on jobs until the Legislature returns in 2013.

TAXES

On state taxes, Walker says that with lawmakers he managed to hold them in line while balancing a $3 billion budget shortfall over two years, largely with spending cuts. Walker touts the fact that local property taxes on the median-valued home in the state have also dropped just slightly under his watch because he and lawmakers put tight limits on local government levies.

Walker and the Legislature also approved tax decreases for businesses, including for multistate corporations, and another major decrease for certain manufacturers and farmers that will ramp up in the coming years. Going forward, Walker wants to cut the personal income tax, saying that it's too high and is stifling economic growth. He did not say where he would get the money to do that.

"I'd try to do it across the board. I think if you want to have relief, you want a cross section of consumers around the state so it would have the biggest impact," Walker said.

Barrett has said he doesn't want to raise taxes beyond the levels they were at when Walker took office. He said he would look at undoing some tax cuts passed by Walker, including the business tax cuts mentioned above, since he says they've been ineffective in creating jobs. He said he would consult with businesses to ensure the changes are not unduly harmful, but he has not said which taxes he might raise.

"I'm going to be very mindful of the cost of these because they explode in the out years," Barrett said of Walker's tax cuts.

Barrett has criticized Walker's property tax caps but has not said whether he would loosen them or by how much. The mayor wants to restore tax credits for low-income families that were eliminated by Walker and Republican lawmakers, saying the governor broke his no tax increase pledge to the neediest families.

He has not said where he would get the money to do that.

EDUCATION, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

To balance the budget, Walker cut roughly $1.3 billion over two years in state money going to K-12 schools, the University of Wisconsin System, technical colleges and municipal governments.

The governor also repealed most collective bargaining for most public workers and then increased their health and pension contributions, effectively lowering their take-home pay. That saved the state and local governments more than $750 million.

In the next budget, Walker said he would like to see state aid to schools rise slightly if the state budget allows it.

"It certainly wouldn't go down, and it would probably have a slight increase," Walker said.

Barrett said that it would be unlikely that he would make changes in the current budget, which goes through June 2013. But if he succeeded in boosting the economy and tax revenue, he said he would try to increase funding for schools in the next two-year budget that he would submit in February 2013.

"We don't know the dollar amount. What we're going to do between June and January is create jobs in the state, and it's our hope in January we'll have a much better handle on what to do to reverse his cuts to education" and health programs, Barrett said last month.

Barrett said he would keep in place the higher employee contributions for health care and pension benefits that make up the bulk of the savings for taxpayers that Walker has touted. Barrett has achieved millions of dollars of savings of his own in Milwaukee by working to require city employees to make similar contributions, even if they weren't covered by Walker's union law.

HEALTH CARE

Walker provided about $1.2 billion more in state money over two years for the state's health care programs for the needy. But that wasn't enough to keep pace with rising costs, so the administration also made cuts to the BadgerCare Plus program taking effect July 1. Those cuts will lead to sharply higher premiums for tens of thousands of participants and more than 17,000 leaving the program or being turned away.

Barrett has said that he wants to undo those changes before they take effect. But said he doesn't yet know what changes that would take by lawmakers or where he would get the money.

On the federal health care law, Walker has suspended work on and returned a $38 million grant to plan for implementing an exchange in Wisconsin where consumers and small businesses could buy health insurance, in some cases with a federal subsidy. If Wisconsin doesn't have its own plan in place to do that by Jan. 1, 2013, the federal government could impose its own in 2014.

Barrett said he would restart the work on the exchange to make sure that Wisconsin is prepared to implement its own exchange and the state doesn't have a federal system imposed on it.

LABOR

Both Walker and Barrett said that going forward they didn't anticipate raising or lowering the increased amounts that public employees now pay for their pension and health care benefits.

Barrett has said he wants to restore union bargaining for public employees that was repealed by Walker and Republican lawmakers. He said he was focused on that and hadn't considered what to do about cases where the repeal of union bargaining has allowed the state to save on overtime costs or allowed schools to save money by bidding out their health insurance.

