WORKING PEOPLE’S DAY OF ACTION
Saturday, February 24, in cities across the country, thousands will unite to demand an end to an economy that’s rigged in favor of the wealthy and most powerful.
The Working People’s Day of Action is about demanding an end to the rigged economy and defending our freedoms. On February 24, we will stand up for the freedom of working people to come together and fight for decent and equitable pay for our work, affordable health care, quality schools, vibrant communities and a secure future for all of us.
Join us for a Rally in Madison on Saturday, February 24 at 1 PM ...
Lessons from a false alarm
On Saturday, January 13, 2018, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency issued an alert warning of an imminent missile attack. It was a false alarm, but many residents, and the media, received the text message. Given the saber rattling regarding North Korean missile tests, the alert seemed credible. Certainly the fear it generated was real.
There are lessons to be learned (and hopefully acted upon) from this incident. Ralph Hutchinson, an advocate for abolishing nuclear weapons, discusses this incident in the context of our national nuclear weapons policy. His lessons and ...
Hunters in Training
Truth is stranger than fiction. With the Republican wrecking crew in charge nationally and in Wisconsin, truth is becoming increasingly stranger. A random walk through the news demonstrates what I mean. There are many seemingly small issues that speak volumes about where we are heading as a nation. One can only wonder what is wrong with these clowns? What are they thinking?
No age limit to hunt in Wisconsin
On November 13th, Walker signed a Republican bill doing away with the minimum age to participate in a “mentored” hunt. Children under 11 years old must hunt ...
FARMERS ADVOCATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND RURAL COMMUNITIES
Farmers from several western Wisconsin counties traveled to Madison as part of the annual Ag Day at the Capitol.
On the day the Governor delivered his State of the State address, farmers shared with their legislators the state of things in their world.
Safety is always on the mind of farmers. For one farmer, farm safety was a heightened worry when his daughter took drivers education. He told me, folks traveling down rural roads often ignore the turn signals and lights on his tractor. People will make the dangerous decision to pass him when he is turning left into a ...
PROTECTION FOR STATE RETIREMENT FUNDS
By Pew Trusts
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2017/11/basic-legal-protections-vary-widely-for-participants-in-public-retirement-plans
State and local pension plans hold over $3.6 trillion in retirement fund investments for participants and their beneficiaries, with returns on these investments accounting for an estimated 60 percent of the money paid out in pension benefits each year.
In recent decades, public pension funds, in a bid to boost returns, have shifted funds away from low-risk, fixed-income investments—such as governm...
CONFOUNDS THE SCIENCE
LYRICS to CONFOUNDS THE SCIENCE
(Written by Don Caron – Music by Simon & Garfunkel)
Hello darkness my old friend.
It’s time for him to tweet again,
but first he’ll have to check in with fox news
‘cause that’s the only place he gets his clues.
That’s how things get planted in his brain,
where they remain,
and it confounds the science.
The problem is he’s not alone.
He tweets to people on his phone
that global warming is a giant hoax
perpetuated by the liberal folks,
and he hires people that all think the same,
that play his game
and it ...
THE RIGHT TO KNOW ABOUT PRIVATE SCHOOL FUNDING
In the last few weeks school boards in Janesville, Rhinelander, Green Bay and Wisconsin Rapids passed resolutions stipulating that the public has a right to know how much state aid for public schools is being sent to subsidize private education. I encourage you to work with school boards in your area to further these efforts.
In addition to asking school boards to pass their own resolutions, we can encourage school board members to support a WASB resolution--that will be introduced Jan. 17th at their state convention--that calls for reporting on local tax bills the ...
PURPLE BULLSEYES
Purple Bullseyes line the map of the Thomas Street Phase II project. Purple Bullseyes designate the homes, apartment buildings, and businesses slated for some form of destruction. Most of the citizens inside these homes and apartment buildings are low income and vulnerable. Each person living inside a home, an apartment building, or business with a Purple Bullseye has a story.
I did an informal, independent survey of some of the citizens on both sides of Thomas Street who will be impacted by Phase II. Over and over the people spoke about the anxiety, the stress, the ...
POINTS TO CONSIDER ABOUT STATEWIDE VOUCHER FUNDING
By WEAC (Wisconsin Education Association Council)
Some observers suggest that because school districts can increase the levy on local taxpayers to offset losses in state aid that go to voucher schools, there is no need to make the public aware of these transactions.
There are, however, several important points to consider about the funding.
The public has a right to know where its tax dollars are going. Without transparency, there can be no accountability for how dollars are being spent, or for the organizations that are receiving subsidies.
School district ...
Most Influential Person in 2017? Women
One year ago, Donald Trump became our president. The day after that momentous event, women by the hundreds of thousands assembled to march in mass protest.
They sang, laughed, talked, and shared their elation and sorrows right there in the nation’s capital. Marchers in 161 other U.S. cities and towns and in 81 other countries joined their protest. With one voice, they announced their opposition to the new president’s implied and stated goals. They also denounced his obvious delight in bullying, and exploiting others. Whether it was financial, emotional, or sexual ...
