Wisconsin has become the center of a national battle over worker rights, and today union protesters will be faced with a counter protest from Tea Partiers in Madison. For the past few days tens of thousands of workers, families, and union sympathizers have come to the Capitol building in Madison to protest a bill being pushed by Governor Scott Walker (R-WI) to strip labor organizations of most of their collective bargaining rights. The story has drawn national media attention, as many believe the same scenario will play out in other states across the country. Today the Tea Party will try to flex its own political muscle in support of Walker, creating a tense situation in Capitol Square.
Police are prepared for anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 combined protesters tomorrow. Madison police spokesperson Joel DeSpain was complimentary of union leaders in helping to keep the protests of the past few days peaceful. Despain said they have had no problem with Tea Party protesters in the past, and expect no serious problems tomorrow.
While both sides are calling for non-violence there is some concern that the rhetoric may grow heated as the two sides face off. Conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart will be attending the counter protest. Breitbart has previously been known to use some inflammatory language in attacking liberals. Announcements for the counter protest referred to the union protesters as “pigs” who were dirtying up the Capitol of Wisconsin.
Charges of “astroturf” roots have been made against both sides. Conservatives claim that the Democratic National Committee and Organizing is helping the union protesters, a charge not entirely denied by Democrats who say they are merely aiding what began as a grassroots protest. Liberals argue that Koch Industries, a pro-coal group backed by billionaires, is helping to organize and fund the counter protest.
Comments
President Obama is a spread the wealth man as are his supporters. Where does spread the burden come to play?
Or do these unions just want their share of the wealth and not their share of the burden?
And the pure in your face irony of these protesters carrying signs with the Gov with a Hitler mustache and comparing him to Mussolini, the Taliban etc since these are the exact same people who have for 2 years slammed the Tea Party and made false accusations about THEIR signs and how crude rude and insulting they though they were.
My how perceptions change.
If this crowd was the tea Party with the EXACT same signs, a Democrat Gov would be calling out th eNG to empty the state house of them.
The country sees this and it will not end well for the left.
"President Obama is a spread the wealth man as are his supporters. Where does spread the burden come to play?"
These state workers are already spreading the burden by being in their respective positions in the first place. Everyone who is not a moron knows that it is not the salary that keeps people in their positions, it is the fact that they have decent benefits. What has the protests upset, "Union Busted", is that this bill denies state workers the ability to bargain for their benefits, retirement, etc. Walker came into office, gave a bunch of money to the rich, and proposed a bill that would take a bunch of money from state employees. I worked for this state for almost 4 years, during which I got up to almost $11.00 an hour. This is with a 4 year degree in the sciences.
"These state workers are already spreading the burden by being in their respective positions in the first place."
Ahhhhh that is the issue? People in job they hate? For the benefits? 4 year degree and you make $11 an hour?
Sounds like whoever paid for your education GOT RIPPED OFF! I would ask for a refund immediately and gain a SKILL that can take you further in life than a 4 year degree seems to have done.
My 21 year old son loves cars. He went to community college for 2 years and is continuing taking business courses. He has been working full time for the past 2.5 years as a auto technician and makes $13 an hour. One day he will own his own shop. This is a skill that he can take to any town in the country and get a job. Is he a big shot 4 year expensive school graduate? No, but his friends who have graduated from 4 years of college are waiting tables and unemployed because they cannot find work in their selected education field.
I suggest your education was wasted and you gain a REAL skill.
That money that you say went to the rich, is money to the states EMPLOYERS who employ the vast majority of taxpayers WHO PAY YOUR SALARY and BENEFITS!
They have had enough of paying for YOURS before they get to even pay for THEIRS.
The issue is fairness. For the facts, look at these two reports:
http://epi.3cdn.net/9e237c56096a8e4904_rkm6b9hn1.pdf
http://www.itepnet.org/whopays3.pdf
The first shows that the compensation (including benefits) to public sector employees in Wisconsin is 4.8% less than that to comparable private sector employees.
