February 20, 2011

Madison city salt trucks circle Capitol Square blowing horns in apparent solidarity with protesters.

This is raw footage that I took from our car today, February 20, 2011. The protest against Scott Walker's budget plan continues inside the Capitol, but the crowd outside in the cold rain is thin. Two city salt trucks circle the block at least twice, with horns blaring. Only one is visibly spreading salt. The protesters wave and hold up fists, indicating that it is their interpretation that the city workers are sounding support for the protests. Obviously, we taxpayers pay for the salt trucks and the employees who drive them and we expect those trucks to be used to make the streets all over town safe, not to circle the Capitol Square for other purposes.

150 comments:

adam said...

"C'est la lutte finale"

We are getting more French every day!

adam said...

For anyone who hasn't heard The Internationale, voila!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6CX_9oDwwk

And look - the maker of the video used pirated software to do it!

Isn't that theft of labor?

No! Neither is taking pay for days you call in sick!

(and if you say otherwise you are obviously a plutocrat who hates both true heroes and John Lennon)

Alex said...

Come on people, PONY UP and hit the damn PAYPAL already! Who else among our esteemed high-paid MSM are doing this leg work? Ridiculous that Althouse has to do THEIR job!

AllenS said...

Yeah, and it's Sunday, so they're probably making double time. Which makes it twice as bad.

Alex said...

I wonder what the prospect of a Wisconsin general strike is. This could get very ugly. Will Scott Walker and the state GOP have the cojones to stand up to the thugs?

garage mahal said...

No actually they are plowing today. Meaning they're WORKING. On a Sunday.

Unknown said...

Obviously, we taxpayers pay for the salt trucks and the employees who drive them and we expect those trucks to be used to make the streets all over town safe, not to circle the Capitol Square for other purposes.

You pay for Wisconsin's teachers and expect they'll actually teach rather than defrauding the state out of sick pay, too.

However, as we've seen over the last week, hen it comes down to it, it's not about safe streets, and it's not about the kids.

It's about a group of people that's been allowed for far too long to be tax vampires that suck the private sector dry, and now that the blood supply is running low they're acting like a three-year-old who's just been told he can't have any more candy.

AllenS said...

garage,

You post on this blog all of the time. Have you ever sent a donation?

Irene said...

"They told me if I voted for Walker, then workers would have to WORK on Sundays."

Robert said...

Obviously, we taxpayers pay for the salt trucks and the employees who drive them and we expect those trucks to be used to make the streets all over town safe, not to circle the Capitol Square for other purposes.

Hopefully Gateway Pundit and InstaPundit will link to this outrage so you right-wingers can get these salt truck drivers fired with the rest of the "leeches". Leeches everywhere! Fire 'em all!

garage mahal said...

You post on this blog all of the time. Have you ever sent a donation?

That would be none of your business.

galdosiana said...

I wonder what the prospect of a Wisconsin general strike is. This could get very ugly. Will Scott Walker and the state GOP have the cojones to stand up to the thugs?

Well, at least for the TAA (the teaching assistant union) it's pretty darn high, if not almost a guarantee at this point. They've already made a Facebook page that calls for all TAs and students at the UW to continue last Thursday and Friday's walk-outs through February 28th. If canceling classes for 12 days straight isn't a strike, I don't know what is!

Alex said...

Leeches everywhere! Fire 'em all!

Exactly. Fire all their fucking leaching asses. There are plenty of other guys in line to do salt truck duty for 50% of the pay. I've got a bunch of guys on standby right now.

Unknown said...

Alex said...

I wonder what the prospect of a Wisconsin general strike is.

Last I looked, Gallup had the U-6 at 19.3. Given that WI is surrounded by rust belt states, if Walker goes Reagan on the public (and I use the term loosely at this point) employees, I'd say maybe a day or two until the state is flooded with eager applicants.

This is doing for public sector unions what Mexico did for Napoleon III.

iftheshoefits said...

But they obviously weren't working. That's the whole point. And getting paid 2 or 3X overtime for Sunday, I'm sure.

Come to think of it, they also were consuming petrol on those big trucks at about 1-2 mpg probably while they were circling around. All that additional unnecessary contribution to CO2 in the atmosphere! Oh the humanity!

Alex said...

Any union member going on general strike should be immediately fired.

Alex said...

All that additional unnecessary contribution to CO2 in the atmosphere! Oh the humanity!

Lefties can't decide which of AGW or labor is the bigger sacred cow.

iftheshoefits said...

"Leeches everywhere! Fire 'em all!"

Yep. Absolutely.

Anonymous said...

Add up all of the money you spend on TV/phone/Internet, etc.

$5 or more to Althouse is the best bargain, ever! (except for 0.2% investment into your retirement).

Robert said...

Lefties can't decide which of AGW or labor is the bigger sacred cow.

Fire all these leeches and fuck the environment! It's what Jesus would do!

Alex said...

Robert - your hero nation, the Soviet Union wrecked their environment utterly.

Alex said...

Oh and China is a disaster ecologically speaking as well.

chickelit said...

Well-salaried salt of the earth salute solidarity.

Robert said...

Robert - your hero nation, the Soviet Union wrecked their environment utterly.

I'm a commie pinko in love with the USSR! I did not know this. I should get out of the way so the Althouse Hillbillies can express their outrage over people comparing Walker to a Nazi. Jim Hoft the "Gateway Pundit" speaks for Wisconsin!!

