New Iowa Gov. plans to further repress government workers.

[Thav]

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The next governor of Iowa suggests that one way the state can cut looming deficits is sharing health care insurance costs with more state employees.
Gov.-elect Terry Branstad says the state needs a "lifestyle change" in the way it provides salaries and benefits to its employees.

So far he has promised to remove funding for early childhood education, drop a contract that was negotiated and agreed upon for unionized state workers, and now he plans on making "lifestyle changing" changes to salaries and benefits to state employees. I think he's also made noises about taking on teachers unions as well.

Just more demonizing of unions, tearing down the middle class, and removing social programs. Status Quo for republicans.

[Frustratedlady]

1. I cannot believe Branstad won.

But, then, I couldn't believe he won the other times, either.

Scary.

[emulatorloo]

5. He won by A) lying about Iowa's Economy, and B) voter nostalgia for Clinton-Era prosperity

- He lied and said Culver had driven Iowa into the ground, even though Culver had a balanced budget and a surplus

- Brandstad served during the prosperous Clinton years. People remember that as a good time, and credit Branstad for it. Even though he had nothing to do with it.

Anyway, that is my take.

[rurallib]

2. I expect Branstad will be repaying some political debts big time

And yet as he trashes the public unions, other unions, fucks up schools and gives money by the bucket to his buddies, Branstad will be considered 'moderate' by the standards set by other crazy right wing republican governors.

[Sal Minella]

3. "Lifestyle change" is one way to describe it, I guess,

if you're a relatively well-off Republican politico.

But forcing workers to live on the edge of financial disaster would be called something else by most of us.

Instead of actually doing something to attack outrageous health care costs, just force the workers to pay more of those costs. Problem solved, Republican-style.

Terry is no doubt aware of the Kohler contract in Wisconsin, in which new hires are to be paid 35 percent less than union wages -- the union was forced to agree to this two-tier system because Kohler management announced they were going to uproot their machinery and move to Mexico if the union didn't cave to owners' demands.

I suppose Terry's ideal would be paying minimum wage (no benefits) to any and all new hires. Excepting himself, of course. He deserves all kinds of perks because he's the guv, after all. I really don't understand how this guy got back into office, I really don't. We got rid of him once, ferpetesake.

Iowa Public Radio just ran a sound bite of Terry saying that the "biggest drivers of the budget are school aid, Medicaid and state employee salaries."

Watch out kids, watch out poor people, Terry is back!!!

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

The same Iowa Public Radio news segment just ran a sound bite of Steve King R-IA-05 touting his valiant struggle against providing health care for people -- in his new position on the national health care committee, he plans to promote "self-care that will allow people to retain their liberty and their freedom." That was an actual sound bite, those were his exact words, that is a verbatim quote.

God yes, I'd hate to have an emergency appendectomy interfere with my liberty and freedom.

[Thav]

6. What's that sound bite the republicans kept using during the campaign season?

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results?"

[Hawkeye-X]

4. Is there a recall provision for kicking Branstad out?

I think all states should be able to force their Governor out if they destroy the infrastructure that was carefully built over years...

[StarsInHerHair]

7. they all share the same economic dogma-Neo Liberalism or Thatcherism

which has been a proven failure; taking that path has ONLY hurt society & made the already rich richer.