VOTE ON FEBRUARY 16
MARK YOUR CALENDAR. PLAN TO VOTE AT THESE FOUR ELECTIONS IN 2016:
February 16….nonpartisan primaries
April 5….vote for a new Supreme Court justice and many local officials including every county board member, and Wisconsin’s Presidential Preference vote.
August 9….partisan primary (not including president)
November 8…elect President of the United States, all members of the State Assembly, half the State Senate and other local partisan positions.
Wisconsin now has some of the strictest voting laws in the nation. You will need a photo ID to vote.
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WEALTH AND MONEY, PART III: PHYSICS VERSUS MONEY
Imagine yourself an intergalactic traveler visiting Earth. You land in a place called America and notice the crumbling infrastructure. You wonder, “Why would a people who had built such magnificent highways, bridges and airports allow them to fall into such disrepair?” You question:
“Does America have sufficient cement, sand and gravel to rebuild its infrastructure? Yes. Is there adequate structural steel and other needed materials? Yes. Is there construction equipment? Yes, it sits idle. Is there fuel for the equipment? Certainly, America currently ...
The Cost of Cheap Food
In economics, as in much of life, everything has consequences. There are always trade-offs. You reap what you sow. The proposed CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) in Bayfield County is no exception. We all want and benefit from cheap food. But what are the consequences?
Proponents of CAFOs claim that modern, large scale agriculture is more efficient. Cheap food is supposedly a great success story of the American economy. But is modern agriculture really cheaper or have many of the inevitable costs simply been ignored or shifted to someone else?
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POWRS IS WORKING FOR YOU
After incredible support for my Save the Wisconsin Retirement System petition, I decided to join POWRS (Protect Our Wisconsin Retirement Security), a committed group of retired activists from all across Wisconsin. We monitor proposed legislation and speak out in opposition to changes that will weaken what we believe is the finest retirement system in the U.S. We communicate via email and freeconferencecall.com in bimonthly telephone conversations on Mondays at 9:30 a.m.
We also meet occasionally in person at a centrally located site. We are currently seeking ...
JAY KRONENWETTER TO RUN FOR MAYOR OF WAUSAU
(Editor's Note: The following is information that Jay sent me about his candidacy and himself. Biographical background details from him that were in bullet points are presented in prose.)
I was born and raised in Wausau and after law school came home to start my legal practice. Having attended school in some fine cities such as Madison, Pittsburgh and San Francisco, I can confidently express my opinion that the people of Wausau, my neighbors, make this a town with unique benefits and opportunities that no other city can claim. True, we have much we can learn from the ...
WITH UNIONS, EVERYONE BENEFITS
WITH UNIONS, EVERYONE BENEFITS
The concept of Unions, workers banding together to improve their wages, hours and working conditions, has been the great equalizer for workers in the United States for over one hundred years.
Only since 1971 have the public sector workers in Minnesota had the right to bargain collectively with their employers. A group interested in forming a Union goes through an election in the workplace. If a simple majority of eligible voters decide that they want a union, then everyone must be represented equally. Workers can choose not to be a ...
REP. SPIROS, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
REP. SPIROS, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
By Randy Radtke
(Randy Radtke is President of Marathon County Labor Council, AFL-CIO)
It comes as no surprise that after Governor Walker was rejected on the national level that he and his colleagues didn't waste time attacking Wisconsin workers, again. One of their most recent attacks is on the Workers' Compensation Act, a program that has worked well for over a 100 years. Workers' Compensation has worked well because both the employer and employee had a voice in the process.
One of the co-sponsors to this bill is from Central ...
PRESERVE WISCONSIN’S GAB
PRESERVE WISCONSIN’S GAB
By Rita Pachal
As of this writing the governor and legislature are looking to overhaul the GAB or Government Accountability Board.
This board governs our elections and the use of money in campaigns. It also investigates violations of the state ethics code.
This board consists of six former judges and staff. It was formed in 2007 when both Republicans and Democrats were mired in scandals. The formation of the board was supported by both parties and was passed almost unanimously.
The GAB forum held on September 14 at UWMC had panelists ...
PREVAILING WAGE
PREVAILING WAGE
By John Spiegelhoff
Prevailing wage is the minimum hourly wage employers must pay certain workers who work on construction projects where state dollars are used to fund the construction. The prevailing wage includes the employer's cost of benefits.
Prevailing wage is used in any construction project funded in whole or in part by federal or state funds. For example, state-funded projects can be projects to construct highways, roads, wastewater treatment plants, public utilities, colleges, schools or park and recreation improvements. The prevailing wage ...
CHOOSE “WE” INSTEAD OF “ME”
CHOOSE “WE” INSTEAD OF “ME”
By John Spiegelhoff
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
I had a coach during high school that always said, “There is no I in TEAM.” He was a wise teacher. He knew that the only way to succeed was to play ...
