Top priority of the Summer.

Yup, forget about a new jobs bill, or working in good faith with Dems on Immigration reform. Forget about a new stimulus, which the country could definitely use -- think about all the jobs we could create rebuilding this country's crumbling infrastructure.  Naw, forget about all that, because our fantastic GOP controlled House of Representatives and a clutch of their bff Republican Governor buddies really have our best interests at heart, especially the ladies in the house. Ladies!

And, this time it is the wonderful Trent Franks who has decided to finally enlighten us all about how all that birthing stuff happens.

But, hey! Govs Perry and Walker has got to get in on this good stuff, too!

Makes you ill, doesn't it?












mds

This should be a giant free-for-all,

Bullet-pointed, mish mash.

First, Bonnie:  thanks for your v kind comments recently.  I love your blog, too, and have added it to my blogroll.  And friends of fauxluxe should check out Ms McClellan's excellent poetry blog, as well.

This is the crap lackey that the Koch Bros have sent to make you think that Unions ruin our world

• Renee's parents are from Wisconsin.  Da from Oshkosh, Mum from Appleton.  I talked to them recently about what is going on in Madison.  Renee's Dad, Bob, seems to think that Walker, having got the budget through the state Assembly has the upper hand.  He thinks the Dem Senators will cave and I was not exactly sure if he was joking or not but he indicated that he believed the GOP rumor that some of the Senators were coming back home in the dead of night on occasion.  I do not believe that for a second.  I think the Senators are firmly ensconced in Illinois.  I also do not think that Walker and the Koch's have the upper hand at all.  In fact, I see Walker in a world of hurt.  Each passing day seems to bring a fresh new offense or idiocy to the fore.  The big "ace" Walker holds now is the threat of thousands of layoffs.  But does he really think that once the pink slips are issued that everyone will just pack up and go home? Or that the Wisconsin 14 will just give up and slink back towards Madison? That is stupid.  If Walker goes through with his blackmail that will only inflame the workers' passion more; stiffen their resolve, not crush it.  
• "Yeah, well, you know, we considered that." That Walker even considered planting troublemakers at the Madison rallies (which, considering these are Wisconsin folks, natch, have been some of the most polite political rallies in recent history) is reprehensible yet par for the course with Teabagging "public servants" like Governor Walker.  
• Can we please stop with the "liberal media" canard.  This past Sunday, there was one, count 'em, one member from the unions re this issue.  It was a tea-party, John McCain love-fest, non-stop Ayn Rand-asshole celebration.  "If we just let bidness do its' own bidness" (market solves all) thing, everything will be just fine.  
• Natch, the Teabaggers' Astroturfing Overlords sent out their zit-wracked junior lackey to wail about the "lamestream media" and, fuck, I do not even remember whatever else that asshole said, ... 
• Walker's Pink Slip Parade Party changes every day.  It was last Friday.  Then it was yesterday.  Then today.  Walker is in such a world of hurt.  Yesterday a major Wisconsin GOP Senator met with a couple of the Wisconsin 14.  This was portrayed by the TradMedia (and elite liberal blogs) as a concession, fail by the Dems.  Wrong again! There was one of the Wisconsin 14 on Rachel Maddow.  They are holding their ground, damnitt.  
• You know the bastards are losing when they set unnecessary " rules" for behavior and time regulations at a state building like the capitol in Madison.
• Other ways you know we are winning:  the Wisconsin state house and senate passed a bill outlawing prank calls like the one that bit Walker on his ass.  (But not like Lila Rose's crapshit "pimp and hooker" stunts.) Plus, now the GOP reps are fining the Wisconsin 14 $100 a day that they do not show up for quorum.  Sounds like a major fund raising event to me!
• Fox News last night used old aggro Sactown footage to spell out its' (lame and wrong) "Union folks are head busters" storyline.  Oops.  That got caught quick! 
• I will close with a couple of quotes from Molly Ivins:    "Although it is true that only about 20 percent of American workers are in unions, that 20 percent sets the standards across the board in salaries, benefits and working conditions. If you are making a decent salary in a non-union company, you owe that to the unions. One thing that corporations do not do is give out money out of the goodness of their hearts." and:  Another major [Bob] Dole backer is Koch Industries ($245,000), now the country's second-largest family-owned industry, and the Koch brothers are among the wealthiest men in the world (estimated worth: $4.7 billion). Among other right-wing groups, the Koches support the libertarian Cato Institute and Citizens for a Sound Economy, which should be called Rich Guys for Big Bidness. CSE wants to phase out Medicare completely, and Dole's regulatory reform bill---the one that would effectively repeal most of our health, safety and environmental regulations---is straight out of the CSE playbook.
• Do not you get it, America? They want it all.  All the wealth.  All your pension, 401k, all of it.  That is their MO.  

Pretty cool to see what is

Happening in Madison, WI these past few days.  Teachers are calling out "sick", forcing schools to shut down; protesters have been occupying the state house; and the entire Democratic Senate caucus has left town, actually the state, meaning there can be no vote on the newly elected idiotic Republican Governor's Union-busting bill.  Even some of the World Champion Green Bay Packers have come out against this stupid bill, citing that the Packers are the only publicly-owned NFL team.  Good for all those folks.

They ain't celebrating the Packers' Super Bowl win, they're standing up to Union-busters!

Governor Walker is in a tizzy now.  He's called out the state police to find these Senators.  One of the first things Walker did upon taking office was to nix the Fed money for high-speed rail.  Smart.  The Feds told him if you say no to the new program you cannot use the money for something else.  The money would be shared with the states that want high-speed rail.  Well, now the new Republican goofball Governor of Florida says he don't want no money for high-speed rail, either.  He wants to use the money for highways.  Cannot do that, guy.  Sweet.  It means that us folks in California, who do want high-speed rail, and all the jobs and environmental benefits that it brings to our fair state, will get even more money.

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Bernie Sanders, I love you.  He may be the last true US public servant we will ever see.  This was posted by digby today.  It is a long interview for blogging standards but you really should read the whole thing.  I am going to say it one more time:  There is nothing wrong with Social Security.  It is fully-funded until 2037.  Plus, Social Security has absolutely nothing to do with the deficit, and lastly, those that you hear who are complaining the loudest about a "bankrupt" Social Security are those that want to destroy Social Security.  Do not listen to them.  They are evil and they are wrong.

Bernie was so magnificent in the interview.  He hit on just about every single issue progressives need to concentrate on in the future and did not pull any punches re the crappy Bush tax-cut extensions.  Love that guy!

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Meanwhile, there was this cool miniseries I saw on PBS back in the mid-nineties (I did not have Kabletown back then) called Shut Down! It starred Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton in a stupid political struggle that really did no one any good.  In fact, it only pissed Americans off and embarrassed the GOP.

It appears that golf-loving, tanning salon aficionado, Boehner (along with his new Teabagging buddies) wanta do a remake.  Whatever.  I know how the thing ends.

Some folks just never learn.

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Saturday, this space:  Tre Bicchieri!