Economics
Pelican River Forest
In a spectacle more suited to a third world dictatorship than a vibrant democracy, the Oneida County board made a strong statement against conservation of working forest lands on May 16. Ignoring the comments made by over two dozen folks including grandmothers longing for a harmonious future, the board shot a blow to the Pelican River Forest Legacy proposal.
While the action was not entirely unexpected, more than one board member’s comments raised my ire. A board member rambled on about the people in Madison removing the severance (yield) tax on Managed ...
JUST MONEY ONE
We are once again watching the complete ignorance – and yes, it is ignorance – of our legislators arguing over the national “debt Ceiling.” Forgive the harsh words, but this misguided foolishness hurts people. It hurts the nation. Every time we witness this self-destructive nonsense, one cannot help but wonder - - -
Why don’t Americans ask some obvious questions? How can there even be a national debt? The Federal Government is the Constitutionally authorized creator and supplier of the nation’s money. Who are we borrowing our own money from, and why are we ...
Scapegoating unemployed is tired political trope. Here’s what works to fix labor shortages.
Generous benefits are not keeping people on the sidelines of employment.
Michael Rosen and Charlie Dee
Wisconsin’s labor shortage is not the result of lazy people gaming the unemployment system. Yet that’s the excuse Republican lawmakers used to pass, without a single Democratic vote, a series of bills intended to punish the mythical lazy workers, most notably by cutting unemployment insurance benefits to as few as 14 weeks and making it more difficult for those out of work to qualify for them.
These politicians believe benefits are so generous that they ...
SEEMS OBVIOUS PART TWO
Still alive! So, a quick review from Part One. The BBP (Brilliant Batch of Politicians) is once again conducting the PCC (the Parade, the Charade, of Charlatans), threatening to shut the US Government down over the “debt ceiling.”
But we know Article I, Section 8, Clause 5 of the US Constitution says:
[The Congress shall have Power] To coin Money and regulate the Value thereof
So, we know the US Government is the creator, the source, of the nation’s money. We know the US Government always has money of its own (for Heaven’s sake it creates the money). We ...
NAOMI Action Day
Join with hundreds of people from WISDOM affiliates around the state whose values impel them to advocate for a more just and equitable Wisconsin on Thursday, April 27. The day will begin with an inspiring and informative session at the Masonic Center. After a boxed lunch, we will proceed to the Capitol for a rally followed by visits with our state senators and representatives.
Will provide a bus for the event, leaving from Mt. Sinai Congregation, loading at 6:15 am leaving at 6:30 am, making a stop at the park/ride in Kronenwetter and in the parking lot behind the ...
The Social in Political/Economic Society
One of the dominate themes in American society is that of rugged individualism. Individualism is a key to American society, but it exists within social perimeters. We exist in a social environment in thought, property ownership, economy, and innovation. We are not isolated individuals carving out our lives on our own intelligence, talent, and initiative. Instead, we exist, and operate in, a functioning society. A functioning society means a legal framework, social investments, and a knowledge base that allows people and businesses to operate within consistent, and predic...
Republican’s Flat Tax Nothing but a Boondoggle for the Rich
Wisconsin’s Republican leaders just can’t help themselves.
In November voters rejected a flat income tax when its proponent, Tim Michels, lost to Gov. Tony Evers. However, schemes to make the rich richer are the GOP’s trademark, so now Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu has proposed eliminating the state’s mildly progressive income tax and replacing it with a 3.25% flat tax by 2026.
No matter how they try to package it, the flat tax would accomplish only two things: drastically deteriorate our quality of life in Wisconsin and, yes, provide a windfall ...
A Review of Curt Meine’s Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work on the Occasion of Aldo Leopold’s 136th Birthday
One could tick off details about Aldo Leopold’s life—born January 11, 1887, in Burlington, Iowa; educated as a forester at Yale; worked for the U.S. Forest Service in New Mexico and Arizona for roughly two decades; married Estella Bergere in October of 1912; accepted an appointment to the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1924; and, in 1935, came into possession of “the shack,” near Baraboo, along the Wisconsin River, a place that figures as a hub in A Sand County Almanac, and on which property he died, of an apparent heart attack, while fighting ...
TECTONIC SHIFTS
History matters. As World War II came to an end in 1944, Europe and Japan were in ruins while the U.S. had become the world’s economic powerhouse. At a historic meeting in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, forty-four countries agreed to fix their currencies to the U.S. dollar and the dollar was made convertible to gold at $35 per ounce. Thereafter countries would settle their international trade in dollars, and the dollar became the world’s reserve currency.
As one might expect, having the dollar as the world’s reserve currency proved enormously beneficial to America. ...