Yesterday, the Corporatist Governor of Wisconsin unveiled his 2 year budget. It represents the most massive attack on the people of Wisconsin in the state’s history. Hundreds of millions taken from public schools, tech schools and the preparations to hive off the UW-Milwaukee as a “public-private” venture. It eliminates funding for legal aid, recycling and many other programs. It refuses to allow Cities from even holding referendums to raise their property taxes in order to provide services that the citizens of that city want. These are the things that they are proud of–who knows what else is buried in the actual language of the bill that they aren’t proud to broadcast.
In the meantime, Senator Grothman succeeded to manipulating a small crowd outside the capitol into trapping him and engaging in some ugly (yet peaceful) behavior. It was, amazingly, one of the only doors without a major police presence. A friend of mine was in the scene and had this too say: “The guy that was the most vocal and violent, who I had to push away, was strange and FOR the bill. How do I know? I asked him a little while later…” This, just a few days after the Governor was recorded discussing sending people into the protests to disrupt them.
Meanwhile, the Governor and his henchmen have closed to the capitol–allowing the Assembly Democrats to only have 8 visitors a day. I am told that to enter the capitol requires web screening and searches to prevent food from getting to the protestors inside. It is specifically against the Wisconsin Constitution to deny access to the Capitol and even after 9/11 the building was kept open. Even David Obey, who served 6 years in the legislature and over 40 representing Wisconsin in Congress was denied entry:
Senate Republicans have attempted to stop Democratic staffers from using the copy machines. Even worse, they are claiming that since the Democratic Senators are absent, that they will assume supervisory control over the staffers for Democratic Senators (meaning that they can fire all of the staff for the minority party).
Is this democracy?
The mass media seems to ignore this battle and that shouldn’t really surprise anyone-there is a reason that people have given up on newspapers and the evening news for their information.
A Republican senator has finally started to speak out:
Recall efforts have begun. You can help them out by hitting the link below: