Meanwhile, in Columbus

Apparently they don't have enough drum circles in Columbus:

The Ohio Senate voted 17-16 today to pass a major overhaul of Ohio's 27-year-old collective bargaining law that supporters say will give governments more flexibility but public unions see as an attack on the working class.

Close, but good enough. The bill moves to the Ohio House, where Republicans have a decisive majority and it does not appear there is any way that the Democrats can stop the vote by absconding. That means there's an excellent chance that Ohio will its reforms in place before Wisconsin does.

Ohio Governor John Kasich explains why this matters:

"This is a major step forward in correcting the imbalance between taxpayers and the government unions that work for them. Our state, counties, cities and school districts need the flexibility to reduce their costs and better manage their workforces, and taxpayers deserve to be treated with more fairness."

What happens at the local level is what really matters. It's at the local level where teachers' unions use their muscle the most. Local school boards are quite often filled with union supporters and those who try to hold the line are always a target. Both Kasich and Scott Walker recognize that. In fact, for all the drama we've seen in Madison, once the Walker bill finally does get passed, it's hardly certain that the local school boards will just start cutting and that teachers will become mendicants. They may decide to raise local taxes instead.

There's nothing wrong with that, either. If higher taxes that get funneled into teaching salaries are what people really want in an individual school district, more power to them. If the teachers and their friends in a school district can convince enough people that providing higher salaries will get better results, chase that dream. The key is this -- if the people pushing that agenda are proved wrong, it's much easier to hold them accountable at a local level.

Meanwhile, don't let anyone tell you that you can't learn something important from the protesters in Madison. This photo has rather a lot of educational value, I think.

You start wearing blue and brown

Let fury have the hour
Anger can be power
Do you know that you can use it?

-- "Clampdown," the Clash

You wonder how it could get worse in Madison, but there's evidence that it is. I linked to this video last night and Allahpundit at HotAir does a nice job setting the stage. It's long (about 12 minutes), but you need to watch it. In the video, a group of people doing God's work accost and chase Sen. Glenn Grothman, one of the evil, hateful, baleful, jackass Republicans who have earned the righteous wrath of the people by choosing to turn on the house lights at closing time. Eventually, at about the 2:50 mark, a Democratic state assemblyman, Brett Hulsey, intervenes. He vouches for Grothman, calling him his friend. And while it takes rather a long time for the crowd to calm down, eventually they do, a little.

You can give Hulsey some credit for at least preventing something very bad from happening, but he still can't resist taking a shot at Walker, suggesting to the mob that they ought to be mad at Walker, not the gentleman they've cornered.

Also, at about the 7 minute mark, a woman helpfully reminds the crowd that "cameras are rolling." And indeed they were.

What conclusions can we draw from this sort of thing? I can think of a few. First, whatever residual sympathy I might have had for the protesters and their political pets is now gone. There's no justification for mob action. I have heard and read dozens of calls for "negotiation" from these folks. Who negotiates with a mob?

A question for Hulsey -- would it have been okay for the mob to chase and converge upon Scott Walker, since he's the one who's "responsible?"

If you think the protesters are on the side of the angels, there would be no reason to fear that "cameras are rolling," now would there? The folks who chased Grothman know the difference between right and wrong. But they don't really give a damn about it, now do they?

I hope I'm wrong, but I think the Altamont Speedway moment is coming.

Candy is Dandy, But Death Threats Are Quicker

It turns out that Assemblyman Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, has a little anger management problem.

Then again, he's not the only one.

On the bright side, Assemblyman Hintz has been kind enough to support the local, ahem, service economy back in my hometown of Appleton. Next time he might want to try Wilmar Chocolates down the street instead. From what I understand, most people prefer chocolate to death threats. But remember, Hintz is one of the good guys.

Meanwhile, closer to home

While it's been easy to get engrossed (pun intended) in the antics of the Amalgamated Protest Union in Madison, the budgetary tango is starting to heat up in St. Paul. We learned at least one thing yesterday that is good to know.

First, the revenue forecast was off a little. Turns out the state took in more than a billion dollars than expected last year. That's billion. While I don't think that means that Brave Sir Mark Dayton will call off the ballyhooed financial commando raids in the Scrooge McDuck redoubts on Lake Minnetonka, Sunfish Lake and the like, especially since his real quarry lives in places like Plymouth and Maple Grove, it does mean that some of the assumptions at play are equally suspect.

Second, as Mitch Berg notes, it also meant that Tom Emmer was right about the actual state of finances. And Dayton, unsurprisingly, was wrong.

Mitch also noted something else -- Mark Dayton's 2-week old budget proposal is a bit of an orphan:

The proposal, which jacks up taxes on “the rich” by adding the highest state income tax in the nation on people who make over half a million a year, stil has no DFL sponsor in the legislature.

You'd think our local representative Kate Knuth would just love to support this, but oddly she hasn't stepped up to the plate. Or Mindy Greiling for that matter. Surely Barb Goodwin and/or John Marty would love the opportunity to fly the Dayton flag. Proud DFLers all, but nowhere to be found.

It could be that our DFL friends are following in the lead of their Wisconsin contemporaries and refusing to do the job, although they are saving on hotel expenses. That's something.

