Politics
Economic Development $$$ Grow – Public Oversight Shrinks – By Senator Kathleen Vinehout
Senator Kathleen Vinehout
“I’ve heard about the cuts,” the Buffalo County man said. “But this budget spends more. Who’s getting more money?”
Folks are concerned about big cuts to the UW; cuts to local schools; scaling back of health programs for the disabled; public radio and TV losing state support.
But the new budget spends $3 billion more than the last. Where is that money going?
One place to look is the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). Despite its name, WEDC is a part of state government; in fiscal year 2012-13 it receive...
CORPORATE COLONIZATION OF WISCONSIN, Part III — COLONIAL EXPLOITATION OF LABOR: KEEP THE CITIZENS UNORGANIZED AND UNEDUCATED
This is the third in a series of articles by Dr. Keith Roberts discussing the corporate colonization of the state of Wisconsin. In this segment Dr. Roberts explains how the corporate colonizers are exploiting the working people of Wisconsin by keeping them unorganized and increasingly uneducated. Previous articles in this series can be found archived under the author’s name.
Keeping Workers Unorganized
Previously I have discussed the exploitation of the resources of Wisconsin by outside individuals or corporations that control Wisconsin's current Colonial Governor-Ge...
Potential Impact on Environmental Education of the Proposed FY 2016 & 2017 Budget
Information provided by Jeremy Solin, Director (interim) of the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education at UWSP:
The infrastructure of environmental education in Wisconsin is in jeopardy. The proposed Wisconsin state budget affects the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education, the Department of Public Instruction Environmental Education Consultant position, and the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board.
Environmental education inspires people to pursue STEM-related careers in science, technology, environmental management, engineering, natural resources, ...
THE WISCONSIN IDEA DEFINES US
For more than a century, the Wisconsin Idea has defined who we are as citizens of this state. It is an Inspired Idea. It is an idea based on the principles that learning must be available to all and that the search for truth is paramount.
In his 2015-2017 Budget Bill, Governor Walker struck the Wisconsin Idea from our laws.
Section 36.01 of the Wisconsin Statutes embodies the Wisconsin Idea in its definitions of the purpose and mission of the State University system. The purpose holds it is "in the public interest to provide a system of higher education." The mission ...
Normal Relations With Cuba Long Overdue
This is the second in a two part series on Cuba by Philip Anderson. The first article in this series can be found archived under the author’s name. Mr. Anderson is a twenty year veteran of the U.S. military.
Establishing normal diplomatic and economic relations with Cuba is long overdue. For over 50 years we have bullied and threatened this small, poor nation for no good reason. Not only has our animosity toward Cuba been irrational and unnecessary, it has been a complete failure. President Obama should be praised and supported for finally considering improved ...
WHAT IS BEST FOR CHILDREN IN RURAL WISCONSIN?
The times, they are a-changin’. Rural Wisconsin is seeing big changes. Rural Wisconsin is home to almost 44 percent of the state’s 860,000 public school students.
One big change is the decrease in school enrollment. Rural school districts have a 7% decline while non-rural districts have 3%.
With a decline in student population comes a drop in funding. Every district works hard to make the most of each dollar.
But at the same time, rural school districts are increasing in poverty. More than half the students are eligible for free-and-reduced lunch.
Along ...
HOW DO WE FORGET?
How do we forget over two hundred years of the Wisconsin dream? How do we look at what our fathers and mothers bequeathed us, and throw it all away for the promise of more jobs, or less taxes? Are we so much less than previous generations that we can throw out any measure of the ideal we expect for our children and our children's children? I am asking these questions of my neighbors and fellow statesmen, because that is exactly what Scott Walker is asking us to do with his current budget proposal.
In one fiscal proposal the governor is asking us to dump the Wisconsin ...
NO CUTS TO THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM – THE “BADGERCARE IOWA FIX”
Following is the text of the speech given by Joel Lewis, Marathon County Board Supervisor from the 5th Supervisory District, at the February 19, 2015 Citizen Action of Wisconsin media event in Wausau, WI. Labeled the “Badgercare Iowa Fix,” the event was to encourage Wisconsin legislators to accept Federal Medicaid/BadgerCare dollars as the state of Iowa did, rather than inflict huge cuts to the University of Wisconsin system.
At a time when politicians are bickering over how to best create jobs, I can hardly believe that we are seeing budgets from our elected ...
WALKER’S SHALLOWNESS
A letter to the editor
Oh what a difference a week can make in the lives of people in the news. If you doubt me, check with newscaster Brian William, former Olympian athlete Chris Jenner, Or, closer to home, Gov. Scott Walker. At least Jenner wasn’t caught lying, but rather being honest.
The last week of January was good to Walker. His speech to conservative and reactionary Iowans went over well though, of course, he was preaching to the choir. But then came his February 1 interview with ABC’s Martha Raddatz, who quizzed him on foreign affairs matters, and his ...
SAVE THE U.S. POST OFFICE
As a child, growing up in rural Wisconsin, I remember the excitement of watching for the mailman. We loved the surprises waiting for us in our mailbox. Today, many people still depend on the U.S. Postal Service. It delivers everywhere. Many small businesses depend on it for their business. Independent newspapers need it to deliver their papers and to keep independent journalism alive.
Recently our mail delivery has slowed down. Why? On January 5, 2015, many distribution centers were closed in an effort to cut costs. This slowed down the processing of mail.
Why does ...
