A Guided Tour of the Protest Encampment Inside the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison

[rancho68]

democracy is mob rule we live in a republic please act accordingly....

[Walkerisawanker]

Walker you mother fucker. It's over for you sonny.

[commissarusa]

If Wisconsin had pyramids, Walker would be Hosni Mubarak. Doesn't matter whether there was a "vote" to put him into office or not. The result is the same: a deranged, anti-worker rightist whose policy is to ignore every one of his constituents' demands. Democracy my ass. Any democratic government would have the even the tiniest bit of respect for its people, not just the extremely wealthy people who hijack them with campaign contributions and lobbying money.

[rancho68]

@commissarusa just like Barack and Nancy jamming a health care bill that is going to cost the middle class billions while exempting all of the unions? just like the unions and George Soros and many other leftists that hijacked the presidency?

[commissarusa]

@rancho68

Don't be ridiculous. Obama is just the other side of the same coin. His policies have been to capitulate to the extreme right at every possible opportunity. Guantanamo is still open. His healthcare bill puts billions into the hands of corporations without reforming the system at all. Both imperialist wars still continue to earn the USA the hatred of the entire Arab World. Where do you see Obama speaking out against Walker? I don't.

[rancho68]

@commissarusa Agreed, but my statement still holds true in that Obama is still receiving left elite support . The unions are benefiting from Obama's decision to exempt them in the health care bill. so that leaves us regular people in private sector that work for non exempt companies to fend for ourselves. Meanwhile union members and people that work for certain corporations are benefiting from this atrocity. My point is that the Wis gov't did just what the fed's did under obama's lead..

[commissarusa]

@rancho68

It's a sad day when workers complain that more class-conscious workers (even under the misdirection of union bureaucrats) receive benefits while they don't. Say you're a farmer. Your neighbor has a cow but you don't. Your way to rectify this problem is to kill everyone else's cows. Don't you think that maybe it might be a good idea to consider why you don't have benefits?

[rancho68]

@commissarusa

it's a sad day when I pay for those benefits for public employee union members.. that's what's sad.

I have benefits that I have to pay for on my own with the money I earn..

Public union employees should have to pay for their own benefits seeing as though a public sector employee on average is making more than I do at the same type of job. So wake up from the dillusion that it's fair for me to have to foot the bill for you.

[commissarusa]

@rancho68

It's not the same type of job. The reason the median income for public employees is listed as higher is because the government outsources all the really low-paying ones to the private sector. All the janitors, fry cooks, etc. But returning to my previous analogy, BUY YOUR OWN DAMN COWS. Then maybe you'll have milk instead of sitting on your ass and whining.

[rancho68]

@commissarusa are you that numb? I buy ALL MY OWN COWS and I am paying for yours too !!

[rancho68]

@commissarusa and by the way what do you mean it's not the same kind of job? I look up industrial designer and I find the pay grade under the gov't guidelines and I see that the pay grade is higher for the same job that I have. What do you do for a job ? If you actually do anything that is..

[commissarusa]

@rancho68

I'm a theater technician. There's no public sector equivalent, unless you work for the Kennedy Center or some place like that.

[blogleftbanker]

It's called "class warfare" by the Right when people get angry at the Wall Street creeps who invented our current fiscal crisis and then they turn around and demonize school teachers? It’s insane. Do people really think that America will be a better place if teachers make less money? As if we need to balance our budget on the backs of school teachers? How about we start with eliminating our two useless and unwinnable wars?

[rancho68]

@blogleftbanker It's called class war when people from the media say it is.. wake up sheeple!!

[AMarie3231]

@kickdowndoors Are you flipping kidding me 99% of them aren't from Wisconsin and they are paid!?!?! Every single person there has passion for their state and passion for democracy...I do not believe any of them are being paid to be there and I bet at least 95% are from Wisconsin.

I live in Wisconsin and know dozens of people there daily. All of them use their own money and take their own time to fight for what is important.

Stop watching Fox "news" and get your facts straight.

[zeewaker]

Shows just how well educated they are. This country is a Republic, NOT a Democracy. What a waste of time for them.

[kalifant]

Lumpen-intelligentsia and overfed, overpaid, and under-worked civil servants are having their excellent, scary adventure on taxpayers dime.

Pitiful, including the guide chick wrapped in a terrorist-style scarf...

Real unions fought and checked the private owners - public sector "unions" just fleece their neighbors through their allied political party...

[1293drive]

THERE IS NO “FAIR” WAGE FOR TEACHERS. The closest we can come is that wage structure produced from negotiations between a strong teachers union and a powerful government body. Pitting a SINGLE employee against a powerful state government or a multi-national corporation is laughingly unfair. Only through COLLECTIVE bargaining between these entities can something approaching a “fair” wage be reached. While this might be somewhat “fair,” the best teachers can still go to other states that pay more.

[KickDownDoors]

Hey look, Rent-A-Mobs from around the country. 99% of them are not from Wisconsin. They are paid to protest. The dizzy broad giving the tour admits to outside community agitators.

[ChemManTCAP]

I look at all these people and I see corruption and greed. They demand to much and work to little crippling industries and businesses. The unions did at one point serve a purpose but power corrupts and the bigger they got the more ridiculous there demands became. Also never forget that the teachers are unionized against us the taxpayers.

[ProgressiveAudio]

Talk about inspiring. Hopefully a new age for America.

[BlueSkies360]

these will sell their neighbors down the river for the money

[BlueSkies360]

greedy people

[DillonDee1]

Thank You WIsconsin - for standing up for the Middle-Class everywhere!

