Page 4 - Give Backs News Today

This is really a misperception of what is the issue driving states into bankruptcy. yes, there are pension issues that are significant. there are issues of wage levels that have to be dealt with. the crisis for states is a revenue crisis, we have had the worst recession/depression since 29, revenues are down 15%. all of the states costs are fixed costs, and so when you have that gap, you have a crisis, this is not suddenly the civil service workers are being paid so much more than they were two ...

The eyes of sr. voters. they do not deserve special coverage they deserve a benny hill sound track. they left the state they are not sitting down and talk. >> bill: they are going to get, as i told mr. vos, they are going to get the give backs. they are going to get them. but if i could find a theme in there to say all right, look, well give you this but you are going to have to, you know, were going to change how we negotiate with the union but to save face i will give you a little bit of that ...

The eyes of sr. voters. they do not deserve special coverage they deserve a benny hill sound track. they left the state they are not sitting down and talk. >> bill: they are going to get, as i told mr. vos, they are going to get the give backs. they are going to get them. but if i could find a theme in there to say all right, look, well give you this but you are going to have to, you know, were going to change how we negotiate with the union but to save face i will give you a little bit of that ...

Power that unions have had. democratic legislators, wisconsin has been a state for 50 years, has had these kinds of rights. they have basically gotten great advantages, i think the governor feels he has to bring them back to earth and basically beg the cuts this year, and make the adjustments early on. >> had the governor done this more diplomatically and brought the unions to the table to talk about it, the unions have said theyre willing to make cuts. >> there are two issues, one is balancing ...

About it -- because the unions say theyre willing to make cuts. >> there are two issues, one is balancing the budget. with respect to the give backs, they have said well give you those give backs, the dollars and cents all the finances you want to balance the budget. but they said, we dont agree with you, that we should be dessert decertified and lose our capacity to negotiate. >> the collective bargaining agreement. the governor should have declared victory on the financial side. and i disagree...

The eyes of sr. voters. they do not deserve special coverage they deserve a benny hill sound track. they left the state they are not sitting down and talk. >> bill: they are going to get, as i told mr. vos, they are going to get the give backs. they are going to get them. but if i could find a theme in there to say all right, look, well give you this but you are going to have to, you know, were going to change how we negotiate with the union but to save face i will give you a little bit of that ...

Wisconsin has been a state for 50 years, has had these kinds of rights. they have basically gotten great advantages, i think the governor feels he has to bring them back to earth and basically beg the cuts this year, and make the adjustments later on. >> it sounded like a yes to me. >> it sounded like a yes to me too, more political. had the governor done this more diplomatically and brought the unions to the table to talk about it -- because the unions say theyre willing to make cuts. >> there ...

People on set income. >> and yet the governor is standing firm on the -- on the issue that is not a financial issue. hes standing firm on the question. the issue is collective bargaining rights, not whether the union is willing to take financial hits. i think that suggests that there is an agenda here that is greater than merely unions -- the unions needing to do give-backs. theres -- and this is, to mikes point, this is what i think a lot of conservatives and some republicans want. they want to...

Spread around. do you think that the taxpayers of cut will be happy the increased revenue goes to pay the pensions? you have an unfunded pension liability of $50 billion in connecticut. are they going do be happy about this? >>guest: and you are missing the point. in our proposal, we are asking for $1 billion worth of in essence, give backs. we are having discussions about that so i think, and, again, look at what we are doing, $800 million worth of budget cuts, $1 billion worth of give backs, a...

Seems like more of an assault on unions. and i think its very important for us to understand that public employee, they are our neighbors. they are our friends. >> bill: if state workers will not give back some of their benefits, there is no solution to the fiscal crisis anywhere. you cant raise taxes anymore. the folks are tapped out. live on long island elderly people are selling their homes because they cant sell the high tax rate. perhaps over a few years that way they could look for other j...