MSNBC's Brzezinski Hits Gov. Walker From Left, Wonders Why He's Not Raising Taxes
"Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski and regular guest John Heilemann both pulled the class warfare card and pressured Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) Tuesday on why he did not raise taxes on the wealthy to cover the state's budget shortfall, rather than pushing to require union members pay into their pensions.
"You're receiving a lot of criticism for only asking the other side to give, and they have given – on health care and pensions. Are you asking people in your state across the board, including the wealthiest, to give, to help deal with the crisis....and I mean tax increases for the wealthy, or in any way, has anyone else been asked to give?" Brzezinski pressed Walker.
Following up on Brzezinski's question, New York Magazine columnist John Heilemann asked Walker why he cut the corporate income tax rate and chose to go after unions – but Walker corrected him. "We didn't cut corporate taxes," he answered.
"I would have liked to, but we said if you've come in from another state and you haven't paid taxes, you haven't done work in this state for the past couple of years, we'll give you a two-year break if you bring your jobs in."
Walker received tough questions from Brzezinski, Heilemann, and columnist Mike Barnicle. Yet when president of the AFL-CIO Richard Trumka was interviewed by the panel just after Walker, he received just one tough question – from National Journal correspondent and Fox News alumnus Major Garrett.
Heilemann even asked Trumka if "there's some way we could actually help this along here?" He was wondering who was the most competent to "conduct these negotiations on behalf of what sounds like a balkanized union system in Wisconsin?"
Barnicle pressured Walker on why he hadn't negotiated with union leaders face-to-face. Walker answered that there would be no compromise on the issue, claiming the state is broke.
Walker has been criticized from the Left for not compromising on his stance toward Wisconsin public sector unions. The unions were willing to negotiate on their pensions and health care plans, but wanted to retain collective bargaining. The governor, however, is still not willing to concede the power of collective bargaining to the unions.
A transcript of the segment, which aired on February 22 at 7:33 a.m. EST, is as follows:
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: So governor, explain to us how this is not an attempt to crush the unions, given that collective bargaining is the last thing on the table? What does collective bargaining have to do with deficits and spending?
(...)
Wisconsin Gov. SCOTT WALKER (R): It is about the budget. Everything we're talking about's the budget. I, for eight-and-a-half years before I was governor was a county elected official, and every time we tried to do things to balance our county budget at the local level, collective bargaining stood in the way of us making reasonable adjustments to pension and health care, and ultimately avoiding layoffs and furlough days. (...) That's what this is all about, balancing the state's budget now, into the future, but also making sure that the local governments, who are going to see state aid cuts in this next state budget, can also balance this budget as well without cutting core services.
BRZEZINSKI: You're receiving a lot of criticism for only asking the other side to give, and they have given – on health care and pensions. Are you asking people in your state across the board, including the wealthiest, to give, to help deal with the crisis, the budget crisis that plagues not only your state but this entire country. And I mean tax increases for the wealthy, or in any way, has anyone else been asked to give?
(...)
MIKE BARNICLE: Governor, with regard to the pension and health care givebacks that we've read about in the press, as you've indicated, you just said that "they have not told me that directly." Have you asked anyone directly to sit down with you and tell you that?
WALKER: No.
BARNICLE: Why?
WALKER: No, and I have not.
BARNICLE: Why?
WALKER: Because I'm not negotiating over our budget. Because the budget is broke. (...) The reason we got in this trouble is because too many lawmakers and too many previous governors settled the budget through one-time fixes. We need to make a long-term commitment so that our kids aren't straddled with this into the future. The only way you do that is if you change collective bargaining so that governments – and this has nothing to do with the private sector – private sector unions are fine, they're part of the solution, they're part of getting the state working again – but for us ultimately to balance the budget, our local governments as well as the state needs to have the long-term tools to make a commitment to getting this done into the future as well as today.
