Republicans are using the midwest state as a testbed for radical right policies. It's not pretty

it is Wisconsin politics that should be concerning all Americans, and it is no laughing matter.

Wisconsin is rapidly becoming a disturbing showcase of where America as a whole is headed, as Tea Party political ideas takeover the Republican party. What began as a ragtag scattering of conservative activists two years ago is now starting to have real political power and putting its anti-government, slash-and-burn ideas into practice in ways that impact millions of Americans.

Wisconsin is at the cutting edge of that transformation. Under its Tea Party-favoured new Republican governor, Scott Walker, and with a state legislature that recently flipped from blue to red (that is, from Democratic control to Republican), it is pushing a rightwing agenda that is shocking to American progressives. First up is an astonishing attack on unions. As part of spending cuts ostensibly aimed at digging Wisconsin out of a budgetary mess, Walker wants to brutally strip-mine state workers' benefits and pensions. He has also launched a full-frontal attack on the collective bargaining rights of 175,000 state and local employees, allowing workers instead to negotiate only over salary. It is a shocking attempt at union-busting that has caused outrage – and scores of demonstrations across the state.

Yet, in the face of that, Walker threatened to call out the state's national guard. But union-busting is only the beginning.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/feb/16/wisconsin-republicans

in the sea of Red.

and outside of it in Illiopolis. My dad grew up in Gibson City and my mom's family is from Peoria. I have uncles in Champaign and Kankakee, my grandmother's family is from Rantoul, and there is a town on Route 97, just north of 116, named after my great great grandfather. My parents met at SIU and my mother has been a pastor in Viola, Farmington, and Princeton.

North, south, east, west...I know Illinois. The pockets you talk about are like those little change pockets on jeans: sure thing they are there, but nobody recognizes them for what they are.

(you got that I was joking, right?)

since more than 55% of the population of Illinois lives in the Chicago land area.

Even Illinois has become part of a disturbing trend.

also add that there is a focus upon "voting" methods and rules also. They want to make sure these States will go (er.... show) their way. This is serious hardball.

Teabaggers are just the current day useful idiots.

...anyone who says they are a Democrat, not just "progressives."

best interests at heart.

Sadly so many of those people are ignorant, and will not find enlightenment in their preferred media infomation source (fascist FOX)

...wholeheartedly. I am reacting to articles where "progressives" are singled out as the ones who are shocked, amazed, bedazzled (okay, I haven't actually seen that last one) instead of Democrats as a whole.

THIS is totally different.

WI has a state government that has lost its mind. SC and AZ are headed in similar insane directions.

And I think that at the state level, we can see Egypt-like protests that STOP crazy Tea Party nonsense.

on the "regular" Americans that the Tea Party pretends to support. They are aided and abetted in this attack by the media that has dissolved into the worst kind of propaganda machine.

I may also add that there may be a geographical factor as well...insofar as the righties seem to have an inveterate sense that the midwest is the "real" America, and thus this is where they'll make their stand. The whole teaparty thing would seem to solidify this sentiment.

Amen.