Walker has been adamant that those changes have been good for taxpayers.

Democrats have questioned whether Walker wants to make Wisconsin a right-to-work state in which employees in private companies could not be required to pay union dues. Walker has said he would do "everything in my power" to prevent a right-to-work bill from reaching his desk but has not said whether he would sign it.

Barrett has said he opposes right-to-work legislation and would veto it.


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Sources: CNN, Daily Beast, Intrade, Milwaukee Sentinel, Youtube, Google Maps

Scott Walker's Win Predicted By Intrade In Wisconsin Recall Race: Decision 2012

Intrade Has Walker’s Chances over 90%; NY Times in Panic Mode

Even The New York Times has thrown in the towel on the Wisconsin recall.

With an Intrade poll citing Walker’s chances of winning the Wisconsin recall at more than 93%, The New York Times is entering into full-blown panic mode over what this election could mean for Obama’s chances this November:

A Republican resurgence here, which has burst into full view as the party determinedly defends its sitting governor in a rare recall election, is spilling into the presidential race.

The result is poised to shape the general election fight between Mr. Obama and Mitt Romney, who intends to add Wisconsin to his list of targeted states.

After valiantly trying to shield its readers from Walker’s lead, The New York Times is now doing its best to spare them the full horror of what is occurring in Wisconsin.

The progressive left pulled out all the stops: unions, rage, “community organizers,” demonstrations, and name calling were supposed to make Wisconsin the front line for the progressive “fightback.” In a state that hasn’t been carried by a Republican since Reagan in 1984, Democrats thought this strategy couldn’t fail.

At Via Meadia, we will wait for the actual votes before we call the election. Polls have been wrong and Intrade has been wrong. Surprises do happen.

But going by the polls and the odds on election eve, the Democratic strategy in Wisconsin has been one disaster and misfire after another. Special election after special election, defeat after defeat.

The latest polls we’ve seen show that only 12 percent of the voters think that restoring collective bargaining rights to the public sector unions is their top priority.

A generation of activists and “progressives” raised on Howard Zinn is having an important life experience in Wisconsin. The “people united” are defeated more often than not in American politics. The silent majority isn’t itching for the “genuinely progressive” candidates and platforms lefties think they want.

(That majority also isn’t looking for candidates from the doctrinaire right, either, by the way.)

Unless the voters in Wisconsin decide to surprise us all tomorrow, the trouble in the Badger State means trouble ahead for public sector unions across the country.

A Scott Walker victory would reshape not just Republican politics but Democratic politics as well; leaders like Andrew Cuomo in New York and Rahm Emmanuel in Chicago will be paying attention.
If Walker wins handily, more Democrats will see the writing on the wall: Support for public sector unions simply isn’t the political winner it once was. This could presage a larger post-blue shift in the Democratic party for decades to come.

Compared to that shift, the question of whether Wisconsin will go red or blue in November seems like small beer.


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Sources: Intrade, NY Times, Milwaukee Sentinel, Russian Today, Youtube, Google Maps

Occupy Education Reform! 22 Steps To 21st Century Education Reform

Dr. Michelle Rhee was FIRED for standing up to Teachers' Unions & her strong opinions on 21st Century Education Reform.

While I do still support Labor Unions & Teachers' Unions, I have to side with Michelle Rhee.

She was Right & should NOT have been Fired.

Bad, Ineffective Teachers should NOT be placed on pedestals or lauded as Heroes!

They should be FIRED Quickly!

Especially if they don't want to Change or Improve in their Profession.

Dr. Rhee was NOT afraid to send those Bad, Ineffective Teachers within the District of Columbia Public School System along their lazy way.

Dr. Rhee should have been lauded for her Courage & Vision instead she was Fired from her job as Chancellor, after she Terminated Bad, Ineffective, Lazy Teachers.

Big Mistake!

