Protesting in Madison, WI at the State Capitol

The Wisconsin state capitol lights up as night falls after a day of protests. (Photo taken 2/26/11 by Bryan Radue, former colleague.)

Yesterday (Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011), I stood on a snow covered lawn in front of the Wisconsin capitol with over 100,000 other protesters. All around us, snow continued to fall, quietly layering us. Despite the 15 degree temperatures and the damp cold, our voices rose together in unison, and it continued to rise and rise. As I stood there with my signs held up high, I thought of one thing: We are awake. Finally!

I can't describe how amazing it was to be a part of something so big. To be marching and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with over 100,000 people is invigorating. For too long, we have remained quiet; we have let dishonest politicians and wealthy corporations decide how our lives will be lived. Not any longer.

I do have a sad feeling, however, that we in Wisconsin may lose this battle against Governor Walker and his bill. We may lose the rights that belong to all workers--the only thing left that gives a prominent voice to the middle class. But I also feel that we started something important here, something that is far more significant than one single bill or one governor or one state.

The idea has existed for generations that we, the regular middle class, can make an impact on our government. We study it in school, read about it happening in history books, and watch it in documentaries, but until now, I think a lot of people (myself included) were beginning to doubt that we could really change anything about our country. Now, however, I am filled with hope that what is happening in Wisconsin means our voices still make a difference.

Here are pictures from the event:

The immense crowd of protesters gather around the capitol (Photo taken by Bryan Radue)

Signs depicting Gov. Walker as a puppet of the Koch brothers (Photo by Bryan Radue)

The rotunda, inside the capitol. I didn't actually make it inside. The line snaked all the way around the capitol and into the street. (Photo by Bryan Radue)

A pleasant surprise. After protesting all day in the freezing cold, we were numb and exhausted. However, as the bus we were riding pulled up into the parking lot where all our cars were parked, we saw that a heart had been drawn on every single car. Here's mine. It made everyone smile and lifted our spirits. :)

Succeed or fail, I'm glad to have experienced something as great as this, and I've never been more proud to be a Wisconsinite. However long this battle lasts, I'll continue to show up to rallies in my area and make more trips to Madison. As my favorite chant from the protest goes, "THIS is what democracy looks like."

Here, also, are two of my favorite videos on the Wisconsin protests:

If you're reading this, I hope you'll take the time to find out what this issue in Wisconsin is really about. Realize that it's not about private vs. public workers. It's not about money or the budget (public workers have already agreed to give up part of their take home pay to help with the deficit issue). And it's not a unique problem that exists only in this state. It's all of us in the middle class. All Americans. If you get the chance to join something as important as this, I hope you'll participate and make your voice heard.

The Very Wealthy & Their Politicians are Laughing at Us

Did you know that the top 1% wealthiest people in the US hold nearly 35% of the entire nation's money? This study (if you click on the link) was done in 1983 but was updated in 2007. Other research shows that this percentage is increasing.

Here we are in Wisconsin--public workers fighting against private workers. The TRUTH is that those of us fighting are ALL MIDDLE CLASS OR WORKING PEOPLE just wanting a better life. We're all just trying to survive. We're on the same side, in the same boat! Do you see that?

How is it that the vast majority of citizens are working so hard to survive, trying to get a couple hundred dollars here and a few thousand there to pay bills. We're working multiple jobs and putting in overtime hours.

And the whole time we're doing that, ONE PERCENT of our population is holding 35% of the money in this nation. There's something fishy here, something not quite right.

To the hard working people of Wisconsin and those of you all over America:

Please don't fight amongst each other. Open your eyes to the TRUTH behind the problem. WE are NOT the problem. In Wisconsin, right now we're fighting over pay, benefits, and retirement among other things. For many public employees affected by this bill, it'd be anywhere from $5000 to $10,000 difference per person yearly. That amount of money makes a HUGE difference to us in whether we pay our bills, put food on our table, keep our home.

But that money is like pennies to the top 1% wealthiest people and their politicians. It's probably a one hour shopping spree for them. They must be sitting comfortably at home, watching us on TV in Madison, WI fighting over "pennies"... and laughing.

Somehow we've been orchestrated to be pitted one against another--worker vs. worker. Is there something wrong with this picture?

Wisconsin and Scott Walker's Repair Bill

What will happen with Governor Scott Walker's new budget repair bill? Will collective bargaining really end and voices be silenced for public employees? What's going to happen to our educational system? It's nearly 1am, and I'm still up watching the news...waiting to see if the vote on this bill will happen tonight.