The Crack Emcee said...

Everybody's fucking confused.

Charlie Martin said...

I wonder what the prospect of a Wisconsin general strike is. This could get very ugly. Will Scott Walker and the state GOP have the cojones to stand up to the thugs?

Roughly zero. Remember, union membership is a small proportion of total workers, and overall opinion continues heavily in Walker's favor.

Paco Wové said...

Govworkers, united, will never be divided!

To the barricades!

The Crack Emcee said...

That would be none of your business.

For once, I agree with Garage.

You guys have lost your fucking minds.

Charlie Martin said...

Hopefully Gateway Pundit and InstaPundit will link to this outrage so you right-wingers can get these salt truck drivers fired with the rest of the "leeches". Leeches everywhere! Fire 'em all!

Works for me.

Chennaul said...

L'oisif ira loger ailleurs.

The idle will go to reside elsewhere.

Actually I think they are roositng dans le capitol du fromage.

AllenS said...

Oops, I must have touched a nerve.

Trooper York said...

garage mahal said...
No actually they are plowing today. Meaning they're WORKING. On a Sunday

So what. I am working today on Sunday. I have worked every Sunday for the past ten years.

In the infamous words of Derrick Coleman; Whoop-de-dam-do Motherfucker!

rhhardin said...

It's the horn of solidarity.

You really need a Nathan 5-chime though.

Anonymous said...

Any of you who are more familiar with the politics of this -- what are the chances that a few Republicans get scared off and the bill gets killed or significantly watered down?

It would probably be political suicide for them in the next election, but i still wonder.

gadfly said...

"Come to think of it, they also were consuming petrol on those big trucks at about 1-2 mpg probably while they were circling around. All that additional unnecessary contribution to CO2 in the atmosphere! Oh the humanity!"

Or maybe inhumanity .... Where are the environmental wackos when you need one? I would suppose that the Algorites are most likely caucusing with the Senate Dems in Ella-noise.

Sofa King said...

Roughly zero. Remember, union membership is a small proportion of total workers, and overall opinion continues heavily in Walker's favor.

Yeah, but all those private non-union sector workers are like, hedge-fund managers or something and not really doing anything useful or valuable. All real productivity flows from public workers. We owe them everything we have, and more. If they strike, our society would quickly decay into a war of all against all.

Chennaul said...

Les poulets sont dans le coop.

Toad Trend said...

@AllenS

"Oops, I must have touched a nerve."

I'll take garbage's answer as a no. Libs in general are not generous givers, unless of course they have access to your money.

James said...

Any of you who are more familiar with the politics of this -- what are the chances that a few Republicans get scared off and the bill gets killed or significantly watered down?

It would probably be political suicide for them in the next election, but i still wonder.


Close to zero.

My senator, Van Wanggaard, was wavering for a while.... apparently his daughter is a teacher. But he wrote a long letter in the Racine newspapers stating that he's supporting the Tax Repair Bill. If he goes back on his word he will be recalled; the Racine Tea Party is extremely active.

Senator Van Wanggaard writes letter to Racine County residents

Sprezzatura said...

"[VIDEO IS UPLOADING. WILL BE POSTED SOON.]"

Sheesh. How long is it going to take to upload?

Recently, I was traveling w/ someone in Turkey, who uploaded video to blogger faster than this.



Or...is Walker slowing down the internet in WI--just as Mubarak, Hitler, and Stalin did before him.

Christopher said...

Because if there is one thing you want to remind the public about after the issues in NYC it's the unionization of snowplow drivers.

James said...

An Open Letter to the People of Racine County

First, allow me thank those who called, emailed, and visited me in Madison over the past week. The vast majority of those citizens have been courteous and respectful. I want everyone to know that, and I want to thank you for that. My office has been overwhelmed with phone calls and emails from constituents sharing their concerns about the budget repair bill. Our voicemail box has been full since Sunday and impossible to empty. To those who could not get through, I apologize-we did the best we could.

I ran for State Senate because Wisconsin is in crisis. I took the oath of office with the knowledge that the state's current fiscal path is not sustainable in the long term. Over the last six weeks, as I have been briefed on the state of Wisconsin finances, my thoughts have changed. I now know that Wisconsin's budget trajectory is not sustainable even in the short term.

Wisconsin has a $3.6 billion deficit. We owe over $56 million to the state of Minnesota, accruing interest daily. We owe $200 million to the Patients Compensation Fund. To continue meeting the health needs of Wisconsin families, Medicaid requires an additional $153 million by June 30th. Our budget crisis is not in six months. It is now.

I never imagined I would be voting on something as emotionally charged as this budget repair bill. This debate is not just emotional for the thousands who emailed, called and visited my office over the last week- it is emotional and personal for me. My daughter is a teacher. My neighbors and friends are union. I was a negotiator for the Racine Police Association and a proud public union member for thirty years. I know, personally, the value of opposing parties coming together to find mutual agreement.

But Wisconsin's budget shortfall can be ignored no longer. The simple truth is this: collective bargaining is changing because Wisconsin's fiscal crisis demands it. I have heard the concerns of my constituents that they would lose crucial workplace protections. I have worked with my Senate colleagues to ensure that workers at the state and local level, including teachers, have these workplace protections. It is important to note that:

• State and local employees who have civil service protections for grievance and discipline retain those rights.

• Public workers serving without these protections will now have those protections.