Since leaving DC's Public School System Dr. Rhee founded "Students First", a Non-Profit organization promoting Teacher Effectiveness & High Student Achievement.

Thus Michelle Rhee's Termination is Washington, DC's Educational Loss.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

OCCUPY EDUCATION!!!

Time is running out for REAL Education Reform in America or Europe & China will leave Our students in the dust!
EFFECTIVE EDUCATION REFORM IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT THE COOPERATION OF TEACHER UNIONS.


22 Steps to 21st Century Education Reform:


1) REPEAL No Child Left Behind! Please!

2) Enact REAL Educational Reform within the U.S. Dept of Education & the National Public School System. This includes the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Dept of Education.

3) Link the Montessori Pre-School Experience (4 year-olds) to Direct Student Achievement via Hiring Montessori Certified Teachers to teach in Pre-Schools housed on Public School & Charter School Campuses.

4) Eliminate the current Student Testing System & Focus on Subject Matter Content & Student Creativity to Enhance Critical Thinking Skills.

5) Increase Teacher Pay based on a combination of Qualifications, Job Performance, Merit & Student Achievement NOT just Student Test Scores.

6) Require Parents & Guardians to Partner with Teachers and Schools.

7) Bail Out the Federal Student Loan Program just like Congress Bailed Out Wall Street & STOP Funding For-Profit Schools & Colleges which are Nothing more than Student Loan Mills!

8) Allow More Charter Schools to Operate & Provide More Funding those Schools.

9) Ensure that EVERY Public School & Charter School is Asbestos-Free, Up to Date, has a 21st Century Technology Lab & a Community Garden. Especially Schools in Urban Communities. Offer FREE Technology lessons for Parents at School Technology Labs.

10) HIRE & Train Qualified People from Corporate America to Work as Teachers, using the "Teach For America" Business Model.

11) Focus More on Reading, Science, Math, Art and...... Music.

I completely agree with Professor Melissa Harris-Perry. Funding for Art & Music Programs in Public Schools Must remain an important part of Student Achievement because the Arts enhance Creativity which helps Children to thrive Academically.

12) Don't Allow Teachers to Teach the SAME Grade Level past 3 Years as to prevent Stagnation & Complacency.
Don't Allow Principals to remain at the SAME Schools past 5 Years.

13) Allow BAD, Poor Performing, Complacent Teachers to be FIRED!

Recruit & HIRE More Part - time & Full -time Instructional Teacher Assistants for Grades: Kindergarten - 8th.

14) Encourage Local & Global Businesses to Form Partnerships with or Adopt EACH Public & Charter School in Every City & Community. Especially those located in Urban & Rural Communities.

15) Bail Out Student Loan Debt which has now reached $1 Trillion Dollars, just like the Bail Out Wall Street received.

16) Integrate Student Appropriate Entrepreneurship & Tech Start Up Programs into Student Curriculum beginning in the Kindergarten.

17) Make Student Attendance Mandatory. Hold Parents & Legal Guardians Accountable!

18) Focus on High School Graduation for EVERY Student! Start in Pre-School & Kindergarten.

19) Offer the Federal "Breakfast in the Classroom" Program in ALL Pre-School & Elementary Classrooms. Also Open Food Banks in ALL Public & Charter Schools.

20) "It Takes A Village!" Allow NO Student to FAIL! Drill Student Achievement into Every Teacher, Student, Principal, Parent & Legal Guardian.

21) Open Student Career/ Workforce Programs in ALL High Schools.

22) Help Students who want to enter the Teaching & Medical Profession to obtain College Scholarships & REAL Financial Aid prior to High School Graduation.
OCCUPY EDUCATION!!




Condoleezza Rice on Education: American Dream on Verge of Collapse


America's national security and the upward mobility the country was built upon could collapse if the education system isn't rapidly improved, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Tuesday.