JOHN HEILEMANN: Governor, you just said that the state is broke. You've been in office for just a couple of months now. The first thing you did when you came into office, virtually, was to cut the corporate income tax rate and enact a bunch of other tax cuts. To go back to Mika's question, given the kind of shared sacrifice that you're calling for and austerity measures, how'd it possibly make sense to do tax cuts that would worsen the state's fiscal situation for the years to come, in the context of the kind of sacrifices that you're asking from the public sector and employee unions?
WALKER: Well first off, one thing you're wrong about is we didn't cut corporate taxes. I would have liked to, but we said if you've come in from another state and you haven't paid taxes, you haven't done work in this state for the past couple of years, we'll give you a two-year break if you bring your jobs in.
(...)
BRZEZINSKI: You'll be addressing the people of Wisconsin at 7:00 Eastern Time tonight. What do you plan to say, and do you plan to address I think the one area that perhaps is causing the most controversy, which is the issue of shared sacrifice, and the union worker feeling like they're being asked to carry much more of a burden – will you be addressing that?
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Comments
Holy Compromise!
Submitted by MidAmerica on Tue, 02/22/2011 - 8:42pm.
It must be a new day in Republican politics
When democrats have been under stress in the past and have sent out calls for compromise the Republican 'Mavericks' responded just like Batman upon seeing the Bat Signal. "Quick Robin to the Compromisemobile!!"
By this time, the Mavericks would have rushed to the microphones and announced in the most momentous tone that "I will go to Madison!".
It is a new day since last
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 9:46am.
It is a new day since last November. The RINO's looked around and said DAAAANNNNG and decided to shut up for fear of being run out of Dodge.
These libs really just can't
Submitted by bkeyser on Tue, 02/22/2011 - 8:44pm.
These libs really just can't understand the issues, can they? I saw a stat today that said for every dollar the public unions contribute toward their pension, the state contributes $57.
57 to 1.
And who covers the 57? The taxpayers of Wisconsin. So raising taxes essentially screws Wisconsinites twice- they pay more in taxes to cover more in PEU benefits that they themselves don't get.
This really should be the argument put forth before voters -in real numbers. "In order to maintain the status quo for public union employees, without raises or increases to their benefits or pensions, each Wisconsin taxpayer must contribute an additonal x number of dollars annually. You'll see no increase in services, no increase in education for your children, and we'll still graduate roughly 40% of seniors. But the states' teachers will be able to maintain their $56,000/yr average salary plus their $32,000/yr benefit package and retire on roughly $1800 per month for as long as they live, courtesy of the Wisconsin taxpayer."
That's really the issue.
BK
Submitted by Radical1979 on Tue, 02/22/2011 - 8:52pm.
If I could add, most teachers can retire with full pension after 30 years. That means many are retiring at 55. So that payment for the rest of their lives could easily be for another 20, or 30 years. Meanwhile, they get another job after "retiring" which proves they are still well enough to teach.
They have no idea how good they have it.
They do realize how good they have it.
Submitted by mom_rox on Tue, 02/22/2011 - 9:31pm.
That's why they're so vigorously and passionately protesting to keep the status quo.
Mika, last name, cafeteria.
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 8:05am.
Gosh, guys, don't you see it? It's so easy!! The unions want more money; tax the people more!!
I mean, it's not like they have any say about it!! So, what's the problem???
This is part and parcel of why liberals hated the TEA party so much. How DARE those people complain about "sharing" more of their money!!
Who cares if Joe Sixpack can't afford to put money into his OWN retirement fund or replace his aging vehicle, or save for his kids' college education!
And for the record, Mika, corporations don't pay taxes. People pay taxes.
Let's see Mika's tax return.
Submitted by johnsonl on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 10:57am.
I'd love to see how much she "contributes" to the "cause".
Wow! I don't know a lot
Submitted by Radical1979 on Tue, 02/22/2011 - 8:49pm.
Wow! I don't know a lot about this guy, but I'm liking what I see, fiscally in any case. Unlike some GOP men, this guy has a set.
