Wisconsin is not broke.

Governor Walker came into office saying how the state was broke and we were all going to have to make sacrifices. What he failed to mention was that the state wasn't broke until he gave away tax breaks to corporations as one of the first things he did when he came into office. Here's several stories proving that Wisconsin is not broke & Walker is lying.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says Wisconsin is broke (Politifact)
Donna Brazile said that the Wisconsin governor proposes tax breaks for business (Politifact)
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he campaigned on his budget repair plan, including curtailing collective bargaining (Politifact)
Unions aren't to blame for Wisconsin's budget (The Washington Post)
Follow up article from The Washington Post:
Wisconsin's fiscal condition (The Washington Post)
America Is Not Broke (Michael Moore/Huffington Post)
Wisconsin's Pension Fund Among Nation's Healthiest (Huffington Post)
Wisconsin Power Play (Paul Krugman/NY Times)
Really Bad Reporting in Wisconsin: Who 'Contributes' to Public Workers' Pensions? (Tax.com)
Walker gins up ‘crisis’ to reward cronies (The Cap Times)
We're Not Broke: The Truth about the Wisconsin Budget, Taxes And Governor Scott Walker's Phony Fiscal Crisis -PDF FILE- (Institute For One Wisconsin-A local non-partisan research organization)
Legislative Fiscal Bureau general fund revenue and expenditure projections -PDF FILE- (Legislative Fiscal Bureau)

And in May the so-called deficit magically turned into a $636 Million surplus:
Wisconsin budget gets $636 million boost (Fox)
#Wisconsin finds $636 million in couch cushions (The Maddow Blog)

The Public sector myth.

We've all heard the news stories claiming that teachers & other public-sector workers are paid much more than their private-sector counterparts. That simply isn't true. Here's a few articles to dispel that myth.

Don't join the government to get rich (The Economist)
Are Wisconsin's state and local workers overpaid? (The Washington Post)
For Anyone Who Thinks Wisconsin State Workers Are Overpaid... (Business Insider)
The Wisconsin Lie Exposed – Taxpayers Actually Contribute Nothing To Public Employee Pensions (Forbes)
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul says the average public school teacher in Wisconsin makes $89,000 in salary and benefits (Politifact)
DAILY SHOW: 'Cribs: Teacher Edition'

William Cronon & ALEC

William Cronon is a professor professor of history, geography and environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was the first one to expose the ALEC connection to GOP policy not only in Wisconsin, but in all of America. This piece is the best place to start in learning about how ALEC works & how they influence our Government & shape policies.

Who’s Really Behind Recent Republican Legislation in Wisconsin and Elsewhere? (Hint: It Didn’t Start Here)

His op-ed for the New York Times:
Wisconsin’s Radical Break

Shortly after he exposed the ALEC connection, the Republicans tried to destroy his reputation in a McCarthy-esque manner by using the Freedom of Information Act to gain access to his e-mails.
Academic Intimidation (NY Times)
Wisconsin Professor’s E-Mails Are Target of G.O.P. Records Request (NY Times)
Scott Walker’s Office Seeks Access to Critical Professor’s Email (Forbes)
NYT Editorial and Other Coverage of Cronon Open Records Case (William Cronon's Blog)

Cronon's response:
Abusing Open Records to Attack Academic Freedom

Support from Republicans & others:
An Open Letter to Governor Walker and Stephan Thompson from a Loyal Republican 

And finally the UW's response:
University of Wisconsin-Madison Strives to Balance Public Records with Academic Freedom 

And here's a bit more on ALEC:
ALEC: The Voice of Corporate Special Interests In State Legislatures (People For The American Way)
ALEC's role in setting legislative agenda deserves scrutiny (WisPolitics.com)

Vuvzuelas aka 'Freedom Horns'

At the beginning of the protests they just didn't seem loud enough, so one fateful Sunday night at Maduro (where I dj every week) some friends & I were talking about how vuvuzuelas would be a great way to ramp up the volume. I made an initial order of 100 Badger Red ones & gave them away at cost. I ordered 100 more and from here on out I've been known as the 'vuvuzuela guy' for better or for worse. Glad my love of soccer was good for something!

Here's a few stories about it. 

In Wisconsin, a jarring new note in discordant debate (from Reuters)

DJ Nick Nice imports vuvuzelas for Wisconsin protesters (video) (from Isthmus) 

The New Activists: The Mixer, Nick Nice (from Isthmus)

Vuvuzela Wiki (check out Protest usage) 

Alinsky Tactics (conservative blog)

The Vuvuzela, a cultural symbol or an annoying plastic horn, or both? 

Kicking it off...

So I decided to start a blog because my Facebook page was getting a bit out of control and so many of the items I've posted over the past several months were getting lost in the news feed with no easy way to find them again. I figured this way people could use my blog as a resource tool to hopefully find the stories they're looking for. In February I wrote an un-edited note on Facebook that I shared with my friends. One of our local newsweeklies, Isthmus, picked it up later that day and published it on their website. I felt this would be a good way to kick things off.

DJ Nick Nice: It's time to be 'peacefully aggressive' towards Scott Walker