If you read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel or watched the local Milwaukee TV stations' reports on Monday's Joint Finance Committee state budget hearing at State Fair Park in West Allis, you would know little or nothing about the shameful behavior displayed by Republicans on the committee.

Thanks to my Flip cam, YouTube, Facebook and other social media tools such as this blog, we are able to let people know what really happened late in the day of that hearing.

The committee scheduled its hearing during the day and set an ending time of 6:00 p.m. With two minutes allotted per speaker, the committee ran out of speaker slips around noon. That means that anyone who had to work that day and could not arrive until late afternoon was not given the opportunity to speak. (They were allowed to submit written testimony, but people clearly wanted to speak directly to the committee members.) This, by the way, goes against the long traditions not only of Wisconsin government but of this very committee.

More than 1,000 educators and other public employees and workers showed up about 4:30 p.m. outside the hearing room, held a rally opposed to the Draconian cuts in the governor's budget and then filed into the hearing room. At 6:40 p.m., the Republicans on the committee cut off speakers, claiming they had other things to do. There were about 300 people still standing in line waiting to express their opinions on the budget. The few Democrats who serve on the committee agreed to stay behind and listen, but the Republicans walked out. If you look closely in the video below, you will see several Republicans who are targeted for recall walking out on the public. They are Sens. Luther Olsen, Randy Hopper, Alberta Darling and Sheila Harsdorf. The crowd chants, "Shame, Shame!" as the Republicans walk out.