It must be galling to have to talk to these idiots like Mika who have never had to work in government or balance a budget, yet think they know all the answers.
By the way, where I live, the teachers are the wealthy. Some make over 100k. They get salary increases when they earn multiple master's degrees, even if it doesn't increase their teaching ability.
These people are STUPID!
Submitted by CobraMan on Tue, 02/22/2011 - 8:57pm.
"Are you asking people in your state across the board, including the wealthiest, to give, to help deal with the crisis..."
Hay, idiots, they're not able to collect enough tax revenue now because of the poor economy. How will raising taxes help? That's not going to raise tax revenue, because you're already squeezing out as much in taxes as you possibly can from the State's economy. That's WHY you're facing a shortfall, ya twits! You KNOW that you've gotten as much tax revenue as you possibly can, but you refuse to lower spending. Tightening your grip in the form of raising taxes isn't going to allow you to squeeze out any more tax revenue. All you will do is crush your own tax base to death. Destroying your own tax base is not a very good policy, is it?
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Watch the video
Submitted by Blonde on Tue, 02/22/2011 - 8:59pm.
I posted this video, very early this morning.
The bottom line (remember, FOLLOW THE MONEY) is that the State Teacher's Union contract requires the state to BUY THE TEACHERS' HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FROM THE UNION!
Story over. Bust the union. Now.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Ahem.
Submitted by Ashrak on Tue, 02/22/2011 - 9:14pm.
Illinois' Governor did raise taxes..... wait a minute. The Illinois LEGISLATURE did raise taxes.
Things are not looking better, they are looking worse. So bad that Democrats ( Who control all of state government) put cutting ALL state taxpayer funded alcohol and drug treatment pork on the chopping block.
Pensions aren't any better, and our Governor says hiring another thousand state workers will cost us less.
These folks want to make this about union busting because the last thing they want is for folks to see that teachers are making a hundred grand. Too bad for them, people are understanding it anyway.
Democrats are losing this fight badly and they should stop now instead of making it worse. But hey, I am happy if they continue digging their own hole.
Bret Baier had a short bit
Submitted by UpNorth on Tue, 02/22/2011 - 9:44pm.
on at 6:40pm or so, about the reading comprehension of Wisconsin 8th graders tonight. Only 34% of 8th graders were rated "proficient" at reading. And, the teachers are upset with how they're perceived by the public?
Why should the parents of kids who aren't getting what they should, out of their education, foot the bill for the health care and retirement of those who can't do what they're paid to do?
Mika please help.....
Submitted by Thunder Lizard on Tue, 02/22/2011 - 10:04pm.
Mika my dear, there is not a single thing stopping you from writing a check on your account to send 15, 20, 25% or more of your net income to help Wisconsin, or any other state or the federal government through their finanancial crisis. In fact, you could get all your wealthy lefitsit friends do a "Live Aid" charity for the states the Dems have bankrupted. I'm sure you and those you run with make more money in a year than the average taxpayer does in ten years.
This isn't about balancing the budget.
Submitted by evets11 on Tue, 02/22/2011 - 11:36pm.
The unions have offered the necessary concessions to balance the budget. Walker doesn't care - he wants them broken.
While you all think this is great, you are fighting against firefighters, police officers, and teachers. Which side are the Republicans on?
that's easy
Submitted by MidAmerica on Tue, 02/22/2011 - 11:45pm.
The taxpayers
I have seen firefighters and policemen 'retire' on good pensions after just 20 years who then go on to another job and another pension.
plus...
I have a teacher relative who recieves more now in her retirement than she made working.
Is that fair?
The firefighters and Police unions are exempted, dumbass.
Submitted by RESTLESS 1 on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 12:46am.
Know what you are talking about before posting here.
So you see the writing on the
Submitted by amyshulk on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 7:08am.
