Saturday, February 19, 2011

Photo: Forward, Wisconsin

I was through Madison, Wisconsin last September while en route to Vancouver. It seemed like a city I could get behind, geographically and culturally - it sort of reminded me of Peterborough with a state government attached. Its motto, "Forward," is appropriate - back in 1924 it was the bedrock of support for Bob LaFollette's Progressive Party, and it's not as if its politics have firmly tilted the other way since then. I explored the surroundings of the Wisconsin State Capitol, marked by well-maintained plants and the statue of Lady Forward.

But tilt they have, and today you probably couldn't get this picture - even discounting the differences in seasons - because from what I understand, these the grounds of the Wisconsin State Capitol are packed by people 24/7, protesting against Governor Scott Walker's opportunistic attempt to take advantage of a budget shortfall and strip Wisconsin's public sector trade unions of their collective bargaining rights - among other things.

People, it can be said, aren't too happy. It seems that people in Wisconsin want to go forward, not backward.

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1 comment:

  1. Thank you, Andrew! You're right, the grounds of the capitol were packed with people 24/7 back in February and March. The funny thing is, we're still here -- we've just spread out a little. But we continue to valiantly fight the worst governor this state has ever seen. Many of us do come to the capitol on a daily basis. We have a noon hour Solidarity Sing Along (look us up on facebook). We're in our seventh straight month of singing! Your photo of Lady Forward is now a year old, but she hasn't aged a bit. I took a picture of her yesterday, and it looks much like yours (same flowers, too).

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