Politics's profile . Politics group posts
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| Doghouse_Reilly |
on Fri 4 Mar 11, 9:41 PM to the Politics group.
Read up on it. There will be a test later.
The story started small, but I think it has potentially gigantic ramifications for American politics. The short version is that Republicans have decided they don't want any more unions, so they are trying to remove collective bargaining rights from public sector workers. And the people think this is a really bad idea and they are demonstrating in huge numbers, and have been for a long time. It's not getting a lot of coverage, but then it's not in the corporate media's interests to cover it, so it is what it is.
Anyway everything is kicking off in strange and bizarre ways against a backdrop of middle American wholesomeness and a whole lot of cheese.
| 5 Mar 11, 2:30 AM DancesWithPussycats UK(TW), 7 yrs |
Shit, its spread from the Middle East and North Africa already. International man of mystery | ||||
| 5 Mar 11, 8:50 AM Doghouse_Reilly UK(MK), 6 yrs |
Partly. Though it's a bit more complicated than the Middle Eastern situation there are some core things they have in common. Most notably large numbers of ordinary people finally snapping in the face of being continually fucked with. What seems to be happening in the USA though is that the Koch Brothers political initiative, otherwise known as the Tea Party, seems to be having it's Waterloo. People are wising up to the fact that government is giving benefits to corporations and making the ordinary people foot the bill, just as they are in the UK. If traditionally placid Americans in a red state are willing to stand in protest for about three weeks and counting over their collective bargaining rights it's setting a bold precedent. Bodes well for resistance to Tory insanity in this country as well. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. | ||||
| 5 Mar 11, 9:09 AM Sarcasma 4 yrs |
It's been covered quite well (with the expected humour and insight) by the Daily Show and Colbert Report, which I realise aren't that widely viewed here unless one has whatever pay for channel they're on or, *gasp*, downloads. I was quite impressed by the democratic senators leaving the state to block the vote, it's usually republicans employing stalling tactics and for agenda items that are less in the public interest. | ||||
| 5 Mar 11, 10:36 AM Sarcasma 4 yrs |
You forgot to mention the Fargo-like accents! | ||||
| 5 Mar 11, 10:44 AM Doghouse_Reilly UK(MK), 6 yrs |
Not sure if they sound like the folks from Minnesota, the only thing I can think of set in Wisconsin is Happy Days. I guess since they have the Fonz they didn't think they needed collective bargaining, he can just say, "Ehhhhhh" and resolve it all. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. | ||||
| 5 Mar 11, 11:20 AM Sarcasma 4 yrs |
Wow, you've just made me flash back to my childhood. Happy Days. Yikes. Now I even remember its unholy spawns: Joanie Loves Chachi and Mork & Mindy.
RE: Accents. See, I'm from NYC originally, so people north-west of that all sorta sound the same to me btw - the thread derailing was unintentional, you can safely return to 'merican politics now! | ||||
| 6 Mar 11, 3:45 PM Plein_Soleil UK(NP), 2 yrs |
If anyone wants an alternative perspective on the news from Wisconsin or anywhere else could I recommend www.democracynow.org . I doubt if the protesters will get much help from the Democrats . If anyone thought President Obama was going to be a cross between Martin Luther King and Gandhi they have been disabused . The expense of campain contributions filters out any candidates for change . Like all other candidates he was financed by Wall Street . Those financial institutions want something in return . And so Timothy Geithner was made Treasury Secretary . He was previously head of the New York Federal Reserve Bank from 2003 and was silent about the large scale fraud that crashed the system . In America as in Britain there is a top down democracy with an elite governing in their own interests . " Yeah . Well I love my cigar but I take it out once in a while " Groucho Marx | ||||
| 6 Mar 11, 4:37 PM Ian_2007 UK(N), 4 yrs |
Huh? Why do you say that? Preventing the Senate from forming a quorum may be childish, but it surely is what passes for "help" in US politics these days. As for coverage, there's been plenty in all the usual places to go for world news coverage. BBC, Reuters, and all that.
As for "kicking off", bankrupt states have been in the news for.... oooh... three or four years if you include California. Wisconsin isn't even the only one to try ending collective bargaining | ||||
| 6 Mar 11, 5:37 PM Plein_Soleil UK(NP), 2 yrs |
Because the Democrats are in the pockets of big corporations and financial institutions . I think the differences between the Bush and Obama administrations are cosmetic and rhetorical . " Yeah . Well I love my cigar but I take it out once in a while " Groucho Marx | ||||
| 7 Mar 11, 5:19 PM Lord_Gobbimort 6 yrs |
Sure thin i jus gotta go get my self a fuckin' kwoffie! (its a ny accent) commitment is like ham and eggs. the chicken makes a contribution, the pig makes a commitment. |
