239 results for author: Phil Anderson
God Isn’t a Republican and Republicans Are Not Godly
“And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah. This is what the Lord Almighty said, 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner, or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.” Zechariah 7:8-10
It is unfathomable to me that fundamentalist Christians so ardently support the Republican party. Few Republican politicians exhibit any of the “fruits of the spirit” that supposedly identify true Christians. Nor does the Republican agenda reflect any Christian teachings.
Both Republican philosophy and policy objectives promote greed, selfishness, hate and ...
Politics Matter
It is easy to complain about politics. It is easy to take the apathetic road and believe the politicians are all bought, your vote doesn't count, money talks, and there is nothing you can do to change the world.
You may think politics is dirty and you don't want to get involved. But politics is the way we organize and run our society. Whether you like it or not, politics will happen to you whether you are involved or not. There is a saying, “If you are not at the table you may be on the menu.” So we all need to to participate in some way – voting, learning about issues, supporting candidates, donating, volunteering or expressing your opinio...
Look Up and Act Collectively
“...humanity needs stories that highlight the many absurdities that arise from collectively knowing what’s coming while collectively failing to act...We also need stories that show humanity responding rationally to the crisis...” Peter Kalmus, climate scientist and author
Mr. Kalmus was writing in the Guardian magazine about the movie “Don't Look Up.” He says the movie (about a comet strike) is really a story about climate change and our ignoring the warnings and danger to humanity. The same could be said for many critical problems we face. People are good at collective denial.
Our collective denial, our lack of ...
The Choice on Guns
Bad thinking and misinformation about guns is common in our country. Apologists for our crazy gun culture often use misleading statistics. Their arguments sound reasonable or appear to be supported by facts and numbers. But statistics can be misleading when they are misused, out of context or interpreted incorrectly.
I recently read a letter-to-the-editor that claimed mass shootings were not a problem because they are a very small percentage of the 45,000 gun related deaths each year. The author accused gun control advocates of exaggerating the issue. It is true that mass shootings (four or more people shot or killed in one incident) result in ...
Wisconsin Primary and Strategic Voting
Wisconsin has a primary election on August 9th. How much do people know about the candidates and issues for this election? Local local news sources offer little of value. This article tries to help people in Douglas County and NW Wisconsin get the information they need to be informed voters.
Primary elections are just as important as the general election. If you don't have good candidates winning the primary you don't have good choices later and we all wind up with bad political leadership.
To begin with, people in Douglas County need to be aware that their Wisconsin Assembly district has changed. The latest version of gerrymandering has ...
The Election Integrity Scam
“The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected.” Will Rogers, a 1930-40s
comedian.
Unqualified candidates for public office are nothing new and too often they get elected. This
year in Wisconsin we have an abundance of candidates running for office with few, if any,
qualifications. It may be unkind to call them “jokes.” People should be encouraged to
volunteer for public office, but they should have some basic qualifications. Just because
everyone has a right to run doesn't mean they should.
Some candidates for the Wisconsin Secretary of State not only are unqualified but they have
other motivations than ...
Why?
“A 21st Century Vision for America: Guiding Principles for a Great Nation,” provides a practical, plain language vision of “our country as most Americans would want it to be. Created by Gary J. Evans, PhD (a business management consultant) it has 25 statements of what a better America would be and how it would work.
In his America everyone has affordable healthcare, free education, a decent job, and no one goes hungry or lacks shelter. There are no barriers to voting. Elections are fair, and trustworthy. Everyone has equal rights under the law, no one is harassed by police, and our prisons are much smaller. Taxes are fair, easy to file, and ...
Ruminations On The 2022 Wisconsin Elections
There is good news and bad news about this year's upcoming Wisconsin elections. On the positive side, the 7th Congressional district in N.W. Wisconsin finally has a declared Democratic candidate. In the U.S Senate race four good Democratic candidates are pulling ahead in the crowded field. All of them are a breath of fresh air in comparison to the Republican incumbent. Governor Evers should have a good chance at being re-elected given the economy is pretty good and Biden's infrastructure and COVID relief money are helping many people in the state.
On the negative side the widely supported effort to end undemocratic gerrymandering of state and ...
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 the March “Hightower Lowdown” to the Supreme Court (https://hightowerlowdown...
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 positions.
Recently, Republicans have flip-flopped on the Secretary of State. Since ...