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Dueling Rallies
For a moment there it looked like things could get interesting on the
capitol steps.
As fate would have it, in the balmy 20 degree heat the other day,
there were two competing groups vying for lawmaker's attention.
In one corner upwards of 500 UAW folks worried about seeing
Michigan turn into a Wisconsin and in the other, a mere handful of
dedicated Tea Party folks hoping lawmakers would pass all the budget
cuts the governor has proposed.
The T.P. crowd slowly walked up the sidewalk on the northeast side
of the capitol….the one that leads to the capitol steps where the union
guys and gals were.
A reporter watched intently anticipating the co-mingling of
competing agendas, philosophies, and attitudes.
Turn those cameras on.
Earlier the union leaders had warned their members. "There will be
some Tea Party members there and they want you to make a scene and put
it on You-Tube. Don't do it."
The elderly T.P. contingency continued to walk until they got about
half way there when, out of nowhere, comes this State Police Capitol
cop setting up shop between the two groups.
"Would you voluntarily go back?" the burly Sgt. quietly asked.
They complied.
The TV cameras were shut down.
But it was not over.
The anti-government group walked to another position just east of
the capitol steps and under the watchful eye of Austin Blair whose
statue and life-like image stands watch.
It was dueling rallies as each side showed off their signs and
maybe exchanged a few cat calls but that was it.
The governor celebrated this "demonstration of democracy" but did
not venture near either group.
He told us he was smart.
capitol steps.
As fate would have it, in the balmy 20 degree heat the other day,
there were two competing groups vying for lawmaker's attention.
In one corner upwards of 500 UAW folks worried about seeing
Michigan turn into a Wisconsin and in the other, a mere handful of
dedicated Tea Party folks hoping lawmakers would pass all the budget
cuts the governor has proposed.
The T.P. crowd slowly walked up the sidewalk on the northeast side
of the capitol….the one that leads to the capitol steps where the union
guys and gals were.
A reporter watched intently anticipating the co-mingling of
competing agendas, philosophies, and attitudes.
Turn those cameras on.
Earlier the union leaders had warned their members. "There will be
some Tea Party members there and they want you to make a scene and put
it on You-Tube. Don't do it."
The elderly T.P. contingency continued to walk until they got about
half way there when, out of nowhere, comes this State Police Capitol
cop setting up shop between the two groups.
"Would you voluntarily go back?" the burly Sgt. quietly asked.
They complied.
The TV cameras were shut down.
But it was not over.
The anti-government group walked to another position just east of
the capitol steps and under the watchful eye of Austin Blair whose
statue and life-like image stands watch.
It was dueling rallies as each side showed off their signs and
maybe exchanged a few cat calls but that was it.
The governor celebrated this "demonstration of democracy" but did
not venture near either group.
He told us he was smart.
posted by Tim Skubick at
3:42 AM
5 Comments:
Tea Partiers are NOT Anti-Government. We can all agree that we need a prudent approach to providing a reasonable infrastructure of services.
Mr. Skubick shows an utter lack of understanding of what and who Tea Partiers are and what they stand for.
Here's a clue: We stand for limited government and unlimited potential.
How 'bout that, Tim ?
Most tea partiers were at their jobs or businesses that day. We didn't have government jobs with huge salaries, huge benefits, and time off at taxpayers' expense to greedily slop for more gruel - OINK!!! The average teacher gets compensation of more than $72K, (teaching 900 hours a year) the private sector woking stiff but $ 39k (working 2,000 hours a year). Twice the pay, half the work. Wonder why we demand some equity? We have raised up a class of princes. Let's bring the public sector back into something close to equity.
Comparing teachers, all of whom have college degrees, with "private sector working stiffs" (which I assume would include 17-year-old burger flippers) isn't exactly apples to apples.
Reply to Michael Paul Murphy. The $39K average private sector compensation also includes the PhD's doing private sector research, the business owners who also have education and training and take the risk of their capital to create the real jobs (whom the public sector wants to tax into oblivion), The architects, engineers and contractors who build the public sector Taj Mahals, farmers that grow your food, truckers who get it to the stores staffed by more private sector workers that market it safely for your family, CEO's that take the initiative and make the decisions that makes our system work, as well as the ones that clean your house, wash your car, trim your lawn. So, you think a teacher who gets the same experience ten times, is better than the working stiff that gets ten years of experience? Like I said, we have raise up a class of (wanna be) princes. Come back to reality.
In response to Anonymous:
Did you think whether private sector although it is "working stiff" can replace the teachers? I think the salary of teachers is rather justified. Their job is hard, and I think your government is on the right way if it supports teachers. in my country (will not name it) the job of teachers is poorly-paid, and it causes devil-may-care attitude to the work they do. I think I mustn't say what we finally get of it.
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