Mitch, with tongue only partially in cheek, has a modest proposal:

I think a Republican – one from a very, very safe seat – should do the job for them.

I think a Republican from a bullet-proof rural seat should sponsor the Dayton budget (and spend the next year explaining why – and yes, I will drive to wherever he or she serves and go door to door to help, if need be – just to help avoid any complications).

And I think the GOP-controlled committees involved should pass it right through, so it can go to the floor immediately for a binding, highly-publicized, up-or-down vote.

I think we should let the DFL show their pride in and support for Governor Dayton. I think they should show how unified they are!

I think we should let the DFL walk the walk. I think we should let them all, every one of them, show how happy they are to make you pay for A Better Minnesota.

C'mon, Kate Knuth! You can't let some backbencher from the woods steal your thunder! Fly the flag!

Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance

Unless you're a Dylanophile, the name Suze Rotolo may not mean that much to you. But chances are pretty good that you've seen her face. Suze Rotolo was Bob Dylan's early 60s girlfriend and is on his arm on the cover of the iconic album "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan," from 1963, which I've posted here. It's a seemingly timeless image that represents a moment that is now a long time ago. We got a reminder of how long ago it really was today, as Suze Rotolo died at the age of 67. Rest in peace.

The Mob Rule of Law

Nice turn of events in Madison tonight. There was a promise from the protesters who have been clogging the Capitol building for the past few weeks that they would leave overnight to allow the building to be cleaned.

As I write now (at 7:50 p.m. CST), they aren't leaving. The Madison police, unionized as well, refuses to do anything to make them leave. The Capitol police, which would like to restore order, cannot move the protesters because they require the cooperation of the Madison PD to provide paddy wagons and the like.

Whatever you think of Scott Walker's proposals, this is unmistakably a giant middle finger in his direction, and in the direction the voters who supported his candidacy. The latest word is the cleaning crews, which have an Augean job in front of them, are going to attempt to work around the drum bangers and Willy Street irregulars (pardon the redundancy) who are currently populating the building.

What do we learn from this? A few things that help to illuminate matters:

• How do you bargain with people who don't bargain in good faith? A promise was made and broken. That should tell Walker and the Wisconsin citizenry, something they need to know about the mentality and honesty of their public servants.
• There are pictures galore of the mess these folks are making of the building at Ann Althouse's blog. Just keep scrolling -- they've turned the people's house into a student union.
• There are going to be some pretty big cleanup costs involved in getting the Capitol building back into the condition it ought to be. I'd suggest that they tell the protesters that if they want to stay, they will be liable for the going rate for a state campground. The Capitol might have marble floors, but it is heated and has indoor plumbing. The going rate for a cabin at Point Beach State Park is $60/night. That would be a good starting point for the fee.
• The protesters are certainly hoping that Walker will do something dramatic, like calling in the National Guard to bust heads. I don't think he should. The optics of this protest are not flattering to the protesters at all. This isn't "Tin soldiers and Walker's coming/We're finally on our own." As long as the Madison police are unwilling to cooperate, the mob cannot be dispersed. So be it. Let them stay for days, or weeks, or months, even. Walker doesn't need to do anything except go about his business.

Wichita Lineman

If you thought the prank phone that a lefty blogger initiated with Scott Walker seemed strange, there was a reason for it. As it happens, Scott Walker has apparently never met David Koch:

In interviews with National Review Online, Koch executives responded to the incident and pledged to “not stop” supporting free-enterprise initiatives, even as opponents attempt to sully the Koch name and the groups that brothers David and Charles Koch, the company’s co-owners, support. They also noted that David Koch and the governor have never met or spoken.

That would explain why Walker wasn't aware he was taking a prank call -- it's kinda difficult to recognize a voice you haven't heard.

Robert Costa at National Review Online notes that Koch Industries isn't very happy about this for other reasons, too:

Koch executives are not happy about the use of David Koch’s name by the blogger. “It was a fraudulent call,” says Mark Holden, the general counsel for Koch Industries. “There are serious fiscal issues at play in Wisconsin. Yet our opponents are interjecting us falsely into this story. But our Wisconsin story is about bringing and keeping good manufacturing jobs in the state. It is disturbing that when a blogger calls using the Koch name, it is used as an opportunity to attack the company.”

Well, that's what you boys get for speaking up. Ask Target about it -- they gave some money to Tom Emmer and they were suddenly anti-gay and a bunch of other things. Never mind that Emmer, much to the consternation of some of his allies, never talked about social issues during his campaign. Doesn't matter. You just need to shut up.

Guilty Pleasures Part Seventy-Six -- Fearless Maria Thinks About Politicians Running Away From Office

Fearless Maria is here and we've been thinking about what's been happening in Wisconsin.

Of course I know what's been happening! It was my Auntie Margie's birthday, and they had a party and the Packers won the Super Bowl and everyone was celebrating and they had a parade. But then there was this thing about some teachers slacking off to protest. Okay, okay, so maybe it's all everybody's been talking about for a few weeks. But I like to look on the sunny side of life! You can always think of the sunny side, like your eggs! It tastes better than the other side! Though I prefer my eggs scrambled. So what do you think about all this, Dad? Oh, wait, I think you've written about a zillion posts about it in the last week. Don't you think it's time we do something else?

Yes, Maria. Yes I do. That's probably why you're here, right?

Correct. It's my job to be a good daughter and to make sure you're not posting too much about politics, because that will make everyone think you're dull! Speaking of which, do you have my paycheck ready yet?

Paycheck? What paycheck?

What do you mean! I'm saving everybody from the invisible chamber of perpetual boringness! That must be worth something? Or do I have to go out on strike?

No, I don't think you do. We'll negotiate your fee later. But now, there's music to think about. So what should we look at tonight, Maria?

Well, in honor of those senators who have been running around Illinois, why don't we talk about running? Running noses, running in gym class, running on the ice and slipping and breaking something, and of course about the senators--

Run-on sentences?

Yeah, that too, wise guy. Excuse me, there's no time for you to use your smart-aleck comments, even if you were an English major. Why don't you do something useful and pull up the first song? So what if it was a run-on sentence? It's not as if this is going to be graded!

Good point, Maria. We'll start out tonight's festivities with something a little mellow and jaunty, from Sly and the Family Stone:

Running Away

Well, Dad, I'm afraid to say that I can't really comment on the images, because a color-changing disk doesn't give me a lot to work with! However, I've seen Sly and the Family Stone before and let me tell you, Sly's hair was so big in those days that a squirrel could live in his hair. No wonder they're laughing in the song -- if I had a squirrel in my hair, I bet it would be inspiringly hurtful! Although, at the same time, it might tickle a little. It's a good song, but I'll bet you can do better, right?

Well, I do aim to meet your expectations, Maria. I'll tell you what, we'll go with one of the greatest early rock songs of all and a video with all the bad early 60s imagery that I like. It's Del Shannon!

Runaway

Now let me ask you something, Dad. He seems like he doesn't approve of running, does he?

No, I don't think he does. He sounds worried.

So why does he have his girlfriends running around the stage, then? Actually, I think they're jogging, but you know what I mean! If any gym teacher was there, I betcha they'd get on the case of girls wearing tight black pants and trying to run in them! That doesn't work well at all! And I'm sure that they could find something more suitable at Dick's Sporting Goods or something like that! Maybe they need to consult with Maria Sharapova on something a little more sensible! But it is a really cool song and I know why you like it so much, Dad.

Why is that?

He's wearing a shirt with a button down collar and a sweater. It's like he borrowed your wardrobe! Maybe that's why the Ghost of Del Shannon was poking around in your closet the other day!

I was wondering who that was. Okay, this is getting spooky, so maybe we should move on to the next song. We'll move up a few years. You'll be able to tell because the film is in color. You want to see some moves, Maria?

Yes, but it's not Benster, is it? Because I've seen plenty of him!

No, it's the Temptations!

Runaway Child, Running Wild

So, let me get this straight, Dad. They are looking for the runaway child, who's going wild, but they decide to tell the world this in their frilly collars that look like they cut up a bedskirt? They don't seem pretty convincing. I think it's the shirtmakers who went wild!

Actually, I've seen the Temptations wearing worse.

That's not surprising, Dad. You lived through the 1970s when everybody was at their worst. Even you and your Garanimals! Please tell me, you didn't wear the hippo shirt with the giraffe pants, now did you?

If I did, at least there's no photographic evidence of it.

That's because it's not polite to take pictures of fashion disasters, unless you're a paparazzi. Grandpa Ed wasn't a paparazzi, was he?

No, he was a business consultant, actually.

Well, spotting bad clothes is my business, so you'd better cue up another video, mister!

Okay. Here you go, then -- to the 70s, with Jackson Browne:

Running on Empty

Wait, are you sure that's the 70s, Dad? They don't look that ridiculous at all! The lady backup singer looks like she used a few too many of her 64-pack of Crayolas on her outfit, but really, that's not bad. When I want bad 70s, I expect you to step up your game!

I'll try a little harder next time, sweetheart. I hate to disappoint you.

Okay, well, I don't want to lose sight of our theme. It's about running away, right? So maybe we can look at the Beatles?

Run For Your Life

Hey, it's the Rock Band version of the Beatles! You know, you need to get me that game, don't you, Dad? Maybe you could get me that instead of my paycheck!

You were anticipating a pretty big paycheck, apparently. But if you're going to earn it, you need to critique the song, right?

Okay, well, those aren't really the Beatles on the video, but I will say that the Beatles were mostly well dressed, at least until 1967 or so, then they got a little weird. But I don't think they were as weird as Bootsy Collins. You did see that link I snuck in there, right Dad?

Sure. Everyone loves Bootsy. But he's not part of the contest. So now we return to the late 1970s. I have two from that era for you. First, let's go to 1978 and the debut of a band that made it very, very big. It's Van Halen:

Running With the Devil

So, David Lee Roth says he lives his life like there's no tomorrow? Well, there's no tomorrow when you're wearing a shirt with no buttons and then everyone starts chasing you and you end up in jail. That's running with the devil, all right! Maybe he should beg and borrow some buttons from Auntie Heidi! I'll bet she can fix him up!

