re: #463 albusteve

That liberal vision of high-speed rail, renewable energy, health care for all, more money for universities? Sorry, that money is going to government workers and retirees.
not everyone in CA is dumber than a box of rocks…on pension spending

Reason’s Tim Cavanaugh explains how progressives in deep-blue California are starting to realize this:

The most aggressive lobbying for pension reform is coming not from fiscal conservatives but from progressives, who see the logarithmic cascade of pension liability as a threat to public parks, environmental programs, and rail transit.

Jeff Adachi, an attorney who has spent most of his career in government work, sees the problem strictly in terms of spending priorities. “Right now in San Francisco we’re spending a billion dollars a year on benefits,” he says. “That’s one out of every six dollars we spend. Within five years that’s going to double, to one out of every three dollars. I believe it’s already that ratio in Los Angeles.”

[Link: blogs.investors.com…]

I think everyone, including the unions (in Wisconsin) agrees that state worker cuts have to part of the fix. But that is not the argument. Why did Walker turn down this offer from the unions?
What they are fighting for is collective bargaining rights. Walker is trying to destroy the unions, while at the same time giving tax breaks to business.
A little balance is in order.