[ModernTemplar]

"If you won't participate in democracy, I will." Talk about clueless. The participation in democracy was the last election. That's the one where the people of Wisconson voted to have more Republicans so this law could be passed. The people chosing not to participate are the demcrats hiding in another state. Stand strong an end the Union choke hold on Schools. If unions were good, they wouldn't require membership by stealing dues from paychecks. People would pay voluntarily.

[muddywood]

Answer this question: Who is representing the Taxpayer that is on the hook for all the money when the Unions and the Politicians they elect with union dues get together and negotiate new contracts with higher and higher salaries and benefits?

[the82spartans]

She's young. Once she get's herself a job and pays taxes the party will be over.

[dpwellman]

Oh MY GOD! Elections have consequences??? Who woulda THOUGHT?

[CalJennings]

"Take from the needy and give to the greedy" isn't acceptable. It's about TIME people stood up to the insanity!

[franksalterego]

You can talk it up.. You can talk it down.. You can talk it, anyway you want.

At the end of the day, ALL paychecks, and entitlements for Greedy Public Sector Employees come from the pockets of the hardworking Taxpayer - the ones being held hostage by these Communist/Socialist/Pr!cks.

If you think the Taxpayer should stand still for this rip-off of our Tax Dollars, you should rethink your position.

[therealrevo]

So, if unions were created to balance workers' rights against the profit hungry, greedy capitalist industrialists, who are the public unions balancing? The greedy, profit driven tax-payers who fund their payrolls? Private unions limit themselves; they don't want to drive their employer out of business. What limits are there on public unions?

[muddywood]

@therealrevo

There are no limits because no one is representing the taxpayer when public union contracts are negotiated.

[TreesOfBaylor]

8:57 Second from the right.

The BLAIR WITCH

[the82spartans]

@TreesOfBaylor -- Hahahahhaha!  funny.

[blogleftbanker]

How much of a complete idiot would you have to be to believe the right-wing talking points that suggest that our current economic crisis is somehow the blame of middle class union workers?

[voltamp]

@blogleftbanker  Your dishonest conflation of public sector unionized workers with all unionized workers is duly noted.

[inglesvalencia]

If you want to see where Republicans want to take this country just look back about 100 years ago before there were unions. We didn't like it then and we spent the first half of the 20th century working to build a middle class. Now they want to take it all away in one election cycle.

American workers fought then and we need to fight now.

[munseym]

@inglesvalencia And 150 years ago there was slavery, until Republicans like Lincoln ended it. How is that relevant?

[lesatseaside]

@inglesvalencia -According to statistics compiled by the National Institute for Labor Relations Research, real personal income in right-to-work states grew 28.3% from 1999 to 2009 vs. 14.7% in forced-unionism states — almost double. Disposable income in right-to-work states stood at $35,543 per capita in 2009 vs. $33,389, and growth in real manufacturing GDP jumped 20.9% from 2000 to 2008, compared with 6.5% in forced-unionism states.

[blogleftbanker]

@lesatseaside Consider your source. The NILRR is a right-wing propaganda mill. They start with a conclusion and work backwards.

Visit countries like Germany or France where labor unions are strong and so is the middle class--much stronger than in America. Go see for yourself. Get a passport and just take off. Open your mind a bit. Or you can keep working against your own self-interests.

[voltamp]

@blogleftbanker Those countries are going broke. Aside from that, no problem.

[lesatseaside]

@blogleftbanker Perhaps you haven't been paying attention to what's happening in europe... and as far as whats happening in Wisconsin, there is going to be charter schools opening up everywhere,and those of us who want to take our kids to private charter schools will be able to do so. We will no longer have to put up with union teachers who don't really enjoy teaching, but would rather collect a paycheck to protest and agitate. Good luck with that, when you have NO kids in your empty schools.

[lesatseaside]

@blogleftbanker -BTW, there will come a day soon, there will be NO more collection of Union dues by the state Govt. - the union bosses will have to collect it themselves.. just see how much union members like THAT, when the union bosses are flying around in private jets, and golfing on private golf courses. -and how come no one complained when the SEIU bosses raised the contribution requirements for their union members? I guess unions only complain when property tax payers and voters say: "NO"

[jodylandarc]

Amazing video that gives a true glimpse of what it feels like to be in the WI State Capitol these days. I'm one of the tens of thousands of Wisconsinites that have protested against the bill. I'm a private sector employee who supports all workers' rights, peacefully protesting in support of the middle and working classes and the quality of education in Wisconsin.

[craigcobbadventurej3]

Let's go, senior in college Harriet--bring ALL your mensheviks boyfehns too...we already know you are our total enemies and the young White males have been abused so badly by your Multy Kulty jewized system that they are full of anger and ready for battle. I mean real battle. I am not kidding. Boomers as myself have already lived our lives--to sacrifice ourselves is noble. So let's start the war, menshevik scum.

[aviomaster]

800 billion MILITARY budget , MORE than during COLD war ,

What is that all about.

[homeschoolmarm]

Agree with munseym. If you work for the people, and they PAY you a salary--YOU ARE OBLIGATED TO SHOW UP FOR WORK. If not, you should be FIRED. This is nothing but a raunchy bunch of bums trying to trash DEMOCRACY in the state of Wisconsin. Elections have consequences. If you don't like how Governor Walker is governing, show up for the NEXT election, and vote against him. That is how it works.

[munseym]

We are participating in democracy by like preventing a vote dude.

[Boomer1949]

That tour was amazing and so informative. Thanks Democracy Now.

[spacemanspiff2012]

genocide!

LOL!