The cost of the clean-up in the aftermath of the pro-union protests in Wisconsin's state capitol is estimated to be in the $7.5 million range, adding to the already cash-strapped state government's budget woes.

WITI-TV in Madison, WI, is reporting:

"It could cost as much as $7.5 million to repair damage protesters have done to the Capitol Building marble say officials in Madison. Fixing posters to the marble with tape and glue appears to have done the bulk of the damage.

"During testimony Thursday, a representative from the Attorney General's office said a contractor estimated it would cost $500,000 to remove all of the posters and garbage. He says it would cost $6 million to restore the marble inside of the Capitol building and another $1 million to touch up the marble outside of the building.

"Officials with the Department of Administration say the marble must be restored immediately. They say normally, tape isn't used on the walls of the Capitol by rule because of the historic nature of the building. Easels are normally used for signs."

Elected Wisconsin state officials have been concerned over the cost of the clean-up since before a judge ordered the building closed during non-business hours to squatting protesters, some of who were out-of-state homeless persons, cleaned-up by unions and bussed in for the protests to give the illusion of a substantially larger support base than actually existed.

Gateway Pundit is reporting that Senator Glenn Grothman, who was chased through the halls by aggressive union protesters earlier this week, and who had to be shielded by a Democrat State Representative, as saying to Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC's The Last Word:

"We're trying to keep people out of the Capitol because the building is becoming a pig sty. People are staying over night, the building smells. We used to have nice tours for children, all that's being shut down by a bunch of slobs taking up the building. We can no longer continue to have all these slobs in the building. It would be embarrassing to me to take my child through that building today. These people are not nurses, police, and firefighters, they are college students and hangers-on who are having a fun party. The people who are staying over night are largely making a mess of our Capitol. Why are we keeping people out? Because we do not want to have so many people there overnight defacing our beautiful Capitol. A very small percentage are police, and firefighters, and nurses. I think if you would interview all the people who are making a ruckus, the vast majority are either college T.A.s, college students, and hanger's-on...Or unemployed people just looking for someplace to hang out."

Editor's Note: That's $7.5 million that could have gone for education. Just another piece of evidence that the unions -- including the teachers unions -- couldn't give a damn about the actual education of Wisconsin's children.