September 2010 Weddings
moleson99
member
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
mental break!
Hey all!!!
So with the craziness going on in Wisconsin, I've been a MIA for over a week! I'm going through withdrawl!
Did I miss any crazy drama or anything?!?!?
Hope everyone is doing well!
Re: mental break!
Hey! It's been quiet here.
How are things there now? I listened to a big piece on NPR about the situation there, and it seems stranger than fiction, for sure.
OMG, it's mentally exhausting!!!!!!!!! There were 68,000 protesters on saturday! I'm a state worker (non-union). The people that report to me ARE union. And I used to be a teacher. So I have a HUGE stake in a lot of what's going on and/or can relate to many aspects.
It's nuts! They are saying Bill Clinton might be coming here now too. He can join in with Jesse Jackson. Between the Packers winning the superbowl and this, Wisconsin is getting more news coverage than I think it has EVER gotten!
That is so nuts! I hope it all works out well.
The NPR story was saying that much of the budget deficit could be resolved if the governor's tax cuts were rolled back, which seems crazy. I'm also probably biased because I'm a big liberal, but the whole thing feels like union busting, which ticks me off. NPR also said that the unions that supported the governor in his campaign are not included on his you-know-what list. Hmmm, interesting.
I totally feel your pain, though. We don't have protestors, but we do have a $25B deficit here in CA. And our voters don't seem to understand the problem with just cutting all the benefit programs like cash aid. It seems like everybody has some story about a person who abused the welfare system, but nobody is willing to stand up and point out that many people don't abuse it. Blurg, my bleeding heart is showing.
I rarely watch the news (it's so depressing) so recap please?
I agree with mushE about the welfare thing. Unfortunately there are some people who abuse it and that hurts the people who really need it and who only want to be on it temporarily until they get back on their feet.
The bill is 144 pages (which I have read front to back) and it covers a lot of issues. (Keep in mind that state workers already get paid about 4% less compared to other states and about 8% less than the same positions in private sector) (My numbers might be off a smidge.)
Here are key points:
1. State workers would pay more for benefits which would be about 8% decrease in pay.
2. Unions would be in place BUT they would not have collective bargaining rights.
3. State power plants can be sold and without a bidding process. (We would then have to turn around and buy power usage from who ever buys these.)
4. Many state workers who are unionized AND have state benefits, would be double hit with the decrease in pay due to benefits and the lack of ability to have collective bargaining.
Moleson, that whole thing is sooo nuts. Our state workers were on 3 day/month furlough for about 1.5 years, which is about a 15% decrease in pay. Yuck.
I'm a part of a union as well, and it made me so frustrated that our group was so willing to give up our bargained-for increases. The dumb thing is that while these are referred to as COLAs, they aren't - they were designed to get us up to around what people would make for these jobs in the private sector and other local governments by the end of the contract. So they gave away our increases over the next 2 years, which, since they are the last 2 years of the contract, happen to be the largest ones. Ugh.
yeah it's a mess. Our state employees had furloughs for the last budget as well which was about a 3% decrease in pay. and no raises for about 3 years now.
Also, the republican assembly started voting on friday 3 minutes before they told the dems to be there. So basically they were trying to get voting done before the full house was there. It's such a mess.
On WI specifically, I only know the bits & pieces I see/hear on the morning/evening news, but stuff like above just gets my goat - it's like they turn the 'honorable democratic process' into high school prom queen voting. Just get over yourselves, sit your arses down and discuss like adults. You know, that is why you get a paycheck after all. Politicians in general just irritate me.
/[rant over]
I'm ambivalent about the political shenanigans. The Republicans were going to vote before the Democrats got there, but it didn't even matter because instead of showing up, the Dems were in IL. Both "sides" do it and the other party makes a big deal of it and ignores their own transgressions.
Fiscally, I'm very right leaning and in most cases, I'm anti-union. During my construction days, I knew plenty of people who were in unions and were getting totally screwed over by the union. They couldn't do anything about it because if they weren't in a union, they couldn't get a job.
The Princess of Anything is Coming!
Had a dream I was queen.
Woke up. Still queen.