In The News
A Lesson for Wisconsin’s School Children About Being Stepped On
From a Labor Press Reader
Posted November 29, 2011
On Thanksgiving Day, as much of Wisconsin and much of the country watched the Green Bay Packers take on the Detroit Lions before digging into turkey and stuffing, an outrageous thing happened. Ndamukong Suh, the huge defensive tackle for the Lions, stomped on a Green Bay Packers lineman as he lay on the ground and then pretended it didn't happen.
The problem for Suh was that everybody saw what he did. Other players saw it, the refs saw it, the announcers saw it and little kids, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles watching at home saw it. Even league officials saw it, suspending him without pay for two games on Nov. 29.
It was obvious what happened, the replays showed it. After the game (one that he had been kicked out of, by the way) Mr. Suh denied that he did anything wrong and tried to flip reality on its head by claiming that he was merely trying to keep his balance.
Unfortunately, Wisconsinites have seen this kind of behavior before. This past spring Scott Walker slashed $1.6 billion in education funding from Wisconsin's public schools and then pretended that he hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, he made the incredible claim that he was merely balancing a budget -- even though funding in other areas was increased.
The problem for Mr. Walker is that people in Wisconsin can see what is happening for themselves. School districts across the state have been forced to hire fewer teachers and fewer staff. These are the facts -- a recent survey of school districts provided irrefutable evidence.
Incredibly, Mr. Walker sticks to his denials and even claimed that the majority of districts hired more staff. Schools are the same or better, he's said. But according to a PolitiFact piece in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the governor's "fuzzy math turns reality on its head." Schools are hurting because of Walker's actions and everybody in touch with reality knows it
What Mr. Suh and Mr. Walker have in common is that they are learning that facts are indeed stubborn things. Where they differ is that under the weight of the evidence even the snarling Mr. Suh finally saw the light and apologized for his actions.
We're still waiting to hear from Mr. Walker.