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Today's Poll!Protests converge at Missouri Capitol
Tea Party, union groups rally on opposite sides of building
"Tea Party" supporters gather on the south side of the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on Saturday to rally together. Several hundred people attended to support the group, one of two factions gathering to rally on Saturday. Photo by Deborah Cote.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
It was the tale of two rallies Saturday at the foot of the Missouri Capitol.
In response to the growing tension regarding the fight over unions’ right to collective bargaining in Wisconsin, Missourians took to the seat of state government to either show support or outrage at the debate.
Depending on what side of the building you were on during the cold, dreary afternoon in Jefferson City, there were either cries of “Pass the bill!” and “Show them the boot!” or “Solidarity!” and “Workers’ rights!”
The first rally of the day, which involved the conglomeration of tea party groups from around the state, garnered a crowd of approximately 150 people.
An hour after the tea party’s rally began, members of MoveOn.org — flanked by teachers, members of several different unions and representatives of groups like the Sierra Club — gathered around the fountains on the north side of the Capitol to address a crowd of more than 200 supporters.
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Comments
TheRickster 2 years, 3 months ago
So the little croud gets the picture? In our state,the tea party could only muster a hundred plus??? Pretty weak. Looks like the unmoral non-majority trying to run the rest of us. The truth folks,,you keep making more control,,smoking illegal,, all the drugs crimes,,mandatory sentences,, somebody has to pay for police,,lawyers,,judges,,court time, and the incarseration. Look at just the budget of the penal system! Cutting taxes and keeping regular services is a poor sight. You all want your special ideas paid for without being taxed. It doesn't work that way people. You get what you pay for. And if you demand it somebody has to pay. But not you Teaparty folks right?
tonto 2 years, 3 months ago
Don't forget all those hugely overpaid prison guards and foofy unnecessary social workers that our tax money is wasted on. I am sure the prisoners would stay put with a lot fewer guards, and people would stop taking drugs and neglecting their kids if we'd just leave them alone. If there was a need for those employees, private industry would find a way to ... (sorry, I can't go on like that.)
ConcernedCitizen 2 years, 3 months ago
If you would like to see the protest on the other side of the building, which was significantly larger although perhaps less organized and well-funded as the Koch brother-backed tea party, you can see watch this video: youtube.com/watch?v=WiMEyTrWni8
PS - Tribune staff, your comment area allows you to add links and then blocks parts of the address.
online_editor 2 years, 3 months ago
We understand the block is terribly inconvenient for legitimate participants but it's a spam blocking thing. They get on here with automation and post hundreds of messages with their shopping site addresses unless we employ various tricks. --Rick Brown, online editor, News Tribune
rmsberengaria 2 years, 3 months ago
Stop with the Koch brothers. How about lets talk about the all the George Soro's funded groups like...."Move on dot org" and all the other Progressive/socialist groups he supports do you want a list? Tea parties are plain folks, just keep those blinders on! Oh, and keep watching MSNBC and the ilk of Ed Schultz the most hateful loud mouth Socialist out there!
rmsberengaria 2 years, 3 months ago
Not lied to by any "right wing sources" looked at the same site you posted. You must of looked at something different than I did.
sdrcda 2 years, 3 months ago
a two second web search allowed me to find out opensecrets.org's 2 biggest donors are Soros's Open Society and the Joyce Foundation. But I'm sure it is unbiased
rmsberengaria 2 years, 3 months ago
Yes, hkchas I saw the program myself and knew that it was misquoted. Fox was wrong and so was Sheppard Smith!
rmsberengaria 2 years, 3 months ago
Of course the opposition.....will brush that off and come up with some excuse....maybe even attack opensecrets.org! Facts mean little to Union thugs and their agenda of world Socialism, just check out the banner of the (ISO) International Socialist Organization and the AFL-CIO posters in Madison WI. funny but they look the same and they are with fists not open hands of peace!
rodinman 2 years, 3 months ago
You wrote, "In our state,the tea party could only muster a hundred plus??? Pretty weak." Well the other side only had about 200 people -- Pretty weak. (In your own words).
JenniferLane 2 years, 3 months ago
If the News Tribune is still as right-leaning as it was when I lived there (which was very hard right), I'm not sure I would take the word of one of its reporters about how many were there representing the Union side. Kind of like Fox being "fair and balanced." Another aspect might be that those who would have liked to attend on behalf of the unions were at work--yes even on Sunday. Your wealthy tea-partiers would hold positions that enable them to have weekends off to attend these events. Same thing if it was held during the week. Those most likely to support the Union workers would not be able to leave their jobs to attend a rally--their Tea-Party Republican bosses would never allow that.
rmsberengaria 2 years, 3 months ago
Just keep up the old class envy game......Oh, and keep in mind there are only 7% of the private sector in unions but 36% in Public sector Unions and that 9 out of the top 15 PAC's are contributors to Democrats are Unions who pick the old boy and then pay 99% of the workers due's to get him elected rather than funding their own pensions. Oh, and don't forget all the Dues going into the hands of the few Union Thug Boss's pockets. But of course you will dispute Facts and attack the messenger, the Liberal/progressive/socialist way!
rmsberengaria 2 years, 3 months ago
But, friend the top 15 Pacs/special interest groups on opensecrets.org show 9 of them are UNIONS and they donate 99% to Democrats. And if you look those oil/gas/special interests pac's do not donate almost 100% to Republican either!
wyriontair 2 years, 3 months ago
Having been in a Union years ago (against my will), I can truly say, Unions are the "parasites" of the middle-class. It's mostly non-Union workers that work weekends, they don't walk off the job because someone tells them to go yell talking-points, call people horrific names, and trash anyone that doesn't believe their way. This whole thing started in WI, where teachers and other Union members walked off the job resulting in no school for one thing. Their Democratic Senators left the state avoiding debate and votes, abandoning the job they were elected to do. Shame on them for acting like children, they and any lawmaker that does that should lose all pay, benefits and a special election should be held to replace that person. I would also suggest JenniferLane actually watch FOX News instead of following the talking points of their competitors and the Democratic Party. Expand your horizons and watch all the channels coverage of this debate, it's been quite enlightening
connor 2 years, 3 months ago
That picture was taken before the official tea party got underway. I would say about 11:30 or so from where I am standing. After noon hit I wondered over to see what the other protest was up to and I would say due to their bussed in unions they did have the upper hand numbers wise by maybe 50 or so just like the article points out.
