Politics
Poor People’s Campaign rallies to Washington D.C.
We will have a full story in our next edition of Middle Wisconsin.
In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. organized low-income Americans of different backgrounds in a march on Washington known as the "Poor People's Campaign."
Over fifty-years later, thousands of protesters gathered Saturday to deliver that same message at the Poor People's and Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls.
The rally urged low-income voters to participate in the upcoming midterm elections and featured religious organizations, pro-democracy groups, labor ...
Down Ballot Wisconsin Elections
Voters also need to pay attention to the “down ballot” statewide offices. In Wisconsin, the Attorney General, State Treasurer and Secretary or State are independently elected offices. The Attorney General is obviously an important office and gets some voter attention. But most people know nothing about the other two. This year ignoring these obscure offices could have serious ramifications. Republicans have spent years weakening and underfunding all three of the these elected offices. This has included trying to abolish both the Treasurer and Secretary of State ...
The Fruits of Faulty Judgment
“I'm just a miner in the mother lode of misery, where the fruits of faulty judgment meet the spoils of bad luck.” From the song “King of Junk” by Eddy Lawrence
This humorous song is about a junk yard owner who's good fortune is the result of others' faulty judgment and bad luck. He finds a “hidden trove of riches mid the mangled and the maimed” wreckage of cars.
I like the poetry of the song. To me it speaks (out of context) to much of the current craziness in our society. Politics has always been ugly and partisan. But the angry divisions are getting ...
True Patriots
My DNA tracks through generations of true PATRIOTS that have proven the test of time.
It is their “rally call” that is deeply felt within my being that I write about the current state
of our democratic government and the immediate need to save our democracy for all.
Since I was “knee high to a grasshopper” I recall my elders’ wisdom that was shared at family reunions, special achievement events and religious gatherings. Frequently saying to me that I should remember where I came from and why we were here. One of their reminders was, “Always ...
Oaths Of Office & The Common Good
Ben Franklin once said, “The good we do together surpasses the good we can do alone.” The meaning of that statement has stayed with me throughout all my endeavors to work for the common good, especially throughout my teaching career. It should be internalized by all those who seek an office in our government, at every level, in our democracy.
So, it is astounding to me how many elected officials don’t know or care what their oaths of office to The People and the Constitution really mean. A conversation that I had with the Lt. Governor a few years ago offered ...
Women for Women
Women for Women Wausau
Thursday, May 5 at 6 PM
The Impact of Dark Money on Our Elections
Millions of dollars are being spent in our elections since Citizens United came about. That is there is no longer the requirement to publicly disclose donors. We believe corporations are not people and money does not make free speech. Yet all too often we see the corruptive influence of money in our elections.
Dave Svetlik, former editor and publisher of Middle Wisconsin will speak on the lasting effects of dark money in our elections. Nancy Stencil will contribute on the buying ...
Wisconsin Government Belongs to the People
Wisconsin Government Belongs to the People, not to a Political Party. Partisan justices on Wisconsin’s supreme court have approved a formula for one-party control of Wisconsin government. They adopted state legislative district maps that were extremely gerrymandered to favor Republicans. The decision enables Republicans to keep continuous control of the legislature for yet another decade. That control will persist even when a decisive majority of citizens statewide vote for Democratic candidates. That was sadly demonstrated in the 2012 and 2018 assembly elections ...
Another Ten Years?
Today was the day we were waiting for, but definitely not the outcome we had worked so hard toward. I can remember a few short years back traveling to Marshfield with a friend for our initial meeting of FAIR MAPS. The turnout was huge from all corners of the state. We were organized, we planned, we were hopeful. Meeting after meeting, we diligently worked, and now this, the outcome. It’s dirty politics at its finest.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court adopted the GOP maps for the state legislature.
“In March, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) sent back the state senate ...
Women for Women Wausau: The Impact of Dark Money
Women for Women Wausau
Thursday, May 5 at 6 PM
The Impact of Dark Money on Our Elections
Millions of dollars are being spent in our elections since Citizens United came about. That is there is no longer the requirement to publicly disclose donors. We believe corporations are not people and money does not make free speech. Yet all too often we see the corruptive influence of money in our elections.
Dave Svetlik, who is also one of the great contributors to Middle Wisconsin, will be presenting the lasting effects of dark money on our elections. The buying of elections ...
Red Springs Votes to Amend the U.S. Constitution
For immediate release:
Red Springs Votes to Amend the U.S. Constitution
Madison, WI (April 6, 2022) – In the Spring election, Wisconsin residents in the Town of Red Springs voted to amend the U.S. Constitution to clarify that only human beings should have inalienable human rights and money is not the same thing as free speech.
The referendum passed with an 89% majority in Red Springs, which is in Shawano County.
That brings the total to 167 Wisconsin communities that have called for an amendment. In total, almost 3.3 million people (58% of Wisconsinites) ...