In a scene reminiscent of the protest by workers and Democratic lawmakers in Wisconson, thousands of pro-union workers showed up, and are continuing to arrive by bus, at the state Capitol in Indianopolis, to voice their opposition to the Republicans' effort to ram through a controversial 'right to work' law.



Speaking by phone from outside the Capitol, Ohio AFL-CIO Communications Director Mike Gillis said, "People are continuing to pour in here. There are over a thousand in there now and more buses are arriving with workers coming from all over the state."

Also, for the second day in a row, the GOP was unable to push through the legislation because House Democrats failed to show up for a vote, preventing the legislature from conducting any business. The state House of Representatives requires 67 members present for a quorum and Democrats hold 40 of the 100 seats.



Democratic lawmakers, who overwhelmingly oppose this new legislation, are staying out of session in protest.In addition to the workers at the Capitol voicing their opposition for the second day in a row, the phone lines of lawmakers are flooded with calls from people, from all over the state, who are expressing the same opposition sentiment.

In a very Walkeresque manuever, Republican governor, Mitch Daniels tried to squash the protest and Democracy, by limiting the number of people allowed in the Capitol to 3000, including the people who work there.



“It now appears the governor will do anything to silence the thousands of Hoosiers who oppose this plan,” Bauer said, “including abandoning concepts of free speech and assembly that are the founding principles of government.”



" We refuse to let the most controversial public policy bill of a decade be railroaded through with the public being denied their fair and adequate input," Bauer said. Unless GOP leaders agree to hold hearings throughout the state on the right-to-work (for less) bill, Democrats won't be coming back anytime soon, he added. Republican Speaker Brian Bosma tried three times yesterday to gavel the House into order, but each time no more than five of the 40 Democratic members were on the floor. He claimed the GOP effort to ram through the bill was critical for fixing Indiana's economy.

Democratic House leader Patrick Bauer of South Bend described what Democrats are doing as a "ilibuster, not a protest or walkout."



As anger over this attempt intensified, Daniels caved and had to rescind the order. Democratic lawmakers are demanding extensive, statewide hearings, while the Republicans want to fast track this anti-union legislation.The democrats are "caucusing" and are only sending five lawmakers at a time, to be in session. It's hard not to appreciate a politician, with a sense of humor.

The timing of this stalemate, is potentially problematic for Daniels. Indiana has spent millions of dollars, sprucing up the city in advance of the upcoming Super Bowl, being played at Lucas Oil Stadium. In addition to sports fans, hundreds of media outlets will be combing the city for a story.

In less than one month, Indianapolis will host Super Bowl 2012. Though the Super Bowl will last just a few hours, the Circle City has spent $100,000 in advertisements to lure tourists the week before the big game. Indianapolis is pulling out all the stops to create a complete Super Bowl experience that extends far beyond the Lucas Oil Stadium. "We're bracing for 150,000 visitors," Chris Gahl, vice president of marketing and communications for the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association, told the International Business Times.

Indianapolis police plan to clear its streets of homeless people for the Super Bowl, angering advocates who want to see money for the million-dollar event help those without a place to live. According to WRTV, Indianapolis will step up its efforts to disband the city's unofficial homeless camp and remove panhandlers from the sidewalks. Law enforcement officials say they're not just pushing the homeless out of sight and are trying to find them shelter. But advocates want additional resources for the homeless from the funding the city is allocating for the Super Bowl. "We've observed that the Super Bowl committees have spent an awful lot of money to do things to make our city attractive," Gilbert Holmes, executive director of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, told the news outlet. "But how much of those resources are being dedicated to help those people who are

homeless?"

While the city spends $100,000 on advertising to attract tourists, the homeless are bracing for their version of the Super Bowl experience.

Today on Ed Schultzs' radio show, he took a call from a very eloquent and passionate woman, who made him aware of what was taking place today at the Capitol. She went on to talk about the radical Republican agenda of Mitch Daniels, which mirrored what Walker's done in Wisconson. ( one billion dollars slashed from the Education department) He let her speak and kept her on through two commercial breaks, so that he could jot down all the information.

She told him that Indiana needed him to highlight what was happeneing there, like he did in Wisconson and Ohio. She asked him to bring his show to a pro union bar, which is apparently a hotspot of pro union activism. I think she made the case because he had only one question, after he promised her, he would stand tall for the workers of Indiana.

"Do they serve cold beer?"