A Basket of Goodies

Wisconsin U.S. Congressman Glenn Grothman recently claimed our country should go back to 1960. He says this was a time when men still felt they had a purpose in life. Men, he contends, lost this sense of purpose during the mid-1960's into the 1970's when women were given what he calls "a basket of goodies." It is true that in the mid 60's, many opportunities began opening up for women, but Mr. Grothman overlooks the benefits countless men began to share and appreciate during and after this time. When laws and labor force demands encouraged more women to get jobs, fewer men were forced to be their families' sole breadwinners. This allowed ...

Help Reduce to Homelessness in Wausau

Individuals without housing are a part of many communities across the country. Unhoused people face challenges that are varied and not easily addressed. As long as their housing and other individual needs remain unmet, some collisions with the interests of the broader community are likely. Won’t our city and county benefit most if we don’t simplify this complex issue and instead explore multiple perspectives and approaches? Aren’t we best served by moderating differences to craft reasonable problem-solving plans and implementation measures? Compromise, as embodied in (Wausau City) Council member Sarah Watson’s proposed plan, is ...

Wellbeing of Our Children

Legislators: This is a copy of the letter I will be sending to news outlets in central and northern Wisconsin. It is intended to promote thought about gun safety laws and the well being of children and families in our state. I'm sending it to you as a statement of support for both increased mental health and public school funding where mental health problems can be best identified and addressed. --------------------------------- In the first 46 days of this year there have been 67 mass shootings in the United States. The recent Michigan State University shooting has added one more to the almost 1,000 incidents of gunfire at our schools and ...

Rally the Vote

Activate America offers an opportunity for election postcard writing. The writer provides the postcards and postage, and Activate America offers names, addresses and a suggested script. The current script addresses mail-in balloting for the upcoming Wisconsin State Supreme Court elections. The suggested script is as follows. Dear (first name), Your vote can determine whether Wisconsin has a state Supreme Court that will restore reproductive rights, protect unions and reject gerrymandering. Hand-written postcards are more likely to be read! For more information and to sign up, go online to Activate America. https://www.activat...

AB963 Parental Bill of Rights

In March, AB 963 known as the "Parental Bill of Rights" passed our state Republican led legislature. One of its Senate co-sponsors, Senator Stephen Nass, praised the bill saying many public-school teachers and administrators are making children "endure their efforts at political indoctrination." Along with this unfair claim and others, he says our educators are carrying out an agenda "to change the country by convincing children to hate America, its culture, traditions and constitutional form of government." This characterization of our educators contradicts the truth. The vast majority of adults heading to work at our public schools each ...