Trust me, I know that. But even if the money goes to the Medicare gap, it helps education.

I have mixed feelings here. In Wisconsin, where I live, Higher Ed took a quarter of a billion dollar hit, plus additional givebacks, way out of proportion with the percentage of the state funding it receives. If some of this settlement money shores up education, I have a hard time complaining.

Point taken.

She is absolutely crazy, as well as utterly detached from reality. Still, is that the image you want to go with? A giant corn-dick-dog flying into her mouth? Really?

Agreed.

Um, we should have all seen trouble when he invited Rick Warren to participate in his inauguration. If there was a sign of what was to come, boy that’s it.

You have no argument from me at all on foreign policy. You’re right. Point conceded. This thread, to me, is about our in-house domestic debt-ceiling mess. I’ll just paste in the final paragraph of Joan Walsh here to emphasize my point: “If you want a better Democratic president, elect better Democrats to Congress and state legislatures. A primary next year would be an exercise in self-destruction. But I can say that without wanting to destroy Sanders. I hope Obama’s staunchest supporters can do the same.”

First, let me say that your username is exactly what I’d like to do. But, in response, “President” is the key word–the guy is not a monarch. He doesn’t draft legislation–he’s got fucking lunatics in the house and utter crooks in the Senate. Can he force them to be Progressive, just because he’s the President?

Actually, I think he has (though nowhere near what I would hope). Just promise than when Obama gives them all the finger and raises the limit on his own, leaving the lunatics with nothing, that you write a sequel where Boehner eats an Obama shit pie, for free.

Good thing you beefed up the research this time around.

I live in Wisconsin and am a state employee. Well, on the upside, 100,000 people protesting in Madison is almost getting the same amount of media respect as 5 senior citizen tea partiers did when they gathered in Waukesha to tell the government to keep its hands of their Medicare. The smallest of Tea Party rallies in this state even 8 months ago was met with breathtaking coverage and newspaper editorials about the government neededing to slow down and listen. Now, the Green Bay Press Gazette won’t even publish letters to the editor on this because they need the same number of “opposing views” in order to balance their views. Since they don’t have enough, they don’t run editorials. The papers here are pretty gutless, including the Journal Sentinel.

I am a state worker in Wisconsin, as is my wife, and we stand to lose 20% of or income. That being said, some things need clarification in this post and the comments:

1. People are overstating the National Guard element–Walker did that specifically in response to the Corrections Department issue and the slight possibility prison guards didn’t show up for work. The national guard would be needed to run the prisons, which, as we know, are full of dangerous pot smokers.

2. Firefighters and police officers are exempt from the cuts and measures described in the post. The belief is that he cut a deal with those unions beforehand–many in the press are calling for this to be reversed and those employees be subject to the cuts. So, as of now, those folks have nothing to strike over beyond their usual abysmal pay.

3. I work in higher ed–it is currently illegal for higher ed, and many other state workers, to strike (whether that’s relevant, I don’t know).

4. State law will not allow the recall of the governor until at least a year has passed since the official took office. By then, we’ll be so past screwed anyway and people will be talking about Walker for President because he stuck it to th emiddle class.

Yes, things here suck and I’m ready to fight–still, some clarification needed (does that make me a concern troll? I’ve never really known exactly what that is.)