Being an Ann Arbor city employee is nice work if you can get it

Jebus how times have changed. I can remember when I was a kid growing up in Ann Arbor that being a cop, fireman firefighter, or most other city employment was definitely considered "blue collar work" albeit decently paid blue collar work. Now Ann Arbor cops, firefighters, bureaucrats, and etc. are like unionized royalty. More than a few are making a $100k plus a year now. No wonder Mayor King Hieftje had to trim so many of them from the payroll. We just can not afford them at this level of pay and benefits. But if you disagree with that assessment why then you're just a Tea Bagger, RethugliKKKan, conservatarian asshole who hates working people and wants them all to starve while working for minimum wage until they drop, while their houses all burn down.

Tempt fate often enough...

University of Wisconsin law professor, blogger and bon vivant Ann Althouse was attacked while filming a protest in Madison. The cops, as usual, were worthless, useless, and fat. Althouse needs to have about three or four six-foot plus tall friends to accompany her on her capitol grounds patrols to watch her back. These bullying types are totally willing to use violence to silence their critics. The attack is on video on her blog. Althouse has been fearlessly covering the whole semi-permanent protest/mob/demonstration scene at the Wisconsin state capitol that has been going on since January. It was bound to happen. Just sayin'.

No union for grad student research assistants at Michigan MERC* rules

Hail to the victors!

They're not "public employees" within the meaning of the term as decided in a 1981 ruling. That's a bitch. Grad student research assistants are treated like dog shit. Badly paid dog shit at that.

* Michigan Employment Relations Commission

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Police and firemen are a necessary evil at best.
"Apparently," says libertarian journalist Steve Greenhut, "Americans are desperate for heroes, even ones who only occasionally act heroically and who are paid handsome sums for their heroism ($100,000 retirements at age 50, three-day work weeks, paid while sleeping, salaries with overtime that often top $200,000). There's not much sacrifice going on here. But perhaps the more the public sees the response, or non-response, to fires in places such as Roseville, the less apt they might be to continue with this silly hero worship."