Nice dimples....
Posted on 02/21/2011 6:07:40 PM PST by mdittmar
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Union members, students, parents and even former presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich rallied in Olympia on Monday, taking advantage of the holiday to lobby against budget cuts and to show solidarity with Wisconsin's embattled union for state employees.
The Washington State Patrol estimated that 2,000 people rallied under the Capitol Dome, said KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Senior Political reporter Essex Porter.
Washington state employees chanted, sang songs and waved signs in the Capitol Rotunda in a rally supporting unions and state employees in Wisconsin. Ohio Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich addressed the group wearing a union T-shirt from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Several other groups took advantage of the Presidents Day holiday to demonstrate -- college students urging funding for higher education and the Washington State PTA asking legislators to protect students from budget cuts.
Last week, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker targeted public employees in a massive budget cut proposal, calling for cuts to their benefits and limiting their ability to collectively bargain on wage issues. Walker has said his proposal is about cutting state and local spending for years to come, but acknowledges that if approved, it could cripple unions.
Kucinich said he hoped the rally in Olympia would ripple across the country to show solidarity to union workers in Wisconsin.
"You cannot have a democracy if you don't have people in a position to be able to negotiate for their wages and to have decent benefits," Kucinich said, lauding Washington as being a "bastion for workers' rights," where people have the capacity to push back.
Washington is one of the most unionized states in the country, according to a January U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.
Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, reminded the crowd that collective bargaining ended child labor and created the 40-hour work week.
"Collective bargaining is not the problem," she said.
Most state employees have Monday off and Tuesday is an unpaid furlough day.
oh,wait, Governor Chris Gregoire is a Democrat,my bad;)
You may want to read your own post a little more carefully.
Could the demos be any more like Greece??
why?
Take lotsa pics.
These are the people we must get (and do bad things to) after the great collapse.
Communist union greed is not pretty. They are scared. Very scared. Americans need to keep the pressure on the commie union thugs. The handwriting is on the wall. Americans are going to end the union greed and bullying.
Selfish leftist Union hacks + reduced government revenues equals brat children on steroids.
Government unions = ANTI-democracy
It seems as though Gregoire isn’t involved except for nebulous budget cuts which the article doesn’t specifically identify as Wash. State budget cuts...it was a show of “solidarity” with Wisconsin leftists, or so it seems.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich needs to head back to Ohio and pay his fines! What a shock! A dem has done something untowards!
Queen Christine looks like the Grinch, if you ask me. I really fear for my teeth sometimes living in this state...the grinding I do...aarrgghh!
Chaos and turmoil in the Middle East and the Middle West at the same time? Coincidence? Or Soros?
By their very nature:
Unions = Communism
That's odd,she's doing the same thing the Governor in Wisconsin is doing.
Say WA? Evergreen State ping “You cannot have a democracy if you don’t have people in a position to be able to negotiate for their wages and to have decent benefits,” Kucinich said, lauding Washington as being a “bastion for workers’ rights,” where people have the capacity to push back.
I guess Kucinich desn’t know what a democracy is.
After years of watching the private sector get obliterated I have no sympathy for these gravy-train riding dreamers and their concerns.
As a Washingtonion residing on a well guarded mountain top, located approximately 3 hours west of Seattle, I bow my head in shame and offer my heartfelt apologies to my once great and free nation.....
“We Suck”, should be our state slogan.
Sorry, I didn’t get that from this article...good to know, though, and surprising.
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