The capitol had been sealed off to people on the outside, leaving a small number of protesters left inside the rotunda. Either way, the Democrats’ departure has left Republicans here in Madison up in arms. Many were unshaven, with deep bags under their eyes. The unions are not to blame for the deficit, and stripping unionized workers of their collective bargaining rights won’t in and of itself save any money. With 15 Democrat speakers still to go, and the traditional motion to end debate not yet raised, Republican leadership sneakily called for a vote and opened for the voting process. Speaking of which…. part time for economic reasons, at 6.1 million, changed little in February but is up by 1.7 million over the year. Walker says he needs to strip the unions of their rights to close the gap. For much of the day they’ve limited access to the building, letting more people exit than they allow in. Took the slices to go as you can imagine the place was packed due to location I’m guessing. Breitbart’s speech before the pro-Walker contingent was a long ramble, bouncing from one strange topic to the next. I’m thinking you’re paying for the area. Walker was slated to unveil his new budget in conjunction with a speech on Tuesday, but now wants to push back the release until next Tuesday. Adam also has a story on Jeff Cox, an Indiana deputy attorney general who has called for the use of “live ammunition” against Wisconsin protesters. Barca’s assault was a long-winded one that went on and on, and it was followed by a angry rebuttal from the Assembly speaker, Jeff Fitzgerald. was not good, it wasn't fully reheated, and had a huge drop of cheese on it that when you cut into it became a sloppy mushy mess. [emphasis mine]. (Here’s William’s racist letter in full.). Donate now. The sign said Brooklyn Pizza and it was lunch time. The reviews about “they're not wearing masks” are ridiculous. Here’s an excerpt: The call reportedly arrived from Cairo. Not one employee in the place was wearing a mask. At the same time, Walker has given the 14 state senate Democrats in hiding a 24-hour ultimatum to return to Wisconsin for a vote on restructuring the state’s debt. It’s time to come home…Make your case; make your argument. So me,my wife and family friends had lunch there. Here’s what Fitzgerald said, via Think Progress: Well if [Democrats] flip the state senate, which is obviously their goal with eight recalls going on right now, they can take control of the labor unions. Then go over to gelato time for the best gelato on St. George St.More. Check my Twitter feed for up-to-the-second updates. Emceeing the main 3 p.m. rally was actor and Madison native Bradley Whitford, known for his role on the show “The West Wing” and the Adam Sandler flick “Billy Madison.” Guest speakers included Mary Bell, head of Wisconsin’s main teachers union, Peter Yarrow from the band Peter, Paul, and Mary, the Episcopal bishop from Milwaukee, and a host of union leaders and Wisconsinites. “Kill the bill!” the protesters chant en masse, day after day, while the drums pound and cowbells clang. UPDATE 17, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 8:00 p.m. CST: Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker sure knows how to stick to the message. UPDATE 3, Saturday, Feb. 19, 8:25 a.m. CST: When the Madison protests erupted last week, public school teachers, who would lose their collective bargaining rights under Governor Scott Walker’s budget bill, walked out of their classrooms, shutting down local schools. pizza...was not good, it wasn't fully reheated, and had a huge drop of cheese on it that when you cut into it became a sloppy mushy mess. UPDATE 12, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 7:10 a.m. CST: Another night in the Capitol, another night of peaceful, quiet protest by the hundreds, if not thousands, of labor supporters camped out in Wisconsin’s Capitol building. No the credit card sticker was in the window. With a deafening crowd chanting “tell the truth” just down the hall, Walker refused to budge on his controversial budget repair bill that would, among other things, strip public-sector unions of their collective bargaining rights. And Wisconsin has closed a much larger budget gap in the past without scrapping worker organizing rights. That was the best Breitbart could muster. UPDATE 6, Sunday, Feb. 20, 8:55 a.m., CST: I’m sitting in a breakfast joint a block from the Wisconsin capital building, the stately makeshift home for thousands of labor protesters who’ve been participating in the events of the past. “The bottom line is that the things I’ve said are things I’ve said publicly all along,” he said. Fastest pizza yet. Walker’s hiring of Wackenhut quickly became a nightmare. Of course, it appears doubtful that even a crowd of 100,000 here in Madison will sway Republican Governor Scott Walker or the handful of GOP senators thought to be on the fence about Walker’s controversial budget repair bill. Here’s one ambitious idea labor folks floated last night: Taking the Senate Democrats a multi-city tour, drumming up support for them and organized labor by taking them on the road. Plans are already under consideration in places like Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. Labor and other left-leaning groups seized on Walker’s incendiary threat, and within a week there were close to 70,000 protesters filling the streets of Madison. Children were at school. UPDATE 30, Monday, Feb. 28, 5:17 p.m. EST: The two-week standoff between pro-labor protesters and Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker is taking a political toll. Meanwhile, both Democrats and Republicans are heaping pressure on each other to relent in Wisconsin’s two-week budget standoff. Are you sure you want to delete this question? … “No person should have to face the loss of their rights or the loss of their jobs,” Trumka said. In a hypothetical rematch with his 2010 Democratic opponent, Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett, 52 percent of those voters say they’d opt for Barrett, while 45 percent picked Walker. Home; Menu; Contact Us; Our Location; Puyallup Pizza Time, The absolute best value in pizza! RIA PIZZA + WINE (02) 8080 9640 [email protected] 71A Macleay Street, Potts Point Sydney NSW 2011 VIEW MAP OPENING HOURS. (7) if I do get the ‘in’ I am going to do my darnedest to get podium access and take the mic to do that rant from there…with any luck and if I can manage the moments to build up to it, I can probably