Ah, liberalism.  Ya gotta love it.  The hypocrisy!   The double-standards!   The ignorance!   The bliss!  The lack of common sense! 

For months now, the left has been lecturing those with opposing views on "civil discourse" and ending the "hate-filled rhetoric."  We have seen how many liberals rush to blame conservative speech as being responsible for horrific events.  Case in point - the violent attack by a very disturbed individual  in Arizona, which left a Republican judge dead, as well as several others.  U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was wounded and is now recovering.  Yet, what the media and left focused on was blaming the so-called "inflammatory rhetoric" from the right as being responsible for the attack on Representative Giffords (the fact that a District judge who was a Republican, was actually killed, was glossed over).  It was as if the "hate-filled rhetoric" (and the left likes to define "hate-filled rhetoric" as that speech that doesn't agree with their agenda) had taken on a life of it's own and pulled the trigger.  We kind of had to overlook the fact that Jared Lee Loughner was clearly a troubled individual and was not politically affiliated with any left OR right cause.  He didn't follow politics, according to friends.  He shot, killed, and wounded many people.  Yet, who pointed fingers of blame away from Loughner and at those on the right immediately after this tragedy?  The usual suspects.  And then what group immediately demanded a return to "civil discourse?"  (Which seems to apply to only those on the right of political spectrum, of course.)

Fast forward to the mess in Madison.  Professional protesters, bussed-in activists, union thugs, UW-Madison students who seem to have lots of free time to join in,  and leftover flower power children from the 60's have literally taken over the state capitol for weeks.  Turning it into a pig sty.  Chanting, shouting, beating on drums, and in essence trying to exert power by mob rule.  Yet, the liberal media does what?  Why, it reports on how "civil" the protesters are.  How "nice" and "polite."  We get warm-and-fuzzy stories on how pizza chains in other states are ordering pizzas to be delivered to the protesters!  How heartwarming.  How thoughtful.    And we are told repeatedly how these people are simply exercising their free speech rights.  Yes folks, this is the exact same media that called the very peaceful Tea Party attendees "angry mobs."  They were full of "hate-filled rhetoric" and were mean-spirited.  Simply because they held meetings to denounce Obamacare and big government.  Double-standard?  You bet.

Another excellent example of the hypocrisy of the left was on display yesterday (and video taped) when the "civil" and "polite" protesters surrounded Republican Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), shouting at him, getting in his face, and not allowing him to enter a door to the Capitol.  Madison Democratic Representative Brett Husley  actually had to come to Grothman's aid and protect him from the unruly mob (oops!  I mean "nice" and "civil" protesters!).

And what about those 14 AWOL Dems still hiding out in Illinois?  Classic hypocrisy again.  What group constantly bemoans "disenfranchising" voters when it comes to discussion of Voter ID?  Yet, what group is now doing exactly that - disenfranchising voters?   These 14 AWOL Dems are rendering the voters votes ineffective.  They are NOT representing their constituents  That is REAL disenfranchising.  And yet, it's OK, cuz they are "standing up"  (by running away to another state) to Governor Scott Walker.  My goodness.  I cannot make this stuff up! 

As for liberal ignorance, one can only say that the state of Wisconsin is broke.  (Thanks Governor Doyle!).  We need to slash spending and streamline government.  The budget cuts will not be easy, but they are necessary.  This is no longer the corrupt years of Diamond Jim Doyle, who couldn't balance a budget and preferred to play shell games with taxpayer dollars, all the while continuing spending, raising taxes and increasing fees.  Not to mention cozying up to WEAC, other public unions, and working out questionable deals with the Indian Gaming compacts.   Governor Walker is the anti-Doyle.  Yet, as expected, the left is starting the fear-mongering.  NOTHING can be cut!  Why, we will all perish!  Schools will fall into rubble and our children will be unable to learn! (Hey, isn't  that already the case with MPS?).  Everything will basically fall to ruin if we cut ANYTHING!!!!  Waaa waaa waaaa! 

Nonsense.   Walker is addressing the needs of our state.  He is taking on the entitlement mentality that has seeped into the mindset of many over decades.  Change is necessary and required.  Walker, to his credit,  is standing firm.  He is doing exactly what he was elected to do by the majority of Wisconsin citizens. 

Many of us realize that we can no longer bury our heads in the sand and go about business as usual  as Obama and other lefties would like to do.  We cannot pretend everything is fine.  We cannot and must not join the liberals in their ignorance.  The tipping point is here - and the tipping point MUST be addressed.  Wisconsin could set the standard for the rest of the country in taking responsibility for setting American back on a path towards prosperity and growth - as well as smaller and more efficient government!  What happens in Madison - with the success of what Walker wants to do -  could be a true victory for the people of our state AND our country.

