324 results for author: Phil Anderson

War Spending in Perspective

We all know federal spending on war and preparation for war – what we euphemistically call “defense” spending – is huge. But most people have no understanding of how big these numbers are, how they compare with other government spending, and what it all means for their lives. People might understand $100,000 because that is about the median family income in the U.S. (which means half of families live on less). An average house costs around $400,000. But $7,400,000,000,000 – the total federal budget for FY 2026 – is just a big, incomprehensible number. Understanding government spending is difficult because of its complexity. Spending is ...

A “Defense” Spending Surge

“In America, nothing – and I mean nothing – seems capable of reversing massive military spending and incessant warfare.” William Astore, a retired USAF Lt. Colonel, historian, author and commentator on military issues. Pentagon spending for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026) is projected to be $961.6 billion. This is an 8.1% increase over FY2025. I say “projected” because with federal spending no one knows what the totals will be until after the fact. The dollars budgeted may not match the amounts authorized by Congress (in appropriation bills) or the actual amounts spent. This is especially true with Pentagon ...

Tiffany is a Bad Choice for Governor

                          Wisconsin will choose a new Governor in November. At this time there are nine Democratic candidates for the August 11 primary. The Republican's have just two. But Representative Tom Tiffany will be the candidate. He has been endorsed by Trump. Tom Tiffany becoming governor will be a disaster for Wisconsin. This is not a biased, partisan opinion. An objective, factual look at Tiffany's 15 year record in the Wisconsin legislature and the House of Representatives proves he is unfit to lead the state for many ...

Giving Up is Unforgivable

“The right to vote is precious, almost sacred. It is the most nonviolent tool or instrument in a democratic society. We must use it.” John Lewis, former U.S. Representative and “good trouble” civil rights leader. Wisconsin has an election on Tuesday, April 7th. As John Lewis said, voting is a necessary, essential duty of citizens in a democracy. Unfortunately too many of us don't take this “precious...sacred” obligation seriously enough. Usually around 40% of eligible voters don't bother to show up and the percentage is often higher in off-year or nonpartisan elections. Too many people think that voting doesn't really matter. ...

Banning Gerrymandering

Wisconsin Governor Evers has called a special session of the legislature for April 14th to pass a constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering. Extraordinary public pressure will be needed for this important reform to have any chance in the Republican controlled legislature. Prior to the latest redistricting compromise, Wisconsin had the worst gerrymandered legislative maps in the country. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled the old districts unconstitutional and required new state legislative districts be created. Fearing the liberal controlled Supreme Court would impose a stricter plan, Republicans agreed to a compromise on maps drawn by Evers. ...

A Better Way Than War

"Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means." President Ronald Reagan. We know from long experience that wars do not solve problems. Wars are the problem and only result in death, destruction, debt and suffering. There are better ways to settle conflicts and interact with our international neighbors. We know what can, and should, be done to end the scourge of war and create a world where conflicts are solved by peaceful means. One of many solutions is more, and more robust, democracy. This is not a panacea. Democracies fight wars – especially our nominal democracy. It is easy, even in democra...

Wisconsin Supreme Court Election April 7

In Wisconsin April 7 is the spring nonpartisan election. The statewide issue is the election of a Supreme Court justice. Across the state there are many nonpartisan local government and school board positions on the ballot and 72 local school funding referendums for voters to approve or reject. Historically voter turnout for spring elections has been low. These races don't get a lot of press coverage and don't usually have controversial issues at stake. But that doesn't mean they are not important elections. Local communities can be severely impacted when an unpopular faction takes control of local government. Do you want a racist police chief or a ...

A Smart Investment for Wisconsin

Too many people think of public services as expenses. Public spending is a burden on taxpayers that must be reduced and controlled. But taxes are the dues we pay for civilization. Taxes provide the capital needed to invest in all the things we need for a successful society. Public spending fuels the investments in people, infrastructure and public goods that pay dividends in the future. In Wisconsin the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program is an example. Republican legislators cut funding for this important program in the recent state budget. If not renewed via additional legislation, the program will end in June 2026. Wisconsin will lose its primary ...

Red Counties Dependence on the “Deep State”

“One of the most enduring conservative myths is that of the self-reliant, salt-of-the-earth, rural-dwelling American who pulls himself up by his bootstraps...If that were ever true, it hasn’t been for a while. These days, rural America is largely dependent on the federal government it claims to hate.”   This quote is from an article in Daily KOS (“Look just how much red counties depend on the government they hate,” July 10, 2025). The article points out that, “far from self-reliant, rural America is subsidized by blue states.”   Dr. Paul Krugman is a Nobel prize winning economist, author and commentator. He ...

More on political violence

Donald Trump has a lot of damn gall accusing Democrats and liberals of inciting political violence. Since 2015 he has been a primary source of inflammatory, divisive, hate-filled political rhetoric that  encouraged violence by his supporters. He is the only president in our history to incite a mob to attack Congress.   In the past I wrote about how political murders are actually rare in comparison to other murders. But they are increasing along with other hate crimes. This article updates a prior article on political violence   “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to ...