THE UNIVERSAL ECONOMY UNIT VIII: STRATEGIES OF THE RICH CLASS WAGING WAR ON AMERICA
“The issue of debt cannot be segregated from the overall organization of society. Now, just imagine if instead of banks and their bondholders holding student loans and profiting from it, if the government had made these loans, the government could easily forgive them, because it would be forgiving money owed to itself. But when you privatize not only education, but also student loans, that is what has led to the student loan crisis. It was completely unnecessary. But Joe Biden, as senator for the credit card companies centered in Delaware, pushed it through, saying, ...
HATE IS STUPID
As I write this, Pride Month 2018 is drawing to a close. Two trans women in my social circle had very different experiences this past month. One found acceptance and a sense of well-being, the other one suffered from despair so deep that she took her own life.
This has prompted a lot of reflection on my part. Will (my significant other) and I have always been big advocates for the LGBT community. Through the years we have seen great strides being made toward acceptance and understanding. But I realize that I was lulled into feeling that the community in which I live is ...
ECONOMICS AND THE PAY GAP
AAUW and the YWCA present:
ECONOMICS AND THE PAY GAP
With featured speaker
Linda Barrington, PH.D.
Executive Director, Institute for Compensation Studies
Associate Dean, Outreach and Sponsored Research
Cornell University, ILR School
Linda Barrington has conducted research on gender economics, compensation, employees with disabilities, new workforce entrants, and the working poor. Her work appears in numerous business-research reports. Her recent book, Employment and Work – Disability: Key issues and Future Directions, is published in the SAGE ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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...
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 ...