March 17, 2011

2 teachers stand vigil outside the window of Wisconsin state senator Glenn Grothman.

Meade shot this video on March 15, 2011, outside the Wisconsin Capitol. The teachers, from Sauk City, say the GOP legislation has turned them into "peons." Meade interviews them until they walk off, ending the vigil.

88 comments:

Steve Ducharme said...

So I guess they are peons then?

PeterK said...

too funny, i've worked for 10 different companies over the past 30 years. and have moved twice for jobs. those guys have no idea what a peon is

bagoh20 said...

In all these interviews of union people , I have yet to see one I would hire for anything, and I've hired hundreds of people. They just exude a whiny entitlement, and all use language that says nothing else but "what's in it for me?" and I don't intend to sacrifice anything to get it. They are union for reason: survival - like sheep in a herd.

MikeR said...

Kind of boggles the mind, that they have no clue that the rest of us live this way all our lives.

Merny11 said...

A curious thing has happened. My two daughters, teachers both, who have barely been speaking to me for the last few weeks, because they were furious with me for supporting Walker.... well their Superintendent spoke to the staff today and said he is anxious for March25 when the bill takes effect. He explained how it will save most of their jobs. Explained what the Union has lied to them about. And then they found many of their co-workers admitting they can't wait to have the option of quitting the Union. They are beginning to see the truth! I am taking this as an indication that the tide will be turning. Maybe slowly, but this gave me hope common sense adn logic will prevail.

Automatic_Wing said...

Funniest thing is when the guy says he can't leave the state because he's got...lesson plans! Yes, seriously, these are the people educating our children.

bagoh20 said...

Meadhouse has been shooting fish in a barrel for weeks now. Just ask some open ended questions and watch them float to the surface, belly up. I'm starting to pity these people, because they don't seem well suited for real life. Maybe we shouldn't ask them to face it. They are the weak among us and need our continued protection and support.

Anonymous said...

I think Meade just committed an act of tortuous emotional interference. Those two are obviously headed for their attorney with glimmers of a $60k award in their eyes.

And those drum beats that you can hear at the end of the clip, with car horns honking along... UGH! "This is what democracy looks like." You don't even have to say it now... you just have to drum it, or honk it. The tune seems to be everywhere. The people of Madison have no escape.

Here's a suggestion from the Dead Kennedys regarding how the peons could deal with their unsatisfying situation.

Unknown said...

How did they feel about the school district handing their union dues directly out of their pay to the union without them even getting to see it?

Mary said...

A curious thing has happened. My two daughters, teachers both, who have barely been speaking to me for the last few weeks, because they were furious with me for supporting Walker.... well their Superintendent spoke to the staff today and said he is anxious for March25 when the bill takes effect. He explained how it will save most of their jobs. Explained what the Union has lied to them about. And then they found many of their co-workers admitting they can't wait to have the option of quitting the Union. They are beginning to see the truth! I am taking this as an indication that the tide will be turning. Maybe slowly, but this gave me hope common sense adn logic will prevail.

Somebody rubbing your face in the fact that you've been had will do that.

Once the unionistas get the message, maybe someone will get blacks to realize how the Democrat Party has spent the past two centuries screwing them.

Anonymous said...

Peons with jobs.

I know SVPs that are out of work.

But the left doesn't care about that, only about the public employees' free-ride benefits and how unfair and mean it is to make them pay part.

Waaaaaaa. I can't feel other's pain, only my own selfishness. Waaaaaaa.

ch65804 said...

Meade, on one of your interviews with a teacher, ask them if they are now or will they be writing a check to the union for their dues? Ddo they intend to stay in the union?

Almost Ali said...

Do people have to take a test or something to be teachers in Wisconsin?

gadfly said...

Not peons, Public Servants - who serve at the will of the taxpayers. Thank you very much for you service, but we get to decide how much you are worth.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Two lazy, fat fucks whining about their 9 month a year jobs maybe maybe maybe being less secure than they like. Well you lazy fat fucks here is a newsflash: that is the way most Americans live. So boo friggity hoo. And here is another news flash - in general, I support unions.

MadisonMan said...

If I suddenly realized I knew which Senator or Legislator belonged to which window at the Capitol I'd be very frightened indeed.

bagoh20 said...

"Do people have to take a test or something to be teachers in Wisconsin?"

