Sometimes I really love my city...

[KRins]

I'm in full agreement' date=' and also hope that the Tea Party or something else grows to be a true 3rd party.[/quote']

Considering that at least half the Florida Tea Party members claim to be "outsiders" despite having run in numerous elections, most unsuccessfully, and the other half are stark raving lunatics... I'm totally good on grid lock. Just google Grady Judd... my sheriff patrols the whole nation...

[Pali]

The value I could see to the Tea Party growing is that it might take some of the crazy away from the Republican Party and allow that party to grow a bit more moderate. I'd definitely NOT be happy if the Tea Party actually became enough of a major player that it started having serious power.

[Imoutgoodbye]

The value I could see to the Tea Party growing is that it might take some of the crazy away from the Republican Party and allow that party to grow a bit more moderate. I'd definitely NOT be happy if the Tea Party actually became enough of a major player that it started having serious power.

After people get a good four year dose of what some of these governors are doing, the Tea Party idea will die out. It was a Dark Horse to start with in the last elections and they weren't able to place even CLOSE to the number of their candidates they thought they were going to. It was like Fan Boy hype over Snakes on a Plane. It was an illusion.

Unfortunately, it was SOMETHING knocking at the door. I hope it wakes people up because we can't keep going back to the same thing over and over and over. Faces change, circumstances get altered slightly, but it's the ebb and flow of a tide and it's taking as long as the Ice Age to get anything done. It's the same as going from hitting your head against a brick wall to hitting your head against six feet of solid oak. You're still going to get brain damage eventually.

[Mmm Coffee]

I thought this was pretty awesome. I also found it pretty interesting that neither CNN or Fox News reported on it. Can't have the people knowing their law-enforcement just might stand up for a worthy cause!

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/25/wisconsin-police-association-urges-members-to-join-sleep-in-at-capitol/

[Pali]

So, developments of the last couple of days:

Friday: State Assembly Democrats had been filibustering the bill that would in effect destroy public employee unions in Wisconsin and the Assembly had been in session for 61 hours. Shortly after 1 AM Friday morning, Republicans in the Assembly pulled off some sort of legislative trick and opened and closed the vote on the bill in about ten seconds - over a third of the Assembly did not even know what was happening in time to vote. As Republicans walked out, the Assembly Democrats were in a literal uproar, shouting "Shame! Shame!" at the Republicans. Some are looking into whether what happened was even legal and if the vote could be disqualified. Senate Republicans on a voice vote have OK'd the bill and made it impossible to amend - if one Senate Democrat returns to Wisconsin, it will pass. If it doesn't by Tuesday, Governor Walker is threatening thousands of layoffs in the next couple weeks.

Noteworthy: Republicans, except for one, are the only ones who remain unwilling to compromise on anything. Democrats and unions have already conceded to all the requested financial concessions, so long as union rights remain. Walker insists that local officials will need greater flexibility than unions allow - the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators and Wisconsin Association of School Boards have stated that they haven't sought an end to collective bargaining, and the executive director of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities said "The governor gave us a great deal more flexibility than we asked for." while not taking a position on the bill itself (supporting some reforms to collective bargaining, though not removing it entirely as Walker proposes, as well as taking issue with other proposals within the bill), and the Wisconsin Counties Association has done much the same.

EDIT: This anti-union move by the governor has also prompted certain groups to unionize that previously hadn't: the faculty at UW-LaCrosse were not previously unionized, and the American Federation of Teachers had been trying unsuccessfully for years to convince them to unionize - Friday they did so by a vote of 249 to 37.

EDIT: Mmm_Beer posted a link with better details above - basic summary is that the Capitol will close Sunday at 4 PM for cleaning, and police came out strongly in support of the protesters, saying that they will be sleeping in the Capitol with them despite police being exempt from Walker's bill. Firefighters, also exempt, have also been out strongly in support of the protests. These unions were among the very few that supported Walker - his explanation is that he doesn't want to put such necessary public services at risk. I find that strange... teachers, janitors, street plowers, nursers... these people don't provide equally necessary public services?

