THE UNIVERSAL ECONOMY UNIT VI: WEALTH = (MATTER + ENERGY) X KNOWLEDGE

It is the laws of physics, and how well we understand and apply them, that determine the tangible, usable wealth of humanity. Money is but an aid or, at times, obstruction in the production and distribution of wealth. This is rarely understood by the world’s politicians who, all too often, are elected – and directed – by the self-serving interests of financial manipulators. An expanded definition of wealth seems in order: Wealth = (Matter + Energy) X Knowledge We know there are iron, aluminum, nickel, copper and chromium ores and coal deposits on Earth. In ...

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Retirement Security: Democratic Candidates Hold the Answers

A retirement crisis is unfolding in Wisconsin. Before long, four out of ten of residents will be in their "golden years." Many will have inadequate financial resources in retirement. According to AARP, 41% of Wisconsin's private sector employees (about 928,000 people) work for employers that do not offer any kind of retirement plan. This, along with decades of low-paying jobs, rising health care costs, and the inability of average workers to save on their own, has created this crisis. POWRS (Protect Our Wisconsin Retirement Security) does not endorse any candidate, but ...

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BUILDING TRUST…BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Building Trust: What is News & Whose Story is it? Date: Wednesday, June 13, 2018 Time: 7:00 pm Location: Northcentral Technical College Auditorium in the Health Science Center Address: 1000 W. Campus Drive, Wausau Wisconsin Details: Building Trust: Law Enforcement, the Media & You is a series of events that bring the national discussion of law enforcement and media coverage home to Wausau. ALL EVENTS ARE FREE! Building Trust: What is News & Whose Story is it? is the second event in the series. This event will feature presenters Clayton ...

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WHY PUBLIC SCHOOLS?

My granddaughter plays in her middle school orchestra. Last week I had the honor of attending her spring orchestra concert. The concert was a celebration of the students’ achievements as well as their wonderful teacher. The concert also celebrated the community coming together. All students have a chance at playing an instrument. Their proud parents and other family members and friends come together for this wonderful event. Why public schools? Public schools include district charter and district virtual schools. To produce more special events such as concerts and ...

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VOICES FROM THE MARCH FOR OUR LIVES IN WAUSAU, PART 2

Kristin Conway, the organizer for Moms Demand Action (MDA) in the Wausau area, reflected on the mass killings in recent years. A few months ago, MDA began with two people. Thirty-five people attended the meeting after the Parkland shooting. Moms Demand Action provided a table inside the Wausau Mall with literature, voting information, and postcards. Participants wrote messages on the cards that were then sent to Congressman Duffy’s office. Marchers solemnly marched to Congressman Duffy’s empty office. “Now we ask for some silence and mindful thoughts or ...

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THE UNIVERSAL ECONOMY UNIT V: GOVERNMENT “DEBT” IS NOT GOVERNMENT DEBT

Words matter. When a person opens a $5000 savings account at a bank it paints one picture. But if one states that the bank has borrowed $5000 from a person and now is in debt to that person for $5000 plus interest, it paints quite another. It is the same thing, but one statement creates a feeling of safety and wellbeing while the other creates a sense of doubt and fear of loss. So it is with the misleading terms “deficit” and “debt” as applied to the U.S. federal budget. “Deficit” refers to the annual money created by the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve ...

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NANCY MACLEAN’S DIRE WARNING

By Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Our democracy is at a “historic turning point,” said Nancy MacLean, the author of “Democracy in Chains,” on May 3 in Madison, where she was the keynote speaker at the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s annual celebration. The Duke University historian likened our current situation to two other perilous periods in U.S. history: the Civil War and the 1930s. In both those periods, she said, “the property supremacists” were trying to prevail over the advocates of democracy. Today, the Koch Brothers and their big-donor network ...

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Ruminations on Roadside Trash

Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans. Jacques Yves Cousteau This time of year is garbage season. The snow has finally melted along our road revealing a winter's accumulation of trash. In the time between snow melt and new spring growth it is easily visible (and easy to pick up). We usually get several five gallon buckets just along the mile or so of county road that we pick up. It is amazing what you can find along the road side. The variety is astonishing. You expect the usual food and beverage contai...

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What Can One Person Do? A New Tactic for Change

We do not have a functioning democracy. Too often the will of the majority is ignored. The politicians and their big money donors do what they want. Money rules. Corporate lobbying trumps public opinion. Voters are apathetic. Crazy reactionaries succeed and common sense reforms go nowhere. Too often we organize, march, write letters, contact our legislators, sign petitions, seemingly to no avail. It is time progressives try new methods. We need a new protest tool that will demand attention. I believe we need to use our economic power as consumers to demand sensible ...

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WORKERS’ MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY

A wreath was placed on the Memorial for Workers in a recent ceremony at the Workers’ Memorial Park on River Drive in Wausau (next to the Farmers’ Market). There was a moment of silence for the workers killed in the recent helicopter crash as well as for people affected by the explosion in Superior, Wisconsin. Randy Radtke, president of the Marathon County Central Labor Council, gave opening remarks. Mayor Robert Mielke spoke on the importance of safety for all workers. Joel Lewis of Citizen Action and member of OPEIU Local 9 read a resolution from Senator Tammy ...

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