"If you look at why [Americans] are here or why their parents are here or their grandparents are here, someone believed that in the United States of America, if you worked hard, you could have a better life. That's what set us apart," she told a group at the Council on Foreign Relations. "It's fragile, and we have to make sure that's [still] true. If it ever becomes not true because the education system can't deliver it, then there's no hope of rebuilding it."

Rice and former New York City schools chancellor Joel Klein co-chaired a task force that looked into the relationship between education reform and America's national security. American students have fallen into the second tier of achievement when compared to international competitors such as China, South Korea, and many European countries. That failure threatens America's economic future, its physical safety, ability to protect cyber assets, awareness of other cultures, and the country's sense of unity, the report warns.

The task force said America should throw its support behind and expand the Common Core State Standards—benchmarks in English and math that have been adopted by all but five states—to other subjects; provide more school choice to students, so they are not stuck in "dropout factories" that graduate a low percentage of students; and launch a "National Security Readiness Audit" that would determine whether students are learning national security skills such as foreign languages and computer programming.

According to the report, America's educational system is "not adequately preparing its citizens to protect America or its national interests." The Department of Defense estimates that 75 percent of young Americans are not eligible to serve in the military because they didn't graduate from high school, are obese, or have criminal records. "Among recent high school graduates who are eligible to apply, 30 percent score too low on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery to be recruited."

At the Council on Foreign Relations event, Klein said that the country's fading education system is threatening America's identity. If the education system fails, there's no Plan B, he said.

"If people don't believe they can get a fair shake with education, then I think the [national] cohesion erodes," he added.


Sources: MSNBC, NY Daily News, PBS News, TIME, US News, Washington Post, Youtube

Obama To Approve Southern Portion Of Keystone; He's Preparing For GOP-Controlled Congress

On Thursday Pres. Obama will announce plans to approve the Southern portion of the Keystone XL Oil Pipeline.

This announcement comes just 2 months after he said his administration needed at least 6 months to review plans of the pipeline for Environmental Safety purposes.

So why the sudden rush?

Politics! i.e., an approaching election & Gas Prices.

I told ya'll Pres. Obama is preparing to work with a 100% GOP-Controlled Congress just as Bill Clinton had to do.

Pres. Obama will most likely squeak through a Win but the Senate will most certainly go to GOP Candidates due to the amount of Big Money being spent by Wealthy GOP Super PACS & from Wall Street Executives.

As this election closes in don't be surprised to see Pres. Obama veering more & more to the Center.

Once the election ends & the new Congress is Sworn in, Pres. Obama is going to govern from a Very Conservative, Very Moderate perspective.

Just Watch.


Obama to fast track southern portion of Keystone XL Pipeline


President Obama plans to announce in Cushing, Oklahoma Thursday that his administration will expedite the permit process for the southern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline, a source familiar with the president's announcement tells CNN.

In January, the Obama administration denied a permit for the 1,700 mile long Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would stretch from Canada's tar sands development to the U.S. Gulf Coast. That decision was met by persistent Republican criticism that the president has not been doing everything possible to create jobs and combat high gas prices.

Late last month, TransCanada, the company behind the Keystone XL Pipeline, announced it would move forward with the process to build the southern portion of the pipeline, which would begin in Cushing, the president's third stop on his two-day energy tour. The White House praised the move.

Still, the permit process for a project like this can typically take a year or more. The source familiar with the president's announcement says the administration could shave several months off that timeline.

Senior administration officials would not confirm the president’s plan to unveil the effort to cut red tape for the project, though one senior administration official acknowledged the need to deal with the glut of oil in Cushing, where oil from the Midwest hits a bottleneck as it is transported to the Gulf of Mexico.

Such an announcement would no doubt be met with opposition from environmentalists, many of whom spent weeks protesting the Keystone XL project outside the White House late last fall into the early winter, before the administration announced its objection to the pipeline.


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Sources: CNN, PBS, Youtube, Google Maps

NLRB vs. Boeing & South Carolina: House Strips NLRB Of Bargaining Rights! Reid To Reject!

