Government
BECAUSE THERE CAN NEVER BE TOO MANY THINGS HAPPENING AT ONCE
Because there can never been too many things happening at once:
For those of you who have been following the progress of Tom Tiffany’s bill to rename our unique Lakeshore Park to a National Park, the House tacked it on as an amendment to the Budget which passed last week.
Despite strong local opposition by County Boards, Municipal officials and local citizens, including a resolution from the Red Cliff and local Bayfield citizens, Tom Tiffany is pursuing this thru the federal budget process-sneaking a small funding under the "new" name. The ultimate goal is clearly ...
THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
“How have you, your family or your community been impacted by war.” This was the question Veterans for Peace and Northland Grandmothers for Peace asked the public on Memorial Day.* They gathered 175 statements.
Most of the responses discussed the loss or suffering of a family member. Some were about war diverting resources from important human needs. Some expressed pride in military service and said war was necessary to protect the country. Some feel complicit in the immorality of war and a personal need to work for peace.
Here are some of the anonymous, unedited ...
WHAT IS AFFORDABILITY
Every morning, millions of Americans wake up and face the same quiet arithmetic: Will this paycheck cover the rent? Can we afford the copay? What do we cut from the grocery cart this week? These are not abstract policy questions. They are the lived reality of working families across this country — Democratic, Independent, and Republican alike.
Affordability is not a partisan issue. It is the issue of our time. According to the PEW Research Center, America’s five core affordability pressures are: housing; health care; food; child care, and energy
For too long, ...
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Most of us have spent our entire lives pledging allegiance to the flag. The next time you say the Pledge, and for the rest of your lives, think about what you are saying, and really, really mean it.
Edward Bellamy is generally given credit for writing the original version of the Pledge in 1892. His version begins with “I pledge allegiance to my Flag.” My Flag. He was an owner, just like every other American. He wasn’t excluding people, he was including them, because the flag belongs to all of us.
We used to criticize people who wrapped themselves in the flag, ...
MISSY HUGHES MEET AND GREET
Get to know your Governor candidates!
Cruelty is Not an American Value
Cruelty is not an American value nor should it be a deliberate policy of our nation. But what the Trump administration is doing in Cuba is simply cruel. As a nation we should be ashamed.
Cuba is a small, poor nation that has no capacity to harm the U.S. and represents zero threat to our national security. Yet for 66 years Cuba has been the target of crippling economic sanctions and multiple attempts at “regime change.”
Why? Plucky little Cuba had the unmitigated gall to be an openly socialist country, 90 miles from the “leader of the free world” in the ...
Slush Fund
People like having issues relating to government explained in simple terms. For example, how did Donald Trump manage to secure $1.776 billion of taxpayer money without making a case for “damages” or without appearing in front of a judge?
Trump sued the IRS, which he controls, for $10 billion. The Department of Justice, which he controls, approved a settlement of $1.776 billion before Judge Kathleen M. Williams could throw out the entire case.
Judge Williams said there were no adversaries in the original lawsuit. Using Trump’s own words, she reminded all of us that ...
Sidewalk Rally
Did you happen to drive by on Friday, May 22 and see some of your Dem friends (and Indivisible) at Pine Grove Cemetery? Our very own Julie came up with the way to honor those who lost their lives and those who were injured in Iran. Democrats remember what Memorial Day is about.
Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, of Columbus, Ohio
Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota
Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa
Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida
Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama
Capt. Seth Koval, 38, of Stoutsvi...
A WAR CORESPONDENT
Those of us born in the 1940’s and 50’s well remember the Cuban missile crisis when the Soviet Union placed missiles in Cuba that were minutes from destroying Washington DC and other major US cities. And we all remember President Kennedy’s speech to the American people telling us that the Soviet Union meant no harm and was just defending itself from American aggression and that Cuba was a sovereign nation and had every right to allow Russia to place missiles on its soil. There was nothing to worry about.
Of course, we all know exactly the opposite ...
War Spending in Perspective
We all know federal spending on war and preparation for war – what we euphemistically call “defense” spending – is huge. But most people have no understanding of how big these numbers are, how they compare with other government spending, and what it all means for their lives.
People might understand $100,000 because that is about the median family income in the U.S. (which means half of families live on less). An average house costs around $400,000. But $7,400,000,000,000 – the total federal budget for FY 2026 – is just a big, incomprehensible number.
U...