• Progressive Discipline still exists.

• Just Cause is still required for termination.

• Workplace safety must be addressed at all levels of government

• Workers retain the right to have a representative present at any grievance, termination, or discipline hearing.

• The union still exists.

I would not have supported the bill without these additional worker protections.

I believe this will be the most difficult vote I will ever take. I have lost sleep over this vote, I have agonized over this vote and I have prayed for guidance on this vote. No compromise is perfect and it is said that a good compromise leaves everyone unhappy. That is certainly the case today.

I have debated, argued, fought, and fought some more to retain and add these critical worker protections. The alternatives are no protections and no worker rights or massive worker layoffs. I would much rather have workers keep their jobs and their protections.

This bill has my support because it is better than the alternatives.

Chennaul said...

We owe over $56 million to the state of Minnesota,

Hmmm I wonder what that 's about.

chickelit said...

madawaskan said...
Les poulets sont dans le coop.

Je ressemble cette remarque...

James said...

Excerpt from Van Wanggaard's letter:

Wisconsin has a $3.6 billion deficit. We owe over $56 million to the state of Minnesota, accruing interest daily. We owe $200 million to the Patients Compensation Fund. To continue meeting the health needs of Wisconsin families, Medicaid requires an additional $153 million by June 30th. Our budget crisis is not in six months. It is now.

But According to Ezra Klein and Garage, the budget was in balance until Walker pushed through tax credits.

shiloh said...

Libs in general are not generous givers, unless of course they have access to your money.

Obama didn't have a problem raising $$$ in 2008 as (8) years of cheney/bush were quite the motivation, eh. Indeed, he broke all presidential fund raising records.

Since it's Sunday, praise the lord er Ann and pass the collection basket!

Jesus loves you ...

but not to worry wingers as the billionaire koch brothers are funding Reps quite nicely nowadays.

Power to the people er billionaires lol

Automatic_Wing said...

We owe over $56 million to the state of Minnesota,

Hmmm I wonder what that's about
.

I think it has to do with Brett Favre.

James said...

Hmmm I wonder what that 's about.

I think its tax reciprocity.

Chennaul said...

And you don"t see this anywhere:

We owe $200 million to the Patients Compensation Fund. To continue meeting the health needs of Wisconsin families, Medicaid requires an additional $153 million by June 30th.

The liberal media says that Walker went in there with a surplus and "created" a short fall.

AllenS said...

madawaskan said...
We owe over $56 million to the state of Minnesota,

Hmmm I wonder what that 's about.


Reciprocity. The difference in the two state's state tax collections.

AllenS said...

... For workers who live in WI and work in MN.

James said...

Dayton says Wisconsin owes Minnesota $58 million

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton is demanding Wisconsin pay $58 million to settle a tax reciprocity program that’s been canceled.

Officials say Dayton is drafting a letter asking Wisconsin to send the tax collections immediately. The old deal nixed by former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2009 allowed taxpayers who worked in Minnesota, but lived in Wisconsin, to file taxes in the state in which they resided. Wisconsin was to settle up later with Minnesota.

The $58 million, due Dec. 1, is the final payment from Wisconsin.

Wisconsin revenue secretary Richard Chandler says a communication breakdown between Pawlenty and former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle is the reason the payment hasn’t been made. Minnesota revenue department spokeswoman Kit Borgman tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press her office recently received word that Wisconsin couldn’t pay until July 1.

Chennaul said...

James

Thanks.

Maguro

LOL! Basically Wisconsin bribed the Vikings.

James said...

The liberal media says that Walker went in there with a surplus and "created" a short fall.

You'd think Garage would know better.....

Chennaul said...

chikelit

I was -last night trying to protect your future right to drop the F-bomb and shock and awe us all.

Really it was you?

**********************

Back to processing the info from james and AllenS

Chennaul said...

Gawd what a mess. I'm thinking this is above my pay grade.

garage mahal said...

Here is how Gordon Hintz first heard about Walker's "budget repair bill". In his car, from a Club for Growth attack ad already produced in support of it. The same Club for Growth that spent millions running ads last fall.

chickelit said...

Really it was you?

Yeah.
Hey, I was just aping garage mahal's prior salty language. Plus, yeah, the phonies who behave like regulars & show up in a brand new disguise irk me. It's amateur behavior.

coketown said...

One of the current drudgereport headlines made me laugh: "Unrest in Iran, Algeria, Yemen, Morocco, China [and Wisconsin]..."

Kind of puts the pettiness of the whole situation in perspective.

knox said...

So what. I am working today on Sunday. I have worked every Sunday for the past ten years.

In the infamous words of Derrick Coleman; Whoop-de-dam-do Motherfucker!

Really. Please stop trying to convince the rest of us that government workers are an exploited, disenfranchised group.

Michael K said...

Obama didn't have a problem raising $$$ in 2008 as (8) years of cheney/bush were quite the motivation, eh. Indeed, he broke all presidential fund raising records.

I'm sure all those Palestinian and Chinese donations under the name of Mickey Mouse, et all, helped a lot.

James said...

Ezra Klein eats crow:


Wisconsin's fiscal condition

rhhardin said...

Sheesh. How long is it going to take to upload?

Sometimes Flickr decides it can't process the uploaded video and you get to do it again.

Then sometimes it still says it can't process it, and then you try a third time over at YouTube or somewhere with working software.

Amidore said...