Yea, but you have to fail, and blame the test for being culturally biased in your favor. That gets you right in.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Bago:

Hahaha. Good one......

"Congratulations, you failed the test but got the job!"

Sprezzatura said...

"I have yet to see one I would hire for anything"

Did the guy w/ the Gadsden flag, and the group of young Walker supporters exude whiny entitlement? Or, are they ready to send over to HR?

BTW, I'd hire that kid who admits she wants judges to be politicians.

I see some potential. Any kid that can have a nice conversation w/ stranger geezers for twenty five minutes has something going on.

And, I'd hire Meade.

And, I really liked that pug. It'd probably be just as good a worker as most of the humans Althouse has shown us. And, there'd be less crap to clean up. So, if I had to choose a third hire, I'd take the pug.

Jason (the commenter) said...

I can see now why Althouse and Meade are the subjects of threats and violence from the left. Walking around, talking to people; helping the people protesting get their message out. Exactly the kind of thing Hitler and Mussolini did.

Steve Ducharme said...

I look at these lazy shits with their entitled attitudes and then I think about the really excellent people I've had to personally lay off over the last year. It wasn't for lack of quality or work ethic. Far from it. It was due largely to the contracting economy. I wouldn't trade one of my poor ex-employees for an army of these turds. And then i thin of this repeating itself in countless industries for millions of people.

These useless fuckers wouldn't know real hardship if it bit them in the ass.

Almost Ali said...

Yea, but you have to fail...

I thought that was just cops and firemen. Now it's teachers too?"

Jeff Faria said...

Steve said...
"So I guess they are peons then?"


Yes. Peons. So, if you get the chance, you know - pee on 'em.

That's right. I went there.

Jason (the commenter) said...

Obviously the teachers left because Meade convinced them to leave the state and go somewhere better for them, like Texas (ha!).

cassandra lite said...

My God, I hope if either of those teachers does indeed relocate, it's not to my state. Our kids are doing badly enough.

Synova said...

Being insecure about your job is the worst thing (next to being unemployed.) It's vastly stressful.

My boss has a habit of sort of casually mentioning that "we can only keep the people who are really fast back there" and sometimes more specifically "I'm going to have to let the slowest people go and hire people until I find fast ones."

When she does this I want to simply tell her she should do that hiring because I'm gone.

It doesn't matter if I don't think she's talking to me or that I've never had a single "coaching".

So on the one hand I can sympathize with anyone who feels that their job is threatened even remotely.

On the other hand... I'm working a minimum wage job where I have to stand for hours and process *fast* while (mostly) not talking, with no cell phone and no soda, frequently with bandaids on more than one finger, and my reward for going *faster* is fewer hours and a smaller paycheck.

In other words?

No. Sympathy. At. All.

Methadras said...

These are teachers? In Wisconsin? Really? It is inconceivable how staggeringly childlike they are in their thinking process. I work 550 miles away from my family, I see them 4 days out of a month, I basically sustain two households and I can't write off those expenses either. Not because I choose to, but because I followed the money to a place that was willing to hire me at X amount of dollars because work in my home town of San Diego dried up and I had to find work wherever it was. I consider myself lucky to have been able to do so. I know others have it worse than I do and yes it is a strain on my familial and matrimonial relationships that I certainly have to maintain and keep up.

However, no one negotiated anything for me but me. My employer an I agreed to the terms that were both beneficial to each of us. That's how it works and yet these two mongoloids are indicative of the rest of the Public Employee Union parasites not only in Wisconsin, but I believe in every other state and yet they have zero clue about how any of this works. They are told to get angry because something is being taken away from that if for no other reason than because they are at the mercy of the tax payer an the tax payer is curtailing their good times to a more austere connection to the times at hand. And they still don't get it and they never will.

This is why collectivist thinking and leftism is dangerous. It's because it produces idiots like this and the other leftards that infest this blog.

Methadras said...

Mary said...

A curious thing has happened. My two daughters, teachers both, who have barely been speaking to me for the last few weeks, because they were furious with me for supporting Walker.... well their Superintendent spoke to the staff today and said he is anxious for March25 when the bill takes effect. He explained how it will save most of their jobs. Explained what the Union has lied to them about. And then they found many of their co-workers admitting they can't wait to have the option of quitting the Union. They are beginning to see the truth! I am taking this as an indication that the tide will be turning. Maybe slowly, but this gave me hope common sense adn logic will prevail.


