A Bloy and his Blog

The clever signs and costumes people come up with during the recent protests in Madison have been great. Here are a few from last Saturday.

read the rest of: This is what creativity looks like

Today at the Capitol, farmers from around the state brought their tractors in to protest the Governor’s proposed budget. I heard news reports of some coming from as far as 200 miles away.

read the rest of: Farmers and tractors and crowds, oh my!

I really should stop looking at reader comments on news websites. The vitriol posted by some people makes me wonder how the human race has survived this long. But the most frustrating are the comments along the lines of one I saw today:

“The election was last November. Get over it, and honor the democratic process!”

Our duties as citizens in a democracy don’t stop after we cast our ballot. We are obligated to stay in contact with our representatives and let them know how we feel they should lead. Anyone who thinks their responsibilities are over after election day does not understand the principles of a representative democracy.

To the elected leaders of my beloved State of Wisconsin: As it is the citizens’ duty to speak out, it is your duty to listen and represent us — all of us, not just the ones who voted for you. Hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin citizens are speaking out. Listen up!

With the few inches of snow Madison got yesterday, came the realization that winter has seemed especially long this year. Like this snow covered basketball court, I’m anxiously waiting for it to end.

Saturday brought the largest number of protesters so far, an estimated total of 65,000 people.

While the Tea Party held their rally near the south entrance (estimated at 3,500 people), those of us against Governor Walker’s proposals marched around the square.

read the rest of: 65,000 strong

With the protests against Governor Walker’s budget bill going on for the third day, I felt compelled to go to the Capitol after work.

read the rest of: This is what democracy looks like

Waiting it out until spring.