Politics
Corporate Colonization of Wisconsin, Part IV — The Dutch East India Company and the Koch Wisconsin Company
This is the fourth in a series of articles by Dr. Keith Roberts discussing the corporate colonization of the state of Wisconsin. In this segment Dr. Roberts compares the actions taken by the Dutch East India Company in the1600’s to the tactics currently being used by Governor Scott Walker and the various Koch Corporations in Wisconsin. Previous articles in this series can be found archived under the author’s name.
Over the past several years I have had the privilege of visiting Indonesia for extended periods on five different occasions. As a professional, I made it ...
Don’t Let Wisconsin Voters Become an Endangered Species!
You and I are facing the loss of our vote. Tuesday, April 7th may be the last time ordinary citizens, like us, get a chance to vote for a Chief Justice for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court. Wisconsin’s governing leadership is seeking to change over 100 years of Wisconsin tradition.
Historically, voters have elected Supreme Court Justices for 10 year terms. The most senior Justice served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. A Constitutional Amendment, on the April 7th ballot, would eliminate the selection of the Chief Justice by voters and turn the selection over to ...
FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT OF “SELMA-MONTGOMERY MARCH”
Rev. Janet Wolfe, a retired Presbyterian pastor in Marshfield, Wisconsin, commemorated the 50th anniversary of her participation in the Civil Rights movement.
Fifty years ago, Rev. Wolfe was a student at U of Colorado in Boulder. She boarded a bus with 32 others and headed for Alabama.
She attended the last day of the Selma-Montgomery March on March 25, 1965. Fortunately, she recorded her experiences and here is an excerpt:
“After wading in a mixture of mud, rain, and old orange peels for 5 ½ hours, we began marching through the Negro section. The spectators ...
Divide and Conquer Works in Wisconsin
This week Wisconsin became a right to work state. This was a “given” when reactionary Republicans took control of state government.
Legislation to eliminate prevailing wages is next. These laws require public contractors to compete by having better management or efficiency, not just lower wages. This is another attack on unions and the public good.
Ironically, this week the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a campaign finance reform advocacy group, released figures on union contributions to Governor Walker. Unions representing engineers, police, firefighters, ...
MOVE TO AMEND
In January, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Citizens United vs FEC (Federal Election Commission). This devastating ruling says that money is free speech and allows the incredibly rich to flood our elections with unlimited “big money” and “dark money” through the use of Super PACs (Political Action Committee). No longer are there any restrictions on how much money is put into our elections or which representative can be elected with millions of dollars. With Super PACs no one knows where the money is coming from, or going to. It is untraceable. These funds ...
MIDDLE WISCONSIN FROM BEND, OREGON
Middle Wisconsin has always been a state of mind, not a location. The values of fairness, respect, and community are universal. They live in the heart of caring, concerned citizens throughout America, throughout the world. The following letter from Baruch Zeichner of Bend, Oregon, verbalizes what many of us fear, what many of us know, but have hesitated to say.
Follow Baruch on his Podcast at http://paradigms.bz/ on http://wbkm.org/ radio, and visit his Blog at http://baruchzedblog.blogspot.com/
“We are now literally dismantling the state government, and people ...
Public Schools Serve the Whole Society
A 21st Century public education system is the foundation of democracy and provides equal opportunity. The doors of public schools are wide open for all students and are essential to the well-being of our communities, state and country.
Do you know the difference between taxpayer subsidized private schools and our community Public Schools?
Responsibilities and Standards
Taxpayer subsidized private schools do not need to hire highly qualified teachers and were not required to take state assessments until last year. Public schools are rated by the state every year, ...
“RIGHT TO WORK” – FOR LESS
The following is the text of a speech given by Fred Andrist at a press event against “Right to Work” on March 4, 2015, in Wausau, WI. Mr. Andrist was a teacher for 21 years, 15 of those in Rib Lake northwest of Wausau, a Public School Employees Union Rep for 18 years in Menomonie and Rhinelander, a former President of Statewide Staff Union for six years, a Proud Union Member for 33 years, and a member of the North Central Labor Coalition centered in Oneida County. Fred recently retired.
There is a lot to dislike about the “Right to Work” (RTW) for less. For ...
WILL LINCOLN’S AMERICA PERISH FROM THE EARTH?
By: Scott Erlenborn
Over 230 year ago America’s founding father’s brought forth upon this continent a new nation that was conceived in liberty and dedicated in blood; a government of the people, by the people and for the people that thus far has not perished from this Earth. Just as this noble experiment was put to the test during Abraham Lincoln’s tenure, it is now being put to the test by those that call themselves Lincoln’s Party. It is being put to the test by those who would seek to replace our great democracy with a corporate plutocracy, a government of ...
BUDGET PROPOSAL ELIMINATES LOCAL ASSESSMENT AND INCREASES COST WISCONSIN TOWNS ASSOCIATION “LOSE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND YOU WILL LOSE AMERICA”
The following talking points regarding proposals in Governor Scott Walker’s budget to remove local control of property assessment are reprinted from Wisconsin Towns Association Executive Director Mike Koles. Please visit the Wisconsin Towns Association website to learn more about how this proposal will not only be harmful and expensive for towns and counties, but also undermines local government and control.
Despite overwhelming opposition in 2009 under Governor Doyle, the Department of Revenue (DOR) is once again proposing an upheaval of the generally very ...
