Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
There have been some new developments in the Wisconsin story since my last post on the subject, Is the Scott Walker Story Just the Tip of the Koch Brothers Political Iceberg?. More than six hundred comments have been left 
at that post—and it takes a long time to load the page. I thought it best to write up a new post for people who would like to continue the discussion on the subject of Governor Scott Walker, the protesting workers in Wisconsin, Walker’s anti-union budget repair bill, the AWOL Democratic state senators, and various and sundry other things related to the subject.
Today, I’m just providing links to some news stories on the subject for you.
Wisconsinites were locked out of their capital building. WBAY (ABC)
Scott Walker’s budget defunds Planned Parenthood and targets contraception access. (Huffington Post)
AFL-CIO plans another big rally at the Wisconsin Capitol for this Saturday. (TPMDC)
SwM,
It begins
Mike Spindell:
Actually the economy expanded, in terms of % of GDP, from 1950 to 1960 44%. From the period 1895 to 1905 it expanded 45%.
The 91% income tax rate was on the highest wage earners, those making over $400,000 per year. In terms of today’s dollars that would be $3,200,000.00. You also had deductions and there is a note stating “For 1954-1963, the highest tax rate was subject to a maximum effective rate limitation equal to 87% of statutory “taxable income.””
The median income in 1955 was $4,919 (about $40,000 today). In 1955 the marginal tax rate was about 20%, for those making $9,800 in 1955 (about $79,000 today) the marginal tax rate was about 22%. $32,000 would have put you in the 66% bracket. $32k in terms of 1951 dollars is about $264,000 today. One also has to be cognizant of the loopholes available in the 1950’s.
In addition the purchasing power in the 1950’s was significantly higher than it is today. It takes $100 in today’s dollars to buy $12.50 worth of products and services in 1955, almost 8 times as much.
Here is a Jesuit view of the critical importance of unions for a just society.
http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=12761
Blouse,
Great story about the miners and their “corporate” masters.
Swarthmore Mom,
Nice link on the recall ads!
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51124.html DLCC launches Wisconsin recall ad.
Troll,
“Apparently Blousie has a one track mind-Benevolent Unions.”
Reread the post, moron … Jack Kennedy, AT&T, NASA, and Robber Barons … no mention of unions … the post was directed at Robber Barons and the fact that they were still exploiting workers in 1963 in order to create the fabulous wealth you so admire.
One of the small things that so impressed JFK as he was campaigning in West Virginia in 1960 was that he was constantly coming in contact with children of mine workers who had never had a glass of milk because the company stores didn’t want to have the spoilage of milk that wasn’t purchased on hand. In 1963 there were children of working miners who had never had a glass of milk … that’s your wonderful Robber Barons for you and their fabulous wealth.
Speaking of unions, in these towns there were no unions … those who had tried to unionize were dead. That’s another favorite tactic of your idols, the Robber Barons. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet them in hell.
Speaking of the paper you cited … check out the play the father of the Koch siblings played in the gas/coal situation. Learn something.
Maury, Maury, Maury…
Name a company that did not ever receive government support….Please …..I can’t wait to hear it…
Mike Spindell:
I have read a little history. And yes there were companies that depended on government support and favors. But there were also companies that did not. You are making a blanket statement and you are incorrect. Not all businesses of the time relied on governement subsidies and favors.
one wonders, after reading a portion of this thesis, how many Towns met the same fate at the hands of the UMWA?
http://literacymethods.wikispaces.com/file/view/6751.PDF
As Thomas Sowell wrote above, unions made oil and natural gas very attractive for the production of electricity and heat. It seems they also killed more than a few towns in West Virginia.
Apparently Blousie has a one track mind-Benevolent Unions.
Mike Spindell:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/socialsecurity/changes.asp
It would seem that you are wrong as well.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/03/11-2 Interesting article from “Common Dreams” which states the Wisconsin republicans have made “the lesser of two evils argument” obsolete, and that progressives will support democrats down the line.
Blouise,
“Moron”
Lmao – tell how you really feel 😀
Troll,
In 1962 John Kennedy finally negotiated an end to West Virginia coal miners being paid in “script” and forced to live in “company house” and shop at the “company store”. Kennedy’s negotiations were with AT&T concerning the Syncom 2 (a geosynchronous communication satellite) that AT&T wanted to launch through NASA. AT&T in order to get permission from Kennedy to ponyback onto the NASA launch, agreed to use their influence with the Coal Company owners to put an end to the exploitation of the coal miners. They did so and Kennedy gave them permission to launch.
In 1963 the Coal Mining Robber Barons were finally defeated … visit the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine in Beckley, West Virginia … they’ll tell you all about it.
Moron
Gyges,
Let’s face it, she was a hack and personally a serial adulterer. Her books were fairy tales with irrational plots. Look at the Fountainhead where a newspaper’s Architecture Critic, brings the powerful publisher to his knees, by fomenting massive public boycott. Really?
Mike,
I always assumed all the inventions that played a part in the story were stolen from him or Wells.
Let’s not forget her tendency to go pretty far out of her way to justify her characters cheating on their spouses.
Gyges,
Ah but I loved her theft from Verne of Ragnar Danesjold’s
miraculous submarine.
“The “Robber Barons” created fabulous wealth and most were born poor as church mice.
Creating wealth is not gambling, it is sustained mental and physical effort over many decades, most people do not want to pay the price or have the dedication necessary to do it.”
Maury,
Why do you think they were called “Robber Barons.”
The Oil, Railroad, Steel and Shipping Tycoons bought the government and received special favors that increased their wealth. Have you heard of the Railroad Right of Way and the fact that the train wasn’t the most profitable part of what they got, it was the land. They are pertinent to our discussion because all the industry’s you name, save perhaps the Woolworth’s, received protection from their bought government against the organization of labor. Read a little history, why don’t you, then maybe you can discuss this on a serious level. I can counter every one of your arguments from personal knowledge rather than current research and I’m nowhere near as sharp as I used to be. Its’ just that I loved history, but in studying it didn’t just concentrate on justifying my own beliefs. Most of us here could argue your position better than you and we don’t believe in it.
‘The time in our history when we had as close to a free market as has ever been was the time when we saw the greatest expansion of our economy.”
Maury,
You can’t make an argument that holds up even a little, if you don’t know the facts. The greatest expansion of the US economy came in the 50’s when the highest tax rate was 90% and corporations and the market was tightly controlled by the Federal Government, under the
Ultra-Liberal (at least to those unknowing like you)Dwight David Eisenhower.
Mike,
No, Rand’s biggest stupidity was using someone from an industry so dependent on the government to be the protagonist on a book about self reliance. That or the sonic gun.
” The “Robber Barons” created fabulous wealth and most were born poor as church mice.”
Maury seems to ignore that those who created the wealth didn’t share it – in terms of living wages and benefits – with the people who did the backbreaking work for them once the wealth creators created their wealth, ie: the employee’s.
There’s nothing wrong with creating wealth but when you continue to create wealth while throwing the workers mere scraps who work their butts off for the wealth creators, it no longer is an employer/employee relationship, but a lord and serf relationship.