It was a cold, windy, snowy night in the Chicken Coop last week Tuesday. The chicks were all hunkered down. What was about to happen didn't make things much warmer...
Earlier that day, the new guy in charge of the State, Governor Scotty had issued an Executive Order closing the portion of the state that was supposed to have a blizzard to the public to keep them out of danger. But, he didn't take the extra step of closing it to the point where State Employees had to stay home. No, he closed offices but employees were required to risk life and limb, to do exactly what? Watch the snow come down? Employees could stay home if they used leave time, which is exactly the way it always it... The chicks heard stories of State Employees getting stuck on the road either going to or coming home from work. People who really care about the work they do...
Later that night, while snow was falling and blowing around the big white domed building in Madison, Governor Scotty delivered his first big speech of his administration---the State of the State. The speech wasn't much, yeah Packers, thanks to his wife and more threatening of State Employees, after he recognized a State Trooper who was hit on the highway earlier in the week (a PUBLIC EMPLOYEE by the way). Oh ya, and thanks to all those legislators who helped him pass bills to make "Wisconsin Open for Business". LC2 heard that one teacher gave him a C+ for his speech....hmmm....
I'm sure after the speech, Gov. Scotty rode home in his big Yukon with his wife and family on roads cleared by PUBLIC EMPLOYEES. On Thursday after PUBLIC EMPLOYEES cleaned everything up, he jumped back in his Yukon (driven by a PUBLIC EMPLOYEE) and traveled around the state reminded folks of what a good job he is doing spending money he doesn't have.
In the meantime, he isn't talking to the State employee unions at all about settling the contract from 2009/2011. Apparently, it's a lot more fun threatening and telling folks that he is going to "force" concessions on State Employees and he'll help local municipalities do the same to their employees.
While Scotty is spending money to give to private employers, "rewarding" his buddies that helped him get elected,figuring out how to destroy the sustainable energy industry in WIsconsin (apparently Wisconsin is not "open to sustainable energy") and traveling in his Yukon, had the State Employee contracts been passed in December, additional money would be coming into the state treasury. The contracts that were presented in December included an increase in payments to health insurance that would total $100 million dollars by the end of June 2011. Yet, Scotty says now that he will get concessions from State Employees that will pay $30 million in three months. How exactly will he do that if he doesn't talk to the Union?
OK, I'm just a little fuzzy chick, but, I can figure out the math $100 million in 6 months would buy a lot more chicken feed than $30 million in 3. And the State Employees (and the chicks) would be much happier. But, I guess that Governor Scotty doesn't want State Employees to be happy, for some reason, he just doesn't like them. Perhaps it's time for him to stop for a minute, and think what his life as Governor would be like without them... Nah....that would be to much work, he'll find a State Employee to do it.
