13,000 protest Governor's plan to change collective bargaining for public employees

We need to complete the circle of American politics on this, somebody needs to come up with a derogatory and sexually explicit term to describe the unionist protesters.

Canoehead has joined the fray - she was one of the estimated 68,000 protestors Saturday.

Pro-union side because as she puts it "I'm a bleeding heart liberal."

And she booed the Tea baggers. :clap:

no they're not, the economy is in the crapper, and the convenient fox news/teabag express target is those who had nothing to do with the crisis....vent at wall street, not at low paid worker bees.

"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste."

- Rahm Emanuel

"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste."

- Rahm Emanuel

And no one in history took advantage of a crisis better than G.W. Bush but this isn't about Bush or Emanuel.

And no one in history took advantage of a crisis better than G.W. Bush but this isn't about Bush or Emanuel.

I think it could be easily argued that the greatest exploitation of any crisis by a president in our history was FDR's "New Deal" during the great depression. Bush's exploits pale in comparison.

I think it could be easily argued that the greatest exploitation of any crisis by a president in our history was FDR's "New Deal" during the great depression. Bush's exploits pale in comparison.

Not surprised.

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If they're doing this kind of crap I hope they get totally exposed. ..:angry:
I read where there were about 3,000 Tea Partiers mixed in with the 60 -70,000 protesters in Wisconsin.

Tea Party Leader Plans to Infiltrate Union "Goons"

"Williams later updated the post to report that tea partiers in multiple states, including Iowa, Colorado, and Massachusetts, were calling in to plan "their own creative ruses" for embarrasing the union demonstrators. "Several have also reminded me that we have a distinct advantage in that the SEIU primarily represents non-English speaking illegal aliens so we will be the ones whose comments will make air!!!!" he wrote:

Our goal is to make the gathering look as greedy and goonish as we know that it is, ding their credibility with the media and exploit the lazy reporters who just want dramatic shots and outrageous quotes for headlines. Even if it becomes known that we are plants the quotes and pictures will linger as defacto truth."

Tea Party Leader Plans to Infiltrate Union "Goons" | Mother Jones


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These idiots didn't do their homework - you don't go to the Midwest for a protest led by teachers/college professors and TAs and think you will be the most white and articulate person there. :roll:

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from PolitiFact Wisconsin - Truth-O-Meter:
PolitiFact | A firestorm in Wisconsin


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I think this is what bothers me the most about the whole situation. That the ultra-conservative wing of our political world seems to have contempt for the public employee.

There is no respect for the people who chose to serve in government as the staff members and workers who hold up the safety net of our society.

What has happened to the idea that to be a public servant is a positive thing? What has happened to the respect given to school teachers, to firefighters, to policemen/women and those who work in the offices or who maintain our roads and bridges or wear the uniform of the military..?

it seems lately that all the statesmen/women have fled to some other world, and the Congress and Legislatures around the country are occupied by irrational ones who have no idea of sacrifice... and hold the idea that the ones who work for our state or country are to be looked down upon.. with distain...

that now the only goal to achieve is the one of $$profit making.

No teacher has ever gone into the profession to become a millionaire...yet, all of our children have benefited from their passion to teach.

If our house is on fire we want a qualified fire fighter to come and save it...

if we are being attacked or robbed we want a qualified law enforcement officer to come to our aid and quickly...

when we have a hurricane or an earthquake we expect the government to come and save people from the disaster...when the snow storms come we expect the men and women to be out at all hours of day and night to clear the roads and runways.

..and when our country needs defending (or sometimes even when it doesn't) we expect the men and women who wear the uniform to step up to the plate and take care of us....

people who vote for "tea party" candidates expect their social security checks to continue; their medicare to cover their medical needs;
their retirement checks to continue; they expect to be able to visit a national park when they want to; to drive on roads that are open; to be protected.... yet, in their world,

we can only find one way to reduce the deficit caused by the ones on Wall Street:

cut the pensions of those who chose to serve our country in jobs that pay less and ask for more and more and more...while both the compensation and respect is less and less and less.

It is a sad state of affairs IMO.

Let me preface this reply with a couple of personal observations regarding what is contained above. First, I don't really believe that "ultra conservative" applies to any who post here. I can only use my personal experience, education and acquaintance happenings as the basis for what I believe. There are all kinds of articles, op-eds and "factual" backed opinions on both sides of any debate or argument. What I am about to write has been formulated by my life's experiences. While I realize these are not accepted by many here they have happened, are true and form the basis of my being, attitudes and opinions.
I do not agree that conservatives hate or even dislike public employees. I, along with many other Conservatives, was a government employee for a total of 37 years. It is hard to work 37 years at a job and hold it in contempt.
I was never, in my career either military or civilian, showed contempt of any kind. I must have been either really good at my job or extremely lucky.
It is true that some may not show those who work for government the respect they are due and that is shameful. But by the same token, if you do not believe that there is much waste, fraud and mismanagement of resources, both material and personnel, you have not seen the same governmental functions I have. All are subject to improvement.
The "tea party" participants expect no more nor no less than that which is received of any other American. They want less government, freedom to worship or not worship a higher being as they may see fit, and fiscal responsibility. I do not believe they are only interested in cutting the pensions of those who have faithfull served our country in any way as a public servant. If I believed such, I wouldn't consider myself a tea partier and I do. The impression some have of the tea party and its participants is completely foundless.
My state retirement was not obtained by "collective bargaining". We had no public union for public employees in Oklahoma. We did have an organization called Oklahoma Public Employee Association. It had no bargaining power but did lobby our legislators heavily. I belong to it but had it been a union I would not have. We were listened to and our requests taken into consideration every year. No, we didn't always get what we wanted but we didn't bankrupt the state, either. The change in finances now is not due to the mismanagement of funds. It is due to our economic collapse.
Neither unions nor management are going to get us out of our present economic situation. Only the American people can do that. They took the first step toward that goal last November. Whether it is accomplished is yet to be seen.

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This pizza place has created on-line ordering and people from all over the world are ordering pizzas to be delivered to the protesters. :cool:

Ian's Pizza by the Slice | Facebook
Ians Pizza

Every continent but Antarctica and South America has had at least one country donate pizza. And all 50 states have now been circled. What an entrepreneur!


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These idiots didn't do their homework - you don't go to the Midwest for a protest led by teachers/college professors and TAs and think you will be the most white and articulate person there. :roll:

So now this has become racial? Seriously? Please don't throw your racists tendencies into this.

The opposition to the Unions contains the same stench as that of the totally partisan Republican/Tea Party members of the Supreme Court, the same ones that are allowing corporations to be even more empowered, controlling our elections. Equalize the state cuts across the board, and hey, just carve some monetary fat off the top 1% income producers, unless you can somehow voluntarily get them to "trickle it down" en mass!

All power to the people! Arise!

So now this has become racial? Seriously? Please don't throw your racists tendencies into this.

Only with the methods this idiot wants to use to exploit similar protests. Please don't throw your ignorance into this.

Do some research in the guy we were talking about - my guess is a 2 second Google search will mention his racist letter to the NAACP that got him thrown out of the Tea Party Express. He's slime.

The REAL protest in Wisconsin doesn't have anything to do with race or this arsehat.