Earlier today Republican attorney Jonathan Steitz announced his candidacy for the 22nd State Senate district seat currently held by Democratic State Sen. Bob Wirch. The press release announcing Steitz’s candidacy noted Steitz previously owned his own event management and production company, but curiously the press release did not mention the state tax warrants levied against Steitz.
Then again, the press release didn’t say Steitz was a successful businessman.
So you’re a scholar, Mark! Great. Ayn Rand, Howard Zinn, Karl Marx. Try Adam Smith sometime. ” People of the same trade seldom meet together, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices….”
I am not familiar with Adam Smith. Nietzche and Mises are in the queue right now but I will add Smith after that. Interestingly enough…that quote could very well be applied to unions couldn’t it? People of the same trade meeting to conspire against the public, raising price of labor?
You must be a PR man, huh? The spin seems to come effortlessly.
Yes raising the price of labor!!! Now your getting it and seeing the great value of a union.
By the way have you read the Pre-Amble to the constitution.
We the People, In order to form a more perfect union….
You misunderstand…I don’t think that raising the price of labor for the sake of raising the price of labor is a good thing for the economy. If that labor is providing a more valuable service or being more productive, then certainly increased wages are in order, but raising wages because the union says it needs higher wages is not appropriate in my economic philosophy.
Yes I have read the Preamble (hyphen unnecessary, Pre-amble would be the period of time before taking a leisurely walk.) I don’t think the founding fathers formed the United States as a bargaining unit. That is like saying gay marriage means joyful marriage…the meaning of words change over time.
actually we have a demand based economy, and wages equal demand. So anytime you increase wages its good for the economy, its as simple as that. Its funny that you mentioned productivity, because productivity has been increasing steadily. Until 1981 when productivity went up wages also went up…..Since then productivity has gone up and wages have decreased. What was the one event that happened in 1981…hmmmmmmm
What the Founders meant by in order to form a more perfect union, was that the 13 colonies working together were stronger than any one colony alone. A group of people speaking and standing as one….As in there is strength in numbers.
1981 = VER Trade protectionism?
Here is an interesting article: http://www.nber.org/chapters/c8719.pdf
Suggests government intervention in Economics does not work, which would seem to fly in the face of everything Keynesian Economics stands for.
Nope 1981 + ronald reagan and reaganomics….
I have something besides one chapter in some book…real world examples.
See: Beloit Corporation and Harnischfeger
So Reagan in 1981 caused a paper company to go bankrupt in 1998? I am not sure what point you are trying to convey.
Mark,
I’m worried that the new crop of democratically elected leaders of South America might not have Ludwig Von Mises or Milton Friedman in the queue.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_tide
Maybe you could send them a link or two?
Good thing I don’t live in South America. How is the Socialist Party of Spain doing with job creation?
They should probably re-animate Franco’s corpse. At least he made the trains run on time.
” the meaning of words changes over time ”
Didn’t Orwell predict something like that? Maybe Mark should put him in the queue?
Orwell is a favorite of mine.
He was an avowed democratic socialist. Better reconsider.
That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a talented and thought-provoking writer. I think Big Brother is a product of Big Government, whether it is a left-wing big government or a right-wing big government, the end result is really the same.
No concerns about Big Business? The Wall Streeters are a truly benevolent bunch?
Certainly there are concerns, I think the line between Crony Capitalism and Corporate Socialism is pretty blurry (see GE, Obama) I think what many on the left call “corporatism” and many on the right call “socialism” are actually the same thing.
I’ve commented here before aboutt the Bank of North Dakota. How does a libertarian such as yourself view this form of socialism?
http://www.banknd.nd.gov/about_BND/history_of_BND.html
Hi Bobby,
It’s me again. I’d like to know your position on a problem I touched on earlier. It’s one that isn’t going to go away. In fact, it is spreading and it is posing a very significant dilemma for the union members themselves. Who exactly do the Unions represent? Because as this article illustrates, it isn’t the union members themselves. http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/122529354.html Headline: After Hartland teachers agree, union blocks insurance switch.
See. There it is. The moment of truth.
The biggest threat to the unions isn’t the Governor, Jonathan steitz, or Republican’s in general. The greatest threat to Unions are the union members themselves; as they wake up the problems they have within their own organizations. Specifically, the corrupt leadership that doesn’t truly represent the members anymore.
Take Indiana for example. After Mitch Daniels ended forced dues removal, union membership dropped around 95%. Why? Why did those union members leave? Don’t they understand that unions are the only way to achieve the American Dream? Wisconsin is estimated to lose approximately 90% of union members once the Walker bill emerges from the courts. The unions are on record to actually not even wanting to recertify annually. Why? Because they see the writing on the wall. Most members will now choose not to be in the Union if given a choice. I read an interesting article on what the Union(s) should consider doing instead of embracing more class warfare. You can read it here: http://www.redefinedonline.org/2011/05/unions-and-entrepreneurs-finding-common-ground-leads-to-freedom-for-each/
It’s over Bob. You’ve served a long time. Wisconsin is changing, for the better, and it is time for some fresh talent to take over and help lead the way in District 22, WI, and the USA.
