The war of the rich and their political allies against the rest of us, poor and middle class alike

You've got to see this powerful speech by Sen Bernie Sanders about the war of the rich and their political allies against the rest of us. Funny thing -- I didn't see this on the evening news. But C-SPAN and internet updates are better than nothing. Pass it on!

Underneath the Capitol holiday tree -- one more train for Scott Walker to try and kill?

I took this photo under the holiday tree in the Capitol last year. Under the tree is this little electric train. Not exactly high speed rail, but it zips right around and delights kids of all ages.

The holiday tree lighting ceremony takes place this Friday, Dec. 3, presided over by Gov. James Doyle and First Lady Jessica Doyle, one of the last public acts of the Doyle administration before Scott Walker takes office in January.

Walker's objections to the outgoing governor's support of high speed rail are well known. State Rep. Mark Pocan wondered what would happen if Walker used the same reasoning about a lame duck governor whose party had been rejected at the polls presiding over the tree ceremony. It resulted in this hilarious post on Pocan's blog, in the form of a mock letter from Walker to Doyle. I especially liked the part about the train.

Finally, there is the matter of the train running around the tree. It must be stopped. It goes nowhere. It does not go there fast enough. Not enough people are riding on it. It is a boondoggle. I ask that you use it to fund roads and to reduce the deficit. Send it to any other community. Just make sure it no longer reaches Madison.

Next time Walker strolls through the Capitol, I do hope he notices the words written on the side of the engine, inside the Wisconsin map -- "Grow Wisconsin." You don't grow Wisconsin by dismantling our transportation infrastructure.