leejosepho, here is a link to a recent USAToday story (in the last two hours), about the continuing protests at the State Capitol building in Wisconsin.
Protesters plan biggest rally at Wisconsin capitolThere was a budget surplus in Wisconsin, prior to the governor instituting some corporate tax cuts (to the tune of 140 million dollars). Walker (the governor) then announced a budget crisis, and submitted a proposal that would have the public employees' benefits cut (to the tune of $137 million)--especially those of the unionized employees, some of whom would suffer a 12% decrease in benefits. Just to be clear, these are the teachers who have helped Wisconsin education to be ranked 2nd among the 50 states.
Salon.com articleProtests have been ongoing for at least a week, as the governor has refused to negotiate with the unions and the democratic legislators have walked out of the capitol to prevent the passing of this proposed solution. I hear the protests have been peaceful, including yesterday when the police were ordered in to the capitol to disperse the gathered, and ended up joining them instead.
The UnderstoryBoth sides are so entrenched, that even in polite Wisconsin, where protestors will spontaneously chant "thank you" to the cops [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOk4CLZb_dM[/youtube], people are getting on the brink of public fist-fight angry about the "other" side. Friendships are straining and breaking...and is Wisconsin just a weird blip in the news or the sign of things to come?
It seems when the chips are down the people will fight like dogs over scraps of meat. I think the right wing is playing the private sector middle class against the public sector middle class. One side wants to drag the other down because the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.