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Ohio Workers Fight to Stop Bill They Say Limits Collective Bargaining Rights

Ohio workers are out in droves in a challenge to a bill they say limits their collective bargaining rights.

Ohio Workers Fight Collective Bargaining Bill

Protesters are looking for a referendum on Senate Bill 5, a modification of collective bargaining law in Ohio. The Plain Dealer reports the law would lessen the collective bargaining power of almost 400,000 public workers in Ohio and would increase health care expenses for some workers. Another expected consequence according to The Plain Dealer: the law would emphasize job performance over seniority.

They’ve collected more than 915,450 signatures to get a controversial bill back under consideration. That’s at least 684,000 more valid signatures that they needed to challenge the legislation. The state elections chief recognized their efforts Thursday and announced the fate of the law will be up to Ohio voters on November 8.

While some are upset, others look to recent poll results and find many actually like key points of the legislation. 60 percent of responses favored the condition requiring state employees to pay at least 15 percent of their health insurance premiums; 58 percent support the condition requiring public workers to pay at least 10 percent of their wages for their pensions. Overall, the poll reports that 56 percent oppose placing limits to collective bargaining on public employees, while 32 percent approve of the restrictions.

Despite poll results, the measures are necessary to tighten spending in a tough economic time according to elected officials, like Republican Gov. John Kasich and Sen. Shannon Jones, who introduced SB5.

“We have to make some tough decisions about how to provide public services while respecting the ability of taxpayers to fund them,” Sen. Jones said in a statement released by the pro-SB 5 group, Building a Better Ohio.

The group also published this video of Republican presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich, endorsing the bill last week.

Gov. Kasich signed the bill in March, but it will not take efficacy unless voters approve it in November.

Comments (66)

  • Moonbat
    Posted on July 23, 2011 at 5:54pm

    I live in Ohio, too, and I signed the petition. I’m voting to repeal SB5 in the fall. I can‘t believe anybody thinks that Ohio’s budgetary problems stem from overpaying police officers, fire fighters and teachers.

    Ten years ago, for a minute, we thought about the people who patrol our streets and keep us safe — the ones who run into a burning building or toward the sound of gunfire. Now it’s OK to call them “thugs”. Ugh. (Or “idiots” if you’re John Kasich.)

    I’ll say this for Kasich, though — he’s probably locked Ohio for Obama in 2012.

    Report Post »  
    • I Stand With Israel
      Posted on July 23, 2011 at 10:00pm

      Only a true, uninformed, support the liberals at all cost person would make the comment you just made.

      Report Post » I Stand With Israel  
    • I Stand With Israel
      Posted on July 23, 2011 at 10:01pm

      I forgot something, perfect name there Moonbat.

      Report Post » I Stand With Israel  
    • BryantD
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 8:40am

      Public Employee Unions are the problem for state budgets across the country. In Wisconsin we started the fix and balanced the budget without hurting schools. In private unions you cant bribe the CEO or board of directors to get a better deal or they go to jail. Public unions get to call their bribes campaign donations. The Governor and legislature is our management for taxpayers to contract services at lowest cost. You can not have public employee unions and be fair to taxpayers. That corruption needs to stop. Democrats are so sold out this one special interest they all left our state to please their union masters. We must not elect any Democrat until Public Employee unions are banned and treat support from public employee unions like taking money from mafia or terrorists.

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    • Moonbat
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 9:56am

      @ Bryant…

      Very few people who are familiar with Ohio’s budgetary woes think that Public Employee Unions are the problem. Ten years ago, Ohio (along with everybody else) jumped on the tax cut bandwagon, and now Ohio (along with everybody else) has a budget gap.

      Many Ohioans (including me) would support commonsense reforms like merit pay for teachers. But taking away bargaining rights isn’t even about the budget — it’s about politics, as your post demonstrates.

      The notion that our political process is dominated by union money is laughable. 70% of campaign contributions come from business. Trust me — your point of view is quite well funded. And if, as the Supreme Court says, campaign contributions are “free speech,” then why shouldn’t teachers, fire fighters, police officers and snow plow drivers have a voice too?

