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PrintMarch 2, 2011
Wisconsin protest: teacher or students?
A group of 200 protestors cornered Wisconsin state senator Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, outside the Madison state capitol building yesterday. The fiscal/social conservative from Wisconsin's 20th District appeared unfazed by the threatening twenty-somethings (see video). Grothman commented:
They're loud, they'll give you the finger, and they yell at you, but I really think deep down inside they're just mostly college kids having fun, just like they're having fun sleeping with their girfriends [sic] on air mattresses. That's the guts of that crowd.
Who are the protestors in Madison? Aren't they supposed to be teachers, and other unionized workers? According to Grothman, they're just a bunch of college kids. Do they even know why they've been called in to look good for the cameras?
What a circus; all these young people shouting "shame, shame," but no leader to direct them. Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, tried to calm the crowd on behalf of Grothman, but his bland defense added to the impression that the unions' power may be waning.
The reality of a $3.2 billion budget deficit is overshadowing the organized workers' wishes. According to Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, collective bargaining rights for unions must be lessened if Wisconsin is ever able to reduce its deficit.
In an interview with Greta van Susteren, Kleefisch stated the unfair practices of some unions:
For example, our corrections officers can call in sick to a shift, but through collective bargaining, did you know that they could actually collect overtime if they went in to do a different shift on the very same day? These are the things that are the result of collective bargaining. These are real fiscal items, and they are serious cost drivers for us.
Kleefisch also reported "Milwaukee public schools teachers have actually asked taxpayers to pay for Viagra to be covered to the tune of nearly $800,000." With this kind of detritus to clear away, Wisconsin taxpayers would be crazy not to be on board with the budget cuts.
No wonder Sen. Grothman didn't feel threatened by the innocuous mob; he knows he's on the winning side.
Read more Ann Kane at www.potterwilliamsreport.com
