PUBLIC EDUCATION WINNERS AND LOSERS
WINNERS in Colorado and Ohio….
Education, Inc. is the excellent video showing the Koch-sponsored candidates winning in the School Board race in Jefferson County, Colorado in 2013. If you saw the film you will remember the ultra-conservative School Board throwing out a popular superintendent and completely shutting out the citizens from all decisions. The situation got so bad that thousands of students walked out.
In the past two years, local citizens organized and worked very hard to recover their school board. In a recent election they did just that. By a vote of ...
LAOS AND THE LEGACY OF THE VIETNAM WAR
“When the fighting stops the suffering continues.” This is the message Jim Harris brings to his talks on the legacy of our bombing of Laos. Jim and his wife Marty run the nonprofit organization We Help War Victims, Inc., which assists Laotian refugee families in America and victims of war living in Laos. The Vietnam War ended over forty years ago, but that distant conflict still impacts the lives of millions of people in both Asia and America.
For ten years Jim has worked to remove unexploded ordinance in rural areas of Laos. He leads a team of skilled Laotian ...
FRIDAY NIGHT IN MADISON
It was Friday night at 5:00 pm.
Most people were leaving work and looking forward to the weekend. Maybe they headed to see friends and family at the fish fry or watch the prep football playoffs.
At that same hour, Senators received details on two very important bills. Legislation that rewrote laws related to elections, campaign finance, lobbying and the ethics of elected officials.
Leaders kept details about changes to the bills secret until the last minute. Details we had not seen; the press had not read; no member of the public had an opportunity to provide ...
MINDLESS MENACE OF VIOLENCE
(Let us not wait another 47 years to meet the challenge that this American prophet once laid out for us. Thanks to The Daily Call for bringing this article to our attention.)
“I have saved this one opportunity to speak briefly to you about this mindless menace of violence in America which again stains our land and every one of our lives.
It is not the concern of any one race. The victims of the violence are black and white, rich and poor, young and old, famous and unknown. No one – no matter where he lives or what he does – can be certain who will suffer from ...
PROTECT LOCAL CONTROL OF LOCAL SCHOOL REFERENDUMS
Some state legislators have introduced Senate Bill 355 and Assembly Bill 481 that would tell us when school districts can go to referendum and how often. The bills dictate the financing methods as well.
These bills take away local control. Local public schools need to be kept in the hands of our local citizens. How can state politicians take over our public schools?
Public schools have received the largest funding cuts in state history. Small rural districts are struggling to keep their doors open and the furnace turned on. SB 355 and AB 481 would put more pressure ...
CAN WE TAKE BACK OUR DEMOCRACY?
Yes, we can, according to Harry Boyte, who spoke at the 20th Conference on the Small City and Regional Community at University of Wisconsin-Marathon County on October 6, 2015. Boyte defined the small city as a population less than 50,000 population. Boyte firmly believes that democracy is being renewed and recovered in small towns across the USA.
He noted that the level of citizen engagement is the lowest in 40 years. However, 70% of the people still believe in local government. People still trust their local governments which can be the incubator for new ideas.
Ac...
ALL REAL POWER RESIDES IN THE PEOPLE
ALL REAL POWER RESIDES IN THE PEOPLE
(A Closer Look at Wisconsin Civil Service)
By William Franks, Jr. AFT-W Local 4848 Retiree, Emeritus Chief Steward and former Equal Opportunity Specialist of Senior Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
Senator Fred Risser’s (The Dean of Wisconsin Legislators) grandfather, Ernie Warner, introduced the legislation in 1905 responsible for creating what we now refer to as the Wisconsin Civil Service System. Warner was a Republican Lafollette Progressive. As I listened to Senator Risser’s interview on Wisconsin Public Radio, ...
IMPROVING OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
IMPROVING OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
By Phil Anderson
The problems facing Wisconsin's public schools are complex. There are no quick or easy fixes. But neither are the problems insurmountable. People of good faith, working together, can find ways to improve our schools.
We should begin by admitting that we are all part of the problem. The problems of our schools reflect American society. The inequality, racism, poverty, and violence common to American culture are reflected in our schools. We cannot blame teachers or schools for the social problems we are unwilling to address ...
PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO WHO….OR WHAT?
PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO WHO….OR WHAT?
By Kathie Marsh and Pat Murphy
Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly passed legislation which will all but eliminate democratic government in Wisconsin. Those politicians represent a new breed who make their legislative priorities clear: secure and lock down every single lever of power in the state.
Today, Republicans must pledge allegiance to the Party, not the People. They represent only voters who agree with them, especially those who contribute big bucks to their campaigns.
You would think citizens would be outraged, but ...
UNIONS BUILT THE MIDDLE CLASS
UNIONS BUILT THE MIDDLE CLASS
By John Spiegelhoff
The 1950’s and 1960’s are considered a time of prosperity for our country. Workers were paid a good wage and our economy was booming. Corporate CEO’s earned just a little more than the workers. Our country manufactured goods right here in America and manufacturing jobs were plentiful. Companies took pride in their workforce. They knew a well-paid workforce with benefits and a pension benefitted the entire country. Most people considered themselves middle class.
Now people are wondering: what happened to our ...
