I went to the rally at the Statehouse today for solidarity with the workers in Wisconsin and other places that are under attack. It was cold as hell, but the sky was clear, and in my guesstimate, there were 4 to 5 hundred people. I arrived right after Governor Shumlin spoke, so I didn’t catch that, but there were many other speakers… Speaker Smith, Senator Pollina, someone from Sanders’ office, as well as several union/labor activists (I was moving around a lot and didn’t get names… sorry). Spirits were high and people were fired up.
Perhaps as a good measure of the popularity of the teabaggers in Vermont, there was one person standing there with a sign that said “Union Greed is Hurting America”. Musta been confused.
All in all, it was a good vibe. These actions over the last week (still unfolding, of course) are some of the most inspiring things I can remember happening in this country in a very long time. Too long.
I support those in Montpelier today and the people demonstrating to keep their basic bargaining rights. Warning! Kurt Wright wants to keep teachers from being able to strike in Vermont. Lets take care of business at home too.
With Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Bahrain, etc. and what’s going on in Wisconsin, I can almost sniff in the air the sweet stirrings of Prague Spring, back in the good old days of ’68 when Revolution was just around the corner.
I went to the rally too, and was heartened by all the talk about making the Rich feel the effects of ‘tough times’ too, by making them pay the bloody taxes they owe the state and the country. Then we could employ people instead of laying them off and spending budget money to undermine unions and collective bargaining. Montana joined in the battle yesterday, with protesters there zeroing-in on cuts in services, jobs, and assaults on unions for the sake of corporate tax cuts. Will we have a Long Hot Summer, JD?
Or will Walker send in the tanks. That they don’t dare do. Yet. It appears the people are coming out of hibernation. Good for them!
Plenty of people hauled themselves out on a cold but sunny day.
Very pleased to listen to my Rep. Susan Hatch Davis’ rousing speech.
Our Democratic Governor agrees with the Republicans that taxes cannot be raised on the rich so he is cutting vital programs for the poor. A kinder gentler screwing of the poor. Tax the rich, they’ve skimmed all the cream for themselves and the Wall Street branch caused our crisis and gets away with criminal fraud in the foreclosure business as well as the continued derivatives scam. So why should the rest of us who’ve already bailed them out when they ran to the government they hate so much to save their whiney butts. Wake up America and Vermont the rich will take everything and don’t buy the nice presentation by the Democrats to enforce the same policies. Once upon a time maybe capitalists did something useful and created jobs. Now they just run a casino and take the jobs and their non-taxed profits offshore. Basta!
LOL.capitalists have never done anything that useful, just hoarded the wealth away from us. Thanks for the pictures. I missed the rally because I had to try to keep my job. Damn. It is heartening, though to see the people finally rise against the rich in this country. I wonder how far it will go.
WCAX decided to interview the lone protester against the rally. Striving to be more fair and balanced I guess, but necessary?? Have to go back and look at coverage of the VT Tea Party rallies to see if CAX sought out the people against the TP message. CAX also ID’d the lone protester as NEA President Martha Allen. I think Martha and that protester probably aren’t one in the same. Who is running CAX’s boards? Are they unionized?
http://www.first-draft.com/201…