House passes anti-NLRB Outsourcers' Bill of Rights

As expected, the House passed the bill Democrats have dubbed the "Outsourcers' Bill of Rights" Thursday. The bill strips the National Labor Relations Board's power to remedy it when companies move jobs illegally due to workers exercising their rights.

The vote was 238 to 186, with eight Democrats and seven Republicans crossing party lines. Although the bill was spurred by the NLRB's complaint against Boeing, Boeing has declined to endorse the bill.

Speaking on the House floor, Rep. George Miller (D-CA) said:

Mr. Speaker, workers have had the right to organize since 1935. They have the right to join together and fight for a better future for themselves and their families. And it has been the law of the land that employers cannot retaliate against workers for exercising that right.

Employers cannot fire workers for exercising that right. They cannot subcontract or outsource work just because workers exercise that right. If they do, workers have a right to redress.

For more than 70 years, the National Labor Relations Board has taken issue with that kind of retaliation. If employers are proven to have retaliated against workers for exercising the right to organize, the Board is empowered to make workers whole.

But not under this bill.

Under this bill, workers would not be able to be made whole anymore.

Under this bill, a company can retaliate against a worker for trying to organize a union. The employer could layoff that worker and subcontract their work out.

A company can bust a union by setting up a shell company down the street and send all the work there until all of the union employees have lost their jobs. Workers would be out of luck because the NLRB would be prohibited from ordering the work returned to those now-unemployed workers.

Under this bill, if a company wants to bust a union by outsourcing its work to China, this bill permits it. Workers would be powerless to stop that outsourcing.

But then, that's what Republicans want.

Harry Reid does not plan to bring the bill to a vote in the Senate.


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Sources: Daily Kos, Youtube, Google Maps

Obama Touts "American JOBS Act" On Boehner's Political Stomping Ground: OHIO! ("Pass This Bill!")

Obama in Ohio: Jobs bill needed 'now'

To the chants of "pass this bill," President Barack Obama gave a litany of why Congress should pass his American Jobs Act, which was introduced this week.

"My question to Congress is what on earth are we waiting for?" Obama told of friendly crowd of several thousand people at the Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School on the edge of Columbus' inner city.

"It's not about giving me a win," he said. "It's not about giving Democrats a win or Republicans a win. It's about giving the American people a win. The next election is 14 months away. The American people don't have the luxury of waiting that long. People are living paycheck to paycheck. They need it now."

Prior to his speech, Obama toured a classroom in the basement of a building on the Civil War-era Fort Hayes campus that would benefit from the education part of the president's job plan, according to the White House. According to Obama, the district also will benefit from money that is intended to prevent the layoff of teachers.

"You've got the foundation of what is needed to learn, graduate and compete in the 21st Century," the president said. "You at Fort Hayes have been making it happen. But I don't want any student studying in a broken down school.

"There is work to be done and workers waiting to do it. Tell Congress to pass this bill."

Obama said if the bill passes the jobs of up to 14,000 teachers, police and firefighters in Ohio will be saved. "South Korea is adding teachers at the same time we're laying off our teachers," he said. "It's unfair to our kids and it undermines our future."

The President said the bill will have small businesses create jobs by cutting their taxes if they increase the number of their employees and raise the salaries of those they already have.

"Instead of talking about helping America's job creators, let's actually do something that helps America's job creators. We need to get the people in Washington to stop worrying about their jobs and start working about your jobs."

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus criticized the Obama job plan in a conference call with reporters prior to Obama's appearance. He said the plan is filled with old ideas, "new taxes, new spending and debt."

After the 2009 stimulus plan, Priebus said, forecasters predicted wrongly that the plan would create jobs. "Barack Obama and his policies are an express train driving right off a cliff."

Priebus said Obama, who he called the "campaigner-in-chief," abdicated responsibility for paying for his plan by tossing it to the so-called Super Committee of 12 legislators charged with finding more than a trillion in budget cuts by Thanksgiving.

