58 results for author: Middle Wisconsin Editorial Board

CELEBRATE FREEDOM ON JULY4TH WEEKEND…

CELEBRATE FREEDOM ON JULY4TH WEEKEND… By Middle Wisconsin Editorial Staff On this July4th weekend, celebrate freedom. There are different versions of “freedom” in our society, but here is our version: “If you get cancer or break a leg and do not have health insurance, you are not free. If you can’t get a decent education, you are not free. If you are a woman and do not control your body, you are not free. If you cannot marry someone you love, you are not free. If your work largely benefits only the wealthiest of the wealthy and not you, you are not free. If you are treated with suspicion or disdain because of your ...

Honk For Public Education

HONK FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION By Middle Wisconsin Editorial Staff Motorists are honking their horn for public education for all, thanks to rallies by concerned people all over Wisconsin. Throughout Wisconsin, many people are organizing and advocating for public education. Local groups are standing on sidewalks and holding signs to let people know what is going on in the state budget and the local schools. They are helping to educate the public on the needs of our public schools. In Wauwatosa SOS (Save Our Schools) has requested open records of their elected officials to determine the support for public education. In West Bend, the advocacy groups ...

COME TO THE 4TH ANNUAL LAKE MONONA WATER WALK

COME TO THE 4TH ANNUAL LAKE MONONA WATER WALK JULY 10 – 12, 2015 Friday July 10 – Evening with Bill Miller (Mohican). Overnight camping. Saturday July 11 – Pow Wow, Elders Teaching Lodge, Inipi and Moon Lodge Ceremonies at Frostwoods Beach, Monona. Camp Overnight. Sunday July 12 – Pipe Ceremony, All Traditions Water Blessing, Drums Circle the Lake, Water Walk, Feast, Camp overnight. Monday July 13 – Clean up grounds. Leave no trace. Share the vision of What’s Next. “It is said that when the water turns to poison and you can no longer eat the fish, A New People will emerge…They will have the choice of two roads.” –Ojibwe ...

HELP RENEW THE EARTH – MIDWEST ENERGY FAIR

HELP RENEW THE EARTH by Middle Wisconsin Editorial Staff Here’s is your chance to help renew the earth. Attend the 26th Annual Energy Fair 2015 June 19-21, Friday – Sunday in Custer, Wisconsin. You can learn about renewable energy as well as network with people already living a sustainable lifestyle. Over 15,000 people will attend this grand event in beautiful central Wisconsin. They come from all walks of life and have one thing in common: love and concern for renewing our earth. Buses will come from Madison and Milwaukee. A shuttle bus runs every 15 minutes from Stevens Point to Custer. In this weekend, you have over 200 choices ...

TREATMENT……NOT IMPRISONMENT

TREATMENT……NOT IMPRISONMENT By Middle Wisconsin Editorial Staff “The simple message:  “Do NOT pass a budget that includes funds to expand the prison system.”  •    There are proven, safe ways to reduce the prison population.  The Administration can take measures to fix the broken parole system that is keeping hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people in prison longer that the sentencing judge ever envisioned.  The Administration can also increase efforts to provide alternatives to revocation for people on supervision who have not committed a new crime. •    The $5 million that Joint Finance wants to put into prison ...

STOP THE TAKEOVER OF MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

STOP THE TAKEOVER OF MILWAUKEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS WDPI (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction) has named 55 Milwaukee Public Schools that fail to meet expectations. Senator Kooyenga and Senator Darling have proposed a bill for the future of these 55 schools. It is called OSPP (Opportunity Schools & Partnership Programs). 1) The basic “solution” proposed by Darling and Kooyenga is that their “new governance structure in MPS [is] to free students from nonperforming schools.” The assertion that there is a need to provide “new opportunities” to parents and students ignores the fact that the city of Milwaukee has more school options ...

Letter to Citizens of the State of Wisconsin

Dear Citizens of the State of Wisconsin: The right to a high quality, free, public education is fundamental, and education at all levels is critical to our future. Public schools give all students the opportunity for success. They are at the heart of our communities. Today, Wisconsin is ground-zero in the fight to regain and maintain the standards of excellence and effectiveness which made Wisconsin a benchmark for others to follow. That fight requires a steady, compelling voice in the media, yet none currently exists. To answer the call, PEIS*, with the support of educators and concerned citizens, has launched the first widely distri...

CALL TO ACTION TO SAVE OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

CALL TO ACTION TO SAVE OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS I signed a petition on Action Network telling Members of the Wisconsin State Legislature to STOP the Takeover of Milwaukee Public Schools. Republicans Senator Alberta Darling and Rep. Dale Kooyenga have proposed legislation to take over many Milwaukee Public Schools that educate mainly African American and Latino children in high-poverty neighborhoods. Our communities reject this takeover of our schools. We want vibrant, public community schools that welcome and serve all children, offer special education services and bilingual education, and are locally controlled and accountable to parents. Cities ...

A LITTLE QUIZ ABOUT RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

The following quiz was written by Rev. Emily C. Heath at the United Church of Christ and was published online by the Huffington Post, Daily Kos, and elsewhere. The Rev. Emily C. Heath is a United Church of Christ minister currently serving as Senior Pastor of the Congregational Church in Exeter, New Hampshire, and a writer and public theologian. "How to Determine if Your Religious Liberty Is Being Threatened in Just 10 Quick Questions." Just pick "A" or "B" for each question. Please do not copy off your neighbor's quiz. 1.  My religious liberty is at risk because: A) I am not allowed to go to a religious service of my own choosing. B) ...

BUDGET PROPOSAL ELIMINATES LOCAL ASSESSMENT AND INCREASES COST WISCONSIN TOWNS ASSOCIATION “LOSE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND YOU WILL LOSE AMERICA”

The following talking points regarding proposals in Governor Scott Walker’s budget to remove local control of property assessment are reprinted from Wisconsin Towns Association Executive Director Mike Koles. Please visit the Wisconsin Towns Association website to learn more about how this proposal will not only be harmful and expensive for towns and counties, but also undermines local government and control. Despite overwhelming opposition in 2009 under Governor Doyle, the Department of Revenue (DOR) is once again proposing an upheaval of the generally very effective assessment system in the State of Wisconsin. The proposal surprisingly ...