Wisconsin Governor to Eliminate Local Sick Leave

Very interesting actions here.  The battle has moved to the Assembly in Madison, where legislation guided by Gov. Walker ,is pending that would nullify the city's paid sick days law.  Here is an editorial on the whole matter.

April 13, 2011 03:10 AM EDT

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is meddling in the affairs of local government again. This time, his battle is over a sick leave ordinance scheduled to take effect in Milwaukee. The governor continues to say government should stay out of the people’s business, yet he continues to insert his administration into local affairs.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the ordinance was overwhelmingly passed by the voters of Milwaukee in 2008.  The law has not taken effect because of lawsuits. The case made it to the Court of Appeals, which upheld the ordinance.

The ordinance requires large businesses to provide up to nine days of sick leave for their employees. Smaller business would provide five days of sick leave. The bill was voted on and passed 19-0 when senate Democrats were in Illinois protesting the governor’s union-busting bill.

In their ruling, the Court of Appeals said, “The ballot did comply with the statutory requirement that it contain 'a concise statement of [the ordinance’s] nature' under WIS. STAT. § 9.20(6). The ordinance as a whole and the specific challenged provisions do not violate substantive due process because there is a rational relationship to the City’s police powers. The ordinance is not preempted by state statutes.”

“The ordinance is not preempted by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) or the Labor Management Relations Act (LMRA). The ordinance does not violate the state and federal constitutional prohibitions against impairment of contracts. The ordinance does not regulate activity outside the City limits. Accordingly, we reverse and remand with directions to grant summary judgment in favor of 9to5 and to vacate the permanent injunction.”

The governor for his part said, “There's merit to making sure the state's largest municipality isn't an island when it comes to mandating sick days.” There are also Democrats who agree with the governor's decision. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barret (D) does not support the law because it only affects his city. Two proponents of the bill are incensed about the governor and his meddling in local affairs.

Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee) said, “This bill is a slap in the face to the people of the City of Milwaukee. This was not just some fluke referendum. This was a hard-fought campaign. People were well educated on both sides. Rep. Chris Danou (D-Trempealeau) said, “Why don't we just eliminate local government and rule everything from Madison?”

The current crop of Republicans, including the Tea Party members, claim the government is too involved in the lives of its citizens. The governor himself has said the people should decide what they want and need, not the government. Apparently this only applies when the people agree with the governor. The citizens of Milwaukee spent a lot of time on this issue and voted for its approval. Now the governor and his buddies are telling the people of Milwaukee that their vote does not matter. The Wisconsin governor’s hypocrisy is astounding.

Elections have consequences.

Wisconsin Governor to Eliminate Local Sick... | Gather

Archdiocese trusts scrutinized - JSOnline

forensic accounting firm to analyze the archdiocese's transfers of more than $125 million in the weeks and years leading up to the bankruptcy filing.

whether that money - some of which was transferred into newly created trusts - should be able to be used to pay clergy sex abuse claims as part of the archdiocese's bankruptcy and reorganization

Creditors filed a motion Monday asking to hire California-based Berkeley Research Group, which also analyzed church assets in bankruptcies involving the dioceses of San Diego and Wilmington, Del., and the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, in Oregon.

The creditors committee has raised concerns about the creation of at least six trusts in less than four years, the transfer of $70 million in parish funds off the archdiocese's books, and $20 million in funds the church says are restricted for specific purposes and unavailable for sex abuse claims.

The trusts include one for Catholic cemeteries, into which $55 million was transferred in March 2008; and the Faith in Our Future Trust, established to hold proceeds from the $105 million capital improvement campaign launched by the archdiocese in 2007.

The archdiocese maintains that the Faith in Our Future Trust is a separate entity unrelated to the archdiocese, and that the $70 million in parish funds were returned to those congregations. The cemetery trust, it says, merely formalized its treatment of cemetery funds as restricted to those uses.

Click on the following for more details:  Archdiocese trusts scrutinized - JSOnline

Milwaukee Archdiocese states that their finances are complete and open to the public on the internet

As a member of the Rockford Diocese I wish the Rockford Diocese’s finances were readily available on the diocese’s website.

