16.896

If there was any doubt that Scott Walker is but a tool of money, cast it aside and read what follows. This is from the bill he is pushing, the one that also outlaws collective bargaining for public employees:

16.896 Sale or contractual operation of state−owned heating, cooling, and power plants. (1) Notwithstanding ss. 13.48 (14) (am) and 16.705 (1), the department may sell any state−owned heating, cooling, and power plant or may contract with a private entity for the operation of any such plant, with or without solicitation of bids, for any amount that the department determines to be in the best interest of the state. Notwithstanding ss. 196.49 and 196.80, no approval or certification of the public service commission is necessary for a public utility to purchase, or contract for the operation of, such a plant, and any such purchase is considered to be in the public interest and to comply with the criteria for certification of a project under s. 196.49 (3) (b).

In other words, crony capitalism.

If Walker succeeds here, expect to see him on a national ticket. Palin/Walker? Bush/Walker? Romney/Walker? Whoring for money is usually rewarded here in the land of the free.

10 thoughts on “16.896”

  1. Pretty classic case of “disaster capitalism,” as presented by Naomi Klein in Shock Doctrine. Exploiting a manufactured, or natural, crisis is Play #1 for deregulators and privatizers. For the play diagram go to Heritage.org. Almost nothing appearing on Fox and AM radio, money’s raised voice, is not thoroughly vetted at Heritage Foundation first. Crony central.

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  2. My God Swede – this is by far your … God, what’s the word – I don’t want to be too insulting, but that is crazy lame! Somebody just made it up! Welcome to the Internet.

    In 2008, Obama raised $656 million. $656,000,000.

    Of that amount, $534,711 came from Labor Unions. That is .09%, or .0009.

    Labor doesn’t have money, and does not have any clout in the Democratic Party.

    Are you fricking … out of your mind?

    By the way, my numbers are form Open Secrets. They collect data from campaign finances statements filed with the FEC.

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              1. Well it’s late, been a long day. Only one word comes to mind: idiot.

                Please explain to me … your graph said that unions (and lawyers) had contributed $500,000 in ten years, and I showed you how Obama took in $650 million in one year. Where do we touch base with reality? What do your numbers really describe? Care to at least try to think about it a second?

                And Wall Street got $700 billion, and no one went to jail for crimes, and something doesn’t smell right, and unions can’t even get EFCA introduced.

                How’s the weather on your planet? Come visit. Send a postcard from the edge.

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  3. Obama and the Democrats received far more corporation money than union money, and the unions get nothing in return. Ever heard of Card Checks (The Employee Free Choice Act)? Democrats did not even introduce it in the 2008-10 session, even though they had control of the House, Senate and presidency.

    By the way, the first graph you showed me was a little misleading … like, say, the “labor union” line on the graph, if oyu look a little deeper (not your style, I know), is actually “labor unions and lawyers.” Why, pray tell, did he overlook including that detail?

    Currently 7% of the work force is unionized. NAM has been working incessantly since the 1930’s to convince people that unions are against their best interests. (It worked on you in spades.) But union jobs pay better and offer better benefits. Most Americans would join a union if they could, say the polls, but they cannot.

    At this point I am really sick of union bashing, and especially this notion that public employees don’t work, while you do. That is so utterly demeaning and blind that you ought to go to confession and confess at least two (maybe more) cardinal sins. Unions are the only way we have to stand up to corporate power. The only way.

    Anyway, your statement that contributions are “hid in PAC’s” touches the bottom in inane comments. Your knuckles are scraping. It was illegal until Citizens United for labor unions to contribute directly to candidates. The only legal contributions were voluntary contributions by employees through PACs.

    Good grief – what am I doing? You’re Swede. You haven’t even read this far.

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