What Wisconsin is really about...Part deux

Eric Alterman @ The Nation:  The political power of public unions, not their pensions, is the point. Speaking at the recent Conservative Political Action Committee convention, Scott Hagerstrom of (Koch-funded) Americans for Prosperity explained, “We fight these battles on taxes and regulation, but really what we would like to see is to take the unions out at the knees so they don’t have the resources to fight these battles.”

Fat Cat Teachers...

Contextual notes on the pressing demand for "Shared Sacrifice" from our economic elites:

In 1970, in New York City, a newly minted teacher at a public school earned about $2,000 less in salary than a starting lawyer at a prominent law firm. These days the lawyer takes home, including bonus, $115,000 more than the teacher ...   

Via Nicholas Kristof @ NYT.

Why "austerity" as response to deep recession is a dumb idea

An oldie but goodie from "Naked Capitalism" - kind of wonkish, but if you are digging into the "deficit hysteria" in context of a deep downturn, lingering high unemployment and GOP social nihilism driving much of the "conventional wisdom", it's worth wading through.  Here.