Government
Wausau Fair Maps Town Hall
On June 21st, the Citizen Action of WI North Central Organizing Co-op hosted Sachin Chheda with the WI Fair Elections Project. He brought Wendy Sue Johnson, a plaintiff in Whitford vs. Gill. They were joined by Hans Breitrnmoser, a Lincoln County Board Supervisor and North Central Organizing Co-op member who recently worked to pass a County resolution asking for non-partisan redistricting. Since that time, 18 other counties have passed similar resolution (Wood County started with the first resolution in 2014...all others came after Lincoln County).
Most recently, Katie ...
Constitutional Roulette
The far right efforts to re-write the U.S. Constitution moved closer to happening this week. The Wisconsin Assembly passed several resolutions calling for a national constitutional convention. This highly risky proposal is unnecessary. It is a dangerous gamble with our democracy and current political system. And it is a con job designed to achieve an objective very different than claimed by its supporters.
Article V of the U.S. Constitution allows a convention for proposing amendments if two-thirds of the states (34) call for one. Amendments and other changes must be ...
Eating Our Seed Corn
“Science has always been at the heart of America’s progress. Science cleaned up our air and water, conquered polio and invented jet airplanes. Science gave us the Internet, puts food on our tables and helps us avoid pandemics. Science and technology are widely considered by economists to be responsible for at least half of American economic growth since World War II. Defunding science is the intellectual equivalent of eating our seed corn.” Denis Hayes, LA Times editorial.
Knowledge based, rational public policies are good for everyone. It is good for the ...
EDUCATION BILLS IN THE STATE BUDGET
Education bills will probably come up before the Joint Finance Committee by the end of May. Once the budget bill passes through the Joint Finance Committee, it goes to the Assembly and then the Senate for floor debates and votes.
Then it goes to the Governor who has veto power but cannot make additions at that point. The governor has suggested he will fund transportation needs from the general purpose revenues, the same source that funds school aid. Assembly leaders have introduced a tax/transportation funding plan that could diminish funds for public schools.
AB 267 ...
PROTECT THE U.S. CONSTITUTION
The Constitution needs your help. A Wisconsin legislative committee will decide on Wednesday whether to advance an unproven method of amending the U.S. Constitution that could result in unintended consequences with the potential to threaten basic freedoms.
Use this tool to contact your state lawmakers and tell them the U.S. Constitution deserves to be protected in its current form.
The U.S. Constitution has served our nation well for more than 200 years. But now, a national movement is pushing states to approve a resolution that would open the door to drastic changes ...
Wisconsin Taxes 101
A favorite “wedge” issue of the conservatives is taxes. Everyone loves to hate taxes so it is easy to misrepresent the facts. Wisconsin is accused of being a “tax hell” with higher tax “burdens” than other states. Is this true? Of course this depends on what sources you cite and how you manipulate the numbers. Ultimately people will believe what they want to believe. This article provides some basic information on Wisconsin taxes from reputable sources to help better understand the issues.
What do Wisconsinites pay in state and local taxes?
Everyone pays ...
You Can’t Fix Stupid
On Monday, January 30th, the current administration moved to reduce government “regulation.” Trump signed an executive order requiring all federal agencies to repeal two regulations for each new one proposed. At meetings with business executives from large companies he has promised to cut regulation by 75 percent.
“If there’s a new regulation, they have to knock out two. But it goes far beyond that, we’re cutting regulations massively for small business and for large business,” Trump said during the signing of the order. The administration stresses that the ...
Real Solutions for Budget Problems
The Wisconsin state budget is short-sighted with politically motivated band-aids being proposed. Real, long term, sustainable budget solutions are possible. Wisconsin doesn't have to go through these battles every two years. But this would require real leadership and a willingness to address the actual causes of the fiscal problems.
For too many years the state budget problems have been kicked down the road by both parties. No one wants to address the simple fact that essential public services (sewers, water, law enforcement, courts, roads, schools, and necessary ...
TROTTING OUT THE WHIPPING BOY
For as long as there have been politicians, there have been whipping boys. Politicians need someone to punish for their own shortcomings.
No one is better with the whip than Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. He is highly skilled in the use of divide-and-conquer tactics, a master at pitting one group of struggling and vulnerable people against another. It’s his favorite play, the governor’s political equivalent of Vince Lombardi’s Power Sweep or USC’s famed “Student Body Right.”
Walker turns to this page in his playbook repeatedly, whenever he’s feeling ...