So you see the writing on the wall, huh? Do you not understand why? This is a classic case of the snake eating it's own tail - or as Thatcher put it "The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money"
While the rest of us have had to downsize, take less money for same or more work, they {the public sector} were given a reprieve, through the stimulus, in the hopes the economy would recover. Makes sense - you don't want the economy to go further into a cascade. But it didn't recover, in fact, things are far worse now than before this administration decided to copy all the mistakes that *caused* the great depression!
So now they have to confront this. This is just the beginning. And it's an attempt to finall get at the root, instead of a fix. No matter how you frame this, no matter how much you try to say "think of the children" we get it. This is about power, not rights. About the very thing Pres. Obama said he'd fight against - the entrenched cronyism.
Ronald Reagan
Excellent point, Amy
Submitted by Blonde on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 11:01am.
While the rest of us have had to downsize, take less money for same or more work, they {the public sector} were given a reprieve, through the stimulus, in the hopes the economy would recover. Makes sense - you don't want the economy to go further into a cascade.
The democrats caused this to be worse than it would have been without their meddling intervention.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Thanks Blonde. I got
Submitted by amyshulk on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 12:58pm.
Thanks Blonde. I got hostile/blank looks when I said that to the pharmacy techs at the VA last year. When I heard that the stimulus was slated to be spent prior to the mid-terms, and the consensus was that it was political, I remember thinking the pundits missed this link.
I think the time is now for fixing the root problems, and the irony is, we couldn't have gotten here without Pres. Obama!!!
Ronald Reagan
Walker doesn't care - he
Submitted by motherbelt on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 8:21am.
Walker doesn't care - he wants them broken.
You say that as if it were a bad thing!!
The time has long gone that unions were fighting for better and safer working conditions and a decent wage.
Now they're all about extorting as much as possible from the pockets of others. Even from their own members to support the union bosses' preferred candidates...<cough> Obama <cough> who will in turn support their right to extort even more money.
Big surprise that Obama came out in support, huh? Unions were the biggest contributors to his 2008 campaign. And he wants to raise $1 BILLION for 2012!!
This doesn't seem a little unethical to you?
I'm all for breaking unions
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 9:49am.
I'm all for breaking unions as they contribute little to the people the represent. I worked for the City of Dallas for 28.5 years and we did not have a union yet we got treated very well.
You're missing the entire point
Submitted by Blonde on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 10:58am.
The collective bargaining agreement between the State of Wisconsin and the Teacher's Union REQUIRES the state to PURCHASE ITS EMPLOYEE BENEFITS FROM THE UNION.
Of course the union is screaming like a stuck pig. They're getting thrown of the money train, right damn now.
Furthermore, rather than the State paying dues for the employees, the employees would have to pay their own dues, thereby putting their own skin in the game.
What's so complicated about that?
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Since you lump teachers in with cops and firefighters,
Submitted by SickofLibs on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 11:17am.
how would you feel if in your town the cops and firefighters decided to not show up for work and ran off to protest, putting your life and property at risk?
Other than being members of a public employees union, teachers have about as much in common with cops and firemen as a union worker in a chicken processing plant.
In as much as union greed is
Submitted by NL207 on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 12:06pm.
In as much as union greed is directly responsible for the budget problem, it is MOST CERTAINLY about the budget problem!
"carry much more of a burden"
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Tue, 02/22/2011 - 11:59pm.
Right now, they're paid 30% more than comparable private sector works, and getting pensions and medical to boot. They're not near to carrying their weight.
Oh, and did I mention along with paying the second most globally for education we're close to the 25th country ranked by education. In the private sector you'd be fired and that is what keeps us educationally in the toilet.
If you haven't seen it, watch "Waiting for Superman".
Submitted by RESTLESS 1 on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 12:50am.
It will drive you nuts to see how the teachers' unions keeping any kind of reform in education from happening.
It will make you even madder when you realize most of these idiots can't ever be fired. And don't get me started on how easy it is for them to get tenure.