Mary, I'm sorry that your daughters have been integrated into the Borg union collective and can't see the forest through the trees.

Merny11 said...

edutcher, yeah, that actually came up. And it sounds like the pro-union, anti-union teachers are starting to bicker with each other. My daughters wondered how it can work smoothly if half the staff stay members, half opt out. Sounds like they will be opting out ....
didnt hurt that the guilt they felt over arguing with their Mother made them start listening to the other side. Maybe more of these teachers need Mothers that will slap them up side the head.

JorgXMcKie said...

As one who has taught at two of the universities that turn out the largest numbers of graduates with teaching degrees, I noticed some similarities.

While there are many very good students in the College of Ed, on average they are in the bottom 1/3 of ACT scores, but the overall college GPA is probably the highest in the University. So, probably they're not the sharpest knives in the drawer, but they do have really high self-esteem.

Most of them don't really learn a subject, they learn how to 'educate'. They learn how to make the all-important lesson plans. They learn that no one outside the Education Establishment knows anything about education. They learn that they deserve to be highly compensated whether or not their students learn anything.

They turn out like those two guys.

Carol_Herman said...

Again, emptiness is the background! Two guys! You'd have found more guys at a bar!

By the way, they're polite. And, the state senator's window is at ground level!

Do you really think two guys with signs, seen by the state senator, who waved at them and smiled ... represents a real threat?

You know the threat is that voters will turn politicians out of office. And, I don't think the republicans who have been elected have anything to fear.

This guy is a teacher because he doesn't want to do any heavy lifting. (Lesson plans, that you repeat year in and year out, are NOT "doing heavy lifting.")

By the way, everyone seems so friendly! Definitely not like the streets of New York City. Or other places I've been.

Your camera turns Madison into a wonderland of nice people.

bagoh20 said...

"Did the guy w/ the Gadsden flag, and the group of young Walker supporters exude whiny entitlement? Or, are they ready to send over to HR?"

I didn't see the flag guy, but the Walker supporting kids did not have the whiny thing. They were happy and weren't complaining or blaming and even got along with a friend that disagreed with them. Exactly the personality type that I would hire, train and watch grow, work as a team and excel.

The young redhead, seemed intelligent, but not honest, nor humble. She would likely do things her way to a fault - a mistake to hire from my 30 years of experience hiring. But of course that's just playing the odds based on experience. In a word, wisdom.

I would hire both Meade and Althouse, but I would treat them badly as payback for occupying so much of my time the last couple years. In fact, my time spent here has probably cost the economy a few jobs, but we all have vices and they all have prices.

Jane said...

A pro-liberty group (tea party, what have you) needs to show up and play a new cadence.

A new earwig, if you will.

What should it be? What instrument should be used?

Jeff Faria said...

Ann should collect many of the comments on these recent posts, and make a book out of them. There's something poignant in many of them.

Methadras said...

JorgXMcKie said...

As one who has taught at two of the universities that turn out the largest numbers of graduates with teaching degrees, I noticed some similarities.

While there are many very good students in the College of Ed, on average they are in the bottom 1/3 of ACT scores, but the overall college GPA is probably the highest in the University. So, probably they're not the sharpest knives in the drawer, but they do have really high self-esteem.

Most of them don't really learn a subject, they learn how to 'educate'. They learn how to make the all-important lesson plans. They learn that no one outside the Education Establishment knows anything about education. They learn that they deserve to be highly compensated whether or not their students learn anything.

They turn out like those two guys.


That's right. Churn out the Big Education cogs to funnel more tax payer money into the union machine from universities that hail and support them from tax payer money as well. Jesus Christ, what a scam these people have set up for themselves.

Michael K said...

"Educators don't just pick up and leave..."

No, now that 1500 of them will not be laid off, they don't have to. Jerry Brown announced today that he will lay off 19,000 California teachers. I don't think he believes what he is saying but it may be more true than he realizes.

The Crack Emcee said...

Ann should collect many of the comments on these recent posts, and make a book out of them. There's something poignant in many of them.

Yeah, she can call it The Macho Response.

M. Simon said...

I know SVPs that are out of work.

SVPs?