Steitz for Senate.
“The unions are on record to actually not even wanting to recertify annually.”
Why should we recertify a union more often than we recertify the governor?
Like the Voter ID bill, recertification will cost the state a great deal of money that we supposedly don’t have.
Why should the state pay for recertification? The Union should pay for that…isn’t that what union dues are supposedly used for? Administrative costs, etc? If the unions are supposed to represent the workers why would they have a problem with being held accountable by the workers?
Because they are the ones requiring it…and you didn’t address the issue of why more frequently than our elected officials?
Mark,
Neither did you address my question about the Bank of North Dakota. What would Ludwig Von Mises think of this?
http://www.banknd.nd.gov/about_BND/history_of_BND.html
Guys I am sorry if I cannot respond to all of your questions in a timely manner, I need to get some work done also.
I make no claim to be an expert in the nuts and bolts and inner workings of the banking system. That being said I am a strong advocate of States Rights. If this bank works for North Dakota and the people there then I don’t see a huge problem with it.
North Dakota seems to have weathered the recession better than any other state in the union. Whether the business atmosphere is thriving because the Bank is good for the economy, or the Bank is thriving because business is good in North Dakota, I don’t know. It is a chicken vs. egg conundrum. I really would need to do more research to find out.
” North Dakota seesm to have weathered the recession better than any other state in the union.”
And they have the only state owned bank in the country.
And they likely don’t care what either Mises or Milton Friedman think.
Hmmmmmmm.
I would like to see some response to the questions posed by my esteemed colleague
Mr. B (Before everyone gets crazy about some right-wing conspiracy, I have no idea who he is, we just share a common interest in getting a good state senator for the 22nd district)
I think he asks some very interesting questions and his first link in particular is a great story about how unions are only looking out for unions. I look forward to reading everyone’s responses later tonight.
If you’re going to get semi-authoritarian maybe you should get your own blog.
Turnabout not fair play?
relax Steve…Mark isn’t an issue.
Good advice, Ed. Thanks.
Yup I’d be a democrat but I am not an arrogant, ignorant, dirty, theiving, lying, pervert that is owned by the labor unions. So I guess I don’t qualify.
Trolls like you crack me up!
Elliot do you know how many sanitation workers have a college degree?
What REALLY turns me off about sites like this is this insane insistence by the site administrators of letting Repug-na-thug Trolls post and participate … isn’t it clear already ? – that the hard-core Ditto-Head Right WingNuts will NEVER change they’re minds about anything … when they get tired of surfing sites one handed with their pants around they’re ankles … they go from site to site to spout twisted facts and convoluted logic… If I want to read, hear and put up with any of the lies, untruths and plain stupidity of what they have to say … all I have to do is go to the local mental health clinic or pretend I’m a bigot or insane … they will flock to talk to me
What REALLY turns me off about a lot of Liberal sites and Blogs of this is this insane insistence by the site administrators of letting Repug-na-thug Trolls post and participate … isn’t it crystal clear already ? – that the hard-core Ditto-Head Right WingNuts will NEVER change they’re minds about anything … when they get tired of surfing sites one handed with their pants around they’re ankles … they go from site to site to spout twisted facts and convoluted logic… If I want to read, hear and put up with any of the lies, untruths and plain stupidity of what they have to say … all I have to do is go to the local mental health clinic or pretend I’m a bigot or insane … they will flock to talk to me
So exactly what is known about attorney Jonathan Steitz? His website and Facebook page say almost nothing about him. I have read that he is a Texan, married to a Texan, moved to Wisconsin only about 10 years ago, is a member of the Federalist Society, lives just a few blocks from the IL border, commutes to Chicago where he works for a law firm, Latham & Watkins, that is said to do work for the Koch Brothers, is not licensed to practice law in WI, and has never held elected office before. So who is this GOP candidate for the WI Senate?
Scott, I can’t help but wonder if Steitz and his family live in Wisconsin only because it’s cheaper to live here than it is to live in Illinois.
That seems to be the reason many in Pleasant Prairie live there.
There was a great article in the Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-clark/who-suffers-without-colle_b_837133.html back in March by Jennifer Clark
Each week CustomFitWorkplace.org presents innovative ideas to strengthen 21st Century American families through public policies, business and workplace practices, and cultural change.
This maybe a blog to read prior to posting on other websites.
This is a few lines out of Jennifer’s Column; Families are already facing an uphill battle with the persistent gender wage gap affecting their household finances. In Wisconsin, female-dominated public sector professions will take the biggest hit from the new legislation and many of the women affected will be working mothers. The last thing these Wisconsin families need is one less way to improve women’s wages.
To read more…….http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-clark/who-suffers-without-colle_b_837133.html