Not a bad idea, Maria. I think a little careful tailoring is in order on that one. Meanwhile, a year later we heard this, from Pink Floyd:

Run Like Hell

Dad, you know what? That singer is kinda bossy. Telling people to clap before he even starts singing? Doesn't he have to earn their clapping? Next thing you know he'll be stage diving and telling people to catch him. Or maybe he expects the audience to make him a sandwich? I think I'd run, too!

Well, what's happening is we're running out of time for this one, Maria.

That's good news, because I was afraid you were going to break out this one. Or worse yet, this one.

I'm not that mean, Maria. I would never do that.

Thank goodness! Tell you what, people -- vote for your favorite in the comment section. Dad, I bet I know which one Gino is going to pick!

Maybe he'll surprise us, Maria. You heard the young lady -- vote! And no hiding in Illinois, either!

Do You Have Scott Walker in a Can?

I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part!

-- Otter (Tim Matheson), Animal House

By now you've likely heard that some lefty prankster got Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on the phone by pretending to be Mortimer Duke or something. I'm sorry, I had the wrong evil zillionaire brother. It was apparently David Koch, whom I fondly recall as a stalwart right tackle for the Green Bay Packers teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s. No, I'm sorry, I got that wrong. That's Greg Koch. David Koch is a zillionaire industrialist plutocrat who apparently is evil because he and his brother Sparky give money to Republican candidates, including Scott Walker.

Do I have that last part right? I guess Koch's brother isn't named Sparky. But it really doesn't matter. The point is this -- the brothers Koch are apparently shadowy figures who own the tea party lock, stock and barrel. They also own the right-wing blogosphere and, apparently, the mortal soul of Scott Walker. And until about two years ago, I'd never heard of either of them.

Why would that be? Well, Koch Industries is privately held and they don't put their brand name on that many things. I have not pursued a career in the businesses that Koch maintains. We have a company here in Minnesota that is quite similar, Cargill, which until the last five years never curried much attention in the news media. There are probably people out there who think that Cargill is evil, too, but as long as the McMillan and Whitney families stick to their knitting and ocean-going vessels filled with orange juice concentrate, they'll probably not draw too much fire. And, as always, I do appreciate the lefties letting me know who Emanuel Goldstein is this week.

As it happens, Walker took that phone call from a prankster who pretended to be David Koch. The call was recorded and has been bouncing around all day. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has helpfully provided a transcript, which you can read here. Of course, I do have a few thoughts.

First, I would be curious what the David Koch has to say about all this -- although I understand he favors libertarian causes, I somehow suspect he wouldn't refer to Mika Brzezinski as a real "piece of ass." Walker didn't bite on that provocation, of course. Hell, for that matter I wonder what Mika Brzezinski thinks of it. The one thing you can always count on from lefties is very casual, off-hand sexism, in the service of a greater good, of course. But I'm sure Mika is reassured that her looks can be used as a cudgel with which to belabor benighted midwestern politicians.

So what does it mean, really? Not much, I'd say. There's no "smoking gun" in the transcript that makes Walker into the Snidely Whiplash type that some folks imagine him to be. In fact, what's striking about it is how "on message" Walker remains throughout the call. Other than saying he'd "thought about" some false flag operations, which he (a) did not carry out and (b) reveals to someone carrying a false flag, or that there was a plan afoot to have the prodigal donks return for a meeting as a ruse to get a quorum call, there's nothing especially nefarious.

And what do these lukewarm revelations really do to change the needle? Not much, I'd say. The bottom line is that Walker's opponents are still in a very weak position. Walker doesn't have to compromise at all. Walker is also likely correct that if the hidin' Senate Dems have been accepting any money from outside sources to fund their little escapade, they'll have to answer to J. B. Van Hollen, the Wisconsin attorney general. That's not going to go well for them, either. They will have to come home. When they do, the vote will take place and Walker will get everything he wants. And the circus will move on to Ohio.

The conservative commentator Mary Katherine Ham put it quite well today:

“Between prank calls & running squealing from confrontation, it’s unclear whether left wants to make policy or attend my 12th bday party.”

That's about it. Fear not, though, fevered portsiders -- here in Minnesota, Brave Sir Mark Dayton will protect the public employee unions, all the way through June, at least.

Follow the Money

If you want to understand why what's happening in Wisconsin has been so contentious, it helps to look at this chart from Open Secrets, which tracks political giving for the past 20 years. Fully 12 of the top 20 political donors are labor unions. The largest public employee union, AFSCME, has given over $43 million, nearly all to Democrats. And of the top 20 donors, only one, the National Auto Dealers Association, significantly favors Republicans.

By the way, Koch Industries, which has lately become the big bogeyman for those on the Left who decry the influence of money in politics, sits at #84, while Target Corporation, much derided locally for becoming involved in the 2010 governor's race on Evil Tom Emmer's behalf, is not among the top 140 donors.