Ohio GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine, in the same conference call, said the president has a "very steep hill to climb to regain credibility on job creation."

Obama said his bill will not only help schools, but construction workers, veterans and young people by providing jobs. "It puts people back to work and puts more money in the pockets of working Americans."

And, he said, his proposal is paid for by closing loopholes for oil companies and making sure the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations "pay their fair share." He said the plan also will allow th payd down on the national debt because "we will cut what we can't afford and pay for what we really need. We need to create an economy that works."

Obama concluded his 16-minute speech saying, "The time for gridlock and games is over. The time for action is now. We're not a people who watch things happen. We're Americans. We make things happen. We write our own destiny. We have the people to write it again."


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Sources: AP, Cincinnati.com, Youtube, Google Maps

Gov. Scott Walker Vs. Wisconsin Democrats In 2012: His Recall Is Imminent!

Gov. Scott Walker’s recall remains the big goal for Wisconsin Democrats


The recall elections in Wisconsin on Tuesday night were not just a Democratic attempt to take back the state Senate. They were a dry run of sorts for Democrats’ big goal: Recalling Gov. Scott Walker (R) in 2012. Even though they fell short this week, activists say the Walker recall effort is still on.

Walker could not be targeted earlier, because state law mandates that an official be over a year into a term before he or she is eligible for recall.

The Democrats’ argument: These were Republican districts, and Democrats still won two of them. They came within a couple thousand votes of a major victory. Statewide, against a higher-profile target, they would do better, they say.

“We outperformed Scott Walker in every district,” said Wisconsin Democratic Party spokesman Graeme Zilenski. “He is totally vulnerable, he is totally exposed.”

It’s mostly true. Defeated state Sen. Dan Kapanke’s district was trending blue. Sen. Randy Hopper’s district was more conservative, but he was plagued by personal scandals that had little to do with the collective bargaining legislation that sparked the recall fight.

These districts all went for Obama in 2008. They are hardly deep-red seats. But they also all went for Walker in 2010. These incumbents also all survived a huge Democratic wave — state senators elected in the 2010 Republican wave would likely be weaker rivals.

FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver found that if you extrapolate from these results, a recall vote on Walker would be in­cred­ibly close. Democrats also won working-class white voters, an encouraging sign.

And Walker remains unpopular. The latest Badger Poll from the University of Wisconsin finds that 59 percent of voters disapprove of his performance.

Republicans, unsurprisingly, say that the recall push has already failed. ”The message was loud and clear on Tuesday — Wisconsin voters are looking forward, not backward,” Wisconsin GOP spokesman Katie McCallum said. “We’re not sure how many times Democrats are going to make voters go to the polls before that’s clear.”

Zilenski argued that as Walker’s policies take effect, those numbers will only get worse: “No one has felt the hurt yet. The awful things in this budget has not been felt yet. People are not going to go back home and forget that this guy is out there sticking it to them.”

As far as when the actual recall effort will begin, Walker’s foes are a little vague. Some suggested they would start early to avoid gathering signatures in the snow; others said they would have to wait and see what grassroots activists wanted to do.

Some labor organizers say are already working on a less election-oriented, more year-round mobilization effort. But there’s also another showdown between labor and conservatives in the Midwest this fall.

In Ohio, one referendum question on the ballot would overturn the anti-collective bargaining legislation of Gov. John Kasich (R) and another would exempt the state from the individual mandate in the health-care law.

For now, We Are Wisconsin, the labor coalition behind a lot of the recall campaign effort, is focused on making sure that the two Democratic state senators facing recalls next week don’t lose.

“We’ll have plenty time to figure out later what a Walker recall will look like,” communications director Kelly Steele said. “My sense is that he will be on the ballot next year and he won’t keep his job. But the focus right now is on the Democratic state senators. We’re not done with these recalls.”


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Sources: Democracy Now, Washington Post, Youtube, Google Maps