Single Variable People? i.e. the math challenged.

bagoh20 said...

"I look at these lazy shits with their entitled attitudes and then I think about the really excellent people I've had to personally lay off over the last year."

Exactly what angers me, the complete lack of appreciation for how the private sector people (tax payers) have suffered.

" And then they found many of their co-workers admitting they can't wait to have the option of quitting the Union. They are beginning to see the truth!"

A truly uplifting story, Mary. I hope that happens across the country. It will release people from their self-imposed shackles. They have no idea what they can do, because they have been looking at what they can get, and that's like running a race by watching your feet.

Carol_Herman said...

Let's do the math.

There are only two men with union signs. Now, how many members are in this "union?" If all they can draw are two people ... I think I see a problem.

But not on the assembly issue! We all have the right to peacefully assemble.

And, here? Two people came! That was it for today? Was there a sign-in sheet?

Anonymous said...

"Single Variable People? i.e. the math challenged."

Yeah, that'll work. That and other things too.

bagoh20 said...

"Two people came! That was it for today? Was there a sign-in sheet?"

"I thought you brought it. It was right next to the bong."

"Yea, and you had the last hit so you should have brought it."

"Man, my eyes were burning, you shoulda picked it up."

Damned Walker!

Milwaukee said...

That was creepy. The smooth faced fellow has lesson plans from when he student taught. Laminated and faithfully followed, year after year. The best thing to happen to him would be to lose those lesson plans and be forced to start thinking again. If he can. When are we going to get an identification on them? Part of the working conditions includes teacher evaluations. At the Wisconsin school district where I once taught, the union made sure student grades and test results were not tied to teacher evaluations, and teachers class lists were not archived. So if the school district did want to evaluate teachers based on how well students learned under a particular teachers tutelage, that was impossible. Sort of the reverse of signing your work.

There is a feedback loop: if things are too bad, then schools either have to change the way they do business, or pay more. I did see some research, which I unfortunately didn't bookmark carefully enough, about teacher shortages. The suggestion was that the problem is not on the supply side, but the demand side. There are plenty of people who want to be teachers. What administrators and school systems do to new teachers, and the insanity of the modern school drive sensible people out of the profession.

Lucius said...

Do you think this "peons" kick came out of a Rush album or something? Like, when they had collective bargaining they were Lords at the Round Table and now they're just serfs clinging to the mud and mire? . . .

That was a weird video. These guys have been a steady diet of self-righteousness: in their eyes, nobody has it harder or does it better. The lesson plans, those precious lesson plans! They symbolize not just the hard work but the care and concern, the compassion they feel for their young charges! Why, if they had to head for greener pastures it would be like a diaspora or something! Then they'd be--idk, "expatriates" or something!

And then, silent as the folding mist on a Tolkien glen, they vanished into the distance. And Meade sensibly let the camera roll on the still, plaintive silence that swallowed these noble peons' dreams.

wv: "ingich" The subject these Medieval righteous dudes teach?

Milwaukee said...

Wasn't that the Senator hounded by a mob a few weeks ago? That was truly scary, and I only watched it on the Internet. So for that Senator, and Ann and Meade, I am going to offer a personal safety idea for anyone who wants to use it. We all know there are devices a person can carry on their person which sound like a siren, to alert others for help when threatened. My suggested device is like that, only instead of a whistle or piercing siren, my device makes sounds like a gun shot. Police will respond to a shots fired call much faster most other 911 calls. The deluxe version has different weapon sounds possible, so the shot spotter device will think that say first a 9mm Glock was fired, and then maybe a Mossberg 500 12-gauge. Shots fired from multiple weapons might bring the police even faster. Of course, if they then arrest you for making a false police report, that is your problem. So if somebody makes a "killing" on my idea, just mention me in the credits. That is M-i-l-w-a-u-k-e-e.

Sprezzatura said...

bagoh20,

After your comment, I went back to re-watch the Walker kids, to see if I missed, or forgot something.

Your wisdom seems a lot more like partisanship. Other than supporting Walker, I'm not sure this video demonstrated that these kids had anything to offer. Although, they were able to offer drunkenness, but I doubt that your in the drunk industry.

Sprezzatura said...

your or you're whateva

Milwaukee said...

Wikipedia has SVP as "Sexually Violent Predator" or as in French, "S'il vous plait." with at carat thing over the i. Of the Catholic Church, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a charity.