I'm sure it'll be a cinch to replace 175,000 employees, many of which are professional fields without skipping a beat. Probably can start by getting the cheap, non-union Mexican equivalent of all the UW professors. Bunch of eggheads lording their intelligence over hardworking, patriotic Americans anyway.

EnigmatiCore said...

"Obviously, we taxpayers pay for the salt trucks and the employees who drive them and we expect those trucks to be used to make the streets all over town safe, not to circle the Capitol Square for other purposes."

Not, apparently, if you vote for Democrats, you don't.

Chennaul said...

Business Insider refer to this a politifact;

We re-read the fiscal bureau memo, talked to Lang, consulted reporter Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel’s Madison Bureau, read various news accounts and examined the issue in detail.

Our conclusion: Maddow and the others are wrong.

There is, indeed, a projected deficit that required attention, and Walker and GOP lawmakers did not create it.

More on that second point in a bit.

The confusion, it appears, stems from a section in Lang’s memo that -- read on its own -- does project a $121 million surplus in the state’s general fund as of June 30, 2011.

But the remainder of the routine memo -- consider it the fine print -- outlines $258 million in unpaid bills or expected shortfalls in programs such as Medicaid services for the needy ($174 million alone), the public defender’s office and corrections. Additionally, the state owes Minnesota $58.7 million under a discontinued tax reciprocity deal.

The result, by our math and Lang’s, is the $137 million shortfall.

It would be closer to the $340 million figure if the figure included the $200 million owed to the state’s patient compensation fund, a debt courts have declared resulted from an illegal raid on the fund under former Gov. Jim Doyle.

A court ruling is pending in that matter, so the money might not have to be transferred until next budget year.


politifact.com

shiloh said...

I'm sure all those Palestinian and Chinese donations under the name of Mickey Mouse, et all, helped a lot.

Expected a better deflection er comeback ~ ok, that's a lie.

take care

Chennaul said...

Oh chickenlittle

I'm so sorry-I hate how nicks can be stolen around here. I had it done to me.

Heck I was deleting "bad language" before posting that night all over the place that night.

This damn thing is that maddening.

I don't know why I was so shocked when you travaille le thread en bleu.

Heh. Je suis vraiment desole.

James said...

Governor Squidward raided every available fund, then hiked taxes.

Jim Doyle’s final report card

Some thought Doyle got a little too creative. In each of his budgets, he transferred money from the transportation fund for a total over the last seven years of $428.5 million, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The move angered road builders and local governments in particular.
Doyle also transferred $200 million from the Wisconsin Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund to the state’s general fund in the 2007-2009 budget. The fund is intended to cover money damages for victims of medical malpractice, including past and future medical expenses, and Doyle’s maneuver was challenged in court. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that transferring the money was illegal and ordered the state to repay it.

Alex said...

Unions lost in November

What does it say about Illinois voters that they re-elected "our soldiers are Nazis" Durbin?

Alex said...

Check out Little Green Idiots

Chucky is now pro-union. Oh and concealed carry on campuses is suddenly a problem too because Rick Perry is a creationist.

Christopher said...

Shiloh,

Really, you cite political donations as a form of charity?

Even putting aside the suspect nature of many of those donations (Obama's team turned off the fucking security), comparing donations to charities that have no effect on you and donations to politicians who can seriously influence your personal well-being is pretty retarded.

Calypso Facto said...

Ezra Klein eats crow:

But, but, but garage said it was TRUE!

Chennaul said...

Ya but Ezra still fails to mention the $200 million short fall in the state's patient compensation fund, doesn't he?


Or does he bury it with a link...

Still you would think he would owe is audience that info directly.

Cap'n Rusty said...

I wonder if there are more unemployed people with bachelor's or higher degrees in Wisconsin than there are unionized teachers who could be fired if they went out on an illegal strike to shut down the schools. I wonder if replacing the existing, perhaps ossified teaching corps with fresh new faces would not improve the quality of education.

garage mahal said...

But, but, but garage said it was TRUE!

So the tax giveaways won't hit until the next budget? Good thing there isn't a crisis!

Alex said...

Why Teacher Unions are evil

THE BOTTOM LINE

The teachers unions: Ensuring an ignorant citizenry that will vote democrat their entire life.

Chennaul said...

James

So it looks like what Doyle was doing was literally paying off the unions that fill his campaign coffers with the dues they confiscate from their members.

He doesn't look like he does any of those budget shell moves away from their interests.

Calypso Facto said...

Just messin with ya garage, cuz I told you at the time that Madow/Klein argument was bunk.

As is your "tax give aways" argument, btw, since these tax credits only take place if and when a job-creating, tax-paying company actually moves to the state. Democrats used to call that "investment", when they held office, I believe.

rhhardin said...

The sound means there's a soccer game.

MikeR said...

Scandalous expose'! Ann, do you really expect me to watch 9 minutes of two trucks driving and honking?

Chennaul said...

from the link about Doyle:

Even a longtime Republican critic of the governor was reluctant to be quoted, concerned Doyle could use some of his then $2 million war chest to feed the campaign of his state Senate opponent.

Ghee let me guess where Doyle got that $ 2 million.

rhhardin said...

Corporate tax giveaways usually mean more employment than otherwise.

Corporations decide where to move, where to open, what to close.

News: corporations don't pay taxes in the first place (the cost divides among employees and stockholders and customers); in the second place, they go where the taxes are lower so as to be able to stay in business. They can't compete with somebody having lower costs nearby.

