Being a recent DC immigrant, the opportunities to attend rallies and protests of all stripes has grown exponentially. Danville Kentucky didn't have too many.
This weekend bore witness to a number of such events. The first I attended was up at Dupont Circle, a union rally a stone's throw from SEIU's headquarters. A healthy crowd, upwards of 1,000, showed up consisting mostly of union households, a speckling of ISO members (International Socialist Organization), and a handful of folks who probably showed up for the sake of protesting. As I was wandering about, Van Jones strode right in front of me (he would later speak). The crowd was generally agreeable, though I didn't wear my beliefs on my sleeve. Activities lasted for an hour, and as I would later learn a number of people marched on down to the white house. I guess they were hoping Obama would put on a pair of comfortable shoes and join them.
Following the union folks, the ISO had an abortion rally at Dupont. The recent funding cuts to Planned Parenthood was the impetus. Their message was more blunt, calling for on-demand abortions, framing it as a "human rights" issue. They were also selling books such as The Jewish Question. The crowd that stuck around for this rally was a little more ... free spirited.
Later in the day there was a separate rally in front of the white house for freedom in the middle east, specifically Yemen, Bahrain, and Libya. Egypt and Iran also had contingencies there, thought some what removed from the central events. Most of the core participants were expats and their families standing in solidarity with their countrymen. The different nationalities often competed for attentions, sometimes chanting over each other (though never at each other) and I witnessed at least one spirited debate, though it wasn't in English. a Lot of people filtered in and out of Lafayette Square, many drawn by the color and noise.
Only if there was a website to catalog upcoming protests, rallies, and marches in the city.
Showing posts with label Protests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Protests. Show all posts
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Let Them Eat Cheese
Let Madison Burn.
As Gov. Scott Walker attempts to pass budget cutting legislation which forces unions to share in the cost of their benefits, the teachers' union has led protests in the state capitol. Nobody from the right is going to complain about protesting; the Tea Party has used it as an effective tool in the vocalization of their concerns. But when the President's organizing apparatus (Organizing for America) takes the lead in busing protesters in, when schools have to close due to an illegal strike, and politicians' families have to flee their homes because protesters are on their front lawn, something is amiss.
The debate over union entitlements and contracts is old and not going to be rehashed here. The debate about how to balance budgets is just starting, and is being hashed out in state capitals across the US. A significant portion of budget shortfalls come from unfunded public employee pension liabilities - totaling a trillion dollars for all 50 states. As witnessed with the automotive industry, paying retirees nearly full wages is unsustainable. Gov. Walker's bill asks unions to contribute towards their pensions and health care costs as well as takes away collective bargaining rights over benefits, but keeps the right to bargain over salaries. In exchange, there are no lay-offs. Millions of unemployed Americans would jump at this opportunity.
And yet, the teachers walk out on it. After years of claiming they're "putting the children first," their own childish actions have temporarily closed 15 school districts. How does this help the children? Did a weekend or evening protest not suffice? Have Wisconsinites been watching too much news coverage of Cairo in their post-football withdrawal?
In a period that demands consequential leadership, Wisconsin Democrats have not only fled town, but supposedly fled the state. While governors from both parties are making the tough decisions to balance budgets (and being reward in the court of public opinion), those who have enjoyed decades of job security and pay increases based only on the number of years they have sat behind a desk feel under assault - the President's words.
What these unions need to remember is they are comprised of public employees. The governors and state congressmen they are protesting against are also public employees. The only difference is, the public got to hire their politicians. The American public who have put in extra hours and job insecurity during the recession will not put up with the historical indulgence of unions nor their government shut-downs.
As Gov. Scott Walker attempts to pass budget cutting legislation which forces unions to share in the cost of their benefits, the teachers' union has led protests in the state capitol. Nobody from the right is going to complain about protesting; the Tea Party has used it as an effective tool in the vocalization of their concerns. But when the President's organizing apparatus (Organizing for America) takes the lead in busing protesters in, when schools have to close due to an illegal strike, and politicians' families have to flee their homes because protesters are on their front lawn, something is amiss.
The debate over union entitlements and contracts is old and not going to be rehashed here. The debate about how to balance budgets is just starting, and is being hashed out in state capitals across the US. A significant portion of budget shortfalls come from unfunded public employee pension liabilities - totaling a trillion dollars for all 50 states. As witnessed with the automotive industry, paying retirees nearly full wages is unsustainable. Gov. Walker's bill asks unions to contribute towards their pensions and health care costs as well as takes away collective bargaining rights over benefits, but keeps the right to bargain over salaries. In exchange, there are no lay-offs. Millions of unemployed Americans would jump at this opportunity.
And yet, the teachers walk out on it. After years of claiming they're "putting the children first," their own childish actions have temporarily closed 15 school districts. How does this help the children? Did a weekend or evening protest not suffice? Have Wisconsinites been watching too much news coverage of Cairo in their post-football withdrawal?
In a period that demands consequential leadership, Wisconsin Democrats have not only fled town, but supposedly fled the state. While governors from both parties are making the tough decisions to balance budgets (and being reward in the court of public opinion), those who have enjoyed decades of job security and pay increases based only on the number of years they have sat behind a desk feel under assault - the President's words.
What these unions need to remember is they are comprised of public employees. The governors and state congressmen they are protesting against are also public employees. The only difference is, the public got to hire their politicians. The American public who have put in extra hours and job insecurity during the recession will not put up with the historical indulgence of unions nor their government shut-downs.
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