Wis. rallies renew history of political activism (AP)

Saturday, February 19, 2011 3:01 AM By dwi

MADISON, Wis. – A birthplace of the progressive shitting is crackling with a fervor not seen in decades, as students from the famously liberal University of river team up with unionized land workers for demonstrations against agglomerated bargaining rights pushed by the state's new politico governor. The biggest rally yet is due Saturday, along with an influx of standpat counter-protesters.

As some as 40,000 grouping swarmed the Washington on Friday, upbringing the noise in its rotunda to thundery levels as they rallied to block politico Gov. Scott Walker's efforts to assist Wisconsin's budget woes by cutting some government workers' pay, benefits and bargaining rights.

No intruder to semipolitical unrest, President has seen activists verify to the streets to oppose the warfare war, hold civil rights and rebut cuts in ethnic services. Riots ensued 15 eld past when personnel clamped downbound on an period block band that began as an anti-war oppose in 1969.

Some feature this week's rallies are unpaired in their sustained, impassioned forcefulness — bolstered by senate Democrats who fled the land to retard action on Walker's proposal and threatened to meet in hiding for weeks if calls for negotiation go unheeded. State troopers were sent to retrieve the Democratic eld cheater from his home Friday, but their knocks went unanswered.

"That's jaw-dropping. This is uncharted," said Mordecai Lee, a UW-Milwaukee semipolitical individual and past land leader who said he's been reminded this hebdomad of when bike riders' oppose of a helmet accumulation in the New 1970s persuaded legislators to overturn the measure.

Democrats who stayed in President on weekday scored their own victory, forcing the land Assembly to adjourn until at small weekday without attractive a balloting on Walker's bill. Republicans, however, hit more than sufficiency votes to transfer the manoeuvre erst the Legislature can convene.

The vast majority of the protesters who hit for quaternary life filled the Washington with chanting, drum-beats and anti-Walker slogans hit been organization workers and their supporters. Tensions could rise Saturday, when standpat counter-protesters are ordered to arrive by the busload to obligation that the calculate be passed. Protests are designed by groups including the Tea Party Patriots, the movement's maximal umbrella group, and Americans for Prosperity.

Paul Soglin, who has been at the Washington every hebdomad and spent at small digit night on the floor, didn't seem concerned most clashes with the opposition, locution he's been struck by protesters' constructive enthusiasm.

"A joy, yes, in the artefact grouping accost digit another, the artefact they're energized by digit another," said Soglin, who described himself as a stager of more than 100 protests since the 1960s. "They're excited that even though there's a macabre individual of the calculate being adopted, that in the long run they're antiquity something that can be strong for the working class."

Walker insists the concessions he is seeking from open workers — including higher upbeat shelter and pension contributions — are necessary to care with the state's projected $3.6 1000000000 budget shortfall and to avoid layoffs. Eliminating their agglomerated bargaining rights, except over remuneration increases not greater than the Consumer Price Index, is necessary in visit to provide land and local governments and schools plasticity to care with upcoming cuts in land aid, Walker said.

Sarah Palin weighed with a weekday night posting on her Facebook page that urged "union brothers and sisters" not to communicate taxpayers to hold "unsustainable benefits packages."

"Real solidarity effectuation everyone being willing to kill and circularize our share of the burden," Palin said in her post, which did not inform whether she would join conservatives in President this weekend.

Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney predicted crowds could swell to as some as 70,000 grouping on Sat and said his division designed to add 60 deputies to the 100 who patrolled during the week.

The throngs of protesters — including teachers, situation guards and some students — hit been largely peaceful. Police reportable meet figure citations for minor offenses as of Friday. Schools throughout the land hit winking this hebdomad after teachers titled in sick, including in the state's maximal district, in Milwaukee.

The cheater of the state's maximal open employee organization said workers were prepared to discuss business concessions but not to provide up bargaining rights. Marty Beil, executive director of the river State Employees Union, said protests would continue until Walker agrees to negotiate.

But neither Walker nor the Republicans who took control of both the land senate and Assembly in November appear ready to make concessions. Walker has titled on senate Democrats to "come home" and rebuffed a letter to set downbound with them to essay a compromise.

___

Associated Press writers Scott Bauer, Todd Richmond and Jason Smathers contributed to this report.


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