The second shows that middle income earners in Wisconsin pay 10.6 cents on every dollar they earn to the state (via sales, real estate, and income taxes), but the top 1% of income earners only pay 6.7%.
Fair?
Luke says as an insult "Everyone who is not a moron knows that....." then says "I worked for this state for almost 4 years, during which I got up to almost $11.00 an hour. This is with a 4 year degree in the sciences"
Who's the moron Luke?
Ronald, who is to judge just what is fair? You? Or the people who have made the system we exist by now?
Luke, I hope you found a new job that pays better. That's what people do.
If everyone just found "a job that pays better" there would be no one to run our post offices, garbage trucks, sewage plants and there'd certainly be no teachers. The vitriol that's been stoked against public workers is disgusting. In an era where the GOP gets swept into office by a wave of oil money, only to reward the oppressive corporations with unprecedented tax cuts, I fail to understand how one middle class worker can turn on another (lesser paid) middle class worker. Oh right, the GOP brainwashing. "Unions bad! Tax breaks for corporations that aren't creating jobs until the labor market is completely crashed good!"
Morons.
Liberal math at it's best. Fair?
Why should one man who uses few governement subsidized programs pay 10's or 100's of thousands in taxes while others who DO use many government programs pay NOTHING? DO YOU THINK THAT IS SUSTAINABLE?
Well Said JB
Luke, $11 an hour with 4 year science degree? After getting your 3-4 years of experience you should have been ultra marketable in the workforce and able to obtain a MUCH higher paying position. By no means do I know any of the outside forces at work such as how the job market is where you live, what field you are in, where you got your degree from, or what your work ethic is; but it sounds to me like you haven't got up and looked for a new job. And JB, are you serious? Get real. People will work in all different sorts of fields for various reasons. But if mr. 4 year degree working for State for $11 and hour is going to complain about it, it should be pointed out that that is a result of his choice of employer/career/action. Is his 4 year degree in Political Science??? Or maybe he consciously chose to become and environmental scientist and takes water samples for a living... Both valid degrees but you can't honestly expect to be competitive in these fields without further schooling and/or experience.
andrew brietbart has used inflmatory language? the union thugs are carrying signs calling repubs nazi's and every other bad thing you can think of. get rid of the dems in 2012.
No, they're not.
You obviously were never at the protests.
WARNING ON LANGUAGE
Signs children of these teachers should never see.
http://michellemalkin.com/2011/02/19/photo-gallery-what-big-labor-protes...
11.00 dollars ,you better be a truck driver man,I am a truck diver ,I work for the intetmodal division in Chicago,I live in wis I make 25.00 dollars an hour with no degree,that's COO,right.
Maybe he'd rather be a teacher than a wage slave. Yeah yeah, "if you really want to teach, the money doesn't matter." Except to your family, which needs things like food and housing.
JB, I've been reading your comments and I cannot help but notice your continual cockiness and your off topic comments. Luke isn't a teacher, he is a scientist. If he is going to complain about $11 an hour, he deserves the feedback he is getting. He doesn't need you continuously barking about people that choose lower paying careers..
btw.. Teachers make pretty decent money and the really good ones that teach at universities make high bankroll. If you aspire to become one of the best in class teachers teaching something other than freshman English, or 6th grade Mathematics, the opportunity is there. I just get really upset listening to associate teachers with low salaries as they do make a moderate middle class living. 20 years ago was a different story, things have really changed. Now if you work in a private school, that's very much different but it still comes down to a choice.
Everyone knows what the Kochs have always stood for and that's antiunion. Now the state of Wi will have its own trooper state to run it the way they want to, at the Kochs behest. I seem to remember this scenario in a movie about Germany. Come on folks, equity and parity is what the US has always been about. If the Kochs are going to own a state, let them own CA -- it needs the money more.
OHHHHHHHHHHH, the new left boogyman!!! The Evil infamous Koch Bros
Do they live under your bed or in your closets?
"Wisconsin protesters to face Tea Party counter protesters today"
The T.E.A. party folks will be the ones NOT carrying NAZI symbolism, as the teachers have been the past few days.