James said...

James

So it looks like what Doyle was doing was literally paying off the unions that fill his campaign coffers with the dues they confiscate from their members.

He doesn't look like he does any of those budget shell moves away from their interests.


Exactly. Then in the lame duck session he attempted to push through new contracts for all public employees.

And while everyone is distracted by what's occurring in Madison; the Milwaukee Area Technical College - which has its own taxing authority - signed new contracts.

MATC contract offers few cuts

Another reason why public employee unions must go away.

Meade said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
garage mahal said...

Just messin with ya garage, cuz I told you at the time that Madow/Klein argument was bunk.

The only part of the argument they got wrong was which budget cycle it would impact.

Sprezzatura said...

"Really, you cite political donations as a form of charity?"

That's better than saying that politicking for pops is an alternative to serving in the military.

MadisonMan said...

Doyle simply learned from McCallum and Thompson before him. Beg, borrow and steal, but don't raise taxes and don't cut spending and don't shrink the size of the Government.

AllenS said...

There is some major snowin and blowin going on at Fort AllenS at the present time. I noticed what I believed was the local pizza place delivery vehicle go by. I couldn't see the vehicle, but I noticed a fuzzy large light on the top. If those snow plows are done honking their horns, could they maybe stop by?

James said...

The only part of the argument they got wrong was which budget cycle it would impact.

No, you got EVERYTHING wrong. Echoing Rachel Maddow and Ezra Klein, you claimed that Walker turned a surplus into a shortfall. All the while ignoring that the state had a $3.3 billion structural deficit.

BJM said...

Perhaps they should issue them GPS units.

Stupidity writ large on every level of government is why we're in such trouble.

This week Gov Moonbeam canceled state SWAG budgets (Stuff We Give Away)...state depts and agencies spent $21 million for coffee mugs, key chains, calendars and such last year.

While the state couldn't meet payrolls, pension obligations, entitlement payments or pay vendors and no one thought to stop ordering crap?

Now bureaucrats intend to waste money on GSP units when they can't fund programs and mandated obligations to teachers?

It just never stops.

On what planet do these people live?

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

You go Altie! Get 'em on "improper use of horns". What an infraction if ever I've seen one! Completely unacceptable!!!1!1!! Imagine the chaos and disorder!

Calypso Facto said...

No, you're missing my point, garage.

Tax credits for new businesses moving to Wisconsin don't actually happen if....wait for it...profit- generating businesses don't actually move to the state. So, if no businesses take Walker up, no tax credits get issued. And if businesses DO take Walker up and relocate to WI, then they have to actually generate taxable income (and use services, and pay employees) to take the credit.

Unlike spending, these credits only have "cost" to the extent that they also generate revenue.

Now, as a libertarian, I'd be on your side if you said gov't shouldn't be favoring new businesses vs. established businesses like mine, but that's a different story...

Anonymous said...

Obama didn't have a problem raising $$$ in 2008 as (8) years of cheney/bush were quite the motivation, eh. Indeed, he broke all presidential fund raising records.

I love the fact you equate donations to Obama with charitable giving.

That is quite revealing.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

This has got to be the lamest 8 minutes of video I've ever seen.

I love the investigative work of trying to figure out which one of the trucks is actually dispensing salt.

It was like an episode of Matlock or something.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Maybe their horns were broken, the same way the "post" button is broken on Althouse's Blogger dashboard. Like the honking horns on the salt trucks, she just keeps uploading posts, without any purpose for doing so.

JAL said...

Obviously, we taxpayers pay for the salt trucks and the employees who drive them and we expect those trucks to be used to make the streets all over town safe, not to circle the Capitol Square for other purposes.

Ooops. Your naiveté is showing.

JAL said...

@ Robert (hyperbolating) ...get these salt truck drivers fired with the rest of the "leeches". Leeches everywhere! Fire 'em all!

Evryone knows salt and leeches don't play well together.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Wisconsinites are lame. The truckers should have picked up a bunch of the pedestrian protesters and carted them along for a bigger show.

That would have been dramatic enough to warrant not just Althouse's nosy and persnickety attention, but her respect and adulation.

BJM said...

@Allen

You post on this blog all of the time. Have you ever sent a donation?

garage:That would be none of your business.

That would be a no.

Unknown said...

garage mahal said...

No actually they are plowing today. Meaning they're WORKING. On a Sunday.

From the look of it, they're not working, just driving around trying to intimidate people and wasting the taxpayers' money.

Alex said...

Why Teacher Unions are evil

THE BOTTOM LINE

The teachers unions: Ensuring an ignorant citizenry that will vote democrat their entire life.


The clock has officially stopped.

shiloh said...

I'm sure all those Palestinian and Chinese donations under the name of Mickey Mouse, et all, helped a lot.

Expected a better deflection er comeback ~ ok, that's a lie.


No, shiloh/PB&J lies.

Palladian said...

"I love the fact you equate donations to Obama with charitable giving.

That is quite revealing."

Giving money to Obama isn't donation, it's tithing!

Toad Trend said...

@C4BDH

Picking on Ann is the best you can do?

"Wisconsinites are lame. The truckers should have picked up a bunch of the pedestrian protesters and carted them along for a bigger show. "

Quite compelling, C4, but do slow down, you won't last the evening with that analysis.

wv - iningsto

Only 3 more iningsto go.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Can we dub this sordid episode "Salt Truck-Gate"?