Protests Saturday grew to the largest yet (this is 12 days of straight protesting in a row now, mid-winter in Wisconsin - it's 16 degrees F. right now and has been snowing all day). Precise crowd estimates I'm finding hard to verify, but the rumor was over 100,000 and a local news station reported local police as saying that it was definitely more than last Saturday's 70,000. Rallies numbering in the thousands were also thrown in numerous other states in support.

Something I continue to be impressed by: there has not been a single act of violence linked to these protests yet, even on the day when a couple thousand Tea Partiers showed up to counter-protest. Madison police have repeatedly praised the protesters for remaining nonviolent and even thanked them for cleaning up after themselves.

Also, both local and national polls (even Dick Morris's poll over at Fox News) show a clear majority opposition to this bill.

EDIT: Another thing included in this bill that I had not heard much about until the last few days is that it also allows the governor (though the Assembly amended it to include legislative oversight, which I must give the Republicans within credit for) to grant no-bid contracts for state power plants and utilities. This makes absolutely no sense from a fiscally conservative perspective - it ONLY makes sense from a pro-"corporations we are friendly with" perspective. The idea that this bill is about the budget and fiscal responsibility rather than greed and politics becomes more implausible every day.

EDIT: Oh, and something else I don't think I've ever mentioned but that is fairly pertinent - Walker never mentioned during his campaign for governor that he wanted to get rid of collective bargaining. He apparently said something about it at a speech in December after winning the election, but for nearly everyone I know, this came completely out of nowhere. He's been justifying his actions here by saying that he was elected to do what he is doing, that he ran on this - this is not true. I was against the guy, but I know what he was running on - job creation, lower taxes, no rail line. It was a pretty simple line and 52% of the state bought it. He's managed the last two (well, lower taxes on corporations), and in the process, killed jobs.

[Pali]

So... things continue, though in fairly unchanged ways. There have been attempts to close the Capitol building to protesters and prevent them from having their voices heard within (the WI state constitution prohibits the Capitol building from being closed to the public), though a judge ordered the building re-opened today and to the best of my knowledge it is so currently (I have little in the way of sources verifying this - this is a little rumor but mostly bits of the news that I'm pretty sure I'm remembering correctly).

The official political situation remains fairly unchanged, although Gov. Walker's deadline for the Democratic State Senators (or state employees would face large-scale layoffs) to return passed today... without any of them returning. Walker gave a speech today regarding his new budget, which is going to massively screw pretty much all state services - schools are going to take nearly a billion dollars in cuts, and state aid to localities is going to be massively cut. Meanwhile, as the people who make tens of thousands a year receive most of the pain, the people who make much, much more aren't receiving any of it and instead are receiving tax breaks - and any future tax increase, under Walker's bill, will require a 2/3 super-majority of the state legislature (which Republicans do not currently even have, despite their recent political fortunes).

I would love, LOVE to see someone try to argue that a millionaire provides more benefit to society than a teacher... or that the millionaire can less afford to lose 1 or 2% of their income than a teacher can afford to lose 10% of theirs (and yes, if I'm recalling a report I saw yesterday correctly, these are accurate numbers in terms of how to help Wisconsin's budget - a tax increase of 1.5% on the top 1% of Wisconsinites would provide more money than Walker's plan that would amount to, basically, a 10% pay cut to all state employees). These people keep saying that they're not trying to screw over our future by deferring debt to the future... but rather than deferring debt, they're deciding to simply not educate the future and they think this is a better way to do things?

EDIT: If you're wondering why I keep specifying with "if I'm remembering correctly", the reason is simple: I am fairly drunk. I really, really love knowing my bartenders sometimes.

[Twinblades713]

Republicrats.

[Pali]

I also enjoy the moniker "Rethuglicans".

[Pali]

So... sh*t remains very real here. Republicans are upping the ante against the Democrat State Senators, having moved on from the more petty stuff like denying their parking privileges and preventing their staff from using copy machines (I'm not joking - they did those, as well as zeroing their office budgets). Now they have passed a resolution that state police must, if they see the Dems, arrest them and bring them to the Capitol building - this is in clear violation of the state constitution, and I doubt it would last a court challenge... but from what I understand, if it gets a single Dem senator to the Capitol for a vote, it may not need to. They've apparently also talked about hiring bounty hunters to get the Dems and bring them back to Wisconsin. Walker has also stated that he will fire 1,500 state employees Friday if the Dems don't return for a vote - we'll see if he carries through with this threat. Meanwhile, every single poll (even right-wing ones) has shown a clear majority opposed to Walker's bill.