And now for the ultimate in the ridiculous - the media somehow seems to think it is important to get Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's "take" on what Governor Walker is doing.  Anyone remember that Barrett got creamed by Walker in the race for Governor?  Think Barret would come up with something of substance to say?  Fat chance.  All Barrett could offer up is the governor is taking money away from schools and all other areas of public service,  and the city of Milwaukee will suffer.  Everything is under attack by what the governor is doing.  Boo hoo hoo. Seems that Barrett thinks that life as we know it will soon cease to exist, and it will all be Scott Walkers fault.  Does anyone CARE what Mayor Barrett thinks?  Barrett also had the nerve to call Walker a "weak leader."   (Maybe someone should tell Mayor Barrett that many  in our country think the real "weak leader" is residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.) 

Thank you, Governor Walker!  Continue to stand firm and lead - as you were elected to do!  And I urge those who support the governor to continue to send e-mails and call the capitol to offer up encouragement and thanks!  Call and/or e-mail your representatives in Madison.  We must not let what is truly "mob rule" overshadow actual democracy. 

One of the AWOL Wisconsin Democratic State Senators currently hiding out in Illinois, Lena Taylor, called radio station WLS in Chicago (3/4/11) to "present" her views on the political showdown currently going on in Madison.  All she ended up doing was embarrassing herself.  Ms. Taylor managed to provide an excellent example of the "do as we say, not as we do" liberal mentality, near the end of this broadcast.   Ms. Taylor has the nerve to tell Governor Walker he has to  "have some balls and come to the table."  Remember, these words are coming from someone who is hunkered down,  hiding out in another state, in order to avoid doing their job...  Ah, the hypocrisy of the left.

Stay classy, Lena!

See if you can decipher what Ms.Taylor is ranting about:

If there was any common sense in the world, State Senator Lena Taylor and her fellow AWOL Dems would be out of a job.  For now, however, the people she was elected to represent have got to be hoping she stays in Illinois and never comes back.

The following write-up was sent directly to me via e-mail from one of my frequent readers.  She is as disgusted as I am by what is happening in Madison:   the treatment of the capitol and abuse heaped upon Governor Scott Walker by protesters and the media,  and the behavior of the 14 AWOL Democrats hiding out in Illinois like pouty children.  (Remember, people, elections have consequences!  Or so we were told when Democrats were the majority in government...).  Anyhow, I wanted to feature her article - and she would like to be referred to as "Believer Bee" - since she has no interest in having her name known to the nice, open-minded, compassionate libs who frequently comment on my blog site.  Thanks, BB, for providing your thoughts:

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                                                                      INTIMIDATE

 
 Intimidate is defined in Webster's Dictionary: to frighten, to make timid  or  fearful; to inspire or affect with fear; specif., to deter as by threats; overawe; cow.
 

 Let's apply that definition to the Democratic Senators that decided to flee  their responsibility to legislate in the State of Wisconsin. Were they  inspiring to affect with fear the outcome of the vote in the senate chamber?  Did they deter the vote by the threat that they would not return to vote  unless they got their way? Did they try to overawe the citizens of Wisconsin? Would you say they tried to browbeat the Republican side of the  house to do things in their liberal,   overspending attitude? It is time for  the "pick up your marbles and I won't play anymore people" to come back to Wisconsin and get on with the business they were voted to do.
 
 Then you have the Union thugs hiding behind teachers, firefighters, police and state workers to promote their agenda by using fear and making threats  to gain monies in order to continue to bring a downfall to our nation by pressing us into deeper debt. It is time to stand up to these bullies once  and for all. They should be held responsible for the damage that they have inflicted on our Capitol Building.  They have had disregard for the damage  that they have done to the beautiful marble interior and exterior of our state property. Their lack of respect in order to deter the democratic  process of government needs to be dealt with. Send the AFL-CIO and WEAC and
 all other participating unions the bill.  They have bullied our state long  enough with their demands for collective bargaining privileges.  It is not a  right to bargain collectively.  It is a privilege that they have abused over the years.
 