What Scott Walker is doing represents an existential threat to the way unions and the Democratic Party operate. It's clear, when you look at the numbers, that the Democrats absolutely, positively, gotta have union money in order to survive. And because they do, the Democrats are absolutely loyal to the wishes of their paymasters. Although it's been less remarked upon, the real issue with Walker's initiatives, from a union perspective, is that the sum of the reforms will make Wisconsin a "right-to-work" state, ending the closed-shop advantage that unions currently enjoy there. If the unions have to collect their own dues, they lose a lot of leverage. And the Democrats lose a lot of money. If I were dependent upon such a system, I'd fight like hell to preserve it, too.

Other major non-union donors, such as AT&T (#2) and the National Association of Realtors (#4), tend to split their money between the two parties. They are in the game because they operate in heavily regulated industries and the political money they provide is paid to the political parties for the same reasons that local shopkeepers might wet the beak of the local crime boss -- it's protection money.

It's a cliche, but it's true -- you'll never be able to get money of politics so longs as the politicians are a position to dictate how money is made. Poke around that list a little bit more -- you'll learn a lot.

Madison Time

Still there, of course. A few more thoughts:

• One thing does need to be said -- whatever you think about the merits of the situation on either side, and despite the irritating street theater and crappy behavior of the protestors, they aren't being irrational. If I had a sweet deal, I wouldn't want to give it up, either. The problem is the same as it always is in these cases: it's very easy to confuse your self-interest with the general interest. Which leads to the next two items:
• Writing in the Wall Street Journal (link is from Hot Air), Stephen Hayes asks a question for which he likely knows the answer. “In Tucson, the president called on Americans to honor the victims with a ‘more civil and honest public discourse’ that would ‘help us face up to the challenges of our nation in a way that would make them proud.’ Perhaps it’s unfair to expect him to answer for the offensive language and actions of Wisconsin’s protesters, though Joe Kiriaki is an Obama donor and Lena Taylor was an Obama superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention. But given his words just a month ago, is it too much to ask him to emphasize now that he meant what he said?” He didn't mean it, Mr. Hayes. And it is too much to ask.
• Ann Althouse, the UW-Madison law professor and blogger who has been following events in her neighborhood quite closely, notes how a teachable moment can go really, really wrong. As it happens, some of the teachers are now asking students to write an essay about what they did during their, ahem, break, hoping to incorporate "lessons about Wisconsin labor history." Althouse asks two really good questions. First, "What grade does a kid get if he says he demonstrated in favor of Scott Walker? Or if he says he stayed home and played video games?" You'd like to think it wouldn't matter, but can you be sure?
• Then there's this, also from Althouse: "Look, the teachers should leave the children out of their political struggle. They've already deprived them of nearly a week of the teaching they signed on to deliver. The students should receive, immediately, substantive educational lessons of the completely normal kind. Leave the politics, indoctrination, ideology, and political discipline out of the classroom. Children are required to attend school. The teachers who hold these young bodies and minds captive owe them pure, rich education. It's a disgusting violation of trust to do anything else. I can't believe people who are fighting to preserve their job benefits would even think to appropriate the children this way. It's mind boggling." It's only mind-boggling to someone who doesn't confuse their self-interest with the general interest.

A Fair Question

A brave and selfless teacher from Wauwatosa speaks truth to power and ups the ante by bringing Scott Walker's kid into the, ahem, debate:

Michael Mulvey, a high school algebra teacher in Wauwatosa — the town Walker represented for a decade in the Legislature here — lapped the circular balcony over the main floor with a sign that read, “Scott, I taught your son algebra. My son just turned 5. Does he deserve a good education?”

I suppose that's a fair question. As a parent, Mulvey has every right to pursue a high quality education for his son. If Walker gets by with forcing teachers to help fund their own pensions, how will Mulvey ever afford the tuition at Pius XI High School?

Meanwhile, Ann Althouse reports that Madison schools will be closed for the 4th consecutive day. Remember, everyone, it's all about the children.

Doctored Evidence

Both Gateway Pundit and Ann Althouse are reporting that a group of doctors have set up a booth near the Wisconsin state capitol building and are writing doctor's notes excusing protestors from work. Big Government has video.

I would hope that both the doctors and the public employees involved would understand that they are both defrauding the state government if they submit those notes. I would also assume that J. B. Van Hollen knows it, too.

I would have a lot of admiration for these public employees if they have the courage of their convictions sufficient enough to risk discipline from their employers for taking a stand. If an employee attempts to add fraud to their growing list of transgressions, to hell with them. And as for the doctors, I would imagine that professional sanction would be in order as well should those notes get turned in.

It's Saturday now. The notes presumably would not be turned in until Monday. Sunday is always a good day to examine one's conscience. I'd strongly recommend that anyone involved in this effort does that.

Now it gets interesting

The Tea Party is coming to Madison today. They'd have been there earlier but they weren't able to call in sick.

I have a feeling this is going to be a problem. Ann Althouse is worried, too:

Yes, the anti-Scott Walker side has its outside agitators. I don't think that necessarily helps the protesters win over the people of Wisconsin. (As I've said.) By contrast, Scott Walker and the GOP legislators have looked like they are focused on the public good, doing what needs to be done for the people of Wisconsin, which I think is a persuasive political message in Wisconsin. You want to switch that to Republicans versus Democrats in a hardcore political standoff? By bringing in your own outside agitators? Is that good Tea Party style? I don't think so!