The Republicans have mostly failed in their attempts to keep protesters out of the Capitol. A judge today ruled that this was unconstitutional, though he allows for the Capitol to be closed when not in official use and has banned sleeping within... however, this allows for the possibility of Democrats in the Assembly keeping their offices open all night and thereby keeping the Capitol open all night, so we'll see how this plays out. At any rate, by 8 AM Monday morning, the building must be opened again to protesters - the judge allowed it to remain closed for the weekend for cleaning and maintenance. We're nearing 3 weeks straight of thousands of people at the Capitol protesting every day, biggest individual crowd estimated at 100,000. Meanwhile, groups are starting to organize to recall a number of state senators and eventually Walker next year (must wait until they've served a year in office before recalling here).

Also, in Ohio, a similar "budget" bill is being passed that includes similar anti-union measures... as well as an affirmation that marriage is only between one man and one woman (something the Ohio state legislature already passed years ago), as well as stating that Ohio will not recognize homosexual marriages or any of the rights contained within from other places. So if you are or know gay married people, advise them not to go to Ohio if this goes through - because if you get sick or hurt in an accident, your spouse won't be able to visit you in the hospital or make medical decisions for you.

Oh, and despite things like the union busting that is apparently so necessary to balance their budget - they are eliminating estate taxes. This kind of crap really pisses me off - screw teachers, cops, and civil servants in general, but let's give more to millionaires. Blame unions for budget woes in a state that has no corporate income tax. THIS is the line the Republicans are pushing - that they manage to convince people that it makes sense astounds me (and on a tangent that I will not continue beyond this statement regardless of replies: this is a large part of why I place so much value on critical, rational thinking - the way people evaluate ideas matters in the real world, because people act and vote based on the ideas that pass their evaluation process).

EDIT 3/5: Kudos to Wyoming state legislature Republicans for actually adhering to the small government rhetoric their party so loudly espouses and rejecting an anti-gay marriage bill on the grounds that it is unnecessary government intrusion into people's private affairs and antithetical to the state's constitution. It's good to know that there actually are some people who are truly principled small government conservatives - it's a shame the Republican Party as a whole doesn't follow their example.

[Pali]

Frakking Republicans...

[Imoutgoodbye]

He's ****ed. So are most of the Republicans who voted for this stripped version. Walker is politically suicidal and psychotic. Unless all these businesses shower consumers and employees alike with a huge windfall from the union bustings (and I assure you, the public school system is about to change like Wisconson has never seen it before), then there will be a major recall in about a year. It's cool. A temporary battle was won, but the war was definitely decided before this battle ended.

[Pali]

Oh, the fallout from this is going to come a lot sooner than next year... there are already rumors of massive strikes being considered. We'll see how the court cases that are certain to come go.

[Imoutgoodbye]

Oh' date=' the fallout from this is going to come a lot sooner than next year... there are already rumors of massive strikes being considered. We'll see how the court cases that are certain to come go.[/quote']

I think the courts will uphold what happened. As for the strikes...well, normally I'd say that would be a slim chance, but people in Wisconsin seem to have more balls than the average American. If even half of all union workers went on strike, it would cripple the state and make the government budget worthless. Can't legislate the unwilling and I don't think there's enough room for everyone in jail. :eek:

[Pali]

Biggest protests yet today, with estimates I've seen ranging from 85,000 to 150,000. The 14 state Senate Democrats returned to Wisconsin today and received a hero's welcome at the capitol from the protesters. The Secretary of State, a Democrat, has stated that he's going to wait until near the end of March to sign the bill into law to allow for court challenges that are already being prepared. Recall efforts for a number of state senators remain under way, and planning to recall Walker as soon as his first year is up is also being done.

And there is a fair bit of discussion regarding the possibility of a general strike.

