THE UNIVERSAL ECONOMY UNIT VII: THE FINANCIAL WAR ENSLAVING AMERICA

“There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.” – Warren Buffet – one the world’s 8 richest men whose combined net worth equals more than the bottom half (3.6 billion people) of all humanity. “What we are seeing now is a fight for what is going to be the rest of the 21st century by creating a new kind of class, a new class much like the invasions of Europe a thousand years ago. A thousand years ago, invaders from the north and from Italy would grab land and grab public utilities by military ...

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Opioids and Humane Treatment

We have two opioid problems in the U.S. The first one, I am certain you have heard of. It is opioid addiction, which is arguably fueled by the widespread availability of opioids. The second problem is one that was created by how government agencies and businesses decided to address the first problem. For people with chronic health conditions, access to opioid pain killers can restore some normalcy and improve the quality of life. Many people who, like myself, suffer from chronic pain, have very few good days, good hours, or even good minutes in which we must complete ...

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Freedom vs Conformity

“Little boxes on the hillside Little boxes made of ticky tacky Little boxes, little boxes, little boxes all the same...” Little Boxes song by Pete Seeger Americans frequently pontificate about freedom. Individual liberty is supposedly the foundation of the nation and the highest of aspirations. Yet in practice freedom is often restricted and subordinated to commercial and other interests. Oddly many people blindly accept these contradictions and the restrictions on their freedom. An example of this is the covenants imposed by Home Owner Associations or HOAs. ...

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Stories We Tell Ourselves

“Who's dying for your freedom in this land, Who pays for the cost for the liberties you demand Is it for freedom, or our comfort and convenience, Who pays the cost for the convenience we demand” Excerpts from the song “Is it for Freedom?” by Sara Thomsen On Memorial Day we eulogize the military service members who were sacrificed by our many wars. We tell ourselves these brave Americans died to “defend freedom” and protect our way of life. Implied in these stories is that our many wars were necessary and justified. But too often these stories ...

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Keep Our Public Schools Fully Funded

The Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding held its final public hearing on June 4, at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Public education supporters came to send a united message to keep funding public schools fully. “We have attended every single one of these hearings,” said Heather DuBois Bourenane, Executive Director of Wisconsin Public Education Network. “And we have heard superintendents, board members, parents, and teachers say the same thing from one end of the state to the other: our system of school funding is not working and is not fair.” “We believe ...

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WE ARE ONE RALLY

President Trump is coming to Duluth for a campaign rally on June 20th. The progressive community is organizing several alternative events. It is the Northland's turn to stand up for justice and show the world that we DO care about people everywhere. A HUGE TURNOUT will show the Northland rejects Trump' mean-spirited agenda!! 1) Soulstice: A Celebration of Peace, Love and Democracy Date: Wednesday, June 20, 2018 Time: 5:00 to 8:00 PM Place: Leif Erikson Park, Duluth (11th Ave E. & London Rd) This is a free outdoor concert and a rallying call for democra...

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Gender Economics

Linda Barrington will be the guest speaker on “GENDER ECONOMICS AND THE PAY GAP.” You are welcome to the meeting on Monday, July 9 at the YWCA at 613 Fifth Street, Wausau. Program starts at 6:30 p.m. This meeting is free and open to the public. Linda Barrington is the Associate Dean for Outreach and Sponsored Research in the ILR School at Cornell University. She is also the Executive Director of the Institute for Compensation Studies (ICS), an interdisciplinary initiative that analyzes, teaches, and communicates broadly about monetary and non-monetary rewards ...

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POP-UP GROUPS FIX OUR BROKEN POLITICS

Women Supporting Women
Pop-up groups also known as grassroots groups are showing up in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio and North Carolina. Women from the ages of 30 to 70 are saying Enough is Enough to current politics. They are organizing at the local level and running for political office. The media outlets have just recently mentioned this new energy not in the rural or urban areas but in suburbs of Middle America. Since the election of Trump, women new to politics are forming groups. This is no leftist Tea Party or a repeat of Sanders versus Clinton. This is a new movement. The women are ...

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ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE

The year 2020 will mark the 100th anniversary of women having the right to vote in the United States… let us not squander it. Years ago, I would take part in canvassing on behalf of various organizations, and I heard a lot of different things from a lot of different voters. One thing stood out as particularly troubling. Every now and then, I would happen upon a woman who would either say, “I just vote the way my husband tells me to vote,” or “I just vote the way my father tells me to vote.” The first time I heard someone say this, it shocked me. I thought ...

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FIXING OUR BROKEN ELECTIONS

“In a democracy, someone who fails to get elected to office can always console himself with the thought that there was something not quite fair about it.” Thucydides, Greek politician and historian, 460-395 BCE. “When one with honeyed words but evil mind persuades the mob, great woes befall the state.” Euripides, ancient Greek playwright. When Donald Trump thought he was losing, he ranted about the election being “rigged.” After the archaic Electoral College gave him the presidency, he falsely claimed voter fraud had given Hillary Clinton the popular vote ...

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