Are you sure those guys could handle single variables?

ddh said...

Why aren't these two teachers in class? Is St. Patrick's Day a school holiday in Wisconsin? They can't move to Iowa because they have lesson plans? Aren't lesson plans portable? How could they have been hired to teach children?

I guess these two losers show why it is a good thing we don't have direct democracy. And perhaps they also show why the public has lost confidence in the public schools.

richard mcenroe said...

I'm making up a sign. "Will Peon for $77K a year OBO."

How much is bus fare to WI?

MadisonMan said...

That was truly scary

The Senator wasn't scared. Why were you?

Velociman said...

You and Meade have more support than you can know. Give us the word.

Kylos said...

Thisis what democracy looks like bus in Lansing.

The turnout seems to be a little underwhelming compared to WI.

Llano Joe said...

Anybody NOTICE the similar-syntax between the first peon's SIGN in this video, and in the Countertroll's THREATS?

He seems-to HAVE what we call in Texas-Holdem.... a TELL or-two!

Milwaukee said...

Let's see, he gets chased into a corner by a loud mob that refuses to let him leave. Law enforcement is not around. It doesn't take much for a mob to ignite. The point of stoning is that no one stone will kill, but a village of stones will. So, maybe the Senator trips, now he is on the ground. Who is going to know who stepped on him? Fortunately, nothing happened. Of course the Senator is going to say he wasn't scared.

The protesters are working themselves into a frenzy with vitriolic speech. Normally calm and collected individuals who dwell on violence will become violent. These things can only be pushed to the edge so many times, and sooner or later things will go over the edge. Life will go on regardless of who wins, but each side believes they must win.

SteveR said...

Pathetic. I taught school for a few years in the late 80s. About half were pretty smart and reasnable people and about half were like these two, basically placeholderrs in time and space. Thet really have no idea how the vast majority live. The lives we lead to pay our bills and support our families. Job security having no cennection to performance. But its better than being a placeholder waiting to retire

bagoh20 said...

"Your wisdom seems a lot more like partisanship. Other than supporting Walker, I'm not sure this video demonstrated that these kids had anything to offer.

I also preferred the the anti-Walker guy who was with those kids. It's not what they had to offer as much as what they didn't. No blaming, no anger, no need to insult, and belittle those they disagree with. That's all, but it's everything in a company or anywhere you need a combination of individuality, and team work along with a willingness to listen and learn.

Young people indoctrinated the way many of those protesters clearly were is a sad thing to see. The amazing gift of liberty we have in this country is a miracle in human history. To see it so badly misunderstood and weakly appreciated by people with so much to be thankful for, made me feel sorry for them. They will suffer long for it, and will take many with them. I know, I used to be one. It's not partisanship, but it is ideology, and mine was aquired through humility from learning I was wrong. I hope they do too, sooner rather than later.

Hal Duston said...

SVP? Senior Vice President is the acronym I'm familiar with.

Sprezzatura said...

" no need to insult, and belittle those they disagree with"

Obviously your recollection of these kids is flawed.

Sprezzatura said...

I forgot about that guy w/ the kids.

I agree, re him.

bagoh20 said...

"You and Meade have more support than you can know. Give us the word."

Meadhouse hillbillies call to arms! Grab your banjos, shotguns, and espresso machines, and meet up in Madison. We got questions to ask. No chanting, just questions - devastating questions, like: Will you send your union a check now that you don't have to?

Sprezzatura said...

"I know, I used to be one."

It's not a bad idea to pause before we start talking about how after seeing a few seconds of video of someone, we know that those folks will make the same mistakes we made, as their lives unfold.

At that point you really are just talking about yourself, own up to it.

Sprezzatura said...

"Will you send your union a check now that you don't have to?"

When I was in high school I worked full time during the school year. But, the point is that I would "quit" every six, or so months so that I could avoid the unions. And then management would rehire me. We did this for three years and the dumb union never figured it out. They were using my soc number, but the union couldn't figure it out. Sheesh!

Political Jules said...

What is sad is the damage has been done as far as how the public views teachers. Just like the auto industry, the national baseball league and the soon to be NFL, their image is beyond tarnished. People are not very happy with teachers, and will not forget how horrible they were over this whole deal. I am sorry it has to be that way, but you guys should have spoke up a long time ago.