Also, in another sign of just how much Republicans care about the people rather than the almighty dollar - a Republican legislator named Jane Cunningham in Missouri's state congress has sponsored a bill that will basically repeal all child-labor laws in that state.

SB 222 – This act modifies the child labor laws. It eliminates the prohibition on employment of children under age fourteen. Restrictions on the number of hours and restrictions on when a child may work during the day are also removed. It also repeals the requirement that a child ages fourteen or fifteen obtain a work certificate or work permit in order to be employed. Children under sixteen will also be allowed to work in any capacity in a motel, resort or hotel where sleeping accommodations are furnished. It also removes the authority of the director of the Division of Labor Standards to inspect employers who employ children and to require them to keep certain records for children they employ. It also repeals the presumption that the presence of a child in a workplace is evidence of employment.

Also, Republicans in the US Congress are attempting to strip the EPA of pretty much all power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Yet another example of Republicans in Congress wasting everyone's time by passing legislation that will never actually become law.

I miss good ol' Dubya at this point. He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but I at least didn't think that he was an *******.

[Pali]

So... an update on Wisconsin news!

A lot's happened in the last few weeks, though not on the immediate drama level of hundred-thousand strong protests. The anti-union bill is currently being held up in court due to the contention that it was passed while violating WI's open meetings laws (strangely, despite the judge who placed this hold publicly stating numerous times that just re-holding the vote would be enough, the administration hasn't done so yet). We had a round of elections Tuesday, the big races relating to this being primarily the Milwaukee County Executive race as it was Gov. Walker's last job and a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat... both have been viewed somewhat as referendums on Walker's anti-union moves. The Milwaukee County Exec. race was won handily by the Democrat in a 61-39 vote, while the Supreme Court race, which most have considered the bigger show (at least in Madison where I live ), is currently extremely close with the more liberal candidate winning by 204 votes with all districts reporting (out of 1.5 million - one of the rare elections where I feel like my vote actually mattered ). A recount is extremely likely, given the numbers - but this is incredibly significant regardless as, just a month and a half ago, the numbers showed the conservative incumbent justice David Prosser having a 30-point lead over Kloppenburg, the liberal, and so far it looks like Kloppenburg has won. The WI Supreme Court currently has a 4-3 conservative majority, and if Kloppenburg has unseated Prosser, that majority is about to shift. The Supreme Court seat is technically non-partisan, but as far as I can tell nothing in US politics actually manages to be these days... Prosser had a good deal of non-ideological and well-deserved support coming just from being the incumbent with greater experience, so this race being so close is a huge upset for conservatives.

Madison itself gave a ridiculously high turnout for a spring election... our average for spring elections is about 20%, and we've fallen as low as 8% before, but Tuesday we had a 70% voter turnout (edit: and I heard that my local polling place had to close at 8 with a line of people still wanting to vote outside). Walker has actually blamed Madison for Kloppenburg's success, saying that we're out of touch with the rest of the state - a curious case of selective ignorance, as Milwaukee also voted in the Democrat rather than the Republican.

EDIT: Meanwhile, recall efforts for a number of state senators are underway, and I know that at least one has gathered the sufficient signatures for a recall election of a Republican state senator. All of the recall attempts on Democrats are being run by an out-of-state conservative organization that has, to my knowledge, had very little success in its attempts. Protests, while much smaller in numbers, have continued against Walker and Republican legislators (some days only a handful of people, some days thousands still), among the larger of which was a very amusing Zombie Walk protest a few days ago that you can find videos of on Youtube.

[Kyzarius]

I would imagine had the additional 72 - 60% of the voter base actually voted in the mid terms that none of these problems would of happened.

[Pali]

Entirely possible.

EDIT: Apparently the turnout in November for WI was around 50%, with the county Madison is located in having a 56% turnout... so we didn't do too horribly in the mid-terms after all.

[Pali]

...so, apparently the Waukesha County Clerk is incompetent and gave the AP the wrong numbers, and Prosser won by around 7,500 votes. Drats.

[The End]

Unions need to go forever. That and we need to tax strippers more efficiently. :-D

[Pali]

Unions need to go forever. That and we need to tax strippers more efficiently. :-D

*smirks*