Around the Midwest Missouri’s reputation appears to be close to that of Mississippi.

The photo. On the north side of the capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri on February 26, 2011.

Last night we received a communication from an editor at the Wisconsin State Journal asking for permission to use a photograph that appeared in one of our February pro-labor rally stories.

Rallies in Jefferson City, Saturday, Feb. 26th: organized labor or teabaggers – photos (February 26, 2011)

Voices of Organized Labor in Jefferson City on February 26, 2011 (February 27, 2011)

The request from the Wisconsin State Journal:

We are in the midst of a six-day series about the union/collective bargaining/budget bill going on at the state Capitol now.

Our story for Thursday is comparing Wisconsin to Missouri, and the differences in how state government and public employees are treated. I am writing to request permission to use one of the photos from your website from the Feb. 24th [26th] rally at your state Capitol…it’s the one of the woman with a shirt that reads: “Wisconsin teachers educated me…”

We responded that we would give them permission and sent them a higher resolution version of the image. The photo appeared along with the story this morning. They credited the photographer and Show Me Progress:

Labor’s last stand? Missouri a prototype for Walker’s policies

Labor’s last stand? Missouri a prototype for Walker’s policies [larger image]

Okay, you say, big deal, we got a photo credit with another news organization. That’s a story?

There’s more. Some of the comments accompanying the Wisconsin State Journal story are cringe inducing:

I live in WI for a reason, because it’s nice to live here. If I wanted to live in a dump like MO then I’d move to MO. I’m happy to pay for a nice state to live in.

Ouch.

I’ve known some people from Missouri and I dread the day we have an educational system like theirs.

Ouch.

Wow this state is turning into Missouri a.k.a the worst state in the area? I’m sure this makes the un-educated republicans very pleased to see education is being thrown on the back burner!! I swear that inbred fox valley area just keeps growing and growing like cancer!!!!!!

Hey! Two words. Joe McCarthy. Wisconsin had Joe McCarthy, Missouri has John Ashcroft. McCarthy didn’t sing, so we’ll call it a draw.

The point is ,we need to be more like Missouri- in fact we to out-Missouri Missouri. They have a lot a meth labs – we need more here! Poor education in Missouri ? I think with Scott Walker’s culling of our own LAZY, UNION THUG teachers we will be able to overtake them there too. Environment?, please. I’m thinking of changing my own oil over a storm drain today. Let it run in the lakes !! If we put our minds and hearts into it , we can do this. because in the end , our taxes will be lower , and that is truly what’s important.

And, our General Assembly just loves puppy mills.

I lived in Missouri for about a decade. It’s a fine state with mostly friendly people and has a lot going for it. I miss it in some ways. But there are reasons I moved back to Wisconsin eight years ago. One of them is the education system…

I think the teacher of the woman in the picture forgot to tell her you only capitalize the first word of each sentence. So much for the union teacher.

Uh, it’s a protest sign, not an essay. So much for critical thinking skills in Wisconsin. Score one for Missouri.

I prefer UW quality over U of Missouri. I prefer strong elementary and high school education and don’t care to lower our standards to Missouri. I prefer Wisconsin the way it is. I’m willing to pay for that. Walker please move to Missouri and implement your backward thinking ideological policies there.

We don’t want him. We’ve already have more than our share just like him here.

After the posturing is done reality will hit. Truth is we will be lucky to sink only to Missouri’s level…

That really hurts. We’re the low bar right before abandoning all hope?

…we can do better than Missouri- we want to be like Mississippi.

It’s nice to have standards.

She spelled all those words correctly? That’s surprising. I think a non-union teacher asked her to insert “of.”

Again, it’s a protest sign.

All that disdain hurts. After all, some of us live in Missouri.