HOW TO HOLD ON TO A DEMOCRACY EVEN IN A POLARIZED NATION

(reprinted under Creative Commons agreement from YES magazine) Donald Trump’s obvious affection for authoritarians is prompting worried comparisons of our polarized country to the polarized Germany of the 1920s and ‘30s. Since I’m known to see in polarization both crisis and opportunity, my friends are asking me these days about Hitler, the worst-case scenario. I grant the possibility of the United States going fascist, but argue that will not happen if we choose the practical steps taken by progressive Nordic social movements when they faced dangerous polari...

MEDICAID AND THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

Denele Campbell blogs from Arkansas. You can read more of her work at www.denelecampbell.org As of 2002, the majority of Medicaid beneficiaries (54%) were children under the age of six years. Contrary to the popular myth of aging slackers, drug addicts, and welfare queens sucking at the national teat, this majority of Medicaid provides healthcare to children and adolescents with limitation of activity due to chronic health conditions. Their numbers quadrupled from two percent in 1960 to over eight percent in 2012. This increase parallels the growth in manufacture and ...

THE STATE OF WISCONSIN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

In his address to the county chairs, Tony Evers (current State Superintendent of Public Schools) had many incisive and wise observations about the state of our state's public schools. He was particularly clear on why sending our tax dollars to private voucher schools is wrong. He pointed out that in the more than 20 years that the private school voucher program has been in effect, all studies show that they perform no better than public schools. And yet that was the reason given for starting them in the first place, to provide a school that would have better results. ...

SEND THEM BACK TO KINDERGARTEN

“They hurt people.” This was my friend's comment a few years ago about reactionary Republicans. My friend isn't a liberal activist. Although he votes, he isn't political or opinionated in any significant way. He is a small business owner, husband, and father busy supporting his family and being a good neighbor. But I was impressed with his simple, but accurate, summary of the impact of conservative ideology. I am reminded of John McCutcheon's song “The Kindergarten Wall.” This happy little song talks about what we all should have learned in kindergarten. Many ...

Real Solutions for Budget Problems

The Wisconsin state budget is short-sighted with politically motivated band-aids being proposed. Real, long term, sustainable budget solutions are possible. Wisconsin doesn't have to go through these battles every two years. But this would require real leadership and a willingness to address the actual causes of the fiscal problems. For too many years the state budget problems have been kicked down the road by both parties. No one wants to address the simple fact that essential public services (sewers, water, law enforcement, courts, roads, schools, and necessary ...

State Self-Insurance: Needlessly Risky and Less Competitive

by Protect Our Wisconsin Retirement Security (POWRS) On Feb. 8th, the Group Insurance Board (GIB) announced that the State would create a self-insurance plan for public employees which could "save" $60 million over two years and deliver health insurance through "regionalization". The 16-member, Joint Finance Committee (JFC) will approve or reject this plan, possibly in April. To understand what is at stake, we first need to look at the current group health plan. Wisconsin has been a leader in the delivery of lower-cost, group health insurance. For nearly 30 years, ...

TAX GIVEAWAY FOR THE RICH

The House Republicans, under Representative Paul Ryan's leadership, recently attempted to quickly push their bill, the American Health Care Act (AHCA), through congressional committees to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Only two days after the AHCA was unveiled, House Committees were voting on it, before the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) even had a chance to release a report analyzing the bill's projected effect on consumers, health care providers, insurance companies, and the federal budget. Joe Baker of the Medicare Rights Center (MRC), is troubled by ...

VOTE

IMPORTANT ELECTION ON TUESDAY, APRIL 4 VOTE FOR STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS VOTE FOR LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS. REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR I.D. EARLY VOTING IN YOUR LOCAL CLERK'S OFFICE. EARLY VOTING: March 20 - 25 and March 27-31.

YOUNG AND OLD

Young and old, women and men joined together on the 400 Block in the center of downtown Wausau, March 4th, to raise awareness of the issues confronting us as a “people” living on planet earth. The March was organized by Women for Women of Marathon County. We opened with The Pledge of Allegiance and This Land is Your Land. We closed as one united people singing This Land Is Your Land. Here are comments from “we the people” who stand united and want a more just and healthier world to leave to our children, grandchildren, and future generations. Each person I ...