Working people are fighting back against privatization and public service cutbacks all over the world: in Haiti, in India, in Greece, in Egypt, Spain, Iceland, Portugal, in the US State of Wisconsin, etc. Are people organizing and fighting back where you are? Or are they going like sheep into the slaughterhouse?
As the Joint Finance Committee moves closer to final action on Governor Scott Walker's controversial budget, which takes $1 billion out of public education, while radically expanding school vouchers, more protests are expected in the Wisconsin Capitol.And at a bank in Milwaukee the protestors are shouting, "we got sold out, they got bailed out!"
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"You're basically cutting off municipalities' arms and legs, instead of their heads," said Rep. Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee), who advised Republican lawmakers not to pat themselves on the backs for what were touted as improvements to the original proposal. According to WisPolitics, "The motion increases aid to county and municipalities by $19.3 million in 2012-13, leaving the program with a net reduction of $76.8 million.
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The committee moved on to the school choice omnibus....
Grigsby said the motion was "not about the poor little black kids in Milwaukee; it's about privatizing public education. It's about making money off the backs of poor children."
"We need to raise all boats, not sink boats to raise a few yachts," Jauch said of the motion, which favors resources for private schools by stripping Milwaukee public schools of $182 million.
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The final motion tackled the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission. It eliminated the ability of police and fire employees to collectively bargain on the design and choice of a health insurance plan.