301 results for author: Phil Anderson

Unions Brought You Holidays

“Unions, the folks that brought you the weekend” Bumper sticker "Where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost." President Ronald Reagan “Every advance in this half-century--Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, aid to education, one after another--came with the support and leadership of American Labor.” President Jimmy Carter Holidays exist because of labor unions. Like weekends, paid vacations, and retirement programs they exist because of union negotiated work agreements with employers. These agreements set the standards for non-union companies to follow. Now paid holidays are a common ...

Somewhere to Begin

There is nothing like some good music to bring in the new year. Sitting by the fire, with a good hot toddy, I am reminded of a number of songs that provide encouragement in these dark and troubled times. These songs remind me that if changes are to come, there are things that must be done to make things better. This is a process – not an event - and has been going on for many years. We don't always win the battles but we have to keep trying. And we CAN do it if everyone would lend a hand. I'd like to share with you a few songs for the new year. Let’s begin with “Somewhere to Begin” by the late T.R. Richie. I first heard this song from Sara ...

Banning Assault Rifles WORKS!

Horrific mass shootings do not have to happen. They are not inevitable. We know how to reduce the number of mass shootings and the number of people killed in these attacks. We know this because it has been successfully done in other countries. Australia is a good example because of their success and their similarity to our country. Like us Australians have a wild west, rugged individual mentality, and a tradition of gun ownership. Guns and hunting are popular. They have similar macho attitudes about manliness. They drink a lot of beer. The Aussies love rugby which, like American football, is a very violent game. They have problems with crime, ...

Guns in Our Communities 2017

Once again a mass shorting is in the news. In California an angry white man shot up a small rural community apparently over employment and domestic problems. Last week in Texas, an angry white man killed 26 in a small rural church apparently because of a dispute with his mother-in-law. Before that in Las Vegas an angry, rich white man killed 59 and wounded 527 for no apparent reason at all. And the list goes on and on and on.... The common denominator in all these tragedies is the easy availability of guns, specifically military style weapons with high capacity magazines. Last year I wrote this article about guns in America after the tragedy at ...

Mining Jobs Mirage

Last time I wrote about repealing Wisconsin's mining “prove it” law. I made reference to studies that show mining does not improve local economies. Here I provide the documentation for those assertions. Mining, like any business activity, can temporarily increase employment and thus help the local economy. But many studies say most mining does not build SUSTAINED PROSPERTY for local communities. Not by itself. This should be apparent if you think about it. Appalachia, with an economy dominated by coal mines, is famous for generational poverty. Many mining regions in the West and Upper Midwest exhibit similar boom and bust, high unemployment ...

Peace for Veterans Day

Veterans Days was originally a day to celebrate peace. The original holiday was Armistice Day which marked the end of the fighting in WWI on November 11, 1918. That day became an international holiday to remember the war and work for peace. In 1926, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution creating Armistice Day to “commemorate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations.” But in 1954 it was changed to Veterans Day. WWI was the ”war to end all wars.” It was one of the most unnecessary wars in human history. The horror of WWI did create a strong desire for peace by ordinary people. Especially in Europe, where the impact of ...

A Tale of Two Trails

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness....” Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities folks who like to hike. They both help attract visitors and boost tourism. The Lake Superior Trail runs north from Jay Cook State Park along the north shore of Lake Superior. The North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST) crosses far northern Wisconsin on its way from New York to North Dakota. This is a story of these two trails and efforts to combine them. But it is also a story of the difficulty of getting anything done, no matter how minor, in our current dysfunctional political world. ...

Bribe Games By the Number

“Politics: A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.” Ambrose Bierce Bribing companies to create jobs is not an effective way to promote economic development. It is not a comprehensive way to promote prosperity. The primary, and often only, result of business development tax incentives is simply reduced tax collections from the favored businesses. Everyone else pays for the incentives provided for the few. In Wisconsin the job creation numbers provide proof. Citizen Action of Wisconsin has several reports on programs run by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corpora...

Smart Houses, Dumb People

“That man is richest who's pleasures are the cheapest.” Henry David Thoreau The world of technology is constantly changing. Change can be hard on many folks especially us old duffers. I may be a curmudgeon but I am not a complete Luddite. I know that many of the gadgets that clutter our lives are useful. Some of them even make life better. But sometimes I think many technological “advances” happen only because we can. Because microchips can do lots of stuff we feel a need to do lots of stuff with them. Whether any one wants, needs, uses, (or even has time to learn how to use) the cool features or “apps” is irrelevant. Interactive ...

When The Chickens Come Home

Wisconsin Public Radio recently reported that the Walker administration is not enforcing fire safety codes. The laws requiring fire suppression sprinklers in apartment buildings are in conflict with another anti-regulation law passed by the Walker wrecking crew. As I have written in the past, there are consequences to the destructive, mean spirited, short sighted, ideologically driven agendas of the radical Republicans now in charge of Wisconsin and the nation. The consequences of their senseless actions frequently hurt people. Refusing to enforce basic fire safety for ideological reasons should alarm us all. Fire suppression sprinkler systems ...