 

Love One Another

April 13, 2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we continue the process of Chapter 11 Reorganization, various voices are emerging, making claims about the financial resources, funds and trusts of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. For instance, in yesterday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, you may have read about a legal motion that was filed by the creditors’ committee in the reorganization proceeding, seeking permission to hire a financial auditing firm.

In a bankruptcy proceeding, the “creditors” (in this case, victims/survivors) are represented by a committee appointed by the Office of the United States Trustee. Legal counsel is appointed by the court to represent the committee and that legal counsel, by law, is paid for by the debtor – the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The committee has the ability to request professional assistance with the approval of the court. The motion requests permission to hire a financial advisor. The fees for those professionals (at up to $650 per hour), would also be paid for by the debtor (the archdiocese).

It is important for you to know that clear, factual financial information is now (and has been) readily available in financial reports on the archdiocesan website. I also want to assure you that the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has been forthright in sharing complete financial information with the attorneys for victims/survivors – prior to the Chapter 11 proceeding (in the mediation process) and currently in the Chapter 11 proceeding through the required court reporting.

In addition, at my direction, attorneys for the archdiocese have been voluntarily, cooperatively and proactively working with the creditors’ committee to develop an informal and cost-effective way to share information (as long as we can assure the privacy of victims/survivors is maintained).

The bottom line is the Archdiocese of Milwaukee welcomes a fair and unbiased review of our financial statements. Our financial statements are audited annually by outside, professional auditors and publicly posted on the archdiocesan website, and those statements document archdiocesan financial transactions.

In a high profile case like this one, there is a temptation to allow the media to become the arbiter of the issues being raised when that is the role of the Court. We intend to ask the Court whether the committee should be permitted to spend our already limited resources on reviewing financial statements and information that has already been made available in a transparent and straightforward way.

In the meantime, I want to assist you and your parishioners in understanding the facts and details involved beyond the headlines and sound bites you may hear or read in the media. Complete financial information is available on the homepage of the archdiocese’s website and questions can be directed to reorg@archmil.org.

Wishing you all the blessings of this Lenten season, and reminding you of Jesus’ command to Love One Another, I am,

In His Name,

Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee

Illinoisans: Don’t complain.

 

10 Best and Worst States to Make a Living

by Kathy Kristof
Tuesday, April 12, 2011

• provided by
  

The job market is finally picking up some steam, providing hope to long-suffering job seekers everywhere. But if you're among the applying masses, you probably want to do more than just get a job.

 

If you want to make a living -- in other words, make enough after tax and fixed expenses to prosper -- your chances of getting a job that pays enough to live in comfort varies dramatically based on the state where you live and work. MoneyRates.com pulled unemployment rates, average wages, tax rates and cost of living from all 50 states and found that the best places to find a job were not necessarily the best places to make a living.

The unemployment rate is only 3.7% in North Dakota versus 11% in Michigan, for example. But Michigan is a much better place to make a living, with "adjusted average income" of $37,427 versus $35,365 in North Dakota, according to MoneyRates. MoneyRates rankings are based on their analysis of what you have left to spend, after adjusting for paying your state taxes and dealing with the comparative cost of buying groceries and keeping a roof over your head, among other things.

Based on that analysis, where are the best and worst places to make a living?

The best, according to MoneyRates, is ...

1. Illinois: The adjusted average income is $41,987, thanks to reasonably high average wages, relatively low state income taxes and a reasonable cost of living.
2. Washington (state): The cost of living is higher than average, but so is the average wage and the state imposes no income tax. Adjusted average income: $41,456.
3. Texas: Also benefits from no state income tax. Adjusted average income: $41,427
4. Virginia: $41,120
5. Delaware: $39,105
6. Massachusetts: $38,665
7. Georgia: $38,228
8. Tennessee: $38,038
9. Colorado: $38,020
10. Minnesota: $37,721

Where are the worst states to make a living?

1. Hawaii: $22,108
2. Maine: $29,159
3. Montana: $29,496
4. California: $29,772
5. Vermont: $29,986
6. Oregon: $30,343
7. Rhode Island: $30,612
8. Mississippi: $30,953
9. West Virginia: 31,357
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