   Teachers, Firefighters, Police, and State Workers- Please know that the  citizens of Wisconsin have great respect for you and that we want you to  have the same rights as given to the private sector.  We know you need to  have a way to grieve and a way to negotiate your contracts but collective  bargaining has been given to only a few select citizens and the union  leaders have over promised and have not bent in their demands. Officials  that the union has negotiated with have given in to over-expenditures and  did not foresee this devastation to our country.  Our country is in a bad  economic time and we all must sacrifice and pull together to get the many  unemployed back to work.  The stimulus money did not change a thing on the  economic side of the issue.  We still have high unemployment numbers and  many people that are not even counted because they have given up looking
for employment.  Actually, you could say we are in a depression - even if our  government is in denial. Step up to the plate and be counted in knowing that you are fortunate to have a job.  Many of the people you serve do not have
 that. The self-employed don't even have unemployment when their business takes a dump. I know that you are a caring group of people and that the  majority of you can see what is happening to your friends and neighbors in
 this time of need. 

Stop the demand for "only if it benefits me."  Think of  benefiting everyone. 
 

I have received the following e-mail from several people over the course of the past week.  I thought it was worthy of a posting.  It's good for a laugh!

A reader forwarded this e-mail on to me from State Representative Dan Knodl (R-Germantown).   Rather than continue to follow the slanted reporting from media outlets on the budget repair bill and obvious fawning over those protesting Walker and his proposals,  people really should take the time to read the Governor's budget repair bill.   See how it will help our state in the long run.  With that in mind, here is the write-up from Representative Knodl that shows how one key area - school districts -  could see savings in the future: 

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Budget Repair Gives Schools, Local Governments Financial Flexibility

By Representative Dan Knodl

March 18, 2011

Over the next few months, the legislature will analyze, discuss and seek input on Governor Scott Walker’s 2011-13 state budget proposal.  As we begin to examine the tough decisions that will need to be made, we are receiving encouraging news in terms of the savings that may be realized by local units of government and school districts under the recently-enacted budget repair bill.

A few days ago, we received a memo from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau detailing the pension savings that could be realized by every school district and local unit of government in Wisconsin as a result of the budget repair measure.  Following are the estimated savings for the school districts and municipalities of the 24^th Assembly District:

-          Germantown School District: $222,000.00

-          Menomonee Falls School District: $440,800.00

-          Hamilton School District: $1.49 million

-          Village of Butler: $23,600

-          Village of Germantown: $1.23 million

-          Village of Menomonee Falls: $1.62 million

-          Village of Richfield: $28,800

-          Washington County: $1.73 million

-          Waukesha County: $3.79 million

Please note that these numbers are estimates and will differ depending upon contractual and other budgetary circumstances in each area.  For example, savings in Waukesha County will be about $1 million less than the LFB estimates.

These numbers are encouraging, and they do not even include the potential savings that many schools and local units of government may realize under the increased public employee contributions to health insurance premiums.  While those numbers will also vary widely from locale to locale, additional savings could be very large in some cases.

I expect additional numbers to be released in the days and weeks ahead that give a clearer picture of how local governments and schools will fare as a whole under the Governor’s 2011-13 budget proposal.  Some initial reports indicate that many school districts and municipalities may actually come out ahead when the budget repair bill and the upcoming biennial budget are factored together.

Once a more definitive analysis is compiled, the Joint Committee on Finance (JCF) will conduct public hearings on the proposal and begin its own line-by-line breakdown.  After that, the Assembly and Senate will review the changes made by the JCF and determine whether additional amendments are necessary.

Regardless of any changes, our next state budget will not raise taxes or fees, will not contain raids on segregated funds, will cut government spending, and will reduce the structural deficit by 90%.  For too long our state has put off tough budget decisions and we can no longer afford to do so.  It is time for our elected officials to grow up, be adults, and provide an honestly balanced budget for Wisconsin’s taxpayers.

To contact me with any questions or comments or to sign up for my regular e-updates, please send an e-mail to Rep.Knodl@legis.wi.gov or call me at (608) 266-3796.

(By the way, for those liberal readers who are so quick to wring their hands worrying about whether or not I have permission to re-print Representative Knodl's column, I do indeed.  Knodl's legislative assistant, Vince Trovato, has given me open-ended permission to re-print any e-mail updates from Representative Knodl.)

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In addition, for those of you who still think "collective bargaining" is a "right,"  check out how it has been abused:

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court is made up of seven judges, with Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson (very liberal) a close friend of Kloppenburg.  It is of utmost importance that we prevent another leftie from winning a seat on the bench.  Should Prosser lose, as the unions are hoping, the Supreme Court - with a liberal majority - will do what liberal judges like to do - legislate from the bench.  Not abide by the laws, but create them as they see fit.  We've seen it happen many times in the past - liberal judges twisting the rules from the bench to fit their own agenda.  This must not be allowed to happen.  Supreme Court Judge David Prosser is an excellent judge - who does his job according to the law - ruling ON the law -  fairly and impartially. 

