WE CAN BE WHATEVER WE HAVE THE COURAGE TO SEE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9uTH0iprVQ
MODERN MONETARY THEORY UNIT II: THE MONETARY SYSTEM OF THE UNITED STATES
The US Government cannot run out of money any more than Lambeau Field can run out of points during a Packer game. Quoting former Chairman of the US Federal Reserve Bank (the Fed), Ben Bernanke, during a 2009 interview with Scott Pelley on CBS 60 Minutes:
(PELLEY): “Is that tax money the Fed is spending?”
(BERNANKE): “It’s not tax money. The banks have accounts with the Fed much the same way that you have an account with a commercial bank. So, to lend to a bank, we simply use the computer to mark up the size of the account that they have with the Fed.”
In ...
EARTH DAY SHOULD BE EVERY DAY
It’s been eight years since anyone in our executive branch of government uttered the words “climate change.” Thankfully, Governor Tony Evers brought science, common sense and the term climate change back to Wisconsin.
Since the 1970’s, Wisconsin Governors have shaped our nation’s conservation legacy. In my office, over my desk, hangs a poster from Governor Gaylord Nelson’s campaign. The man from Clear Lake was ahead of his time. He did all he could to raise awareness that the earth is worth protecting.
We recently celebrated Earth Day. From recycling to ...
A CALL TO ACTION FOR OUR EARTH
I find myself deeply concerned about the planet this year.
I have been thinking a lot lately about how distant so-called “civilized” society has become from the natural world around us. We have created a world within a world that is filled with useless plastic objects, traveling machines, endless entertainment, and a never-silent call to consume ever more useless plastic objects.
I have often thought, with all the prepared soft food we eat that we will be toothless. In short, we are becoming abstractions to ourselves as though we are simply mobile collections of ...
A People’s Budget For Wisconsin
Governor Tony Evers says his proposed budget “is the people's budget.” It is intended to “put people first.” The details of his budget proposal show this is more than campaign rhetoric. There are a number of changes in policy and spending priorities that will positively impact most people in Wisconsin.
Evers' budget increases funding for schools, infrastructure, public health, and health care. These were important items either cut, or ignored, under the prior administration. The people of Wisconsin elected Evers largely because of his promise to restore school ...
Come Out and Celebrate Earth Day in Wausau
Alarmed over yet another disastrous oil spill, this one fouling Santa Barbara, California beaches, our own Senator Gaylord Nelson pioneered the first national Earth Day on April 22, 1970. That day, 20 million Americans joined hands with the citizens of Wisconsin to celebrate our one and only home planet.
Each year since then, our friends and neighbors across the country, and since 1990 around the world, have made Earth Day an opportunity to joyfully acknowledge our determination to live in harmony with the natural environment on which we all depend.
On Saturday, ...
THE BUDGET MOSAIC
Connecting dots can be very satisfying -- when it all clicks together our eyes get big, our jaws drop and we become stunned with our newfound knowledge.
The bigger the conclusion, the more satisfying the result. For legislators, much is the same for comprehending the state budget. Pouring over the details and reading the documents line-by-line can be dull, very dull. But when things start to click and make sense, it’s all worth it.
Governor Tony Evers listened to the experiences and values from many different people and put together a budget that represents a large ...
HOW WILL YOU CELEBRATE EARTH DAY?
The first way I will celebrate Earth Day is by using these canvas bags. They were purchased 30 years ago and have served me well. They were used for buying groceries, going camping, going shopping, and going to the library. They were made to last.
Many people compliment me on using them. People tell me they have similar bags and really should use them. But that is as far as that goes. How did using these bags become a habit?
Earth Day is on my mind each day. I hang the bags on the door knob leading to the garage.
The bags are put in the car and ready for their ...
Fixing Deficits With Better Priorities
“Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.” Ambrose Bierce
Conservatives supposedly are for fiscal responsibility. We should live within our means. The government should not, according to them, spend more than it takes in taxes. As a corollary, taxes hurt the economy and must always be cut. These pious platitudes superficially sound good but are misleading and destructive in many ways.
Actions speak louder than words. The historical record shows that since 1980 federal deficits ...
When is Enough Enough?
The proposed federal budget for FY 2020 has been released. The big winner, again, is the Pentagon and the weapons industry. Endless wars produce endless military spending.
Most Americans know we spend a lot of money on the military and wars. Many of them blindly believe this is necessary to protect the country. But the more we spend the less safe we are. In addition we are not winning the wars. As William J. Astore. USAF LT COL (Ret.), has written,
“When it comes to the “world’s greatest military,” the news has been shocking... as the U.S. military spans the ...