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    • BryantD
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 1:30pm

      I would support free speech but if workers have no right to say no to paying all money to unions then freedom is not the issue here. Weather unions are the budget problem in Ohio as they are is CA,NJ, IL, NY, and to a lessor extent WI, I can not say but allowing them is wrong. In the case of private companies the union is bargaining with a management team that is not on their side and money is not stolen from taxpayers to pay excessive benefit plans. Even FDR understood it would be ridiculous to allow unions to bargain against the taxpayer. It is immoral and corrupt and since it is legal to not allow it in the public sector it should be done. In WI the union can only Bargain on wages except police and fire which are exempt from the new law, mixed feeling on that. The rest can still have a union, still have speech, but harder to buy off the Governor and legislature. I know GOP is sold to several interests but I have not seen every GOP member leave state like Dems did to keep mandatory dues pay to ensure funding for themselves and continued disregard for taxpayers. By the way you better hope Obama loses or it gets worse for public employees as Obamacare forces more money for medicaid and he slows growth of private sector needed to fund public sector.

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    • Moonbat
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 3:43pm

      @ Bryant…

      OK, first, you‘be been told something about FDR that isn’t true. He said:

      “The desire of Government employees for fair and adequate pay, reasonable hours of work, safe and suitable working conditions, development of opportunities for advancement, facilities for fair and impartial consideration and review of grievances, and other objectives of a proper employee relations policy, is basically no different from that of employees in private industry. Organization on their part to present their views on such matters is both natural and logical…”

      He did oppose strikes by public employees, but I think you‘ll agree that’s not the only thing that’s meant by “bargaining rights”.

      As for what’s moral — you should remember that private companies have contracts with the government, too. What’s the moral difference between a public employee and a private company with a government contract? Both pay taxes, and both negotiate for taxpayer dollars. A private company can walk away from a deal it doesn’t like, but public empoyee unions in Wisconsin (and now Ohio) legally can’t. How is that moral or fair?

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    • mr.goodvibe
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 5:59pm

      You truly are a moonbat if you don’t see what unions any over taxation have done to this once great state.

      Report Post » mr.goodvibe  
    • BryantD
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 7:47pm

      Public employees would be like 88% of the private sector that does not negotiate benefit packages and they have the choice to quit and get another job. The more important thing for companies is the state has a choice to not use the companies. I guess for teachers if we made school choice universal and gave the money to parents to send kids to public or private schools then the Bargaining Privilege would not be so damaging. I suspect the teachers unions that work so hard against interests of parents and children would not support that solution. Bottom line bargaining must involve one side that has the owners or in this case the taxpayers interest as top concern. The system will either be unfair to taxpayers or to unions. I chose be fair to taxpayers since market will ensure fair wages & benefits in long run. I worked in a UAW Union 10 years it made productivity lower and costs higher. In private sector that should lead to bankruptcy forcing changes. In public sector bankruptcy has more severe consequences.

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    • BryantD
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 8:15pm

      My bad I guess on the FDR thing I thought maybe he had one thing right, I guess he was just terrible in every way.

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    • AmericablessGod
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 11:01pm

      Moonbat- I doubt that you are really an Ohio resident, as you say Ohio went for all these tax cuts that caused the budget problems. If you really did live here, you’d know that Ohio ranked as the 3rd highest taxed state in the country behind New York and Connecticut until a few years ago when we dropped to 6th highest! There is no shortage of taxation, just sanity in Columbus (that’s the capital).

      I will be voting NO to the repeal of SB5 in November. Government union employees are not entitled to a free ride for life just because their union bosses said so. We who work in the real world (private sector) don’t depend on anyone but ourselves for our retirement. Get a grip on reality!

      Report Post » AmericablessGod  
    • Moonbat
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 2:34am

      @ AmericaBlessGod

      Who pretends to be from Ohio?

      The only problem with your whole tax argument is that it isn’t true. According to Forbes magazine, the ten states with the highest average state tax burdens are Vermont, Hawaii, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Wyoming and Pennsylvania. You could easily check this out. Where do you guys even get this stuff?

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    • Moonbat
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 2:49am

      @ Bryant

      Again, corporations often negotiate contracts with politicians whose campaigns they fund. When that happens, who is representing the taxpayer? You still haven’t explained why this is any different from the moral hazard represented by public sector unions.

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    • SanRemo1959
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 9:10am

      Go Ohio! Destroy ALL unions! Don’t just limit collective bargaining(a purely communist concept). Criminalize it. People like Moonbat just don’t seem to get it. The days of fat union pukes gouging the system are over. This is just the start. Watch what happens when we tea partiers take over the senate and the White House in ‘12. You folks better start burning your union membership cards now and prepare yourself to have to go out and work for a living.

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    • Moonbat
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 3:37pm

      @ Sanremo

      My Grandfather fought in WWII in North Africa and Europe. He earned two purple hearts and a handful of other medals. And he was a Democrat and a union man until the day he died.

      I only wish he was still around so you could call him a Communist or a “fat union puke” to his face. He’d have dropped you in a heartbeat.