Vote to re-elect Judge David Prosser on April 5th!

 State Representative Don Pridemore was kind enough to grant me permission to re-print his recent update on what has transpired in Madison lately, as well as his views on public sector unions.  I am sure you will find it as interesting as I did. 

STATE REPRESENTATIVE DON PRIDEMORE - Newsletter from March, 2011 

The drummers have finally left the building, the signs have been removed, and life has seemingly returned to normal here in the Capitol. The Budget Repair Bill (BRB) was passed and signed into law by Governor Walker and awaits posting by the Democratic Secretary of State. I’ve finally been able to take some time, hold some town hall meetings, and reflect upon the past month and all that has transpired. I’d like to share some of my personal experiences from this historic time.

The last three weeks were an extraordinary time in our State’s history. Not only did we pass a colossal piece of legislation that will completely restructure how the State does its business, the extraordinary measures that we had to take to make it happen were unprecedented in the Wisconsin State Legislature with a record 61 hours of debate. The Assembly actually voted twice on the BRB where the second vote was the same bill without the fiscal notes attached. This in itself may be a cause of confusion. A fiscal note is verbiage that spends state tax revenue or GPR. Other verbiage that may force local municipalities to spend or save tax dollars are NOT considered fiscal notes and therefore do not fall under the Three-fifth’s Rule for passage in the State Senate. That is why the Senate was able to vote on the stripped down version of the BRB with only a majority when the Senate Democrats failed to show up to take the vote.

Even though inside the Chambers was a steam-kettle of emotions waiting to explode, the atmosphere outside was already boiling over. My first encounter with the protesters was day 3 of the filibuster where we were treated to the same old tired arguments and Peter Barca ranting rabidly through his bull horn. To compare this to what we endured during the last session is laughable. During debate of the last Doyle budget, Republicans offered about 130 amendments. Yes, we went all night and every amendment we offered was rejected. I offered 3 and actually came the closest to getting one passed on a 49-49 vote to deny driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. As the hour of 3 a.m. approached, several Republicans gave up the opportunity to speak because the outcome of each vote was obvious and the hour was late.

When we finally took the vote on final passage at about 4:30am, we stayed and took the vote. We lost and accepted the result after a spirited fight. We didn’t leave the state to deny democracy, although the taxpayers now had to pay an additional $5B. There were no taxpayer groups parading around the Capitol and hollering to a methodical drumbeat, abusing the very building and grounds taxpayers have funded for almost 100 years.

WE WERE CIVIL.

Now just two years later, along comes Governor Walker’s BRB that removed most of the collective bargaining privileges that were written into statutes back in the 50’s and was left without any checks and balances for 60 years. You would have thought the end of the world was upon us. The first wave of protesters began peacefully with many of the legitimate Wisconsin public sector workers showing up to demonstrate their opposition.

The taxpayers and tea party people also showed up to demonstrate their support on a Saturday because, unlike most of the protesters who took time off of work, the supporters couldn’t leave their jobs. The second and third wave of protesters gradually become more obnoxious and belligerent as the working among them returned to their jobs and were replaced by the out-of-state, professional union thugs who were bused in. There was also the overly represented group of college students, and many from the Socialist and Socialist Workers party who decided to take up residence in the Rotunda. The elected Democrats showed their solidarity by wearing orange shirts and posting orange signs in their office windows. I chose to display my yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag in my 3rd floor outside window.

After 60 hours of the filibuster, the Republicans forced a roll call vote, which they have the ability to do. The minority party knew this very well because, when they were in the majority, they used the same tactic and in much less time than 60 straight hours. As soon as the roll was opened, the Democrats, the audience in the gallery, and the protesters listening outside the chamber erupted. Fists were displayed, water cups were thrown, cuss words flew, and fingers were pointed as the words SHAME! SHAME! SHAME! echoed throughout the floor. I looked up into the gallery and saw a young man raising his fist and shouting. Just 30 minutes later, I found myself in the same elevator with him and five of his comrades. He began to debate me on the BRB and got progressively louder as the elevator moved down. Two of his friends had to remind him that this was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration and to keep his comments civil. When the elevator reached the ground floor and he realized he was not going to win our debate, he immediately changed the argument to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, then Bush and Cheney, and finally to the Twin Towers. I said enough and proceeded down the exit corridor. He grabbed a bull horn and shouted insults at me until the door slammed in back of me.

