WEALTH AND MONEY PART XII: THE UNCONDITIONAL BASIC INCOME
“We must do away with the absolutely specious notion that everybody has to earn a living. It is a fact today that one in ten thousand of us can make a technological breakthrough capable of supporting all the rest. The youth of today are absolutely right in recognizing this nonsense of earning a living. We keep inventing jobs because of this false idea that everybody has to be employed at some kind of drudgery because, according to Malthusian-Darwinian theory, he must justify his right to exist. So we have inspectors of inspectors and people making instruments for ...
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 ...
WEALTH AND MONEY PART XI: ENDING GOVERNMENT DEBT
The town of Plentyville had public land used to grow food for its people. The farmer was hired to plant the yearly crop and at harvest time the village sold the produce to its citizens for sustenance through the winter. Proceeds were used to provide community services.
The system worked well until a year when the farmer had problems with his tractor and had to spend his savings on repairs. Low on money, the farmer bought his annual seeds and fertilizer from the supply store on credit. This, of course, left him in debt. Because the supply store was waiting for payment ...
HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE CORPORATE ASSAULT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION TO FRIENDS WHO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT?
HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THE CORPORATE ASSAULT ON PUBLIC EDUCATION TO FRIENDS WHO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT?
Diane Ravitch received an email from a daily reader of her blog who asked her how she could explain the downside of corporate reform to friends at a dinner party in the suburbs who know nothing at all about the issues. She said that her friends were liberal Democrats, but their own children are grown, and they don't read the blogs. What could she say that was direct, accurate, and informative?
They exchanged emails and began creating a list explanatory comments. The ...
WHERE ARE THE CHARTER SCHOOL RECORDS?
National Charter School Week was the first week in May. There are thousands of charter schools in USA. Charter schools are celebrating their 25th anniversary with a special conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
On December 23, 2015, the Dept. of Education issued a statement called “A Commitment to Transparency: Learning More about the Charter School Program.” The Center for Media and Democracy requested records for closed or never-opened charter schools.
The US Department of Education reported that it had funded more than 2600 charter schools that were operational ...
The Game is Rigged: Fighting the CAFO
The Bayfield County Board passed two local ordinances to regulate large factory farming. Some of the provisions exceed state requirements. But citizens opposing the proposed Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) still have the cards stacked against them. The new ordinances may be challenged in court. State law does not allow local governments to prohibit CAFOs. Local regulatory power through local ordinances is limited by state law. Citizen's ability to sue for damages is also limited.
The state regulatory system is largely skewed in favor of the industry. The ...
SACRED WATER, SACRED LAND SATURDAY, MAY 21 IN WISCONSIN RAPIDS
(Enbridge has been sending over a million barrels of crude oil through its Route #66 Pipeline through Wisconsin, from Superior to Janesville.
It plans to add another pipeline to increase the flow. That is triple the amount of Keystone XL.
Walkers are traveling 20 miles a day, in an effort to educate the people on what is happening to our land, water and air. You can read more about it from Barb Heget’s blog.)
https://www.facebook.com/events/246041252410454/
We are walking in roughly 20-mile, daily increments over the course of 33 days. Look at the map of the ...
YOU ARE INVITED TO A FIELD DAY
The Northwest Chapter of the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association will hold a field day at the Douglas County Wildlife Area, commonly known as the Bird Sanctuary on Saturday, May 21.
Bob Hanson, a DNR wild-life biologist, will give a presentation on the area known as the Northwest Sands, which runs from the Minoqua Barrens in northeastern Bayfield County, through the Bird Sanctuary down to Grantsburg and on into Minnesota. This is critical sharp-tailed grouse habitat that is slowly disappearing.
Bob will discuss the importance of fire-dependent ecosystems, the role ...
WATSON
“It was an amazing feat when Watson, IBM's "cognitive" -- listening, "thinking" and learning -- computing platform handily beat two Jeopardy grand champions in February 2011” - - Doug Henschen Information Week
Many remember the victory of IBM’s “Watson” computer over the Jeopardy grand champions, but few are aware that Watson is now playing a significant role in the field of medicine. Teaming with such austere institutions as Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York and the Cleveland Clinic, Watson is assisting medical professionals in determining ...
BRING VOTER ID TO UNDERSERVED VOTERS…
By Jay Heck, Director of Common Cause/ Wisconsin
Walker and WISDOT never even considered a Mobile Van Program to bring Voter ID to underserved voters. Some former Confederate States make it easier to obtain Voter ID than does Wisconsin.
In June of 2015, Common Cause of Wisconsin and 12 other state and national public interest organizations sent this letter to Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WISDOT) Secretary Mark Gottlieb requesting the establishment of a mobile Division of Motor Vehicles program. The program would have vehicles that visit under-served ...
