Wisconsin: A lesson in biased journalism
By: Ed Farnan | Published Monday, February 21, 2011, 8:50 PM | Updated Friday, September 9, 2011, 10:05 PM
The morning AP headline on my computer screen read:
"For compromise in Wisconsin, 3 GOP Senators needed"
What the headline actually should read is: The 14 Democrat Senators who fled the state in order to circumvent the law, need to return and do their job, they have paralyzed the legislative process. There is no need for GOP lawmakers to compromise. They overwhelmingly won the election and are trying to carry out the mandate the voters of Wisconsin gave them. Elections have consequences, as our President has reminded us time and again.
When you get your information from only the main state approved media, you aren't given the whole story. So the subscribers of Irish Central, the smartest and most astute readers in the world, here's what you might have missed:
1. The state of Wisconsin is broke, it has no money left. The Governor campaigned on public union reform and getting the budget balanced. He won by a large margin.
2. President Obamas Democratic National Committee — specifically Organizing for America, is deeply involved in a state issue and has taken sides with the unions.
http://www.barackobama.com/
3. Thousands of demonstrators on the streets of Madison have been bussed in from out of state aided by Organizing for America.
4. Many who are demonstrating, called in sick to attend. Many schools have closed because 40% of the teachers have called in sick. There are Doctors on the street handing out medical excuses to the demonstrators. This is also illegal, this is documented on film.
5. Thousands of supporters showed up in Madison over the weekend to show support for the Governor. The Governor said he was getting almost 1,000 emails an hour in support.
6. In spite of bogus polls designed to make you think the public is against the Wisconsin Governor in his quest to rein in the unions, American are overwhelmingly behind the Governor.
7. Millions in the private sector lost their jobs and many millions who still have jobs have taken pay cuts. Millions have lost everything. Public sector unions need to recognize where the money comes from that pays their wages and benefits.
Just in case you didn't happen to catch the above facts that may have been omitted from your news reports. You can get the rest of the story here, on Irish Central.
13 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.JudyStinger | Feb 25, 2011, 04:29 PM EST
I totally agree. I support the Governor. The reality is that there is "no money" and the State would have to lay off many workers if these cuts weren't done. Those "elected Democrats" who fled to another state should be recalled. They were elected to represent the people and they chose to run rather than doing their job. Those who voted for them are gettign no representation - what cowards they are. They should be in the Senate trying to reach a compromise thus do the jobs to which they were elected. The President needs to work on his budget and get out of Wisconsin's budget. Everyone knows he is only supporting the protestors/unions because they vote for him. It's all politics at the expense of the students and citizens of Wisconsin and the United States. Term limits are a must and the day of the career polician needs to end.
chesapeake | Feb 23, 2011, 02:39 PM EST
All of this and more! The public sector unions have been soaking the state od Wisconsin for years... free pensions... free health insurance plans... mandatory union membership... it goes on and on. ALL PAID BY PRIVATE CITIZENS. The head of the union makes in the six figures. The governor is holding firm; and, based upon interviews with both sides, he is certainly not the ogre they are making him out to be. Public sector employees should never be unionized because - get this - the are supposed to be serving the citizens of the state who pay their salaries. Private industry unions - construction workers, manufacturing, etc., can be beneficial in many areas; but government employees depend entirely upon private insustry for support. When government is grown out of proportion, that support becomes punitive for the private working class.
joreilly | Feb 23, 2011, 10:42 AM EST
Everybody knows we have an economic problem in the U.S.A.Mostly created by our Politicians over the years.However if it were'nt for unions our Corporate giants would have us workers back in the slave age. Hence we must retain the right for all to "BARGAIN". Now in Wi. the unions HAVE given back by agreeing to pay for Med Benefits,; Pension Benefits and as far as I can see the only problem here is The Right To Negotiate and to Bargain. The Governor is behaving typically "REAGANISTICALLY",the authoritarian of all time....my way or the hi-way,learned from the Iron Lady, Dame Maggie. J.O'Reilly
hjfarmer | Feb 23, 2011, 10:31 AM EST
What is thuggery or union breaking by requiring annual union votes. If the members realy do love their union, by a majority, then there is nothing to worry about. My guess is the union bosses, the democratic party and Obama's Organization for America are worried that people are tired of paying union dues that go to causes they do not favor!
shawnpcochran | Feb 22, 2011, 03:17 PM EST
you mean the mean the governor who gave away millions in in tax breaks to WI businesses and corporations? The governor who made the problem even worse by giving away these tax breaks to people who didn't need them? How are you this unbaised sort of truth teller? You are as biased as most of the american media,leaving out key details it is pathetic. Some unions have been unreasonable in the past, but you leave out tha these unions gave the Governor everything he wanted but their collective bargaining rights. Unions may not always be good or bad, Governors may not always be good or bad, but thank you for instulting everyone here with your biased verison of the truth.
Reilleyfam | Feb 22, 2011, 01:45 PM EST
You dont need to take away collective bargaining rights to balance the budget. The unions have already agreed to EVERY economic request of the Governor. The Gov exempted all the unions that supported him during his election showing this is NOT about unions but about political payback to one set of unions and punishment to others. This is shameful and so is this authors hate and ignorance or outright dishonesty about the facts of this situation.
Monsoonman | Feb 22, 2011, 12:36 PM EST
BTW: Indiana democratic legislators just fled their state, aping the politicians in Wisconsin. They have abrogated their duties to the Indiana citizens. They would rather take orders from their union bosses rather than serve their constituents. Seems like the consequences of the November election are starting to take effect. Do they get paid when they leave the state? and if they don't who is paying them?
Monsoonman | Feb 22, 2011, 12:08 PM EST
Just maybe the American populace is getting tired of the product the American school system is producing? Our students are forced to sit through al gores farce movie about global warming and told it is "real science". They learn how to put condoms on a cucumber, their textbooks show that Johnny has 2 daddys and we give phd's in ethnic history. We champion and produce crops of environmental attorneys/ and have a legal industry who gets a cut of the vig of everything produced in the USA or is sued into oblivion. In the meantime China & India produce scientists, engineers & doctors out of their schools....They don't have an NEA to steer their education system.
Fran Connor | Feb 22, 2011, 10:42 AM EST
Ed, you're a breath of fresh air on this site that leans way too far left. By the way, were you one of the guys that used to beat up Cahir in grade school?
Fran Connor | Feb 22, 2011, 10:41 AM EST
Where's my comment?
dearlyinaz | Feb 22, 2011, 10:22 AM EST
How is union busting a fix for the Wisconsin state budget? And how is telling people they can't have a union represent them democratic? If people want to form a union at a company, it is illegal for the employer to stop them, harass them, punish them. Yet the state can pass a law saying public employees can't be represented by a union? Sounds very unamerican to me. And how do you know exactly how many of the 70,000 protesters were from Organizing for America? And did the Governor specifically say in his campaign that he would bust the union? I'll bet some of the current public employee protesters even voted for him. By the way, I've read that the Wisconsin budget would be balanced if the Republican-controlled legislature had not handed out tax breaks for businesses.
guiseppe | Feb 22, 2011, 10:19 AM EST
I think that Ed is misguided. We are reading the same thing that he is reading in Wi. The state employee's and teachers have agreed to take the cut the govenor has asked for. His , and the republican senate have an agenda to break the union pure and simple.
Fran Connor | Feb 22, 2011, 09:53 AM EST
Ed, you're a breath of fresh air on this site that leans way too far left. By the way, are you one of the guys that used to beat up Cahir in grade school?