I still had to cross the picket line on my way out when I was accosted by two young women who had got caught up with the mob. After an attempt at insulting me, one of them realized that I was her state representative. She was from Sussex and attending the nursing program at UW-Madison. Her main concern turned out to be potential cuts to the UW System and, in particular, the nursing program. After she realized that I was not a “cold-hearted Republican,” we settled down to a pleasant 45 minute conversation that ended about 2:30am. I gave her my business card with the understanding that she could call my office anytime and make an appointment if she wanted to discuss this or any other issue she had. She has yet to call my office.

Driving home that night was a challenge, but I wanted to sleep in my own bed after 60 hours of non-stop physical abuse to my body.

TO BE CONTINUED IN MY NEXT NEWSLETTER...

Public Sector Unions are out of control. 

 Does anyone have the right to demand more in wages and benefits than their employer can afford to pay? What if those same workers spend millions on getting their candidate elected to office, and that elected official is the one dishing out the money (not his, the taxpayers) and thus the union has representatives on BOTH sides of the bargaining table.

That is not a hypothetical, it is reality. It is the reason that FDR knew public employees should not collective bargain. It is very different in the private sector. Both Mercury Marine and Harley-Davidson both got concessions from their workers to remain in Wisconsin. Obviously we cannot move public sector jobs to Kansas; we must be able to control the cost of government.

What is to be collective bargained?

Pay, OK Gov Walker has left that alone. How about insurance and pensions? The unions have agreed to the Governor’s terms. What is left?

How about that question, what IS left? Unions dictate how many part-time workers their employers can hire. Teacher’s unions have bargained how many parent volunteers the school district can use, what kind of curriculum will be taught, and the size of their classes. These are all issues that elected school boards and the administrator should be making on behalf of their communities.

Does anyone really believe that the teacher’s union is more concerned about our children than we are? The very thought that WEAC (teacher’s union) is about great schools has always been a source of frustration for me and I have always said so.

I felt that all public unions should have been included into the bill. Although I understand the Governor’s thinking on the subject, I will support including police and firefighters in the future.

What I have seen from WEAC: First off, let’s go back to that “hypothetical” situation where the union gives millions to get their candidate elected. Governor Doyle was that elected official and the rewards were huge. He put caps on school choice and virtual schools. Doyle revamped the mediation laws going as far as making a community’s ability to pay as not a factor to consider.

Can you imagine not being able to consider your ability to pay in negotiations?

I recently watched a taxpayer get asked to leave a meeting between local WEAC officials and concerned citizens when Hartford JT1’s Union rejected a 2.8% raise in the middle of the worst economy in 40 years. The taxpayer was pointing out that the money is gone, there’s no more money: No more millions, no more billions. The money is gone. That same union just settled on a .6% raise. Funny how all of a sudden public sector unions are willing to make all kinds of concessions.

Does anyone believe for a second that as soon as they can get another Jim Doyle into office that they won’t be back to the same self-interest antics that got them to this point in the first place, if they still had collective bargaining?

Here is a list of questions that I need help understanding.

1. How does a having a union like WEAC attract young teachers?

WEAC is a union that protects bad teachers, negotiates benefit packages that reflects the wants of older teachers (like giving up pay for bloated insurance packages), and a seniority layoff system that guarantees that younger teachers will be the first to get laid off, regardless of their ability. That doesn’t sound like a system that rewards young people and entices them to enter into the profession.

2. How did WEAC ever believe that they could oppose school choice, virtual schools, photo ID (yes, out of the 74 hours of lobbying on the measure, WEAC was responsible for 61 of them!) and still not be seen as the self-interested lobby arm that they are?

3. Finally, how could they not see public opinion turning against them when the private sector has seen their jobs disappear, their pay cut, their benefits (which never matched that of the public sector unions) dwindled or vanish completely.

WEAC’s insistence on demanding more and more in this environment is mind boggling.

The Public Union Mob Mentality is on display for everyone to see:

I would like to start out this paragraph by admitting that I do understand that people like to have lots of money, job security and a future that is virtually worry free. I would love that too. But very few ever achieve that. Perhaps some ball players, movie stars and extremely successful businessmen, but that is about it. The rest of us live in the real world and we have learned to live with it. Public union members have not. Their sense of entitlement compels them to send threatening e-mails, use profanity, close schools, use bullying tactics and physical intimidation and millions of dollars in property taxes. They have convinced themselves that they are entitled to taxpayer money no matter what. It is an unsuitable and expensive combination that has to be curtailed.

 How to Contact Me

In Madison,