321 results for author: Phil Anderson

Supremely Important Election April 3rd

The April 3rd election in Wisconsin is very important. A Supreme Court justice will be elected. Spring elections often involve minor local issues and offices and these elections have very poor voter turnout. Many voters are not even aware this election is happening! As a result major decisions get decided by a very small number of citizens. The two candidates in this race are Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Dallet and Sauk County Circuit Court Judge Michael Screnock. The two candidates vary widely in experience, qualifications, and stature in the profession. Supreme Court justices serve 10 year terms and the court often makes decisions ...

Lessons from a false alarm

On Saturday, January 13, 2018, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency issued an alert warning of an imminent missile attack. It was a false alarm, but many residents, and the media, received the text message. Given the saber rattling regarding North Korean missile tests, the alert seemed credible. Certainly the fear it generated was real. There are lessons to be learned (and hopefully acted upon) from this incident. Ralph Hutchinson, an advocate for abolishing nuclear weapons, discusses this incident in the context of our national nuclear weapons policy. His lessons and insights are excellent and I share them here. FALSE ALARM? HAWAII AND THE ...

Hunters in Training

Truth is stranger than fiction. With the Republican wrecking crew in charge nationally and in Wisconsin, truth is becoming increasingly stranger. A random walk through the news demonstrates what I mean. There are many seemingly small issues that speak volumes about where we are heading as a nation. One can only wonder what is wrong with these clowns? What are they thinking? No age limit to hunt in Wisconsin On November 13th, Walker signed a Republican bill doing away with the minimum age to participate in a “mentored” hunt. Children under 11 years old must hunt with a “mentor.” The mentor must be within “arms length” but both may ...

Doing Your Part

I have written in the past about not losing hope in these troubled political times. Good change can come if good people get active. In the past there were many people who did organize and advocate for change. All that is good about our current society is the result of these people's activism. Some of these people were the great men and women we read about in the history books. But many were unsung, unknown people who did the small things needed to build progress. Democracy is not a spectator sport. Democracy must have citizens that do their part. They don't have to be political junkies, but they do need to pay attention and be willing to particip...

Unions Brought You Holidays

“Unions, the folks that brought you the weekend” Bumper sticker "Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost." President Ronald Reagan “Every advance in this half-century--Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, aid to education, one after another--came with the support and leadership of American Labor.” President Jimmy Carter Holidays exist because of labor unions. Like weekends, paid vacations, and retirement programs they exist because of union negotiated work agreements with employers. These agreements set the standards for non-union companies to follow. Now paid holidays are a common ...

Somewhere to Begin

There is nothing like some good music to bring in the new year. Sitting by the fire, with a good hot toddy, I am reminded of a number of songs that provide encouragement in these dark and troubled times. These songs remind me that if changes are to come, there are things that must be done to make things better. This is a process – not an event - and has been going on for many years. We don't always win the battles but we have to keep trying. And we CAN do it if everyone would lend a hand. I'd like to share with you a few songs for the new year. Let’s begin with “Somewhere to Begin” by the late T.R. Richie. I first heard this song from Sara ...

Banning Assault Rifles WORKS!

Horrific mass shootings do not have to happen. They are not inevitable. We know how to reduce the number of mass shootings and the number of people killed in these attacks. We know this because it has been successfully done in other countries. Australia is a good example because of their success and their similarity to our country. Like us Australians have a wild west, rugged individual mentality, and a tradition of gun ownership. Guns and hunting are popular. They have similar macho attitudes about manliness. They drink a lot of beer. The Aussies love rugby which, like American football, is a very violent game. They have problems with crime, ...

Guns in Our Communities 2017

Once again a mass shorting is in the news. In California an angry white man shot up a small rural community apparently over employment and domestic problems. Last week in Texas, an angry white man killed 26 in a small rural church apparently because of a dispute with his mother-in-law. Before that in Las Vegas an angry, rich white man killed 59 and wounded 527 for no apparent reason at all. And the list goes on and on and on.... The common denominator in all these tragedies is the easy availability of guns, specifically military style weapons with high capacity magazines. Last year I wrote this article about guns in America after the tragedy at ...

Mining Jobs Mirage

Last time I wrote about repealing Wisconsin's mining “prove it” law. I made reference to studies that show mining does not improve local economies. Here I provide the documentation for those assertions. Mining, like any business activity, can temporarily increase employment and thus help the local economy. But many studies say most mining does not build SUSTAINED PROSPERTY for local communities. Not by itself. This should be apparent if you think about it. Appalachia, with an economy dominated by coal mines, is famous for generational poverty. Many mining regions in the West and Upper Midwest exhibit similar boom and bust, high unemployment ...

Peace for Veterans Day

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 Europe, where the impact of ...