Cheesehead Solidarity

Hola! Yesterday, February 26, 2011, over a thousand of us cranks gathered in front of the Roundhouse, New Mexico's capitol building in Santa Fe, to demonstrate solidarity with Wisconsin's public employees. Carol and I sported cheeseheads! But we weren't the only ones. One New Mexican had a block of green foam on her head, proclaiming herself a green chile cheesehead! Others wore U Wisconsin red and white clothes, union jackets, and maybe because it was a little chilly, union suits as well. It was a mixed crowd–people of all ages and backgrounds, kids, people with walkers, and, being Santa Fe, a number of politically active dogs. It wasn't terribly well organized, but in a way, I think that made it an even more genuine outpouring of support for Wisconsin's public employees–and a protest against conservatives' wave of middle-class bashing all over the country. Some readers may be in agreement with the Republican governor's union-busting agenda, but ... what can I say ... we're a democracy, not (yet) an oligarchy or corporatocracy–officially, anyway. School teachers, union members, and immigrants haven't caused our budget crises. Rather, the country's financial problems are the result of hideously costly, unnecessary wars; a "defense" department that spends more on armaments and military personnel than all other nations combined; failure of the federal government to regulate the banking industry and financial institutions; and in our state at least, state government's allowing multinational corporations like Intel, Walmart, GE, etc. operating here to take their profits out of state. Many internet companies doing business here–Amazon, for example–don't pay sales taxes or employ local people–as do small business owners like moi. Moreover, the superwealthy don't pay their fair share of taxes, unlike salaried workers. So THERE IS MY RANT DU JOUR!!! Love 2 All!! Tortilla Marta Photos by: Johnny Lorenzo