      So far, every “fact” used against my argument in this thread has been demonstrably false — now I guess you’ve even run out of lies, and all you’ve got left is namecalling.

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  • ARealCharliesAngel
    Posted on July 23, 2011 at 12:25pm

    I’m a resident of Ohio, public servant in a non-union position. I strongly support SB 5! The union influence of AFSCME (American Federation of State,County & Municipal Employees) are thugs!! They will spend millions to mis-inform the public. There are many folks that do support the law & will be working hard to get out the word.

    I always remind people to think about the issue. The unions are essentially lobbying & fighting to go against YOU (taxpayer). It is also very important to urge them to check out http://www.unionfacts.org. It is an eye opener for them to see what “management within the unions” earn & to see that union executives are IN a UNION to protect them from the union THEY work for!!!!!!!! Incredible!!!!

    Report Post » ARealCharliesAngel  
    • Fina Biscotti
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 3:00am

      Union Execs are in a Union to protect them from the Unions they work for……………….WOW, wow, WOW!!!!

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    • UBETHECHANGE
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 12:49pm

      Right On. The unions are not for the people, they are thugs. When will people wake up????

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  • boca_chica
    Posted on July 23, 2011 at 10:07am

    I said this on huff_n_puff month’s ago( yes I was kicked off when I said they were silly trying to find something in Palin’s e-mails) Federal workers have a union(AFGE) but no barganing power, only a way to settle disputs between workers and bosses. Most critical jobs should not have the right to strike as it endangers the public safety. If a doctor said he won’t operate on you because he is not making enough money, or wants better benifits, what would YOU say?( an extreme example, but still applys). How about fire, police, ems…etc…etc. If you don’t like the pay/benifits, go get a job somewhere else-like the rest of us. ( type in OPM if you have questions).

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    • SanRemo1959
      Posted on July 25, 2011 at 9:16am

      NOBODY should have the right to strike. No one holds a gun to your head and makes you take a job. If you don’t like the working conditions. . .tough. Quit and go somewhere else. This simple rule should apply to public and private employment. Unions are on the ropes. It’s time to once and for all drop them to the canvass.

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  • Dont-hate-on-me-2
    Posted on July 23, 2011 at 8:01am

    Keep fighting the good fight. It is a wise people who can blaze the future and fix our economy. Dont let those union bit@hes push you around. but dont go running into a crownd of them either. just a little dicliamer

    Report Post » Dont-hate-on-me-2  
  • frongjumping
    Posted on July 23, 2011 at 1:25am

    I just finished getting my Master’s in Early Childhood Education from Ohio State, and I saw some of the anti-Senate Bill 5 ranting that my classmates did (most of them were teachers already). I‘m not certain that any of them really understand what’s in the bill or the fact that collective bargaining by public union employees is fundamentally wrong, because they’re bargaining against the taxpayers (who pay their salaries). All I know is that they kept going on and on about how stressed out they were over it or how they were afraid they were going to lose their jobs for some odd reason. I swear, it made my brain hurt.

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  • gypsyd
    Posted on July 23, 2011 at 12:32am

    I don’t care what the unions call it, collective bargaining is NOT a right. Our rights are outlined in the CONSTITUTION. Collective bargaining is an atrocity acheived through thuggery and intimidation, it is a contractual issue, and contracts CAN BE CHANGED!

    Report Post » gypsyd  
  • dontbotherme
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 11:05pm

    Ohio workers? No… union thugs. I hope the bill passes. Intimidation is so very wrong & it will no longer work.

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  • Secretary
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 10:47pm

    I hope Ohio votes to uphold the law. I only wish Pennsylvania would do the same, but I’m not holding my breath.

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    • RETIREDOLDGUY
      Posted on July 23, 2011 at 11:44am

      I live in Ohio and I will be voting to KEEP SB5.

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    • ConservativeFirst
      Posted on July 24, 2011 at 11:13pm

      I also live in Ohio and I will be voting to keep the law intacted! And, I am pleased that Kasich is in office? I hope he can get Ohio back on track……. If only I had as much faith in the Federal Government’s future!

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  • Lion420
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 10:02pm

    Don’t you dare limit our (VERY) special rights! With a BS filter, these libs are gettin pretty funny. How do they sleep at night?