As someone who has taught in Wisconsin's public schools, I'm really appalled at what is happening here. I'm angry, upset, and shocked, but more than anything else, I'm saddened by all of this. It's the total lack of respect for public workers that saddens me the most I think. Public workers are not the problem. They are hardworking people who help run the state and keep it going. They collect your garbage, fix and plow your roads, nurse you back to health at the hospital, manage and clean the parks your kids play at, maintain order at your prisons, and educate you. They serve YOU, the public. They deserve more respect, and it's sad to see that when they've been busting their butts working hard for lower pay than in the private sector, what they get in return is resentment from the people they serve. It makes me feel like the eight years I taught high school were a waste.
People are so hung up on the issue of fairness: "Why should public employees get better benefits and retirement than the private sector? It's not fair." That's what I keep hearing. However, it happened that way because many public workers' unions bargained to have better benefits in exchange for lower pay. The better benefits offset the fact that public workers are paid about 4.8% less than those with the same education and experience. That includes consideration of yearly hours worked. Those in the private sector should be bargaining the same deal if they want better benefits. So if we're going to talk about fairness in an ideal society, one of these two things should happen: 1) Give public employees a 4.8% pay raise and then make them pay more for their benefits and retirement, OR 2) Have those in the private sector take a 4.8% pay cut and donate that money towards remedying the state deficit. That would be fairness across the board in terms of equal pay, benefits, retirement.

The whole issue of pay, benefits, and retirement is not the real problem with me however. If Scott Walker really intends to crack down on the state deficit, I can understand having public employees contribute more towards benefits and retirement. Yes, that makes sense. We're in a poor economy right now, and something needs to be done. But why take away collective bargaining? Doing that is going to be detrimental to our educational system.

That means teachers would have no say and non-educators would be deciding on class sizes, curriculum, planning time, etc. That would be like me playing "architect" for a building when I have neither the education nor experience for it. The building I put together, when built, would most likely fall down. When non-educators decide how teachers should do their job, the educational system will suffer. I wouldn't be surprised if I saw class sizes increase dramatically just to save a little money. Can you imagine 40 or more kids in a classroom? I know I definitely do not want my kids in a class of that size. And the good teachers? They're not going to want to hang around. If they do, I wouldn't blame them if they did a half-hearted job after being made to feel so second-rate. This will deter college students from picking education as their future career. And in a field where many teachers already leave the profession at a high rate, the only people left teaching our kids are going to be unqualified, lousy teachers.

And yet, those who are for this bill don't realize how it will affect their own families, their own kids. It seems all they can think about are their own wallets and comparing their benefits versus that of public workers'. Sad. The nation's watching what happens in Wisconsin with this. Because if it happens here, it'll happen there too.

I'm going to the Oprah Show

A couple years ago, my husband and I made a bucket list together, and it included attending an Oprah Show. So I've been trying to get tickets (with plenty of rejections), and with this being Oprah's last year and tickets in high demand, I seriously doubted that I'd ever be able to checkmark that goal off our list. It really bummed me out.

However, today I received word that I'm going!

Just being there and seeing in person someone as famous and influential as Oprah is good enough on its own, but to make it even better, the show I'll be attending is on Charles Dickens and featuring Jane Smiley, Pulitzer Prize winning author. Now before you say, "Huh? What's the big deal? I don't get it. Boring! So what?", please let me explain.

Back when I was getting my Bachelor's Degree in English, I fell in love with British Literature. Something about the country, the history, and the literary language enthralled me. I took classes specifically on great British authors, such as Dickens, the Bronte sisters, Shakespeare, Austen, Chaucer. (Yes, I'm a big geek, but I'm okay with that.)

Charles Dickens (Photo Credit: David Perdue's Dickens Page)

I then went on to teach high school English for eight years, and Dickens' Great Expectations was pretty much always in my lesson plan book. Students complained about it, but at the end of the year, when they presented on the most memorable characters, it almost always included Pip, Estella, or Miss Havisham. So the time invested in reading that "old-fashioned" and "boring" book was worth it.

Later, when I was pursuing my Master's in English, I was introduced to Jane Smiley. I read A Thousand Acres and Age of Grief, and I thought Smiley was brilliant. In A Thousand Acres, she wrote in a quiet, profound manner and captured so well the intricacies of family relationships and family secrets. It's a neat, modernized twist of Shakespeare's King Lear.

Jane Smiley (Photo Credit: Missouri Humanities Council)

So Oprah and Dickens and Smiley all in one day? That's beyond bliss to me. Few people I know (or maybe even none) understand me on this or would be as ecstatic, but that's okay. Just be happy and say "Hurray!" with me. :)

As with some of Oprah's book club episodes, it won't air at least in its entirety on television, but it will be viewable on her website.

The date is set: Friday, February 18th. I'm allowed to bring one guest, and I've chosen my husband, because he's my best friend, and it's our bucket list after all--the things we want to see and do together.

Yay, PACKERS!

Just wanted to post this up in celebration of the Packers Superbowl XLV win last night...simply for the sake of years from now (if I actually keep this blog going that long), I'll be able to look back at my posts and remember how great it is to be a Packers fan and live in Wisconsin where the state literally turned upside down last night. You know how it takes a tragedy for people to come together? Well, in this case, football can do the same thing too (except it's a good thing, nothing to be sad about!). I think it's great that something like football can bring so many people in this town and in this state together, despite differences. Everybody is extra friendly and nice today. :D