Community
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
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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 ...
AUSTERITY IS THE ENDGAME
Austerity is the endgame, the final subjugation. It is the offspring of Ronald Reagan’s corrupt ideology that “government is the problem” and Bill Clinton’s corrupt deregulation of Wall Street - - the unholy marriage of neocon and neolib. It is the weapon of the oligarchy, the instrument of bondage and control.
We are in a rigged game, a game designed to transfer money upward while blaming all things public for our impoverishment, a game designed to starve government of the people while sparing nothing for government of the corporation. It is a game that ...
THE MANY BENEFITS OF UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MARATHON COUNTY
The University of Wisconsin system was the topic of an event hosted by D.J. and Mary Clare Freeman featuring Mandy Wright, a candidate for the 85th Assembly District; Katie Kalish, an Associate Dean and English faculty member at UW-MC; and Noel Radomski from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Katie Kalish has been part of the UW system since 2006. The guiding principle of the Wisconsin Idea is to reach every family in the state. The 13 UW campuses reach students and their families all across the state.
The UW-Marathon Campus is one of the Access Institutions. One ...
Selective Memories
The good old days are the memories of things that never were. We remember what we want to and disregard the rest. Every Memorial Day, in our zeal to honor those who have served, we have a national picnic feast of selective memory about war.
Our government is engaged in selectively remembering the Vietnam War. The Department of Defense is spending $65 million in a project to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the war. It is all about “honoring” the troops. As President Obama stated,
“As we observe the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, we reflect with solemn ...
