Economics
WEALTH AND MONEY, PART IV: THE CREATION OF MONEY AND DEBT
The prescient fears of Jefferson and Stamp have come to fruition. In America and around the world, governments are crippled with debt. Nation upon nation is said to have overspent and now must pay the price.
GET BIG MONEY OUT OF POLITICS
The massive amounts of money spent on “buying” elections is a far bigger problem for our country than the immigration and welfare programs providing food, shelter and medical care for those without the means to cover their basic needs.
Huge campaign contributions made by fewer than 200 wealthy individuals and families have helped elect candidates supporting the passage of laws allowing:
Pharmaceutical companies to charge outrageous amounts for critical drugs.
Wall Street CEO’s to break laws and escape by paying fines which are smaller ...
WEALTH AND MONEY, PART III: PHYSICS VERSUS MONEY
Imagine yourself an intergalactic traveler visiting Earth. You land in a place called America and notice the crumbling infrastructure. You wonder, “Why would a people who had built such magnificent highways, bridges and airports allow them to fall into such disrepair?” You question:
“Does America have sufficient cement, sand and gravel to rebuild its infrastructure? Yes. Is there adequate structural steel and other needed materials? Yes. Is there construction equipment? Yes, it sits idle. Is there fuel for the equipment? Certainly, America currently ...
The Cost of Cheap Food
In economics, as in much of life, everything has consequences. There are always trade-offs. You reap what you sow. The proposed CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) in Bayfield County is no exception. We all want and benefit from cheap food. But what are the consequences?
Proponents of CAFOs claim that modern, large scale agriculture is more efficient. Cheap food is supposedly a great success story of the American economy. But is modern agriculture really cheaper or have many of the inevitable costs simply been ignored or shifted to someone else?
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WEALTH AND MONEY PART 2: PRODUCTIVE CAPABILITY VERSUS MEDIUM OF EXCHANGE
WEALTH AND MONEY
PART 2: PRODUCTIVE CAPABILITY VERSUS MEDIUM OF EXCHANGE
One cannot eat money. It cannot be used as clothing. A house or chair cannot be built out of money. One cannot ride to work in a dollar bill or use it to mow the lawn. This is because food and clothing, a furnished house, a car, and a lawnmower are wealth. Money is the claim to wealth, a medium of exchange accepted as valid by a society. It has no value in and of itself. In fact, the overwhelming majority of “money” doesn’t exist. It is simply an entry on a computer screen or in a ledger ...
IS A PRIVATE RETIREMENT SYSTEM POSSIBLE IN WISCONSIN?
Senate Bill 45 is a bill to begin to create a private retirement system in Wisconsin. Chief sponsors are Senator Dave Hansen and Representative Eric Genrich. This bill is an important first step for employees in the private sector who do not have access to a pension.
This bill does NOT create the actual retirement system. It allows for the creation of a private Retirement Security Board which would be enabled to study the creation of such a private system. The WRS (Wisconsin Retirement System might provide a framework for a private sector system, but the two systems ...
WEALTH AND MONEY: PART I
PART I: THE DESTRUCTIVE/CONSTRUCTIVE CONTRADICTION
Born in the late 1800’s, Frederick Soddy and R. Buckminster Fuller led extraordinary lives. Soddy won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1921 and Fuller became well known for his work in architecture and the development of the geodesic dome. Soddy was a British citizen, Fuller an American. Both were deeply rooted in science and the laws of physics, and both spent the latter half of their life trying to apply their knowledge of physical reality to making the world work for everyone. Inevitably their quest led them ...
THE “S” WORD: SOME PERSPECTIVE ON ECONOMICS
Bernie Sanders, a self proclaimed “democratic socialist,” is running for President. The “S” word will be used like a club to pillory him and his supporters. Even if he fails to be nominated, Hillary Clinton will be branded a socialist as well. The partisan attack dogs and the media pundits will spread the usual fear, falsehood, and misinformation which the public will swallow without question.
Words like “socialism,” “freedom,” “democracy,” ”welfare state,” and “free enterprise” are often thrown around rather loosely with little regard to ...
WITH UNIONS, EVERYONE BENEFITS
WITH UNIONS, EVERYONE BENEFITS
The concept of Unions, workers banding together to improve their wages, hours and working conditions, has been the great equalizer for workers in the United States for over one hundred years.
Only since 1971 have the public sector workers in Minnesota had the right to bargain collectively with their employers. A group interested in forming a Union goes through an election in the workplace. If a simple majority of eligible voters decide that they want a union, then everyone must be represented equally. Workers can choose not to be a ...
IMPROVING OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
IMPROVING OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
By Phil Anderson
The problems facing Wisconsin's public schools are complex. There are no quick or easy fixes. But neither are the problems insurmountable. People of good faith, working together, can find ways to improve our schools.
We should begin by admitting that we are all part of the problem. The problems of our schools reflect American society. The inequality, racism, poverty, and violence common to American culture are reflected in our schools. We cannot blame teachers or schools for the social problems we are unwilling to address ...