It will blow the lid off the evil liberal establishment and expose the underbelly of their devious and perverse tactics.

The backlash will be very, very intense. The public will be outraged and vow to never again vote for another pol to the left of Franco for generations and generations.

It will be recorded and committed to memory like The Great Flood of Noah.

Christopher said...

"That's better than saying that politicking for pops is an alternative to serving in the military."

Oh no you've got me PB.

Bringing up an article which has nothing to do with the discussion, that is about a candidate I don't support, and which is not an issue of any significance clearly refutes my claim that only a moron would compare charitable donations with political donations.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Picking on Ann is the best you can do?

But she makes it sooooo easy.

Seriously, it's not Althouse personally. I actually admire her contrarian ways and eye for details - well, the details that suit her, anyway. And her contrarianism is a bit knee-jerkingly predictable and only delivered when it can further love from other sources, like an unthinking cyber-community.

But give me a break. This is an obviously ridiculous episode. What's she going to do next? Attempt to sell the footage to HBO and have it air alongside "True Taxi Cab Confessionals"?

Maybe she'd have to interview the drivers first. I expect a very compelling expose to develop.

For someone who uses "lame" as if it were some kind of obvious and damning accusation, she sure doesn't seem to recognize when she's guilty of it.

shiloh said...

Christopher, comparing political donations to charity is probably not equitable depending on the overhead of said charity but ...

there are exceptions as Christine I'm a 41 year old virgin witch O'Donnell, repeatedly runs for office and loses every time to pay her personal bills ie her only livelihood, political donations, eh as she has never had a real job. So to her, it's charity lol

Again, my ROI as a liberal is/was a lot greater giving to Obama ie the "common good" than it would be wasting er giving $$$ to Althouse.

btw, Obama donated his Nobel Prize winnings to charity and is a lot more concerned about the poor than John I have (7) houses McCain would ever be.

When the "owner" has to continually ask for $$$ at a political blog it's kinda embarrassing, especially when said owner always gives the impression of hoity-toity, conservative superiority!

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Hey Meade! Fire up the luxury sedan and camcorder! I hear a "Salt Truck" approaching, and the horn on that thing is INTENSE! Nudge, nudge, wink, wink!

Fun times at Meadehouse.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

LOCK YOUR CHILDREN UP, IT'S A SALT TRUCK! AND IT'S FULLY ARMED WITH A HORN. GOD HELP US

Children of the Corn - I mean - the Horn.

shiloh said...

edutcher, for someone who earlier said:

He's been carrying on for some time all by himself.

