Privatization
SAVING PBS
“Can't have the kids being groomed by Antiques Roadshow.” This statement is from a cartoon by Jen Sorensen talking about the defunding of public broadcasting. The humorous, but perceptive, cartoon explains the ridiculous reasoning behind Republican attacks on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Back in 1961 Newton Minow, the Federal Communications Commission Chairman, famously described commercial television as a "vast wasteland." Television, like radio before it, was a wonderful communication tool for providing quality information, education, entertainment and ...
Budget Chaos in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Senator Chris Larson is concerned about the impact on Wisconsin's state budget from Trump's cuts to federal funding. The cuts being implemented at the federal level will create havoc with the Wisconsin state budget. Senator Larson has introduced emergency legislation – the Frozen Federal Funds Emergency Act – to help deal with this problem.
The proposed bill requires the legislature to convene an extraordinary session if the Trump funding cuts are implemented. The extraordinary session would “consider” providing money from the “budget ...
Economic Conundrums
“There is always enough for the needy, there is never enough for the greedy.” Mahatma Gandhi
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” Edward Abbey environmentalist and author
Most of us would be better off if we spent less, spent more wisely, and saved more. But what happens to an economy based on consumer spending when consumers don't spend? If we all do what is good for our personal situation will the economy crash?
American consumer capitalism is full of conundrums. Consumer spending drives the economy but is often not good for ...
Social Security and Scary Looking Postcards
Wisconsin’s GOP recently flooded our mailboxes with scary-looking postcards claiming that Kamala Harris’ “amnesty plan for illegals” will destroy Social Security and Medicare. First off, providing “amnesty” would mean pardons for illegally crossing the border and granting legal status, and VP Harris has no such plan.
Secondly, while both programs may be unable to pay full benefits within the next 12 years (Social Security in 2035 and Medicare in 2036) without reforms, undocumented workers are actually helping keep these programs afloat, since ...
Project 2025 Will Impact Your Life
Republican policies hurt people. Project 2025 provides a blueprint – and an advance warning – of the many ways Republicans intend to hurt most people and the country.
Project 2025 goes way beyond the usual Republican agenda of outlawing abortion, destroying unions, eliminating all restraints on big business and cutting taxes – again – for the wealthy. This agenda will dismantle all the social, legal, economic and environmental progress of the last 150 years. Many of the rights, protections, expectations and freedoms we currently enjoy will be eviscerated or ...
Physicians for a National Health Program
To anyone who may want to learn more, this is a great opportunity about how the Advantage Plans are taking over public Healthcare and are not really the best thing for us.
Either of these links should work for the SEIU Retiree organized presentation on Thursday, September 19 at 1:00.
There will be presenters from Physicians for a National Health Program, plus a guest appearance
by Lieutenant Governor Sarah Rodriguez (who is also a nurse).
You can also attend live at the Madison Labor Temple.
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83966181430
http...
For the Water
Where do you go to find over 17,000 lakes, 86,000 miles of rivers and streams, 5.3 million acres of wetlands
and 650 miles of Great Lakes shoreline? Don’t go anywhere! Stay in Wisconsin!
Healthy water is one of Wisconsin’s greatest assets. By protecting our water, we protect the health of our
people, our economic interests, our recreation and our wildlife. Protecting both surface and ground water is
smart money management. It costs less to protect our water than it costs to clean contaminated water.
Healthy water for the whole state ...
THE RICH AND SOCIAL SECURITY
I’m sorry to burst everyone’s bubble about the rich and Social Security, but I believe it’s flat out wrong to think it’s as simple as the rich should pay “their fair share.” Compared to everyone else, they already pay their fair share because what each of us pays in Social Security tax is based on our income. The rich earn more, so they pay more.
The sticking point is the cap, the amount of the tax to be collected before the assessment stops. So what “pay their share” actually means to those hoping for reform is “get rid of the cap.”
But what ...
Ultra-Rich are Working to Mount Anti-Democratic Coup
Under the cover of religion, and promotion of social-political issues, some members of our ultra-rich class have launched a coup. They have insinuated themselves in the government and judiciary to vote themselves huge tax breaks.
Under the last administration, a $1.7 trillion tax cut was enacted. It was heavily tilted to favor the top one-percent. No cuts in spending were enacted to pay for those cuts, so the amount of taxes not collected was added to the deficit.
That was highly inflationary. Also, who will pay the bills if the top one-percent does not? It is the ...
Project 2025 Explained: The Right-Wing Policy Map
Project 2025 Explained: The Right-Wing Policy Map For Trump – Promotes Mining in Indian Nation Lands, in the Boundary Waters, in Alaska & the Arctic Circle, in Arizona, in Colorado, & in New Mexico; and Eliminates Climate Change and Conservation Initiatives
Key Facts about Mining, Oil & Gas Drilling, Climate Change, and Conservation in Project 2025
Project 2025, spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation with help from more than 277 individual contributors and 100 other conservative groups, is a multi-part plan for the next conservative administration—...