Of course, we've crossed that bridge rather a long time ago and the stakes here are waaay beyond what happens in my home state. Althouse is arguing this a Wisconsin matter and should remain so:

And if you come in from out of state, I don't particularly want you here, but you need to know — whatever you've read about "thugs" and signs with cross-hairs and Hitler — Wisconsin people are really polite. If you don't understand that and behave extra-well, you will look like a lout — and that's even before the Democratic-friendly media do their usual work of trying to make you look bad.

I hope Wisconsinites do show up today — on all sides of the debate. Be there. I will. Let's be good citizens, interact with each other, try to understand what's going on and who thinks what, who cares about Wisconsin and who's there to take advantage of the spotlight for nonWisconsin purposes. May the greater good prevail.

A noble enough sentiment, I suppose, but Althouse knows this is only about Wisconsin in the same way that the Spanish Civil War was about Spaniards. (And no, I'm not comparing either side to the Fascists or the Communists -- just the dynamic involved.) For both sides, this is the tip of the spear and a proxy battle for larger issues. If Gov. Walker can get the public sector unions under control in the state where AFSCME got its start, there's little reason to believe that the change can't be replicated elsewhere. As we've discussed here earlier, Ohio and other states are watching very carefully.

On the other side, this has become a real test of public sector union power. That's really a distinction not worth making, though, since the union movement is mostly about public sector unionism these days. The key to this power is that the unions have such sway over the Democratic Party that when that D's are in power, the union is on both sides of the bargaining table when the matter of public sector compensation is involved. That is why public sector compensation has been been on autopilot for the last 20-30 years. It's also, as a matter of naked self-interest, a damned good deal.

I'm a heartless conservative so I fully understand the allure of naked self-interest. But pursuing one's self-interest doesn't require gaming the system. And since the system as it currently works puts my children on the hook for bills they'll be hard-pressed to pay, it's pretty easy to support what Scott Walker is doing.

Most importantly, the action the unions are taking are explicitly designed to nullify the results of the 2010 election. Walker's predecessor, Jim Doyle, was an old-school Dem pol who hosted a pretty good party for 8 years at taxpayer expense. Walker and the Republicans who now control the legislature were running explicitly on an anti-Doyle reform agenda. Because Wisconsin is a closely divided state politically, the vote was close, but Walker won the election pretty handily in most parts of the state. Wisconsin voters also sent Russ Feingold into retirement, flipped two congressional seats, the 7th and 8th, from blue to red, and narrowly lost in the 3rd. The verdict of the voters was pretty clear that change needed to happen. The public unions, through their ownership stake in the Democratic Party, refuse to concede that point. I don't think they'll get by with it in the end. But it's going to a tough fight in the meantime and what's happening in Madison will eventually happen in Columbus, Lansing and other places as well. It could even happen in St. Paul eventually, although AFSCME, Education Minnesota and the limousine liberal team have installed a firewall.

So for now, we'll just have to watch the show. And for my Wisconsin readers, if you're going to be in Madison, Mitch Berg has some excellent advice.

Three More Observations on Wisconsin

Two by others, one by me:

First, the others. Mitch Berg has a frequent commenter at his blog named "Terry," who made this observation:

I, for one, will not work until I am 70 so public employees can retire at 55.

Me neither. The editorialists at the Wall Street Journal offer the following:

Madison's school district had to close Thursday when 40% of its teachers called in sick. So much for the claim that this is "all about the children." By the way, these are some of the same teachers who sued the Milwaukee school board last August to get Viagra coverage restored to their health-care plan.

Now the last observation is a bit of a cheap shot, but it's helpful reminder of how important. . . well, you can write your own punch line for that. But the first observation is crucial. In this case, the children are props at best, human shields at worst and future wallets to be hoovered.

Now, my observation. It's 2011 and the hour is very late. Scott Walker has made choices to head off the coming crisis which strike people as distasteful. If the unions and their allies stop Walker now, the crisis will not go away and a future governor will have to make choices that are significantly more distasteful, and painful, than the choices Walker has made.

The Clock Tower 14

Lesson of the day -- don't make categorical statements. Why? Because they can bite you in the butt. Earlier today I made a quick post about what's going on in Wisconsin and wrote the following: No matter what happens in the end, the worst sin committed here was having the teachers bring their students down to protest.

What I didn't count on was this -- the Democrats in the state senate taking their ball and going off in a huff:

Democratic State Senators who protested the budget repair bill by leaving the state have been found.

The lawmakers are in the Best Western Clock Tower Resort in Rockford, Illinois.

They went to the Clock Tower because they must realize what time it is. They are also, apparently, immune from understanding how risible they sound:

According to the Twitter account of Democrat State Senator Chris Larson from Bay View, "For those looking for us, we are right here, standing with the people of Wisconsin."

Hey, if you're going to stand for Wisconsin, who doesn't think of doing it in Illinois? Who doesn't remember the stirring vision of Fighting Bob La Follette, progressive icon and pride of the Badger State, defending his handiwork from the parking lot of Ike's Motel in Beloit, just steps from the southern border? Our modern solons have taken matters to the next level, 20 miles south!