Nice to meet you, Paul. Where were you on capitol square yesterday? I didn't make it up to the steps like I did on thursday, but that's ok.
I'm just wondering where you saw the teacher with Nazi symbolism?
I only saw one sign invoking Nazi imagery, and no one around me thought it was a good idea. An old lady (a teacher, I'd assume, given the apple-themed jewelry) even asked him to get rid of it because "that's untrue, and not the kind of image we'd like to present."
But since you were there, too, you know what you're talking about. It's not possible that you're another armchair patriot with no FRACKING CLUE as to what's really going on, yeah?
"I only saw one sign invoking Nazi imagery,"
Well, there ya go ... I didn't lie.
Thank you.
WARNING NOT FOR CHILDREN
http://michellemalkin.com/2011/02/19/photo-gallery-what-big-labor-protes...
Why exempt some Wisconsin Public Employees from losing collective bargaining while taking them away from others?
PEOPLE WHO WORK HARD DO NOT HAVE TO COLLECTIVELY BARGAIN YOIU IDIOTS. ONLY SLACKER AND FREELOADERS NEED UNIONS!
If you believe that then you are obviously not aware of the history of collective bargaining, or the appalling conditions in which Hard Working Americans were forced to work prior to collective bargaining. You would also know that those Hard Working Americans fought and died to win the right to collectively bargain with employers.
At my local school teachers walked in protest for a short time with students outside school. Can I borrow the students to protest with me in front of my work during school hours? Keep the issues out of the class!
To Paul Kersey: First of all you do lie your first post said teachers carrying nazi symbolism. So although you should be given some credit for posting an admission of your Lie after being called out on it, that does not exonerate you from telling the lie in the first place.
He's a resident dancing fool and he has way too much time on his hands. I also suspect there is nobody in his "real" life that wants to talk to him so he spends an inordinate amount of time commenting here and on other Examiner blogs. Just so you know...
Sorry, the pics have been all over the news. I lied about nothing.
@About Paul ...
You are a fool and typical of those who have no real argument other than attack the messenger and call him names.
He din;t lie! Those posters have been in all the news all over.
http://michellemalkin.com/2011/02/19/photo-gallery-what-big-labor-protes...
IS IT TRUE THAT WISCONSON IS RANKED 44 OUT OF 50 STATES IN EDUCATION?
IF THAT IS TRUE, I WOULDNT BE OUT THERE RUNNUNG MY MOUTH.
@JB You took a job that you knew paid $11.00 dollars an hour. That means that the value of that job is $11.00 dollars an hour. Teachers and sanitation workers are very important. If the gov offered $10,000 a year with no benefits and nobody took the job it does not mean there would be no teachers, it means the gov would have to increase the offer. How much you are willing to work for is a personal decision, not the decision of a union. It is illegal for businesses to get together at set prices and it is wrong for employees to get together and set wages. I agree decades ago a worker would lose a limb or life and the company could really care less. I have an uncle I never met because he was killed at work. But if that happened now OSHA and my grandparents lawyer would have made sure it never happened again. Times have changed we have other more appropriate safeguards and it is time for the unions to step down.
Amen
Sad the Polititions have sold our jobs overseas & out sourced the rest & as Ross Perot once said ; the only sound you will hear is the sound of jobs leaving the country ,so no Jobs =no Taxes = Broke America, =Screw the Republican's , Tea Party , & Democrat mental ly challenged Idiots that we elected for the prosperity of America & they have flushed it wholesale down the Toilet we need a Egypt Revolution Now !!
THINK NAZI S.S:
Here is a simple fact. Waker wants to replace union workers with Wackenhutt criminal contractors.
THINK NAZI S.S. These are the same company thugs who are busy killing people in Pakistan, worked the Fallujah uprising into being back in '03, and sell arms to the other side in Afghanistan, and electrocuted federal troops in Iraq, while they were taking showers... OOPS, that one was a mistake!
They are not loyal to anything except cash, the dirtier, the better, and most are ex-con, criminal EVANGELICAL converts, so they think they are justified.
Mr. Walker: The EYES of the World are upon you,
your move...
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