Sunday, February 24, 2013
From the benefits of minimum wage to the destruction of the American family, Patch bloggers weighed in on a variety of topics this week. Here is a look at some of the most popular posts over the past week.
The most popular blog posts in Wisconsin Patch sites this past week ran the gamut — from pro- and anti-Scott Walker pieces to children on leashes to destruction of American families. Every day, Patch's Local Voices bloggers share information, insight and opinion about what matters to them. Here's a selection of blogs from throughout the past week. Although this post only had two sentences, it was enough to garner more than 120 comments. In, "Why Do We Have a Minimum Wage?" readers debated the importance of unions and the minimum wage system. Mount Pleasant blogger, Bottom Line, needed to only ask one question to get this conversation flowing: Why do we have a minimum wage and how does it affect society? Greendale blogger J.B. Schmidt …
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The passage of Wisconsin's Act 10 has created a "free agent" culture for teachers who are no longer dissuaded from leaving a district and surrendering seniority. The result has been a new competition in education to keep the best and brightest teachers.
Every sports fan has felt that bittersweet moment when their favorite athlete leaves the team they love for a new team offering a sweeter deal. For the athlete, it’s a new and more lucrative opportunity to use their unique skills and talents. In a post-Act 10 educational environment in Wisconsin, the dynamic isn’t much different for educators. Teacher seniority and incremental pay scales have gone out the window and have been replaced by performance-based systems of employment. While Act 10 stripped the majority of bargaining rights from teachers, it also caused a major shift in the culture to which teachers have grown accustomed. “Education may become like pro sports and the teacher could become a free agent in a sense. The opportunity is…
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Crowd is generally well-behaved, with a little strong talk but no jostling between sides in debate of whether to recall Wisconsin governor.
- GOVERNMENT
- Jim Price
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
A crowd that eventually grew to about 1,000 descended Tuesday evening on the block where Gov. Scott Walker and his family live in Wauwatosa, kicking off the first day of the statewide recall effort against the first-term executive almost in his own front yard. There, organizers set up tables at the homes of several residents of the block, neighbors of Walker's, who invited people to stop by and sign recall petitions. A handful of counter-protesters showed up as well, and some words were exchanged — not all perfectly polite — but there were no real outbreaks. Recall advocates chanted and brought a small brass band, a few thumped drums and the bottoms of 5-gallon buckets; waved a variety of flags ranging from Old Glory to the raised fist; …
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Wisconsin's school administrators are no longer subject to 'union meddling and obstruction.'
The repeal of much of Wisconsin’s collective bargaining law with regard to many of Wisconsin’s public employees has not been adequately explained. This repeal will do more to improve the quality and lower the cost of Wisconsin government than anything else we’ve done. There are approximately 275,000 government employees in the state of Wisconsin. About 72,000 work for the state, 38,000 for cities and villages, 48,000 for counties, 10,500 (full-time equivalent) for technical colleges, and 105,229 for schools. Only half of state employees are unionized, but almost all school employees are. As you can see, the biggest impact will be on Wisconsin’s schools. Since my office has received the most complaints from school teachers, let’s look at …
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Before the meeting, protestors marched along Moreland Boulevard.
Protesters who braved a thunderstorm Tuesday night were disappointed after the Waukesha County Board approved a resolution, 19 to 3, supporting state legislation that eliminates collective bargaining for employees' benefits. The protesters — teachers, social workers, private citizens, members of various unions and at least one police officer — met outside the courthouse and marched along Moreland Boulevard in the cold, driving rain for about a half an hour prior to the County Board meeting. Inside the courthouse and after being cleared by security, more than 100 people filled the county board room. In the board room, the crowd was quiet until after the board approved the resolution. After that happened, most of the audience got up to leave…
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Jim Price reports on the scene inside Assembly chambers just before the scheduled noon session.
Patch's Jim Price took this video from inside Assembly chambers Thursday morning. The Assembly was slated to go into session at noon to discuss the amended budget repair bill passed by the Senate on Wednesday, but it appeared the start would come later. Rep. Donald Pridemore told Patch's Carl Engelking that the Assembly might allow four hours of discussion on the bill when the Assembly convenes. Members of the public were being allowed into the gallery four at a time, every 20 seconds, after being searched at a checkpoint outside the doors.
Alternate entrance to Capitol is heavily guarded.
State Rep. Dan Knodl was sent to the Risser Building across the street from the State Capitol, in order to enter the Capitol through an underground tunnel. When he arrived at that entrace, this video captured police in riot gear standing guard. Patch's Jim Price reports that demonstrators are being forcibly removed from the Capitol.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
A video recap of Tuesday's events surrounding Gov. Walker's budget address.
In Wednesday's special edition PatchCast, local editors Carl Engelking, Denise Lockwood and James Price went to Madison for reaction and color surrounding Gov. Scott Walker's budget address. Patches in southeastern Wisconsin will continue to provide complete coverage of the events in Madison as they pertain to their local communities.
Lika Phipps
3:45 pm on Monday, February 25, 2013
Leave it to Bottom Line to ask such a hot topic question... Always rhetorical, and a question that may not have a right/wrong answer, depending on the angle it comes from. But, good question about minimum wage. My opinion? So we don't have slave wages. On the other hand, if minimum wage was supposed to be livable, it would depend on who you are. A single person needs a lot less than the chap … more ›