Budget Hearing: SHAME, SHAME, SHAME

What a stunning turn of events!

People/protesters were upset that they ALL couldn't speak at the budget hearing held at State Fair Park yesterday.

They started chanting, "SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!"

Where have I heard that before?

For one, I heard the Democrats in the Wisconsin State Assembly scream it.



From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

It was the third of four hearings around the state held by the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee on Walker's proposed budget. And like earlier hearings in Stevens Point and Superior, the turnout was in the hundreds, rather than the thousands that some expected.

Only hundreds, not thousands?

Is the movement losing steam?

In all, about 270 speakers signed up before registrations to speak were cut off about 12:30 p.m., according to Ted Blazel, Wisconsin Senate sergeant of arms.

Though committee co-chairs Rep. Robin Vos (R-Burlington) and Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) had said they planned to end the meeting by 6 p.m. - a plan that drew criticism from Democrats - testimony was allowed into the early evening, and everyone who signed up to speak had done so by 6:30.

A crowd of hundreds of people who had rallied outside the expo center came in late demanding to speak, but they had not registered by the noontime cutoff, and Vos adjourned the meeting after hearing from all of those who registered. As he and Republican legislators left the room, there were shouts of "let us speak" and "shame."

Vos said he had to end the meeting because he was scheduled to attend a Wisconsin Conservation Congress meeting in his district.

No hearing would have been long enough to satisfy the Democrats and their union allies.

It was guaranteed that they would complain about not being heard.

This "SHAME, SHAME, SHAME" chant is getting to be a joke.

Their rallying cry is akin to a tantrum that's lost its effectiveness, like when the parent simply ignores the screaming child and he finally quiets down.

Acting with some decorum would be a smarter move. Calm and controlled is better than crazed.

As Rep. Robin Vos said, "While many people wanted to speak, and we gave an opportunity to several hundred, many more are going to be able to testify through written communication or electronic."

He's absolutely right.

Time is finite. It's unreasonable to expect public forums to go on indefinitely. Everyone who wants to speak can't always be accommodated. That's not trampling on democracy. It's what we call the earthly limits of time.

Citizens do have other ways of communicating their concerns to elected officials.

Back when Russ Feingold held elected office, he didn't allow his listening sessions to go on forever. The former senator had a strict policy - "up to an hour." Read the rules here. Dems didn't complain then. The union thugs didn't erupt.

Of course, Democrats Chris Larson and Lena Taylor had their lines rehearsed. Whenever the hearing ended, they would object. The chants would begin. The fists would be raised.

Larson and Taylor would ratchet up the rhetoric once again.

Larson tweets:

Public hearing shut down. Republicans sneak out the back to shouts of "shame" from the 100s in crowd

And this:

Pictures of people who showed up but not allowed to testify are being put up on empty chairs.

Like that bit of theatrics was just spontaneous. Sure.

More from Larson on Facebook.

Also on Facebook, Taylor wrote:

To Milwaukee and Wisconsin waiting at the budget hearing to heard:

"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

Right.

Rage, rage, shame, shame, shame, rage, shame, rage, shame, shame, shame, shame, rage, rage, rage, shame, rage, shame TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!

Video, from FOX 6: