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Latin American Deja Vu
Deja vu is French for the feeling that something is strangely familiar. You feel like you are experiencing something that you have already experienced. For anyone even vaguely familiar with the history of U.S. interventions in Latin America, the news about Venezuela should spawn Deja vu. In the words of a song by Vietnam veteran Pat Scanlon,
“I've got a feeling I've been here before
In a jungle in a dirty little war
Young men can die so fast
My God let's not repeat the past
I've got a feeling I've been here before.” *
The U.S. has frequently interv...
ACTION ALERT
I believe Trump’s declaration is a serious threat to democratic rule of law. It must be defeated and citizens must immediately take action.
We cannot wait for the law suits or the Democrats in the House to dither and compromise. The declaration is the real emergency and requires a no-compromise, all-hands-on-deck, public response.
“IF YOU ARE NOT OUTRAGED YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION” Action Alert.
Trump's declaration of emergency is a blatant attempt to bypass congressional control over federal spending. Having failed to get the money he wanted to build ...
More Questions on “Markets”
“Wall Street is a world of pure finance in the business of using money to make money—by whatever means—for people who have money. Any contribution to the production of real goods and services is purely an incidental by-product.” David Korten in YES! Magazine, May 5, 2010.
In the article “Questions on the Markets”, I talked about how the speculative trading in stocks can be harmful to the real goods and services producing economy. This is not just my opinion. There are economists and business people saying the same thing. Forbes magazine (a conservative ...
MAKING THE WORLD WORK FOR EVERYONE – A PALE BLUE DOT – PART II
Planet Earth from a distance of 4 billion miles. Photo by Voyager I. Source: NASA/JPL Feb. 1990 (Just below middle of page in orange/brown color band on right)
“Whether you will or not, you are a king, Tristram, for you are one of the time-sifted few that leave the world, when they are gone, not the same place it was. Mark what you leave.” - - Edwin Arlington Robinson writing of the legendary knight Sir Tristram
One could easily imagine Robinson was speaking to all of us when he wrote the lines above. Because, whether we will or not, each and every one ...
A BRIEF HISTORY OF OUR WISCONSIN RETIREMENT SYSTEM
I have just checked WREA.net (Wisconsin Retired Educators Association) website and learned some interesting things about the history of our Wisconsin Retirement System.
Did you know?
In 1950 there were more than 85 public pension funds in Wisconsin and most of them were poorly funded?
In the early 1950s, the average monthly annuity for a retired teacher was $35?
In 1966, Wisconsin and Tennessee had the two worst public pension funds in the nation?
Wisconsin now has one of the best retirement systems in the country?
The Wisconsin Retirement System is ...
Looking at ACA
Remember the high-gloss campaign mailings? The non-stop TV and radio campaign ads from last year about protecting people with pre-existing conditions? I bet you heard more than you ever wanted about pre-existing conditions, right? Well, the number one issue from last fall’s election is coming home to roost here in the Legislature.
When I left office as State Representative in 2010, bipartisanship was at an all-time low. The biggest political football at the time was the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. Democrats knew it would be a political liabil...
Singing for Justice
“Have you sung a song for freedom? Or marched that picket line? Have you been to jail for justice? Then you're a friend of mine”
excerpt from “Have You Been Jailed for Justice” by Anne Feeney
In Madison, Wisconsin people have been singing for freedom and justice at the state capitol every business day since March 2011! For over 2000 days people have come to the Solidarity Sing Along. As Governor Scott Walker, the object of this extraordinary protest, exits the political stage I think it is appropriate to honor these singers.
This tour de force began in March of ...
MAKING THE WORLD WORK FOR EVERYONE – A PALE BLUE DOT PART 1
It is now the year 2019. Twenty-nine years since Voyager I sent the above photo of our planet. In a world seemingly bent on a path of self-destructive madness, when human-induced global warming and the quickly growing threat of nuclear war threaten the very existence of life on Earth, it is worth it, perhaps critically so, to recall the words of astronomer Carl Sagan in his 1994 book, “Pale Blue Dot.”
“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, ...
Ruminations on a happy new year
“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” Tom Bodett, author, and NPR personality.
“Happy New Year” is one of the meaningless Hallmark platitudes of the season. You hear the greeting from friends and strangers. It is in the shopping mall Christmas music tape loop. The cards you get from the power company or your dentist wish you happiness. For a few weeks everyone is full of good will and peace on earth. At least until January 2nd.
All humans seem to seek happiness. ...
Martin Luther King Jr Celebration
Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration: ‘How Long? Not Long’
Date: Monday, January 21, 2019
Time: 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location: Great Hall Grand Theater
Address: 389 N. Fourth St., Wausau
Ticket is $30 each
Residents of the greater Wausau area are invited to celebrate the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with live entertainment, a keynote speaker and an announcement of this year’s Social Justice Award winner.
The celebration will take place on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 21, inside the Great Hall of the historic Grand ...