U.S. healthcare System working to be Part of Global Change

The US Healthcare system is a substantial contributor to climate change, responsible for about 10% of the nation's carbon emissions and 9% of harmful non-greenhouse air pollutants. If the global health sector were a country, it would be the 5th largest emitter on the planet. Fortunately, there are a growing number of cutting-edge Wisconsin and national health care facilities that have made significant progress by voluntarily incorporating sustainability into their work. Gundersen Hospital in La Crosse leads Wisconsin's pioneers. In 2008, then CEO Jeff Thompson, MD ...

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Ron Johnson’s Ads Are Ridiculous

I normally do not watch much television but will tune in to CBS Sunday Morning. Most of the time, I am blissfully spared the ridiculous political adverts that are known to cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and high blood pressure; all things I could do without. This last Sunday morning, I tuned in early to watch a bit of fluff known as local news coverage; basically, sports and weather. A lot of people running for office look to buy up time during local news programming, and none are taking up more air than Ron Johnson. It is laughable that he is trying to run as ...

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Wausau is the Kohlrabi Capital of North America

ANNOUNCING: KOHLRABI DAY! The Wisconsin Farmers Union was at the Wausau Farmers Market on June 18 for Kohlrabi Day! There was  a Kohlrabi Cornhole game and recipes galore!  Mid-morning there was a special Proclamation by Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg  proclaiming Wausau as the Kohlrabi capital of North America. June 18 is officially Kohlrabi Day in Wausau.

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A Photo Memorial to Our Dear Friend Wayne Olson

October 31, 1938-May 31, 2022 Rest in Power Dear Friend

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Supreme Politics

The recent big news story is the Supreme Court's leaked draft of the upcoming decision to overturn Roe vs Wade. This should be no surprise. It has long been expected. Obama was outrageously denied an appointment and Trump made three appointments to the Court. These three judges were deliberately chosen for their opposition to abortion and their extreme positions on other issues. The current Supreme Court is a glaring example of a “packed” court dominated by extreme right wing ideologues. These judges are not impartial arbiters of the law. Jim Hightower devoted ...

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Retirement Issues and WI Candidates: U.S. Senate and WI Treasurer

For Immediate Release: June 13, 2022 POWRS Steering Committee, Philip Anderson, powerswi@gmail.com Retirement Issues and WI Candidates: U.S. Senate and WI Treasurer To better inform Wisconsin voters, Protect Our Wisconsin Retirement Security (POWRS) surveyed the U.S. Senate candidates on retirement, Social Security and Medicare issues. We sent the survey to all the declared Democratic candidates and to the Republican incumbent. We only received replies from four Democratic candidates: Mandela Barnes, Sarah Godlewski, Alex Lasry, and Tom Nelson. POWRS ...

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Comparing the U.S. Senate Candidates on Retirement Issues

Wisconsin – and the nation – is facing a retirement security crisis. Many people will have inadequate income for a secure retirement. Many will only have Social Security to live on. Many will not be able to “retire” at all. Over 400,000 seniors in Wisconsin will be living in poverty by 2030. As a result, Wisconsin will need to spend an additional $3.5 billion on public assistance programs. These problems are not self-correcting and won't be fixed by free market “solutions.” Government must act to address the retirement crisis. This includes consolidating and ...

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Poor People’s Campaign rallies to Washington D.C.

We will have a full story in our next edition of Middle Wisconsin.  In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. organized low-income Americans of different backgrounds in a march on Washington known as the "Poor People's Campaign." Over fifty-years later, thousands of protesters gathered Saturday to deliver that same message at the Poor People's and Low-Wage Workers' Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls. The rally urged low-income voters to participate in the upcoming midterm elections and featured religious organizations, pro-democracy groups, labor ...

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Building Unity

Building Unity Democracy Tour Stop in Wausau, WI Wednesday, July 13, 2022 - 6:00 - 8:00 PM Universalist Unitarian Fellowship of Wausau - 504 Grant St.    Event Description: (outdoor event) This Democracy Tour Stop Event will include a community potluck outside of the UU Fellowship of Door Co. This will be an opportunity to share ideas about ways that we can both help to turn out the vote and also to build a movement for peace, justice, sustainability, and democracy.   About Building Unity and the Democracy Tour: Humanity is facing challenging ...

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Down Ballot Wisconsin Elections

Voters also need to pay attention to the “down ballot” statewide offices. In Wisconsin, the Attorney General, State Treasurer and Secretary or State are independently elected offices. The Attorney General is obviously an important office and gets some voter attention. But most people know nothing about the other two. This year ignoring these obscure offices could have serious ramifications. Republicans have spent years weakening and underfunding all three of the these elected offices. This has included trying to abolish both the Treasurer and Secretary of State ...

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