Republicans are backtracking on budget items

[dragonlady]

They are getting what they want on the main course--the collective bargaining and restrictions on local budgets. But they appear so willing now to cave in on the smaller items like ending WiscNet broadband for schools and libraries, requiring local road work projects over $100,000 to be done by private contractors, extending school vouchers to Green Bay, and letting people get ethics statements only by personally going to Madison. (See various articles in today's Journal Sentinel http://www.jsonline.com .) Earlier, they also put back the funding for local recycling.

Coincidentally, six Republicans are up for recall elections. Will this new rational behavior save them?

[PeaceNikki]

1. verrrry interesting indeed.

[Pharaoh]

2. Coincidentally, six Republicans are up for recall elections. Will this new rational behavior save th

No!

[PatrynXX]

3. break the law you pay a price

even if the right wing supreme court says otherwise. Heil Hitler??

[dembotoz]

4. window dressing

make some symbolic changes so that you can claim a bleeding sincere heart for those less fortunate while you fuck em just as hard as you originally intended.

[murielm99]

5. They aren't really backtracking on Wiscnet

for schools and libraries. Look at the language, or ask someone who works for the library system. They are using weasel language, and making them "meet standards" before they can have Wiscnet. I have a feeling meeting standards will be a goal many of them cannot reach. There will be more bureaucracy and more expense. Wasn't this whole budget bill about saving money? :sarcasm:

[dragonlady]

6. Thanks for posting this

Do you have a link to the current language of the bill?

[murielm99]

7. My daughter sent me the original info pertaining to

Wiscnet. I don't think that applies any more.

She told me this yesterday, in a phone call, when I told her that I had read about them "backing off."

I will ask her to send me a link, if there is one. She works for South Central, the library system that covers the Madison area. I think she just received the new info yesterday.

She feels that much of this is designed to hurt schools and UW Madison in particular. Walker really wants them under his thumb. He is anti-intellectual, and dislikes UW Madison. I think he hates Madison in general.

She thinks there will be a brain drain. Any profs at UW Madison who need to use the Internet for research will go to other universities, if possible.

Of course, using AT&T or other for profits will only help Walker's rich friends and benefactors.

Let me email her and see what she can come up with.

I grasp what she is saying. I worked as a librarian and dealt with state taxes and grants in Illinois for many years. I saw them close and consolidate our regional library systems. I saw them give with one hand and take away with the other. Money that was once given to us as tax money was withheld unless we wrote grants and "met standards." We spent much time jumping through hoops. That could have been spent helping library patrons.

We have Illinet here. Illinois is in trouble financially, but we don't have the evil that you guys have. We are all watching you and praying for you. Those of us who can will be supporting you financially, and coming to your events as often as possible.

[PeaceNikki]

8. He hates Madison and Milwaukee and wants to screw both as hard as he can.

[ejbrush]

11. Correction

He hates everybody but the gated communities in Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties.

[murielm99]

9. My daughter called me this evening.

She is going to Orlando this weekend. She was called to sub in the Orlando Symphony. She is trying to get a job there, and was happy to get this opportunity. I think it is promising that they are thinking about her. She would rather be a full-time musician than a librarian.

She told me she would look and send me whatever info she can, but it will probably be on Monday or Tuesday, when she gets back.

I am sorry. These bits of information are much more substantive with links. I will provide them when I can.

[dragonlady]

10. Good luck to your daughter

Everyone should have work they truly like to do. And lets hope the news will turn out to be good for the schools, libraries and universities.

[HelenWheels]

15. She'll have to live in Florida

To me that's a downside.

[TheMightyFavog]

14. Let me guess one of the standards for libraries...

Will be internet filters. Oy gevalt. The last thing our system need is to soak the costs of putting filters on every internet computer in the fscking consortium.

[midnight]

12. I hope the voter isn't this short sited to think this new rational

behavior will last beyond August...

[dragonlady]

13. That's right

And let's not forget that these are only a few relatively minor things. They may have been thrown in just to see if they would stick and could be given back if they proved too unpopular.