This is the first time that normal citizens had a chance to speak on the biggest and most widespread political scandal in Wisconsin history. They resoundingly said that this was a profound violation of the public trust.

For the first time, normal citizens focused on this issue, weighed the evidence and found their public trust was violated.

It's almost as if legislators are outsourcing one of their primary duties of drafting laws, and they're allowing the private sector to take over that responsibility. This is a full-time Legislature. You'd think that would be something that, rather than give lobbyists the primary duty to draft legislation, our full-time legislators should be doing.

People have become very disgusted with state government in a state where we once took incredible pride with how clean and honest government used to be. I think it's really thrown a lot of people for a loop.

I think if we were to go through these trials and pleas and there is no incarceration, it might be viewed by the public as much ado about nothing.

It would be hard to see how the other defendants are going to escape any penalty given what's happened here.