There has been much discussion on boycotts of Walker supporters all over but we have not gotten into it much here. This story about the Johnsonville Brat Fest in Madison, is the one that made me think. The World\'s Largest Brat Fest is a Madison staple on Memorial Day weekend. It is a charity event put on by Johnsonville brats and local Grocery store Metcalfes.
For those who have not attended, it is a big weekend party with cheap brats, “celebrity servers”, good music and the Madison Marathon. The problem this year is that Johnsonville employees gave alot of money to Scott Walker(and Joe Leibham) and the Metcalfe\'s also donated to Scott Walker. (to be fair, Metcalfe only gave $500 to Walker in the primary and has a history of bipartisan giving). Still the combination of the two have people reconsidering attending this year.
Let’s be real about this also, this is an issue because the people who made up the crowds at the capitol protesting are the people who make up the crowd at the Brat Fest. Your probably not going to find the typical Walker supporters like Scott Jensen and William Gardner loading up on the Kraut.
One thing that gets missed in the boycott talk, is that people still have to spend money. For example, when I pass on Kwik Trip(another Walker supporter) I still need gas, so someone else gets my business. That being said, there are now alternatives to people who choose to pass on Brat fest this year. There is a Virtual Alternative Brat Fest (which benefits Second Harvest Food bank).
There are some people also trying to organize a one-day Alt Brat Fest on May 29 in Orton Park, 1103 Spaight St.
Parks event staff are recommending approval of the event, which also has the support of Ald. Marcia Rummel, District 6.
In addition to the Weary Traveler, Alchemy Cafe, 1980 Atwood Ave., and the Underground Food Collective, 127 E. Mifflin St., also are helping to organize the event, Dainty said.
Money raised will benefit Community Shares of Wisconsin, which supports 63 nonprofit organizations. A donation would also be made to Friends of Orton Park if the Alt Brat Fest takes place there, Dainty said.
My take is everyone makes decisions every day on where they spend their money. The decisions that they make benefits one business at the expense of another. It is perfectly logical for people to support businesses that support them in return. When the middle class of Wisconsin supports companies like Johnsonville Brats, they are supporting people and companies that do not support them in return(irregardless of this tax write off).
I personally would like to see the Walker campaign give the Johnsonville donations to the Brat Fest charities and thus avoiding the whole problem. If this does not happen, I would not tell people to stay away from Brat Fest, BUT my family and I will be attending the Alt-brat fest.
One Disclaimer: I will not defend Johnsonville nor Kwik Trip, but I do think the Metcalfe Boycott(or even discussion of it) is unfair to the Metcalfe’s. I do not think they belong in the discussion of major Walker supporters.
I understand exactly what I write. Johnsonville and walker are not just ” choosing” to not support unions, they are on a mission to destroy unions.
I never said they dont have the right to support whoever they want. They absolutely do. But when you are supporting someone who wants to destroy my way of life and the middle class in this country, why would I spend my money supporting them?
As a cancer survivor myself, the face that these people want to limit who has access to first class healthcare disgusts me. Personally it trumps all other issues for me.
And yet you have no problem with abortion mills like Planned Parenthood who teach that murdering babies is an acceptablke practice for birth control.But please explain how is YOU paying more for your healthcare is going to limit your access to healthcare? Are you saying without your union you would not have access to healthcare?
I abhor abortion but I will never tell a woman what she can and can’t do with her body anymore than I will accept anyone else telling me what I can do with mine…
Planned Parenthood does a lot of good to support healthy reproductive choices for women and other health concerns like pap smears and testing for stds. If everyone who was opposed to abortion got behind preventing pregnancies in the first place we’d all see the number of abortions performed in this country decline significantly.
And those who get on their high horse and suggest that we defund PP because the perform abortions as part of their services (3% of their services which can not legally be provided via federal funds already) because it allows them to divert their other funding to providing abortions…I find that same line of reasoning valid for denying voucher school participation to religious schools…I don’t want my tax dollars supporting religion.
And I do not approve of my tax dollars supporting government run indoctrination camps known as the public school system.
Notalib wrote:
“And I do not approve of my tax dollars supporting government run indoctrination camps known as the public school system.”
Wow!!! I had NO idea just how “deep in the fringy Kool-Aid”, Notalib was. . .
This is the kind of thing that you see on the hard-right, off-the-deep end websites like PatriotActionNetwork.com fka Resistnet.org. . .Holy Cow, Notalib!!! You’re farther “out there” than I thought.
Notalib, I think that you missed your generation. You truly belong back in 1950s’ America, maybe even sitting next to Joseph McCarthy, looking for Commie pinkos under every rock or in every classroom. Jeeeeeez.
Exactly what kind of “indoctrination” do you claim occurs in the public school system?! Be specific, huh?
Before you answer, please take off the tinfoil hat, okay?
The interesting thing about public schools nota, is that they are public. And guess what? You can have a direct say in how they are run…really!
Sorry Ed not true I was involved in my kids schools when they were growing up, was on the PTO, went to school board meetings. I had a lot to say, but in the end the control stayed with the teachers and the school board who work hand in hand to control the education of the kids. They take parents suggestions under advisement and once the parent is gone so is the idea, they are not going to hand control of their schools to outsiders.
I have never been to bratfest. I live in Madison, but I don’t like crowds of people and esp. not MOBS. Go ahead and go eat some brats. No eat a LOT OF BRATS. They are about as unhealthy as anything you can eat. Same thing for cheese unless you are eating some specialty cheese that is lower in salt and fat. I’ll just donate to one of the charities instead.
I will be donating at least $100 to a local food pantry instead of going to brat fest and clog my arteries any more than they already are. American Corporations love America SO MUCH. Maybe they should start paying taxes like I have to do.