2/20/11 12:46 PM
~~~~~


You sure do pay a lot of attention to all my posts, eh ~ thanx for continuing to care er obsess!

take care

Toad Trend said...

@C4

OK obviously today was a slow news day so salt trucks fill the bill.

I'm with ya, I think Ann has done better than trucks blowing horns.

When are we going to see SEIU thugs boxing some ears or getting shitty with Tea Party folks?

Much ado about nothing.

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Well, glad to know we can agree on something, Don't Tread.

Just for that, I'll grant ya a thorough media witch-hunt episode of SEIU. Sure, why not.

Anonymous said...

my ROI as a liberal is/was a lot greater giving to Obama ie the "common good"

Hysterical.

I love watching you silly, ignorant people say silly, ignorant things.

Obama = "common good" therefore your donation = charity.

Isn't that sweet?

By the way, I think you should ask those 4+ million people who have lost their jobs since Obama has been inaugurated how much 'common good' he's done them...

Anonymous said...

Obama donated his Nobel Prize winnings to charity and is a lot more concerned about the poor than John I have (7) houses McCain would ever be.

Obama has certainly kept the poor, poor.

But he has "concern" so everything is a-ok in your mind.

Christopher said...

Shiloh,

Wow, that really was one of the weakest non-AL posts I've seen in a while.

First of all our hostess is not a conservative, and she never has been. She is a moderate, which anyone who has read this blog on a regular basis would know. Why do you think people still bust her chops over voting for Obama. Presently she just happens to agree with conservatives on certain fiscal matters.

Also it is her blog and if she wishes to try and use it to offset her costs then more power to her. But then again I am a conservative and I don't begrudge other people capitalizing on their success.

Which brings me to my second point....

Obama made millions off of the two autobiographies he had published (the ego necessary for that is probably worth its own discussion). If you are going to hold McCain's homes against him then I ask that you do the same with Obama's millions.

Third, Presidents cannot accept gifts (especially nakedly political ones like that was). He was obliged to give the money away anyway.

And finally, if you are going to bring up O'Donnell then I am going to be forced to bring up Alvin Greene.

Unknown said...

shiloh said...

Christopher, comparing political donations to charity is probably not equitable depending on the overhead of said charity but ...

there are exceptions as Christine I'm a 41 year old virgin witch O'Donnell, repeatedly runs for office and loses every time to pay her personal bills ie her only livelihood, political donations, eh as she has never had a real job. So to her, it's charity lol

Again, my ROI as a liberal is/was a lot greater giving to Obama ie the "common good" than it would be wasting er giving $$$ to Althouse.

btw, Obama donated his Nobel Prize winnings to charity and is a lot more concerned about the poor than John I have (7) houses McCain would ever be.


The common good is now at $14 trillion. As I say, he backs a lot of losers.

As for McCain, the houses are his. For the Zero, he never gave away the money from Rezko. And there's all the money his wife made in affirmative action jobs. Lessee now, she's in Vail, this weekend.

PS Shiloh's lies are so egregious, somebody has to expose them.

shiloh said...

Jay

cheney/bush totally FUBAR'd American economically from 2001/2009 and Obama first had to stop the hemorrhaging and then try to repair the damage!

but, but, but now that we have boehner/cantor running the show in the House jobs shouldn't be a problem, eh.

And I quote:

And if some of those jobs are lost in this, so be it. ~ John Boehner

Conservatives/corporations have shipped all the jobs oversees to preserve their bottom line as the stock market continues to rise and major companies hoard their cash.

Reps always say too many restrictions/regulations and of course the lack thereof led to the 2008 economic collapse/banking crisis.

>

Please tell us what you would have done differently as the old adage applies ~ you have to have $$$ to make $$$ and getting a loan for a new business is harder than ever.

A catch-22 as folk have to have $$$ to spend it ~ supply and demand ...

>
>
>

As edutcher continues to obsess, but at least althouse's court jester stopped calling me pb&j.

BEK477 said...

Is Ann Altehouse the next Sarah Palin v.2.0?

Somehow, I think she might stumble into circus and end up getting draft for a political spot.

Ann, you need to start a beastiary (SP?)using the words generated by your word verification software application.

Expante: The practice or process of having your "panaloons" effortlessly removed by another -usually a political commentator- during a public debate. Said 'expante' is usely considered a sign that your opponent has won the debate. See PWND or PWNED for further explication.

shiloh said...

If Althouse was a flaming liberal it would still be embarrassing constantly asking for $$$ but her conservative leanings make it more so.

Hey, as mentioned previously, if her lemmings want to contribute, as boehner said ~ so be it!

palin is living proof fools will part w/their $$$ quite easily ...

You bet'cha!

Anonymous said...

cheney/bush totally FUBAR'd American economically from 2001/2009

Idiot:
In 2006 the deficit was $247 billion (corporate tax receipts were pouring in) and the unemployment rate was 4.7%

You are utterly clueless.

Obama first had to stop the hemorrhaging and then try to repair the damage!

Obama has done nothing but exacerbate the problems that started as a result of Barney Frank writing housing policy for over 20 years.

You're comically ignorant.

Toad Trend said...

@shiloh

"Jay

cheney/bush totally FUBAR'd American economically from 2001/2009 and Obama first had to stop the hemorrhaging and then try to repair the damage!"

Riiiight.

Where are all the stories about the dems and their complicity, at the very least???

About the numerous attempts by the R's to reform Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac only to be thwarted by dems? Forget that little detail?

Or maybe you forgot about the attack of 9/11? Oh, right, it was an inside job, another Cheney construct.

Or junior senator Obama, and his extensive qualifications to be president? Voting present? Community organizer? Constitutional law professor? Heh.

I've got oceanfront property in Topeka for you. Come and see.

Toad Trend said...

@shiloh

"If Althouse was a flaming liberal it would still be embarrassing constantly asking for $$$ but her conservative leanings make it more so."

A tacit admission!

You are a moron.

Alex said...

Obama took a bleeding wound and applied a sledgehammer. Not exactly surgical skill there.

Anonymous said...

cheney/bush totally FUBAR'd American economically from 2001/2009

I love how you silly liberals pretend that Nancy & Harry didn't take charge of federal spending in Jan 2007.

PS, if this is "FUBAR'd" :

On Tuesday, White House officials are expected to announce that the tax receipts will be about $250 billion above last year's levels and that the deficit will be about $100 billion less than what they projected six months ago. The rising tide in tax payments has been building for months, but the increased scale is surprising even seasoned budget analysts

I'll take more of that.

You are the resident bozo drooling all over yourself.

shiloh said...

cheney/bush went out of their way to avoid the 2008 Rep convention, very wise.

hmm, will they be (((allowed))) to appear at the 2012 Rep convention lol

Alex said...

bout the numerous attempts by the R's to reform Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac only to be thwarted by dems? Forget that little detail?

