Economics
Worker Exploitation Laws
A group of people decide to go out to eat. Everyone in the group knows that they will receive a bill when they finish eating. Two people in the group decide that the others will need to pay their dinner bill despite partaking in the benefits of the meal.
After reading this hypothetical situation did you perhaps say to yourself “I would never think about doing something like that!”
This hypothetical situation is similar to what people commonly and unfortunately call “Right to Work” laws. “Right to Work” is a name or slogan that can be accurately described ...
Blue Jean Nation
American democracy is caught on the horns of a dilemma. Most Americans are feeling fed up with the Republicans and let down by the Democrats — with good reason — as both major parties are failing the country. Yet a third party isn't the answer. Like it or not, America has a two-party system.
Ours was not set up as a parliamentary democracy, where competing factions can join forces and form coalition governments. We don't have fusion voting, or instant runoff voting, or proportional representation, or any of the mechanisms that would allow third parties or independ...
RE-PURPOSING GOVERNMENT
REPURPOSING GOVERNMENT
This commentary is a distillation of Mike McCabe’s keynote speech at the Wisconsin Grassroots Network festival in Mazomanie on March 28. It was first published as an opinion column by the online news site Wistopia on April 3. It is reprinted from the Blue Jean Nation website at: http://www.bluejeannation.com/commentary04-13-2015/
It’s easy to be consumed by what or who we are against rather than what we are for. But if we are going to get Wisconsin and our nation out of the rut we are in politically, we cannot afford to dwell on what ...
Corporate Colonization of Wisconsin – Part VI: Free Markets don’t make Free People
This is the sixth in a series of articles by Dr. Keith Roberts discussing the corporate colonization of the state of Wisconsin. In this segment Dr. Roberts discusses the fallacy of “Free Markets” and how plutocrats have taken over national economies and political parties. Previous articles in this series can be found archived under the author’s name.
You can always tell if an organization or think tank is trying to pick your pocket if it has “free market” in its title or as one of its goals. Organizations like the Club for Growth, The Heritage Foundation, ...
TAXES BUILD COMMUNITIES
Philip Anderson has been working with Duluth, MN activists to organize events for the week of Tax Day. They are planning a teach-in, a rally, and have created the following survey to show REAL people's public spending priorities. Please take the online survey! It is important that many people take the survey. This will be the message for the April 15 rally. Congress is doing this.... but people want better priorities! "How would you spend $1 trillion?” www.surveymonkey.com/s/V5LYJQK Please pass this survey on to your contacts.
Everyone loves to hate taxes ...
CRITICAL PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN
Elected Congressional officials must act soon in order for CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) and several child nutrition programs to continue beyond this year.
CHIP provides affordable health insurance coverage to millions of kids in the US, and over 150,000 in Wisconsin. Thanks in part to CHIP, 93 percent of children in America have health coverage with low premiums, deductibles, and the preventive care children need.
Nutrition programs like school breakfast and lunch and WIC provide nourishing meals to low- and moderate-income children both in and out of ...
VOTE “YES” FOR OUR CHILDREN’S AND COMMUNITY’S FUTURE
Tuesday, April 7th, voters in the Wausau School District get a chance to approve some much needed repairs and upgrades for our children in the Wausau School District. As a result of four years of community involvement and planning, two referendum questions will be on the ballot.
Question #1* allows the school district to raise money for needed maintenance and neighborhood school building renovations. The bond money will be used to:
Provide additional space for students at overcrowded John Marshal, Rib Mountain, Hewitt-Texas, and South Mountain elementary schools,...
QUESTIONS ON OUR APRIL 7 BALLOT….
You will be asked to vote on these questions. They are printed here for your convenience.
QUESTION 1: “ELECTION OF CHIEF JUSTICE
Shall section 4 (2) of article VII of the constitution be amended to direct that a chief justice of the supreme court shall be elected for a two-year term by majority of the justices then serving on the court?”
QUESTION 2: ADVISORY REFERENDUM:
“Shall the City of Wausau establish the position of city administrator, reduce the Mayor’s position to part-time, and transfer administrative and operational responsibilities from the ...
Your Freedom Matters
First they came for our voting freedoms and I did not speak out
Because I didn’t vote
They came for my work place freedoms/ protections and wages
I didn’t speak because I didn’t understand why it was so important
Then they came for freedom to learn all that is possible through a great public education,
I didn’t realize public schools are the heart of equal opportunity for all communities
Quietly they attacked our state’s freedom to enjoy and protect our beautiful land and water
Very few have noticed because it ...
Options for Budget Solutions
Wisconsin Republicans claim that the state is broke and they have to make “hard choices” to balance the budget. They have no choice but to cut school funding and other social programs.
Whenever I hear someone say we have no options, I get suspicious. Either they don’t want to see options or they lack the ability to see alternatives. There are always options. Better, more creative leadership would “think outside the box” and provide a range of options to solve problems. If the Republicans would take off the ideological blinders they might see some of them. May ...
