Politics


OUR MORAL COMPASS IN WISCONSIN

moral compass
Our moral compass is “an inner sense which distinguishes what is right from what is wrong, functioning as a guide for morally appropriate behavior.” A recent comment from state Republican Representative, Bob Gannon, should raise concerns regarding our moral compass and how it guides us as citizens of Wisconsin. In response to an altercation involving a shooting at a mall in Madison, Gannon says citizens should arm themselves to “clean our society of these scum bags.” He says armed citizens should shoot to kill aiming for vital organs in the “center mass” ...

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WEALTH AND MONEY: PART I

neglected neighborhood
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 ...

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WISDOM FROM RETIRING SENATORS

wisdom
Five years ago, most of us were retired teachers, enjoying our retirement with grandchildren, gardening and other pursuits. Then February 2011 changed everything. We became politically active and began to write. At the end of 2015 we are still active and still writing. We have connected with many other progressives throughout our beloved state of Wisconsin. We will win because we must. What keeps us going? For one thing, history does. Read the article in this issue about President John Adams and his Patriot Act. Another thing are the speeches given by Wisconsin State ...

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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 ...

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OPEN RECORDS REQUEST…..ORR

OPEN RECORDS REQUEST…..ORR This fall, Wisconsin Republicans put game-changing legislation on a fast tract. From October 21 to November 16, they dismantled the independent Government Accountability Board (GAB), changed campaign finance laws such that Wisconsin now has the loosest restrictions on dark money of any state, and exempted themselves, and only themselves, from the secret John Doe process. I wanted to know whether Wisconsin citizens were pushing for these changes, and whether citizens’ demands compelled the fast-track approach. From the end of October ...

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TAKE-NO-PRISONERS POLITICS IS NOT NEW TO THE USA…..

TAKE-NO-PRISONERS POLITICS IS NOT NEW TO THE USA….. Do you remember a few years ago when HBO presented the series of John and Abigail Adams? The Adams were portrayed as leaders and saviors of our fledging US democracy. HBO attempted to change the story of Adams presidency. What really happened is this: In 1796, President John Adams and his wife Abigail brought a take-no-prisoners politics to Washington D.C. This brought fear and division into the new country. It also brought out the worst behavior in Adams’ Federalist (Republican) supporters. In 1798, under ...

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REP. SPIROS, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

Workers Compensation
REP. SPIROS, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? By Randy Radtke (Randy Radtke is President of Marathon County Labor Council, AFL-CIO) It comes as no surprise that after Governor Walker was rejected on the national level that he and his colleagues didn't waste time attacking Wisconsin workers, again. One of their most recent attacks is on the Workers' Compensation Act, a program that has worked well for over a 100 years. Workers' Compensation has worked well because both the employer and employee had a voice in the process. One of the co-sponsors to this bill is from Central ...

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WHAT WILL IT BE: GOLF OR CAFO?

cattle
Mike Keiser is a Chicago businessman and golf developer. He built a first-class golf course in Bandon, Oregon, a small town that was transformed by the golf course. Keiser is planning a Sand Valley golf course to open in northern Adams County in 2017. This area is a thriving residential/ recreation spot that can attract many tourists through the new Sand Valley Golf Resort. This soil in this area is sandy and water permeates rapidly. Many years ago, this land was at the bottom of an ancient glacial lake. Such soil is easily polluted. A golf course would work on this ...

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ATTACK ON WISCONSIN’S GOOD GOVERNMENT

wi government
Good government in Wisconsin is under attack. At the beginning of October, Wisconsin served as a national model for clean and transparent government. By the end of the month, our government was on the verge of being open for corruption after Assembly Republicans rammed through legislation that decimated our state’s campaign and governmental oversights. Perhaps the most self-serving piece of legislation that Republicans passed during this time was AB 68, which exempts political crimes from the John Doe investigation and prosecution process. This law creates one set of ...

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NEW AND FREE! – LISTEN TO MIKE MCCABE PODCASTS FROM EIGHTY NINE.NINE FM, MADISON, WI

Podcasts
Listen below to Mike McCabe from Blue Jean Nation giving short weekly commentaries for the radio program Democracy Checkup from EIGHTY NINE.NINE FM in Madison, Wisonsin Click here to get more information and shows directly from this community radio station.

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