Cite or shiloh won't believe it ever happened.

JAL said...

@shiloh
btw, Obama donated his Nobel Prize winnings to charity and is a lot more concerned about the poor than John I have (7) houses McCain would ever be.

"... a lot more concerned ..." And you know this how?

(And most of the donation went to scholarship funds.)

I don't like to call names, but you sound like a bit of a clueless snit.

Or a self righteous pharisee.

Or someone who just spouts off thinking they sound like they know something.

Take your pick.

Do your homework.

Here. I'll do it for you.

An important thing to note about Obama’s return is the extremely small percent of their AGI that they donate to charities. From looking at the chart below, you can see that in 2001 and 2002 they donated less then 0.5% of their income. An Obama spokesperson claimed, "as new parents who were paying off their large student loans, giving $10,000 to charity [from 2000 to 2004] was as generous as they could be at the time." However, it is interesting to note that they made over $1.4 million in 2005 but still donated under 5% of their AGI to charity. This is a far lower percent than the Clinton’s donations in 6 of the past 7 years.

In 2006 and 2007 McCain’s AGI was comparably low at just $338,809 and $386,527 respectively. The majority of his income comes for the $165,200 a year he earns as an U.S. Senator and his $54,000 Navy pension. As you can see from the chart below, due to his lower income, McCain donated the highest percent of his income out of the remaining candidates. Although his $202,225 donations in 2006 and 2007 totaled about 5% of the Clinton’s $4,580,503 total donations.

Note the chart below that quote with the %s.

sheesh.

Alex said...

Jay - in all fairness the Democrats couldn't affect spending until the middle of 2007. Also this economy isn't really owned by Obama until middle 2010.

Anonymous said...

Conservatives/corporations have shipped all the jobs oversees

Hysterical.

This "economic analysis" brought to you by someone with a reading disability...

Anonymous said...

Also this economy isn't really owned by Obama until middle 2010.

So I guess his calls for more spending and continued support for Fannie & Freddie as a Senator don't count?

shiloh said...

So much rage/anger and personal ad hominems as Althouse's wingers continually try to apologize for cheney/bush! and Ann Althouse.

So be it ...

Alex said...

Jay - I'm talking about political ownership. Of course no President can really control this economy. They can only nudge it here and there.

Alex said...

shiloh - all the rage & anger is on YOUR side of the aisle! I'm having a ball.

Toad Trend said...

@Alex

"Jay - in all fairness the Democrats couldn't affect spending until the middle of 2007. Also this economy isn't really owned by Obama until middle 2010."

Beclown - verb. To make a complete idiot of oneself in public.

Really, Alex, probably one of the more asinine defenses I've witnessed of democrats, ever.

Anonymous said...

So much rage/anger and personal ad hominems as Althouse's wingers continually try to apologize for cheney/bush! and Ann Althouse.

So be it ...


And after being presented with facts to refute the silly assertions, off it goes slinking away as usual...

Alex said...

Really, Alex, probably one of the more asinine defenses I've witnessed of democrats, ever.

hey I'm only trying to be cruelly neutral of some shit like that.

Toad Trend said...

@Alex

I generally do not appreciate defense of democrats because I happen to live in one of those areas dominated by democrat politics for years.

I am here to tell you that the positive aspects of my area have little or nothing to do with the results of their policies. Quite the contrary, it could be so much better.

And, I'd keep the Bush avatar because its gotta drive the libs nuts :)

Charlie Martin said...

You'd think Garage would know better.....

Why?

roesch-voltaire said...

I am grateful that Althouse and Meade can drive around the square on Sunday making videos while Trooper and I have to stay inside working-- Now that I am back home I guess I can add my two toots.

Milwaukee said...

Can I really say this?
These wasteful, fraudulent truck drivers are assaulting our intelligence.
If the unions are allowed to get away with this, we are all in deep shit. If they don't, we still have to face the backlash. But better to pay now than later, and get this over with soon. I think I heard that there are counties up in Northern Wisconsin where county highway departments were broken up and replaced with township highway departments. And oh, now that there isn't a county highway system, there isn't a county highway union, and labor negotiations are back to scratch. Let's hear it for charter schools, school vouchers and homeschooling.

People who really needed medical help on Thursday and Friday who couldn't get it because clinics were clogged with teachers getting fake excuses. Totally inexcusable.

Jhn1 said...

As I looked over the reported weather, it was raining and above freezing at the time the truck was spreading salt. So the residents get to pay for the salt washed away, the salt gets added to the storm drain system (don't know if it is treated or dumped into groundwater in Madison) and before it washes away the saltwater gets splashed into people's cars.
Whole the employees are on Sunday time rates (double time IIRC)

I bet a bunch of former DHL drivers would like a job if these sleeze can be fired.

Republican said...

You Wisconsin'ites must be rolling in the dough to have your salt trucks driving aimlessly around on Sunday.

Unknown said...

Just so you all know they do not make double time on Sundays. Get your facts straight before you open your mouth

Ritmo Re-Animated said...

Next thing you know, Milwaukee will demand that the governor directly control the profession of medicine, as well.

Looks like these righties are getting all reg-u-late-ery after all.

Milwaukee said...

So, you are alright with doctors and clinics being tied up with protesting teachers, instead of attending to people who are really ill?

autothreads said...

Somebody in Madison needs to contact the city plowing department and show them the video of truck #3881 not putting down salt, and wasting diesel fuel, and #3885 along with the other truck disturbing the peace on a Sunday with their horns.

Not that the bureaucrats will do anything. Government officials, politicians, and public employees all wash each others' backs, but it will be nice to annoy them a little.

Another bridge too far for the public employee unions. They didn't plow in New York.

BTW, public employees in Wisconsin are now using official encounters with the public to promote their own political agendas. People calling in government agencies are getting an earful from the government class.

Soon they will find out that they indeed work for the public because the public will find someone else to do their jobs cheaper.

Frankly, I'd rather offshore the jobs of those sucking at the taxpayers' tit than private sector jobs.

Now that's an idea. Instead of some entitled bureaucrat in the DMV telling you how hard she works, how mean the governor is and how you're lucky she's at work and not protesting (a true story), ship her job to India for 1/4 the cost.

There are over 300 million Indians who are fluent in English. Let's send the leeches' jobs to India and reduce government spending.

Anonymous said...

Fire every one of them.

Anonymous said...

Oh please, what a hissy fit. They circle around and honk their horns and all of a sudden your taxdollars are being RAPED.

Grow up, Ann. Really.

Fen said...

Libtard: Oh please, what a hissy fit. They circle around and honk their horns and all of a sudden your taxdollars are being RAPED.

No biggie eh? So how about you pony up the amount of tax dollars this wasted?

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