get a cheer out of the crowd for something extreme. UPDATE 21, Friday, Feb. 25, 9:06 a.m. CST: A few minutes past 1 a.m. this morning, Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly used a sneaky procedural trick to end debate and blast through Republican Governor Scott Walker’s budget repair bill. It was a grim scene, with Democrats yelled “Shame!” as GOPers passed the bill and went home. UPDATE 20, Friday, Feb. 25, 8:08 a.m. CST: The battle is one-half over. Wisconsinites can partly thank Walker for that deficit, after he pushed through tax cuts in a special session earlier this year. If the national movement comes together, it will be one of the biggest moments for American organized labor in decades. The governor blasted the 14 state senate Democrats who’ve fled the state as a way to prevent Walker’s bill from passing. “We will win!” and the Badger victory song, “You rock. Not sure if I’d seek this place out again perhaps if I wanted a quick dinner. “We have become symbols of hope to hundreds of thousands of people,” said Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar. At the very least, it’s helpful to know that this isn’t the first time Walker’s held public jobs over the cliff’s edge to get his way. Huge slices are well worth the price. I wanted a whole pizza for my family, when they said they only sell by the slice I should have left. Self serve soda. Barb parked their Prius at home, and Dave taxied them in their John Deere. Just like that. “Members were running up to the tractor, saying, ‘You’re my CSA! The Democrats left the state on February 17, around the time massive protests organized by labor groups erupted in Madison in opposition the budget bill. By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from Mother Jones and our partners. The Republicans have taken the pieces of Walker’s legislation that affect unions—including eliminating bargaining rights for most public-sector unions—and made them into a separate bill which they claim they can pass without Democrats being present. That’s even more true in politics,” he said in a campaign statement [emphasis mine]. What’s really going on, as Kevin Drum has explained, is pure partisan warfare: Walker is trying to de-fund the unions that form the backbone of the Democratic party. Moore, a last minute addition to the rally roster, flew from New York in the middle of the night to march with firemen and other union workers. But that’s not all! Not even a sausage pizza which is a basic option. More than 100,000 people descended on the Wisconsin state capitol today to protest Republican Governor Scott Walker’s controversial budget bill, a 144-page piece of legislation (PDF) that would eliminate collective bargaining rights for most public-sector unions. Late last month, one union umbrella group, the South Central Federation of Labor of Wisconsin, said it would contemplate organizing a strike by its 97 member groups, which represent 45,000 workers statewide, if Walker’s bill banning collective bargaining rights passed. Plenty more retirees. On Saturday, a fleet of them descended on the square surrounding the Wisconsin state capitol building in one of the largest protests of the past month. Labor groups cried foul, and demanded that someone from labor appear on a show this weekend. Musical instruments, drums and brass, filled the rotunda with noise, like a high school pep rally. Outcome #4: Walker could put off the final fight over collective bargaining until spring. The week’s milestones were discussed: Walker’s budget speech; capital access restrictions; an assemblyman tackled by police officers; desks moved outside so Assemblymen could meet with constituents; the Americans for Prosperity bus tour across Wisconsin; Fox News caught in lies and the disappearance of their tent from the square; and the fear of pink slips. The hundreds of amendments offered by Assembly Democrats amounted to more of a stall tactic than actual debate over the bill’s components, a way of drawing out the process in hopes of killing the ban on collective bargaining for many public-sector unions in the bill. Here’s one worth keeping in mind: Walker’s bill would make radical changes to Wisconsin’s BadgerCare, a health-care program for uninsured, lower-income families with children under the age of 19. So big was the crowd this afternoon that foot traffic on the streets surrounding the capitol ground to a halt on several occasions, the tens of thousands of people left to stand in the frigid cold. Republicans have said sufficient notice was given for the meeting, citing the Senate chief clerk who wrote in a statement (PDF) that “the notice appears to have satisfied the requirements of the rules and statutes.”. Stephanie Mencimer reports that activists are bussing into Madison, and are “promising a massive counter-demonstration.” The push is being led by American Majority, a conservative activist group that trains impressionable young foot soldiers to become state-level candidates (check out their “”I Stand With Scott Walker Rally” Facebook page). Although opposition hasn’t been erased from protester language and a fight is still inside of them, the grief I could hear in people’s voices was a thin thread within newly found strength. Only 3% of the Republicans we surveyed said they voted for Barrett last fall but now 10% say they would if they could do it over again. His political career has been bankrolled by Charles and David Koch, the very rich, very conservative, and very anti-union oil-and-gas magnates. The first suit challenging Walker’s bill is scheduled to go before a judge tomorrow. Protesters flood the streets of Madison surrounding the state Capitol building on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011. which have members who are more likely to support Republicans, closed a much larger budget gap in the past, has been bankrolled by Charles and David Koch, any of eight GOP state senators who are eligible for recall right now, Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker’s controversial budget bill, full story on the four endgames in Wisconsin here, Did Scott Walker Get Crank-Call Pwned? Today, however, people moved slower. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and not in the labor force who currently want a job. “This is what democracy looks like” was the most commonly repeated rally cry, heard throughout the capital rotunda, around capital square, down Madison’s State Street, and inside office buildings, restaurants, and schools.