    Report Post » Lion420  
  • Patriot Z
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 7:02pm

    ok fine. then the state and busineeses have the RIGHT not to hire union workers. its that simple. you can ask for whatever you want..a zillion bucks a year, a unicorn, and free gummie bears for life. the state has a right to say ‘no thats too much we will look someplace else for our employees’ . thats barganing. but unions do not want that they want all their stuff, no accountability. and then force employers to hire them. if they dont then union thugs harrass and destroy. why on earth do you think the mafia and gangsters even associate with unions? its because unions make gangster activities look ‘nice’. the unions lost me. they have outlived their usefulness and are far worse people than the companies they started fighting ever were. CRUSH THEM!

    Report Post » Patriot Z  
  • JackBuckeye
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 4:18pm

    The uninformed independents, the same ones who voted for Obama, have decided that SB5 hurts government workers too much. The press here in Ohio has aided an abetted the union’s cause by publishing the whining of the union members. We risk having this law overturned this fall according the most recent polls. I’ll do my part, but Kasich and the republicans in the legislature must defend this law more vigorously.

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    • rusty2x
      Posted on July 22, 2011 at 10:17pm

      I agree, I am a transplanted Buckeye (now in the great state of TX). Ohio is in trouble, glad they woke up in the last election. We fled that state in early 2009 when the economy really took a dive. They need to stop spending just like the Federal Govt!

      Report Post » rusty2x  
  • libertarianrx
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 3:51pm

    shouldn’t our workers be able to choose to be in a union? These unions push political agendas and if the union isn‘t pushing your agenda shouldn’t you be able to get out??? Let us cut salaries by the amout of union dues…. they get paid the same, we save money, then they can choose to be in a union or not. This is america….let the people have choices.

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  • v12tommy
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 3:29pm

    I am not against unions, per se, but I am against forced unionism. I think every state should be a right to work state, and if the unions do good by their members they have no reason to worry. The same goes for the government having laws that public workers or companies that get government contracts must be in unions. That seems wrong to me. They should open up the contracts to everyone with or without a union. If the union shops can be competitive then they can get contracts, but if the union shops are way higher on their proposals, then we should kick them to the curb and go with a non-union shop.

    Report Post » v12tommy  
  • GaryInTheMiddle
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 1:46pm

    Union dues are going to keeping union thugs on the street. Good value, huh.

    Report Post » GaryInTheMiddle  
    • Paradigmm
      Posted on July 22, 2011 at 3:53pm

      And the Koch brothers will keep Republican thugs in politics.

      Report Post » Paradigmm  
    • Bum thrower
      Posted on July 22, 2011 at 5:12pm

      2= Paradigmm: Only problem is the KOCH Brothers EARN their money; it doesn’t come from the tax payers; lets see how this Union money laundering scam works; politicians get money from unions; the politicians vote to give MORE taxpayer money to unions; in return, politicians get more union money; then vote to incrrease union pay and benifets paid by tax payers; then the politicians get more money from the unions who agree to give the unions more taxpayer money…………..Hmmmmmmmmmmmm I don’t think it is very much fun being a taxpayer in this deal………Goin’ to Texas!!!!

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    • mannrt
      Posted on July 22, 2011 at 6:47pm

      What a racket. People are forced into being in a union by law, forced to pay dues, and then the union kicks it back to Dems who turn around and use our money to pay and protect them. You then have 3 times the number of people “employed” then are really needed. You have some people who could never get a job in the private sector own their own skills making more than the poor snooks who are getting taxed to death to pay them Even the Vito Corleone would be proud of how well that works out. Use the power of the state to perpetuate their hold on power. It works great unitl the state becomes bankrupt, bled dry by all the leeches it generates.

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  • RodT82721
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 12:46pm

    This was not supposed to happen!
    The unions have spent millions on their elected officials, to keep the unions in control of the bargaining debate! How could this happen??? It’s those crazy right-wing extremist fault.

    Now look what’s happened, unions are having to spend millions now to keep their thugs out in the streets to convince the uninformed of how bad the states are treating them. Imagine wanting union members to waste their money on insurance payments when it could be used for dues! Un-American!

    I wonder how people expect unions to spend all this money to keep their special benefits and buy Barry the ‘12 election too! It’s just un-American!

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  • SEOhio
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 12:38pm

    Oh boy, here we go again! I am amazed everyday by people who you would think have some brains but don’t. Time to start spreading the word again. We lost a few friends over this the last time.

    Report Post » SEOhio  
  • kraphtsman
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 11:37am

    As an Ohio taxpayer and non-union, private sector worker, I am totally behind SB5 and intend to get ALL of my fellow workers, families and friends to vote NO on this fall’s referendum to appeal the law. Already, this law has allowed several cities (and the State of Ohio, as well) to balance their budget WITHOUT raising more taxes. These public-sector unions are TOTALLY unjustified in their claims, and will naturally resort to lies and intimidation to try to persuade the rest of us to agree with them. The problem is, these workers (who only represent about 10% of the employed population) are already paid more in wages and benefits than the rest of the private sector. If their OVERPAID union bosses want to see MASSIVE public sector employee layoffs, then by all means the stupid people should vote to repeal this law.