RESTLESS---
Submitted by matthewdean on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 12:49am.
steve "evets" is as backwards as was shawn "nwahs". About the same level info wise as well.I've got a low threshold for stupidity.
Submitted by RESTLESS 1 on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 12:51am.
And it's even lower when some idiot troll thinks just because he's stupid, we are also.
Hey, MD, maybe
Submitted by UpNorth on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 1:44am.
it's another incarnation of Steve05? And definitely, it's subpar intelligence-wise.
UpNorth---
Submitted by matthewdean on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 1:57am.
I swear that is the first thought I had when I saw the reversed spelling.GMTA,
Submitted by UpNorth on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 2:12am.
but, it'll be confirmed if we can induce it in to some drooling, frothing rants soon.
OH, and prevmo is outdoing himself in the wrestler thread.
IDK
Submitted by RESTLESS 1 on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 9:00am.
Backwards Shawn had a little more fight in him. This one seems like a hit and run trollster.
HEY! HOW ABOUT SOME "RESULTS ORIENTED" STUFF?
Submitted by Herbster on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 2:06am.
The "F.E.'s" (Frig_ _ _ _ Educators) as I refer to them, in Wisconsin have done a superb job of turning out uneducated mindless robots. 75% if the kids cannot read at grade level. In the past decade, there has been NO improvement in learning levels in Wisconsin schools. The solution? Start CUTTING salaries of these folks who call themselves teachers. Just look at and hear what this group of losers does and says while on an illegal sick out. The top college graduates today go into business, medicine, law, accounting, research, engineering, etc. The dunderheads at the bottom become teachers. Easy job, and you don't have to know much. Just learn to spell words correctly for your picket sign and walk up and down yelling inanities. Then, of course, explain that you are a "Professional." Some of the "Ladies" I saw on the picket line might consider a different "Profession," but then they'd have to carry lots of change.
Stand firm, Governor Walker. FIRE EVERY ONE OF THEM!
Kind of like the old saying,
Submitted by Rowane on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 7:03am.
Kind of like the old saying, "Those who can DO...those who can't TEACH (just not very well)"
You've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything. (Aaron Tippin)
Unions want collective
Submitted by DaChew on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 8:16am.
Unions want collective bargaining, the people want collective results. Make compensation increases contingent on increases in the reading level or the math level. Every time there's an increase in the collective math or reading scores, there's a collective increase in teacher compensation. Every time there's a decrease, their compensation decreases. See? Collective bargaining can work.
ahhhhhhhh
Submitted by donabernathy on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 9:19am.
the good old tax on wealth.....
roflmao
Collective bargaining
Submitted by jon_torlin on Wed, 02/23/2011 - 10:51am.
If those teachers want to keep getting paid and the benefits, they should EARN it. The reading proficiency of kids in that state is utterly ridiculous comparable to the pay and benefits that a few people get because they are in unions.
I may be a boss, but I also report to someone higher than me, and I didn't get to where I was by sitting on my thumbs and playing with a perpetual motion machine. I busted my ass to get results and hell, given the economic dire straits, even Texas got affected so I didn't complain when I haven't gotten any kind of pay raise for the last 3 years. I did it because I didn't want to be laid off, but I also felt it was important to bust my ass because it was the right thing to do. I wanted to show that even in the face of adversity(not to be confused with diversity), I'll still do my best and I take a little pride in doing so. Other people complained, guess what, they got demoted or fired.
The same thing needs to happen to these teachers, if they work like they give a damn and I mean more than just treating teaching as a babysitting job, but at the same time, the principal and the districts need to seriously do some real teaching instead of treating schools like gulags in some cases, maybe, JUST maybe the education will improve. Best way to improve is to get rid of the liberal teachers and teach facts, not global warming or other nonsense.
Just my take on this whole thing. I might seem a little harsh or righteous or whatever, but I saw the picture of people sleeping in sleeping bags in the rotunda of the WI capitol and it just kinda set me off.
-Jon