182 results for author: Middle Wisconsin

PROTECTION FOR STATE RETIREMENT FUNDS

By Pew Trusts https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2017/11/basic-legal-protections-vary-widely-for-participants-in-public-retirement-plans State and local pension plans hold over $3.6 trillion in retirement fund investments for participants and their beneficiaries, with returns on these investments accounting for an estimated 60 percent of the money paid out in pension benefits each year. In recent decades, public pension funds, in a bid to boost returns, have shifted funds away from low-risk, fixed-income investments—such as government and high-grade corporate bonds—to a greater reliance on equities and ...

CONFOUNDS THE SCIENCE

LYRICS to CONFOUNDS THE SCIENCE (Written by Don Caron – Music by Simon & Garfunkel) Hello darkness my old friend. It’s time for him to tweet again, but first he’ll have to check in with fox news ‘cause that’s the only place he gets his clues. That’s how things get planted in his brain, where they remain, and it confounds the science. The problem is he’s not alone. He tweets to people on his phone that global warming is a giant hoax perpetuated by the liberal folks, and he hires people that all think the same, that play his game and it confounds the science. When he talks to crowds of four he sees ten thousand ...

POINTS TO CONSIDER ABOUT STATEWIDE VOUCHER FUNDING

By WEAC (Wisconsin Education Association Council) Some observers suggest that because school districts can increase the levy on local taxpayers to offset losses in state aid that go to voucher schools, there is no need to make the public aware of these transactions. There are, however, several important points to consider about the funding. The public has a right to know where its tax dollars are going. Without transparency, there can be no accountability for how dollars are being spent, or for the organizations that are receiving subsidies. School district budgets, including all revenues and expenditures, are completely open to the ...

BARGAIN BASEMENT TEACHING LICENSES

By Union Labor News There was a Cyber Monday deal this year that surprised a lot of people who care about public schools. A little Atlanta-based outfit you probably never heard of, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE), was having a doorbuster. On Wisconsin teaching licenses. That’s right. For the bargain price of just $1600, you could sign up - online - for an online program that would get you a bona fide teaching credential in the state of Wisconsin in just ten months. Without ever having to set foot in an actual classroom. No student teaching. No clinical hours in a classroom. No state-mandated ...

February Events

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5 Luther’s Revolution: 500 Years of the Protestant Reformation 7 p.m. Zion Lutheran Church, 700 N. 2nd Ave., Stratford Jeff Kleiman (UW-Marshfield/Wood County history professor) will discuss the influence of Martin Luther on Christianity and on European culture from a historical view. Free (all donations appreciated) Sponsors: The Larry and Elsie Lohr Fund, UW-Marathon County and Murco Foundation, Wausau, WI. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6 NORTH CENTRAL ORGANIZING CO-OP Celebrate the accomplishments of 2017 5:30 p.m. The Labor Temple (The Grand Hall) 318 S. Third Avenue, Wausau, WI, phone 715-848-3320 ...

Why Not You?

(From Union Labor News, December 2017 You can follow Union Labor News on Facebook.) It’s time for workers to run for office. Someone like you would be best. Why? Because the culture wars are soon going to wrap up and we are going to need some common sense candidates with a track record of good judgment, friendliness, hard work, and community participation. The Republican candidate for governor of Virginia embraced the Trump cultural agenda of division, distrust and dysfunction and was thoroughly trounced in a state that regularly elects Republicans. One of his main election issues was the fate of statues left over from a war that ended 152 ...

Hunger and Homlessness Sumit

HUNGER & HOMELESSNESS SUMMIT ON JANUARY 24 U. S. Representative Sean Duffy (WI-07) will host his fifth annual Hunger & Homelessness Summit on Wednesday, January 24 in Rothschild, WI. This year’s summit will feature an interactive presentation on Congressman Duffy’s “Rural Relief Initiative” and healthy families, healthy housing. Keynote speakers include: Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson Nan Roman, President of the National Alliance to End Homelessness Expert Panelists include: Deputy Secretary Tom Engels, Wisconsin Department of Health Services Senator Tom Tiffany, WI ...

END CHILD POVERTY CAMPAIGN (POWERPOINT)

[gview file="https://www.middlewisconsin.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/End-Child-Poverty-PPT-Marathon-County-12.14.17.pptx"]

JANUARY EVENTS

JANUARY 2018 EVENTS Thursday, January 4….Women 4 Women Hidden Figures…… Marathon County Democratic Office 833 South Third Ave, Wausau 6 – 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Hidden Figures tells the incredible untold story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson—brilliant African-American women working at NASA who served as the brains behind the launch into orbit of astronaut John Glenn, a stunning achievement that turned around the Space Race. The visionary trio crossed all gender and racial lines and inspired generations. Tuesday, January 9….Drinking Liberally (Note the change in date due to ...

BUY WISCONSIN PRODUCTS

BUY WISCONSIN PRODUCTS by Wisconsin AFL-CIO The As the holiday shopping season ramps up, remember to use your purchasing power to support good, local jobs by prioritizing union-made, Wisconsin-made and American-made gifts for friends and family. Together, we can harness the power of working families to support Wisconsiln workers and create a virtuous cycle of upward growth to boost local economies and support good jobs across the state. In Wisconsin, we make an array of great union-made gifts for every budget – from warm socks to top-notch pots and pans, hand-crafted sausages, cold beer, durable washers and dryers and more! At the ...