Althouse: A year ago today at the Wisconsin protests, things had drifted from the Walker budget to more generic left-wing causes.

February 21, 2012

A year ago today at the Wisconsin protests, things had drifted from the Walker budget to more generic left-wing causes.

It was no longer apparent that the protesters were mostly Wisconsin school teachers. There were more UW students and teaching assistants.

"The crowd was a bit thinner," inside the Capitol. "Lots of drumming." The sound of vuvuzela. Outside, there are some marchers. It's a bit wan. It's a Monday.

The teachers prepare to go back to school, and there are intimations that the schoolkids will be drawn into the controversy. "I can't believe people who are fighting to preserve their job benefits would even think to appropriate the children this way. It's mind boggling."

17 comments:

Patrick said...: ""I can't believe people who are fighting to preserve their job benefits would even think to appropriate the children this way. It's mind boggling." "

I guess that is for two reasons: First, you don't view your children as a means for political activism; Second, your children are mostly grown, so you don't see and interact with lefty parents of younger children on a day to day basis. Then you'd see that yes, they absolutely would appropriate the children in that manner for that reason.; 2/21/12, 8:08 PM
coketown said...: Reading through the old comments is delightful. I picked one that I liked from each post:

MayBee said...

Doesn't the fact that the union think it's being busted by a requirement that members actually vote on whether they want to be members tell us everything?

rhhardin said...

Nobody ever drums threes.
Our national anthem is a waltz, after all.

edutcher said...

They can have Jesse Jackson or Michael Jackson or even Stonewall Jackson there.

The unions saw the polls and they just blinked.; 2/21/12, 8:12 PM
edutcher said...: Thank you, sir. It's always gratifying when someone remembers one's greatest hits.

And I believe this is the point when Miss Ann made her national TV debut.; 2/21/12, 8:21 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: If children can be appropriated this way (presumably by the unions) aren't the parents sort of forfeiting their rights when the state/guvemnt turns around and force their kids to eat what the state/guvment wants?; 2/21/12, 8:34 PM
garage mahal said...: Not much has changed in a year. Today the Assembly repealed an equal pay law, [which I presume is their version of a jobs bill?] and passed a fill and pave wetlands bill that is opposed by about 69% of the state. Not to mention the redistricting fiasco that is going to be heard starting tomorrow.

Just another day in Clusterfuckistan.; 2/21/12, 8:36 PM
Patrick said...: What did the "equal pay" bill require? Equal pay, presumably, but equal to what? and who decides what is "equal?"; 2/21/12, 8:52 PM
Patrick said...: When you name something a "fill and pave" wetlands bill, I wouldn't be surprised if it were opposed by 95% of the people.

When it actually involves allowing people to build on their own land, even if there happens to be a puddle there, I would guess the percentages changes somewhat.; 2/21/12, 8:56 PM
Rusty said...: garage mahal said...
Not much has changed in a year. Today the Assembly repealed an equal pay law, [which I presume is their version of a jobs bill?] and passed a fill and pave wetlands bill that is opposed by about 69% of the state. Not to mention the redistricting fiasco that is going to be heard starting tomorrow.

Just another day in Clusterfuckistan.

Your life sucks.
Still not too late to turn on the gas and stick your head in the oven.; 2/21/12, 9:08 PM
coketown said...: Garage: I don't understand. Why does Wisconsin need its own equal pay law when there is already a federal one? Remember? It was the very first law mmm mmm mmm Barack Hussein Obama signed as president? Now women have reached their full pecuniary potential.

This isn't Google; we don't need redundancy.; 2/21/12, 10:48 PM
AlanKH said...: The sound of vuvuzela.

Did anyone ever call for an exorcist?; 2/21/12, 11:35 PM
Alex said...: Vulvazuela?; 2/22/12, 1:26 AM
Alex said...: in garage's little world, even the symbolic repeal of some left-wing law is a crime punishable by feet first into the plastic shredder.; 2/22/12, 1:27 AM
Brian Brown said...: age mahal said...
Not much has changed in a year.

Actually,
school districts have saved millions. So that changed.; 2/22/12, 7:08 AM
Brian Brown said...: garage mahal said...
Not much has changed in a year.

Oh, yes, yes it has:

The Wisconsin Legislature this week takes up two bills aimed at changing the state's constitution, an amendment that would strike at the heart of President Barack Obama's health-care initiative and another demanding a balanced budget under generally accepted accounting principles.

SJR 21 is a response to the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, slated to go into effect in 2014. The bill calls for a state constitutional amendment that would allow residents to opt out of purchasing or participating in a health-care plan.

“What this simply says is that if you want to purchase private health care, you can,” said state Sen. Frank Lasee, R-De Pere.

Oh, and by the way first round of elections requiring Photo ID without any voters being "disenfranchised"

So um, that changed too.; 2/22/12, 7:36 AM
Peter said...: "Nobody ever drums threes.
Our national anthem is a waltz, after all."

OK, it's off topic. But can anyone think of any reasonably contemporary popular music that's in triple meter?; 2/22/12, 8:23 AM
Peter said...: Patrick said, "What did the "equal pay" bill require? Equal pay, presumably, but equal to what? and who decides what is "equal?"

And how easily does "equal" morph into "equitable," and "equality of opportunity" into "equitable outcomes"?; 2/22/12, 8:29 AM
Joe Schmoe said...: And once again, Garage will retreat to his recreational pleasure craft, the one with the carbon footprint of a small army, and over the course of his union-mandated, several-week summer vacation, ponder the meaning of life, and his doleful place in it, all while sipping an expensive microbrew...; 2/22/12, 8:53 AM