Meanwhile, Profile in Courage Larson has more to say on the matter:

When asked by TODAY'S TMJ4's Tom Murray why he would not divulge his location, he said "I don't want those details to take away from the message being sent by the people of Wisconsin."

The people of Wisconsin are getting Larson's message loud and clear, all right. Meanwhile, back at the Capitol, the reasoned behavior of the protesters is reassuring to those who are left behind:

Walker and Republican leaders have said they have the votes to pass the plan.

That didn't stop thousands of protesters from clogging the hallway outside the Senate chamber beating on drums, holding signs deriding Walker and pleading for lawmakers to kill the bill. Protesters also demonstrated outside the homes of some lawmakers.

Emphasis mine on that last part. The "we know where you live" gambit is always an especially attractive move.

It's not difficult to understand how things came to this pass. If Scott Walker succeeds in his quest to take back some of the power of the union, it will signal to every other governor facing a budget crisis, which is most of them, that it is possible to scale back the power of the public sector unions. Ohio Governor John Kasich is watching carefully, as is Nikki Haley in South Carolina. Governors who see the disaster that looms are taking action, with Walker in the lead. The whole world is watching.

Besides that, the Senate Dems in Wisconsin are hiding because they are utterly beholden to the swells who have spent the day pestering people in the state capitol. They cannot accept the defeat they received at the polls in November because they must continue to feed the beast. They must either come home carrying their shields and Walker's scalp, or they must be brought home carried on their shields. Given that choice, hiding out at a Best Western in Rockford probably looks pretty good.

Meanwhile in Minnesota, Gov. Brave Sir Mark Dayton is sipping his kombucha and pretending that he can rip $6.2 billion out of the hides of the most affluent wage-earning Minnesotans through a diabolically clever combination of his halting rhetoric, magical thinking and mesmerizing Marty Feldman stare. Or something. But that's another post.

Three Quick Thoughts About Wisconsin

Just three.

• Just a guess: these angered workers have more money in their pockets if their unions hadn't poured so much money into the losing campaign of Tom Barrett.
• Harold Meyerson gets his geography wrong. The scene in Madison is not similar to Cairo. It's similar to Athens.
• No matter what happens in the end, the worst sin committed here was having the teachers bring their students down to protest. If these teachers get their way, these students at the ramparts will be the ones paying up the wazoo for all the pensions and other benefits the teachers are demanding now. It takes a extra special sort of chutzpah to try something like that.
  

The Ginkgo and the Money Tree - UPDATED

[NOTE: I had to correct something that was wrong in this piece. See the note at the end.]

This spring, I'm getting a new male ginkgo tree in my front yard. And it's free!

Well, it's not really free. And therein lies a tale.

I'm getting a new ginkgo tree because local ordinances in New Brighton specify that single family residences must have a city-owned, city-provided boulevard tree. The boulevard tree on my property, likely planted when my house was built in the 1960s, was a green ash tree. The key word there is "was," because it's gone now. The city identified it as a weak tree at risk for the emerald ash borer (EAB) and, in an effort to keep other ash trees in the city from suffering the ravages of the EAB, the city cut my tree down last fall, along with 68 others in the city. The city will ultimately remove hundreds more trees and replace them.

Because the city decided to take this action, and because it requires that boulevard tree, the city decided to provide replacement trees for those whose trees were removed. Mrs. D and I have selected a male ginkgo, which is known for being exceptionally hardy and resistant to the rigors of disease and the hurly-burly of suburban life. It's believed that gingko trees in Hiroshima survived the atomic blasts of 1945. At some point in the spring, the city will come back to my property and plant the new tree. Male ginkgos are quite lovely and I'm sure we'll enjoy the new tree quite a lot.

I said it was free. It's not, of course. As the city mentions on its website, it has committed a lot of resources to this project. It has also lined up preferred contractors to handle treatment of additional ash trees that residents have on their property, provided guidelines for what should happen and how trees must be treated, along with requirements for removal if necessary.

The city took these actions because it felt it had no choice. As it happens, Ramsey County is now under a quarantine because EAB has been discovered in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul, an area south of the state fairgrounds and less than 5 miles from where I live. The standard view on EAB is that it is a grave a threat to ash trees as Dutch Elm disease was to the elm trees that were decimated throughout the United States in the 1970s and 1980s. In a number of cases, fallen elms were replaced by ash trees, strangely enough. And there are thousands of ash trees in New Brighton.

I'm of two minds about this. The expense involved in this project is pretty substantial for a small city like New Brighton, which has plenty of other problems to deal with. The city claims ownership of boulevard trees and therefore it does not require its citizens to pay for the cost of the tree. That seems equitable, although one could question whether or not the city should require boulevard trees. The city could easily have required residents to pay for the cost of the trees and even a portion of the removal costs, too, just as the city would assess us if they rebuilt our street. I don't know what the city paid to remove my old ash tree, but it was likely four figures. I'm glad they didn't ask me to pay these costs, but should my neighbors be subsidizing my new tree? While I have no doubt that the new tree will help me personally, will having a ginkgo tree on my boulevard improve the city enough to justify the expense?

