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Eric Black Ink

Scott Walker and 'freedom of choice'

By Eric Black | 05/17/12

All recent polls show Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker running ahead in the upcoming June 5 recall election.

In a fundraising email to supporters this morning, Walker calls the recall effort "senseless" and "baseless." My favorite paragraph from the fundraiser:

The moment I became Governor, I set about the work that the people of Wisconsin sent me to do. We eliminated the deficit left by my Democrat predecessor. We gave the freedom of choice to public employees.  (The bold face is in the original)  Our reforms have allowed public employees to decide if they would like to spend (in some cases more than a thousand dollars a year in dues) or keep their hard earned money. We finally put the control of state government back where it belongs, in the hands of the people.

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Eric Black

Eric Black

Eric Black writes Eric Black Ink for MinnPost. He is a former reporter for the Star Tribune and Twin Cities blogger.

Comments (7)

Freedom of Choice

Submitted by Ross Willits on May 17, 2012 - 11:34am.

Sure, it's freedom of choice.

Public employees are free to trust their employer not to screw them over, or to quit.

They're free to lose their union representation or keep it and pay an increasing amount in dues to cover those who choose not to pay.

Sure, they're Hobson's Choices, but they're still choices.

Kris Kristofferson

Submitted by Paul Brandon on May 17, 2012 - 11:57am.

"Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose.
nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free."

Wisconsin surplus

Submitted by william laney on May 17, 2012 - 2:03pm.

Walker has done nothing to eliminate the deficit he inherited. According to "Generally Accepted Accounting Principles", which Walker pledged to use if elected, he inherited a 2.9 billion deficit from the previous administration, and his current budget is due to have a 3.0 billion deficit for this fiscal year and next fiscal year. The surplus he claims is merely "working the numbers" that all administrations do yearly. What a guy.

There's nothing sadder

Submitted by Dennis Tester on May 17, 2012 - 2:10pm.

than people who fear and resent their own freedom.

Definition

Submitted by Paul Brandon on May 18, 2012 - 11:07am.

Which meaning of the noun 'freedom' are you referring to?
The OED lists about 20 (not counting technical definitions such as 'degrees of freedom' in physics).

The freedom to have your rights taken away

Submitted by Eric Ferguson on May 18, 2012 - 11:41am.

You have a funky idea of "freedom".

The Other Side of Freedom

Submitted by Sarah Magnuson on May 17, 2012 - 2:50pm.

Tsk, tsk, Walker forgot to mention a few "freedoms" that would be limited by those who choose to be part of a public union.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/new-state-rule-would-limit-co...

The rules were approved with those changes by the governor's two appointees on the board, James Scott and Rodney Pasch, with the commissioner appointed by Walker's predecessor Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, Judith Neumann, voting against them. http://werc.wi.gov/neumann_dissent_re_rules_redraft_3-30-12.pdf

He also forgot to mention that school districts now have the freedom to give merit pay...one of the pluses, according to him of not being bound by those messy union negotiations. However, there is a glitch with that as well. Setting aside how best to determine merit pay (for teachers), there is no money for merit pay. Unless, of course, you work for the WI Department of Justice.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/walker-reinstat...