Community
STAND PROUD: A TRIBUTE TO JOHN SPIEGELHOFF
Many of us came to know John through his work representing employees. John was a fine person who cared about people being treated fairly and with respect. He lived his values. This showed in his commitment to both the union members he represented and the communities in which he worked and lived. All of us at MiddleWisconsin.org will miss John and want to thank his family for sharing him with us.
"Stand Proud" is union song, written by Paul Hambleton and performed by "The Great Schools Union Band" in 2005. The "GSUB" consists of Paul Hambleton, Mary Bell, Glenn Schmidt ...
PART I: MINUTES REGARDING THE PEACE MARCH FROM THE COUNTY’S DIVERSITY AFFAIRS COMMISSION IN APRIL 2016
(Editor's Note: The following is a record of the Diversity Affairs Commission meeting on April 22, 2016 at 9 a.m. in the Employers Resource Conference Room of the Marathon County Courthouse, 500 Forest Street, Wausau. You can read about the goals of the march as reflected in the minutes. The commission's discussion on the nature of the goals took place before the successful motion made in the county meeting to support the march.)
The original can be found here: https://www.co.marathon.wi.us/Portals/0/Departments/MCB/Archives/Boards%20Committees%20Commissions/Diversity...
PART II: OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE MARATHON COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ANNOUNCING RETENTION OF VON BRIESEN & ROPER, S.C. TO INVESTIGATE
(Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from the Marathon County Executive Committee meeting on Friday, June 3, 2016, at 1:00 p.m. in Assembly Room B-105, 500 Forest Street, Wausau. The committee and other individuals went into closed session to discuss a personnel matter before they returned to open session and the chairperson announced that Von Briesen & Roper, S.C. has been retained by the county to do an investigation on an employee matter.
Recording secretary excused from closed session meeting. Non-committee members attend. View minutes below.
The official ...
PART III: THE OFFICIAL MEETING MINUTES OF THE VOTE LEADING TO BRAD KARGER’S 30-DAY SUSPENSION
(Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from Marathon County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at 7 p.m. in the Marathon County Courthouse. You can learn about the specific amendments and votes of that evening. The original can be viewed here: https://www.co.marathon.wi.us/Portals/0/Departments/MCB/Archives/County%20Board/Board%20of%20Supervisors/2016/COBD_20160719_Minutes.pdf )
The meeting (the open-session portion) is available to watch online on the public access website: https://waac.viebit.com/#CnlyLh4XzEDd
Hover over the bottom of the ...
Income Inequality
“That is not fair!” How many times have we heard that from our children or perhaps at work? Human beings are hard wired with a sense of fairness-of what is right and what is wrong. Most people believe that they should be fairly compensated for the work that they do. Most workers believe that a Corporate Executive Officer (CEO) of a company should get a little more than the average worker since they run the company. But over the last sixty years, a little more has turned into a whole lot more and we should be very concerned about this.
Since 1950, the ratio of ...
CELEBRATE 240 YEARS OF AMERICAN “FREEDOM!” “Liberty and Justice…!”
This July 4th, join us, your family, friends and neighbors, in celebrating our country’s 240th year of “Freedom!”
Last Memorial Day, I saw a sign outside a St. Vincent de Paul resale shop. It said, “Remember those who gave their lives for our Freedom.” That started me thinking.
I grew up in a Marine Corps family. My brother and I were raised to respect the values our country was founded upon – Fairness, Respect and Community Good. We believed in “Freedom” and “Liberty and Justice for all….” but I’d never really considered the meaning of the ...
TOLERANCE OF HUMAN DIVERSITY
“Tolerance, n., willingness to accept behavior and beliefs that are different than your own although you may not agree or approve of them.” Cambridge Online Dictionary
Why is tolerance so lacking in America? In a modern, pluralistic, democratic society “live and let live” is essential. Tolerance is necessary to freedom and the functioning of society. You cannot be free unless your neighbor is also free to be different. We constantly pontificate about freedom but don't want to grant it to other people.
Intolerance, hate, bigotry, and racism have many causes ...
THANK A VETERAN WITH ACTION, NOT WORD
The theme of the Superior Fourth of July parade is “Thank a Veteran.” This is a nice sentiment. But the cliche “thank you for your service” is too often just a meaningless platitude. It is like saying “thank you for shopping at...” when the clerk couldn't care less. Along with “support the troops” bumper stickers, it is part of the propaganda that supports our too frequent wars. Real thanks must be more than words. Real thanks is doing what is right and needed for veterans and their families. It is working to make our country what it should be for everyon...
The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness and the Rise of Scott Walker
The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness and the Rise of Scott Walker by UW-Madison Professor, Katherine Cramer Part 2
In Part 1, I summarized three themes people in the 39 rural groups spoke about: The role and size of government, taxes, and the animosity toward public sector employees. In Part 2, I will continue with the concerns of the rural people who were interviewed.
1. The need for good paying jobs. “[It’s a great place to live] if you like poverty.” Many people work two or more jobs while living in poverty. The mine was a contentious issue. ...
THE POLITICS OF RESENTMENT
Growing up during the 50’s and 60’s in a small community in far northern Wisconsin, I was considered a “country hick.” Within this tightly-knit community, we parceled ourselves out by the church we attended, the jobs our parents held, whether we were farmers or business owners. Some community members were considered “high toned.” This term was applied to people who wore nicer clothes and drove a nicer car than most, worked “in town” rather than farmed or did manual labor.
The people “in town” were known as “city slickers” because we felt they ...