These are the sorts of granular questions that cities, and citizens, must deal with. We are in the midst of a great debate now concerning what governments do and how they spend the money they collect. One of the larger questions hovering over the state now is the fate of Local Government Assistance (LGA), which has been a financial lifeline for some communities and a source of discretionary income for others. New Brighton was supposed to collect $65,619 in LGA monies last year, which is about what it likely spent on the first phase of this EAB project. As it turned out, New Brighton didn't get any money, as the link demonstrates. Minneapolis collected a lot more.

Mark Dayton wants to keep LGA pretty much intact, which might help New Brighton buy some more ginkgo trees for my neighbors next year, although not necessarily, since New Brighton hasn't received LGA in some years. Whether or not we can afford the LGA money tree is just one of many questions we need to answer in the coming months.

[NOTE: In the original version of this post, I asserted that New Brighton had collected $65,619. Upon rereading the chart, I realized that the LGA monies that New Brighton was slated to get did not, in fact, come to the city at all. In some respects, that result makes the story even more interesting as an example of how monies that are collected statewide end up being allocated elsewhere. Minneapolis was slated to get over $90 million, but ended up getting $63 million.]

A Profoundly Unserious Governor

Just a guess: Dan Hindbjorgen was in the recording studio yesterday afternoon.

I'm frankly at a loss to come up with the right term for the insane proposal that Mark Dayton uncorked yesterday. Steaming pile? 55-gallon drum of sewage? Dead raccoon in an interoffice envelope?

It's hard to come up with the appropriate imagery for the proposal we got from this profoundly unserious man, who has used his brand name surname to pursue a career in politics that has been desultory at best and risible at worst. Baird Helgeson and Rachel Stassen-Berger do their level best to carry Dayton's water in the Star Tribune:

Outlines of an epic legislative battle emerged Tuesday as DFL Gov. Mark Dayton unveiled a budget that would raise taxes on wealthier Minnesotans by $4 billion while requiring relatively modest spending trims.

Dayton said that under his proposal, nearly 95 percent of Minnesotans would pay no additional tax. Instead, only the top 5 percent of earners — about 138,000 filers — would see an increase in income and property taxes.

You caught that, right? If you're not part of the fortunate 5 percent, it's all good, right? No tax increase for you, boobie!

It's crap, of course. Dayton's explanation?

“This is about restoring tax fairness in Minnesota and asking our most affluent residents to help us out,” Dayton said, noting that in previous years, high earners have paid a smaller share of their income in taxes than the middle class.

Forget that fake politeness. Dayton isn't asking. He's demanding. If his plan were to go through and one of these evil Scrooge McDucks didn't pony up the dough, there would be legal sanctions.

Here's the thing -- even if Dayton's plan were to go through, it wouldn't generate anything close to the amount of money he claims it would. One of the greatest advantages of making a good living, especially in the modern era, is that a high salary or income is almost always the sign of having transferable skills. The talented professional, the entrepreneur, the rainmaker -- they have choices. They do not have to pay more money just because Brave Sir Mark stands before them. If you have the skills to make a high salary in Minnesota, you surely can make a high salary in Florida, or Texas, or South Dakota. But in those places you get to keep more of your money.

How much more money? Dayton is proposing a top tax rate of 10.95% and a "temporary" 3% surcharge on incomes above $500,000, along an additional property tax for people with especially nice homes. The effective tax rate for the recipients of Dayton's request becomes 14%, which is higher than anyplace else in the country. Do you suppose that's going to be a magnet for professionals and entrepreneurs to come to Minnesota? And if you ran a business and saw this coming, would you refuse to take Dan Hindbjorgen's phone call, because you love Minnesota so much that you're happy to pay whatever the hell Mark Dayton thinks you should pay?

Fortunately we now have a Republican legislature that will stop this insanity in its tracks. Helgeson and Stassen-Berger are correct that we're going to be looking at an epic legislative battle this year. We have to, because if Mark Dayton's proposal wins, Minnesota is going to lose.

The Green Banner

The last time we saw unrest in Iran, a number of bloggers turned their flag green, in solidarity with the color chosen by the protesters to the foul regime of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and his mullah handlers. Twice now such protests have been put down with massive shows of force and eventually most bloggers returned their flag to whatever color it had been before.

I never did, because I've always assumed that the protests would return. And in the wake of recent events elsewhere in the Middle East, the protests are back. And so is the iron fist of the regime:

Iranian members of parliament on Tuesday called for the death penalty against several opposition leaders who they say incited the unrest in the country.

At an open session of parliament, pro-government legislators chanted "death to Mousavi, Karroubi and Kahatami," referring to opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi and former reformist President Mohammad Khatami.

More than 220 lawmakers said in a statement that the trio should be held responsible for the unrest. "We believe the people have lost their patience and demand capital punishment" for the opposition leaders, the statement said.

Hardliners have long sought to put high-ranking opposition figures on trial, but the calls for the death penalty signaled an escalation in their demands.

I fully suspect that "the people" have lost their patience, but it isn't with Mousavi, Karroubi or Khatami. The mullahs are nasty, ruthless people and they have demonstrated that they have little compunction about killing their own citizenry. They might kill these men -- I have no doubt that they would if they feel that they can get by with it. And they might, for at least a while. This is not going away, though.