    I advise ALL who agree that SB5 is a GOOD thing for taxpayers visit the website Truth about SB5 at http://www.sb5truth.com/ and write letters to their local newspapers to counter the unions’ lies and distortions with FACTS.

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  • Geepers
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 10:06am

    I am an Ohio resident. I vote in every election. I don’t like and never have liked Unions. Yes I must conceed there was a time when banding together to right a wrong was good – back in the day – when the businesses were not as “friendly” as they are today BUT that time is long gone. Wake up union members! We the people cannot and will not support you in the way you have been accustomed and that goes especially for union bosses who in Cincinnati at least are embezzling 1/2 of the dues the hard working folks have put in. This is not a workers fight this is a union boss fight. GO SB5 I will vote again and when I do I’ll vote to keep this law. Thank you John Kasich we love you.

    Report Post » Geepers  
  • theLarry
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 9:54am

    i live in ohio, i CAN‘T WAIT to vote to support Kasich’s bill. the unions are in for a big, long, overdue public slapping, and they don‘t even know its coming because they’re so out of touch.

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  • jessieH
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 9:34am

    Public workers shouldn’t have bargaining rights. They shouldn’t be able to unionize. Everyone in the government is making more money, have more rights, than the people that pay their salaries.

    Report Post »  
    • Git-R-Done
      Posted on July 22, 2011 at 1:25pm

      Exactly. The government has no right to screw over the taxpayers.

      Report Post »  
  • Amma K
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 9:12am

    HIFI74, first, I love your Obama lemon icon! Second, let me add that many of the union people that were marching on Madison are now NOT paying the union dues and choosing NOT to be members of the union. That is the only reason that the union is making such a stink about all this – they know people are sick of giving them their hard earned money and having it go to the fat cat union heads and political backing of democrats.

    Report Post »  
  • Perspective
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 9:08am

    I laughed at the petition gatherers anytime they approached me and yelled “GO SB5!!”
    They tried their scare tactics too and I laughed at that also. I voted for Kasich and he’s doing the job we put him in office to do.

    Report Post » Perspective  
  • Wolfram
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 8:49am

    The people collecting these signatures here in ohio have misrepresented the facts when asking citizens to sign the petitions… Q. Sign this or your kids teacher will lose their job, or SB5 Will get rid of firefighters, police, and teachers and jeopardizing your childrens future?

    Report Post »  
  • thenabrd
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 7:16am

    they‘re putting it on november’s ballot so we’ll see what happens. just by doing what‘s already been done ohio’s credit rating has been upgraded but these proglibtards only want it their way and don’t care about the rest of the people in this state. i‘m hoping the people here vote to uphold sb5 and prove to these union thugs we’ve had enough. i‘m sure they’ll then go to court or do something else to make sure it’s their way and their way only!!!

    Report Post » thenabrd  
  • hifi74
    Posted on July 22, 2011 at 6:23am

    Don’t cave Ohio. The unions tried to intimidate us in Wisconsin and several months later our budget is in the black with a 300 million dollar surplus. We havempaid back Minnesota some 53 million we borrowed from them several years ago. We paid back the doctors fund 200 million that the Democrat Doyle illegally raided. We’ve been able to add 300 more teachers jobs bringing class size down. All this plus some without raising taxes. All this in major part becUse of stripping some of the unions power and expecting them to contribute to their healthcare and pensions. Hold steady Ohio and don’t cave. Trust me it will get better.

    Report Post » hifi74  
    • hifi74
      Posted on July 22, 2011 at 6:37am

      Might I also add that since Walker took office Wisconsin has added 39000 jobs and last months new job numbers has the near 10000 jobs created in Wisconsin from May-June account for half of the new jobs created in the entire US

      It’s amazing what happens when you remove the petulant 5yr old children from office A.K.A. Hypocrats and put in real leaders.

      Report Post » hifi74  
    • Paradigmm
      Posted on July 22, 2011 at 3:51pm

      Can you please provide links backing up the statements you make?

      Report Post » Paradigmm  
    • honestynow
      Posted on July 23, 2011 at 4:22pm

      I like your Lemon too. Did you think it up, or can I order a bumper sticker somewhere?

      Report Post »  

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