I am not a member of the tea party BTW but these opposing rallies should fill the union parasites with dread. Most people on the tea party side came because they felt it was the right thing to do and knew about it by word of mouth only or reading blogs. Not so the union protesters, some came in a buss, some were given marching orders by their unions. This Koch brothers funding claim is simply the union entitlement bias showing since they cannot conceive of people protesting for something other than their own financial benefit.
As an observer who admittedly dislikes public sector unions and therefore has some bias the end is none-the-less clear that battles are won in the will and those with the purest motives will prevail. No wonder the union leeches are scared.
rmsberengaria 2 years, 3 months ago
Connor good post well said. Adding do these Union people ever take their blinders off long enough to wonder why there are only 7% in Unions in the private sector or even wonder why government cost so much, with 36% of the Public sector in a Union. Or, arcane rules requiring prevailing wages for government construction, shuts out non union companies on bidding and adds 24-36% to the cost, and it all comes out of their and the hard working peoples pockets!
Rik 2 years, 3 months ago
My wife and I stopped by to hear some of the speeches and watch the rally. It sure looked a lot bigger than the photo revealed. I counted almost 200 in the Tea Party crowd, but people kept showing up. The MoveOn folks had about 200 for sure. The speeches on the south side of the Capital were interesting and displayed a wide range of opinions from establishment GOP to independents to other groups. The funniest thing we saw was a union supporter carrying a sign that said "Unions are people." Here's your sign...
PatriotPT 2 years, 3 months ago
A one side shot of a small portion of a crowd, of course it looks small. The Tea Party organized this rally in 72 hours. Unions have been organizing for how many years now and were still upstaged by a few independent grassroots organizers. Plus the union group had to bunch up with a $49 sound system. The Tea Party group was able to spread out and still hear with a rented sound system, paid for out of their own pockets. In addition all of the patriots drove on their own accord and were not bussed in from St Louis. Right to work petition circulated around collected 170 signatures and the person passing the petition said they were unable to get to everyone. All indications of the crowds from independent, non AP sources estimated both sided at approximately 250-300 each.
The Rally, named "Restore Common Sense" was intended to bring exactly that idea into the discussion. Emotional arguments about people losing a small piece of the pie and taking over the Capitol in Wisconsin in an obnoxious and loud attempt at intimidation will not be tolerated in Missouri. The Restore Common Sense rally seeks a return to civil discussion and lawful deliberation, rather than thuggery and protection of luscious entitlements by a few. Unions claim to represent workers. But in Missouri 12% are union. The other 88% of working people are paying most of the bills. If we say we can no longer afford certain entitlements afforded to a small minority of workers, we mean it.
While the report in the actual News Tribune was more informational, it still lacked some of the objective journalism that would have developed major differences as outlined above and provided a reader with a more rounded education of the issues.
rmsberengaria 2 years, 3 months ago
Very good Patriot. Am sure some Union thug left winger will get on here and post some attack on you rather than dealing with the issues.
onlineidentity 2 years, 3 months ago
The more I think about it the more I am for Union rights and against Unions. I know that sounds contradictory, but I believe that at their core unions are good things, which allow workers to have a voice and protects their rights, The problem as I see it is that unions have become more political parties than the workers rights organizations of the past. No longer do they necessarily simply stand up to keep the worker from being objectified and raked over by corporations, but instead exist in order to make sure their members always "get whats theirs."
There are times I have heard of both anecdotal as well as documented where a union stood up for a member simply because they were a member and prevented action be taken against them. The fact is there are times that people simply deserve to be fired. From what I hear, the NEA is horrible about this, and will almost always take a teachers side, to the point that it can take a protracted legal battle to fire a teacher.
The problem is that this same organization is also the one who will defend a worker who is being fired because of a personal difference with the administration or management. In this case membership in the group is invaluable.
My problem with the actions in Wisconsin is mostly with how it is being done. Walker is attempting to curtail the rights of workers under the smokescreen of balancing the budget. When he was directly asked if he would accept a compromise where workers took all the fiscal cuts he was asking for but retained their rights he turned it down. Yet at the same time to the press what is always said is that this is the only way to balance the budget.
CallawayTeaParty 2 years, 3 months ago
HEY! HEY! HO! HO! Union welfare has to go!
Great article! Pic is awesome too, caught me with my mouth open (like that's never been done before), hahahaha. If the Coke bros. (whoever they are) are paying us, they owe me 11 months of back pay!
While I'm glad some big money is getting behind some conservative ideas (fair tax) I think it pales in comparison to the money the leftists have spent just this year in continuing the dereliction of fiscal responsibility. Good LORD! Who cares if our kids are a little chubby? Of course they are! They have been promised union jobs and don't have to go outside and learn how to be competive! That's the progressive way! Equal results no matter how hard you try! JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE CHUBBY DOESN'T MEAN THE 1st LADY SHOULD SPEND BILLIONS ON IT! The common sense thing to do is turn the boob-tube off! Doesn't cost a dime! Problem solved!
~ and that's just one small example of common sense. There are many others, just read Proverbs.
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