301 results for author: Phil Anderson

ORIGINAL INTENT, SUPREME COURT ELECTIONS, AND THE 2ND AMENDMENT

Wisconsin has a Supreme Court election on April 2nd. If you have been following this race, or paying attention to any of the U.S Supreme Court nomination hearings, you have heard a lot of noise about judicial philosophy and “original intent.” What does this mean? Is it important? Original intent is the idea that the Constitution and other laws must be interpreted based on the original intent or meaning of the authors. This view sees the Constitution as a static document frozen in time. It can only be changed by the formal amendment process. This is in contrast to a “living constitution” in which meanings and application of law evolve over ...

WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT

“Get involved. The world is run by those who show up” - Bumper sticker Wisconsin has another important Supreme Court election on April 2nd. This is an election that people need to take seriously. Who gets elected can make a difference to people's lives. People need to show up! This year's election is similar to the Supreme Court race in 2018. The choice is between two sitting judges and the qualifications of the two candidates varies significantly. Judge Lisa Neubauer is an experienced, qualified, non-partisan, candidate. Judge Brian Hagedorn has limited experience, less impressive qualifications, and obvious partisan connections. Hagedorn ...

The Year of Clean Drinking Water

It is a remarkable question to have to ask: Why do people oppose protecting our air and water? One would think protecting these vital resources would not be a controversial or a political issue. Everyone's heath and the health of the economy depend on clean water and air. Tourism, agriculture and many other industries must have clean water. You aren't going to have many tourists coming north to see smog and enjoy “dead zone” rivers and lakes. Governor Tony Evers is trying to move the state forward on these issues. Will the Republican controlled legislature cooperate? Will the people of Wisconsin support the Governor and push their legislative ...

Fixing Market Madness

“The focus by elites on making money out of money rather than making real goods and services has led to wealth for the few, and overall national economic decline. In a financialized economy, the financial tail is wagging the economic dog.” Steve Denning, (Forbes magazine, May 31, 2015) America used to make things, but now we make financial deals. Leveraged buy-outs, mergers, hostile takeovers, and similar stock manipulation games don't actually grow the real economy. None of this increases sales or production. None of it improves the financial security of the majority of us. But it makes money for the deal makers and it accumulates wealth at ...

Latin American Deja Vu

Deja vu is French for the feeling that something is strangely familiar. You feel like you are experiencing something that you have already experienced. For anyone even vaguely familiar with the history of U.S. interventions in Latin America, the news about Venezuela should spawn Deja vu. In the words of a song by Vietnam veteran Pat Scanlon, “I've got a feeling I've been here before In a jungle in a dirty little war Young men can die so fast My God let's not repeat the past I've got a feeling I've been here before.” * The U.S. has frequently intervened in other countries, usually with disastrous results for us and the victim ...

‘IF YOU ARE NOT OUTRAGED YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION” Action Alert

Trump's declaration of emergency is a blatant attempt to bypass congressional control over federal spending. Having failed to get the money he wanted to build the wall, both from the prior Republican controlled House and the latest budget compromise, he is illegally trying to bypass Congress. This is illegal because no actual emergency exists on the border. This is dangerous because a declaration of emergency gives Trump essentially dictatorial powers that can be used to do much more than build a border wall. Given Trump's known impulsive, racist, authoritarian behavior, and his demonstrated ignorance on almost every topic, this is a very dangerous ...

ACTION ALERT

I believe Trump’s declaration is a serious threat to democratic rule of law. It must be defeated and citizens must immediately take action. We cannot wait for the law suits or the Democrats in the House to dither and compromise. The declaration is the real emergency and requires a no-compromise, all-hands-on-deck, public response. “IF YOU ARE NOT OUTRAGED YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION” Action Alert. Trump's declaration of emergency is a blatant attempt to bypass congressional control over federal spending. Having failed to get the money he wanted to build the wall, both from the prior Republican controlled House and the latest budget ...

More Questions on “Markets”

“Wall Street is a world of pure finance in the business of using money to make money—by whatever means—for people who have money. Any contribution to the production of real goods and services is purely an incidental by-product.” David Korten in YES! Magazine, May 5, 2010. In the article “Questions on the Markets”, I talked about how the speculative trading in stocks can be harmful to the real goods and services producing economy. This is not just my opinion. There are economists and business people saying the same thing. Forbes magazine (a conservative business and investment publication) says, “Wall Street has thus become, not ...

Questions on the “Markets”

The stock market had a crazy year in 2018. Several times there were huge swings in the market indexes. Any good investment adviser will tell you to ignore the daily ups and downs of the markets. But people are worried. Somehow Wall Street speculation has the power to crash the real economy. When the bubble bursts, like in 2008, severe problems result. Main street businesses go under, people are laid off, and retirement “nest eggs” disappear overnight. The economy can take years to recover. Why does this happen? How can speculation crash the whole economy? Why do we let it happen? Despite years of reading about business, investing, and ...

Singing for Justice

“Have you sung a song for freedom? Or marched that picket line? Have you been to jail for justice? Then you're a friend of mine” excerpt from “Have You Been Jailed for Justice” by Anne Feeney In Madison, Wisconsin people have been singing for freedom and justice at the state capitol every business day since March 2011! For over 2000 days people have come to the Solidarity Sing Along. As Governor Scott Walker, the object of this extraordinary protest, exits the political stage I think it is appropriate to honor these singers. This tour de force began in March of 2011 as a part of the massive protests in response to Walker's Act 10 budget ...