Spero said...

To me, these teachers seem like nice people who are really upset about the big reduction in their income that's coming from these changes.

That doesn't mean they shouldn't happen. We need more "creative destruction" in teaching and government jobs in general..Painful adjustments...

bagoh20 said...

"At that point you really are just talking about yourself, own up to it."

Are you suggesting that I'm some kind of freak? Because if you are...that's very perceptive.

I love what happened to me politically and philosophically. I only hope for the same blessing for others. I saw a lot who I hope will make that turn, to learn what we are capable of as a species and as individuals. It's really a wonderful thing, and within everyone's reach if we just get off our brother's back and out of his wallet.

bagoh20 said...

SVP = Some Vague Position

bagoh20 said...

When I first saw that guy with the sign saying "Union Buster", I thought: "That's pretty ballsy to be out there claiming that title.

I just don't have the automatic sense of that being a bad thing. I think modern unions are generally a terrible idea, being responsible for most of the incredible offshore movement of our jobs. So, being a "buster" seems heroic to me. Walker is not actually busting any unions, although their members may do it voluntarily because of the opportunity Walker has given them.

The sign should be "Union Busting Facilitator".

Sprezzatura said...

"if we just get off our brother's back and out of his wallet."

This premise can lead in more than one direction.

Not that make-believe is real (even when one of the cast gets busted because she really was her character) but it does seem like businesses can be pocket grabbers as well as the poor can:

"You know what the trouble is, Brucie? We used to make s--t in this country. Build s--t. Now we just put our hand in the next guy's pocket." -Frank Sobotka

BTW, Trooper said these docks guys seemed realistic, based on his own personal acquaintances. Not that it's relevant to point of the quote, but why not tie in Trooper?


P.S.

For those folks not Wired, do yourself a favor and rent/buy The Wire. It's good stuff. Don't avoid it just because BHO said it was his favorite TV show, and a gay gangster/murder was his favorite character. Maybe you can do a d'souza by writing a book linking BHO's thinking to his appreciation of The Wire.

sane_voter said...

I imagine that those two, after realizing how absurd the "peon" comment was, decided to go home and watch their big screen TV and suck down a six pack. And make sure the lesson plans were still locked securely in the safe.

AST said...

If they aren't effective teachers, they deserve to be peons.

Their union has destroyed their self-respect, along with their intellects.

Kev said...

While there are many very good students in the College of Ed, on average they are in the bottom 1/3 of ACT scores, but the overall college GPA is probably the highest in the University. So, probably they're not the sharpest knives in the drawer, but they do have really high self-esteem.

Most of them don't really learn a subject, they learn how to 'educate'. They learn how to make the all-important lesson plans. They learn that no one outside the Education Establishment knows anything about education. They learn that they deserve to be highly compensated whether or not their students learn anything.


I have long believed that nobody should be allowed to major in education, which should instead be a minor, studied in combination with a major in one's chosen teaching area. It doesn't matter how much somebody knows of teaching techniques and the miscellaneous psychobabble taught in ed-school if he or she isn't a master of the subject being taught.

As a (non-unionized) teacher, I've always believed that the best among us combine the skills of a master with the heart of a servant. Union membership, with its me-first attitude, tends to deemphasize the former and make the latter nearly impossible.

LBJay said...

Hmmmm,

Can't trust, doesn't trust his "Boss"
He's a public employee.
That make his boss the government.
Therefore he doesn't trust the government.

Wonder when he'll figure out that make him an anti-government, extreme right-winger.

Should have asked him if he belongs to a militia.

Michael said...

Interesting video. Here's an idea for the good people of Wisconsin. Get some smarter teachers. Or better still send your kids to private schools.

Anonymous said...

Wisconsin teachers: making North Carolina teachers look good. Thanks, guys.

Duncan said...

If they were "bound to the soil" in Sauk City, how were they able to travel to Madison?

PogoПОССУМ said...

Ah, my тучно fat comrades, teachers of the young minds to be molded for The Party.
Товарищ Tovarisch!!

In socialysma, we pretend to work, and they pretend to pay us!
Is funny, no?

And now she is come true under your own very носы noses. The truth she is of the bad smell sometimes. But all is for the Glorious Revolution of the Adipose Workers!!

