Politics
KEEP OUR GOVERNMENT OPEN
BY KATRINA SHANKLAND
Representative (D) Stevens Point
It’s been one year since Republican legislators brazenly attacked and diminished Wisconsin’s proud tradition of open and transparent government. While many Wisconsinites were making plans for cookouts and fireworks with friends and family to celebrate America’s independence, Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee were busy unanimously voting to gut our state’s open records law, restrict your freedom to access your government, and shield themselves from the very citizens who elect them.
Fortunately, ...
INSIDE LOOK AT DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
When asked to write an article about my recent experiences at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia, I found myself stuck on how to approach the piece.
Should I write it like a diary of my reflections? Should I include my emotions/opinions? What did people want to know?
To find out, I asked my friends on Facebook what they would most like to know about this experience.
Q: Watching from home, the party was able to project an image of unity the longer the convention went on. Was that your impression as well?
A: In my experience, there was more ...
TRUE CITIZENS
From The Daily Call by Mark L Taylor
Read up on the issues … Attend rallies …
Write letters to editors and representatives … Circulate and sign petitions …
Donate to campaigns … Canvass … Agitate for change …
Study candidate positions … Live their values … Honor the Constitution … Get out and vote … Drive neighbors to the polls … Stand up for the weak … Defend the environment …
Protest all wars of empire … Speak truth to power … Resist injustice …
Practice compassion … Organize … Honor our values …
Ch...
FIGHTING BOB 2016
Please save the date: Saturday, September 17 for the 15th Annual Fighting Bob Fest.
The place is Breese Stevens Field, Madison, Wisconsin.
The date is Saturday, September 17.
Fighting Bob Fest is organized by The Progressive magazine, founded by Robert LaFollette.
He gave many speeches in large outdoor meetings throughout Wisconsin. He organized people to fight for the common good. You can continue this tradition by attending.
The day will be inspiring with: nationally recognized speakers, breakout sessions, networking, grassroots organizing, live music, ...
WHAT IS TO BE DONE with the POLITICS OF RESENTMENT?
(This is the fourth article based on the book The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker by Katherine Cramer.)
Katherine Cramer says “So the problem, for me, is this. We are in a time of increasing economic insecurity and of stark policy bias in favor of the affluent, and yet the politics of resentment draws our attention to our animosity toward each other rather than in ways in which the political system is not working for anyone but the very few.”
1. Policy makers need “to reassess what is going on in rural ...
Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate Race and Social Security
On Social Security the contrast between Wisconsin's two candidates for the U.S. Senate could not be greater. Russ Feingold (D) and Ron Johnson (R) are polar opposites on what should be done with this highly successful and popular program.
Senator Ron Johnson has said Social Security is a “ponzi scheme.” Johnson, along with many reactionary Republicans, want to make Social Security voluntary and allow younger workers to invest their Social Security contributions in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. The article “Attacks on Social Security Continue in Wisconsin” ...
POLITICAL LEADERS USING THE POLITICS OF RESENTMENT
Author Katherine Cramer says, “I call this book The Politics of Resentment because there are other ways to make sense of politics than by relying on ideas about which of one’s fellow citizens are getting more than their fair share and who among them is underserving. I draw attention to a kind of politics in which people do not focus their blame on elite decision makers as they try to comprehend an economic recession. Instead they give their attention to fellow residents who they think are eating their share of the pie. These interpretations are encouraged, perhaps ...
SACRED LAND, SACRED WATER
Even the casual follower on Facebook can’t miss the photos of the valiant walkers of “33 Days of The Evil Twin #66.” Many a Wisconsinite comes to walk for a day, learning and teaching others along the way about the evil of the twin #66 Enbridge pipeline. Lucrative to producers but costly and perilous to our environment.
Wisconsin is bisected by several pipelines operated by Enbridge, whose base is Calgary, Alberta (foreign oil). The current Enbridge 61 crosses 15 counties, from Superior to Delevan. That’s 321 miles! It removes almost 2000 acres from public ...
WEALTH AND MONEY PART XIV: THE FRIGHTENING PHILANTHROPIST
“Philanthropy, is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice that make philanthropy necessary.” - - Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
Philanthropy in the United States is not just the voluntary activity of a donor. Philanthropy in general, including the work of foundations, is generously tax-subsidized. The assets transferred to a foundation by a donor are left untaxed in two respects: the donor makes the donation more or less tax-free, diminishing the tax burden she would face in the absence of the ...
BUDGET CUTS AND THE WISCONSIN IDEA
“In many ways a cut of this size feels like a betrayal from Wisconsin,’ he (University of Eau Claire Chancellor James Schmidt) recalled telling faculty early this year (in 2015), when the looming statewide cuts were predicted at $300 million. It also feels like a death in the family.’” “Schmidt said they’ve had just as big of a negative impact on campus morale.”
Over the past five years, the University of Wisconsin System has seen budget cuts of $500 million. In the 2011-2013 budget, $250 million was cut from the UW System. An additional $250 million was ...
