(Author’s note: This was originally written about homelessness in Duluth, Minnesota. The statistics may differ but the problems AND SOLUTIONS are similar in Wisconsin and across the country.)   "A lot of us are one paycheck away, and there's just a variety of folks that can experience homelessness. It's not just a certain group of people, and it's really important we stop characterizing people and just start helping them."  Shelly Bruecken, member of the Loaves and Fishes community and homeless advocate in Duluth.   Homelessness continues to be a problem all over the country. Last week homeless advocates put up tents ...

  Veterans Days was originally a day to celebrate peace. The original holiday was Armistice Day which marked the end of the fighting in WWI on November 11, 1918. That day became  an international holiday to remember the war and work for peace. In 1926, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution creating Armistice Day to “commemorate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations.” But in 1954 it was changed to Veterans Day.   WWI was the ”war to end all wars.” It was one of the most unnecessary wars in human history. The horror of WWI did create a strong desire for peace by ordinary people. Especially in ...

  Northwest Wisconsin is again electing a Representative for the House of Representatives. This election has the same candidates as the special election in May. The difference now is we have the House voting record of Tom Tiffany over the last few months. This record along with the information from the candidates' campaign websites should be considered by voters.   In a recent article Wisconsin Public Radio news says Tiffany is the most conservative of any of Wisconsin's Republican representatives based on this voting record. Looking at 72 roll call votes, WPR says he has been more than twice as likely to vote “no” than “yes...

  You may think that elections don't matter. All the politicians are corrupt and it makes no difference who wins.  But this year the future of Social Security is at literally on the line.   Social Security is an 85 year old program that provides basic financial security for all Americans. Social Security is a cherished and essential financial safety net for millions of Americans. It serves not only people in retirement, but many who are disabled, and children who have lost a parent.  Many people in Wisconsin would have NO INCOME without Social Security.  Many would be in poverty or have their incomes seriously reduced without ...

  “The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by Act of Congress, and supported by the people...It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities.”  Title 39 of the U.S. Code.   Our Post Offices are an essential public service that are vital to individuals, businesses and the overall economy. This is why a postal service was created by the Continental Congress in 1775 – even before the Declaration of ...

  “The U.S. attempt to return children to the classroom this fall has turned into a slow-motion train wreck...” Anne Flaherty, ABC News   Parents, teachers, and medical experts are worried about sending children back to school. People are worried about the consequences of opening schools for in-person classes while Covid-19 cases continue to climb and people increasingly refuse to follow recommended protective measures. In the rush to get back to “normal” and open up the economy, are we gambling with the safety of our children?   Contrary to what was thought earlier in this pandemic, children are not immune to this ...

  “I was eight when the bomb dropped. My older sister was 12. She left early that morning to work...and never came home.”   “I too was affected by the radiation and vomited profusely after the bomb attack. My hair fell out, my gums bled, and I was too ill to attend school.”   “The war was caused by the selfish misdeeds of adults. Many children fell victim because of it. Alas, this is still the case today.” Emiko Okada, a Hiroshima survivor.*   I remember my fifth grade teacher reading to the class from John Hersey's book “Hiroshima.”** I can't honestly say it changed my life or made me into a peace ...

  "Tradition! Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as... as a fiddler on the roof! …Because of our traditions everyone knows who he is and what God expects him to do.”  From the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”   Traditions can be good and useful for people. As the famous song from the musical suggests, traditions provide stability for society. Some traditions bring enjoyment and festiveness into our lives. But traditions can also become cages that imprison the mind, restrict people's options, and blind us to needed changes. The English novelist William Somerset Maugham once wrote, “Tradition is a guide and ...

  Abolish the police? Defund the police? How can society function without law enforcement?  People are not angels and we don't live in a utopia. This may sound like a really crazy idea – especially if you are white and have not had to live with racial profiling and excessive use of force common to many minority neighborhoods. But sometimes it is better to start from scratch rather than try to fix what is hopelessly broken.   We have a 20-year-old car that is getting seriously rusty. A cheap cosmetic repair can make it look better but it won't eliminate the rust that will continue to rot away the car. To fix it correctly you have to cut ...

  “War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today.” President John F. Kennedy   “Our troops are, of course, human and vulnerable and imperfect. We don’t help them when we put them on pedestals, give them flags to hold in the breeze, and salute them as icons of a feel-good brand of patriotism. Talk of warrior-heroes is worse than cheap: it enables our state of permanent war, elevates the Pentagon, ennobles the national security state, and silences dissent.”  William J. Astore (USAF Lt. COL retired)   We have many myths in this ...