In Soviet Wisconsyn, lesson plans YOU!!

Anonymous said...

Blogger Windbag said...

Wisconsin teachers: making North Carolina teachers look good. Thanks, guys.

Dittos.

But with that said, I don't think we have that much more to brag about.

vbspurs said...

Meade: Is he in there?
Hefty Protester: Yeah.
Meade: Oh. Has he come up and spoke [sic] to you?
Hefty Protester: Nooo, but he's come up to the window 3 or 4 times. - He was friendlyyy.
Meade: Really, he was?
Hefty Protester: Well, [sing-song cadence] he can afford to be.
Meade: Well, who CAN'T afford to be friendly?

Oh Meade, you rather lovable partisan hack, you.

foxtrot said...

These clowns don't want to leave the state because they know that, even with the bill, they still have a lucrative pay and benefits package.

They also don't want to move to a state like Texas (or other right to work states) because such states won't put up with their bullsh*t like Wisconsin will.

Anonymous said...

When I was working in manufacturing and managed a group of maintenance guys and they called themselves peons, I always reminded them " that the only pee that gets on them is what I couldn't soak up." These guys need to get a clue.

Unknown said...

I found it so pathetic that this guy was worried about being at the mercy of his boss that I almost fell off my chair. Isn't that called a job? You go to work to please your boss or work hard to become a boss so that you remain employed? This confirms my view that unions have got to to go, especially in public education. Inept teachers hiding behind someone 'representing them at a table'.

Cynthia said...

To any parents out there: I'm a high school teacher in Florida. I'm afraid the whole country will think ALL teachers have the same salary and benefits as those in NJ and WI. I also fear that the words and actions of many teachers (in WI especially) will make the whole country think that ALL teachers are coddled, lazy, stupid, and rash. We're not. There are still many of us out here who love your children, work hard to teach them, and respect the hard work you have done to raise them right. We try very, very hard to do right by your children -- in spite of the "educational leadership" relentlessly imposed upon us. We consider it a privilege to be a teacher, and we will continue to work hard to deserve that privilege. Please don't forget about us.

Phil 314 said...

Labor was in great need to support the expanding agriculture, mining, industrial, and public-work jobs that arose from conquerors settling in the Americas. To account for these jobs a system came about where creditors forced debtors to work for them. This system of involuntary servitude was called peonage.

The ironies:
-under the new law, a teacher can decide for themselves whether they want to be in the union. Its no longer involuntary.
-the taxpayers are the debtors in this analogy. The teachers are "owed" the money

Why must protesters hyperbolize?

autothreads said...

"they've got drawers full of lesson plans"

Wait a second. For the past month every teachers' union supporter has whined about how teachers spend hours each night at home, after school, preparing lesson plans and grading papers. Now he tells us that he just goes to the archive in his desk drawer.

This teacher inadvertently admitted what most of us know as both students and friends or relatives of teachers - they use pretty much the same lesson plans year to year.

Why would you keep a "drawer full of lesson plans" if you are constantly revising them?

AlphaLiberal said...

Looks like James O'Keefe did his editing.

Real classy of MEade to tell them to just leave the state. What an asshole.

AlphaLiberal said...

Gee, they were awfully "thuggish," right? I mean, look at them standing there with all their thuggish silence.

autothreads said...

AlphaLiberal said...

Looks like James O'Keefe did his editing.


It's one continuous shot from the time he approached them to the time they walked away. No edits. Just like in A Touch of Evil's opening tracking boom shot.

Real classy of MEade to tell them to just leave the state. What an asshole.

What he was saying is just describing what Americans have done frequently: move somewhere else to get a job.

I live in the Detroit area, where immigrants from overseas and the US south moved to find work in the auto industry.

If you don't like your situation, vote with your feet.

He wasn't telling them to get lost, though who wants shiftless teachers.

Notice how the teacher talked about business contacts, lesson plans, and family members, but never said the word "students".

Almost Ali said...

Gee, they were awfully "thuggish," right?

Well, they did seem to lack a certain enthusiasm, you know, that fire-in-the-belly, skull-cracking confidence typical of Teamsters and longshoreman.

Even more, it was embarrassing the way they just slinked away - like the protest itself had become so blatantly infantile, that even two marginal infantile-teachers could no longer promote it with a straight face.