9 results for tag: Democracy

Wisconsin faces permanent one party rule of legislature

In the decade that followed, the gerrymandering party never came close to losing control of either the state senate or the state assembly.

Reflecting on the importance of voting rights on this MLK Day

This week has been a good week for me as Editor. Middle Wisconsin received several good stories; so many, in fact, that some are being held until next month

Hands up don’t shoot

All people deserve, and should receive, respect and proper treatment by police. This is not a radical concept. Police simply need to act professionally and in accordance with democratic principles and existing law.

Retiring the Corporate America flag

Throughout the past few years, so much of what I believed has been turned onto its head. Most notably, my view that corporate influence on government is the greatest threat to democracy.

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. According to Boyte, there are three levels of citizenship: government-centered, ...

RE-PURPOSING GOVERNMENT

REPURPOSING GOVERNMENT This commentary is a distillation of Mike McCabe’s keynote speech at the Wisconsin Grassroots Network festival in Mazomanie on March 28. It was first published as an opinion column by the online news site Wistopia on April 3. It is reprinted from the Blue Jean Nation website at: http://www.bluejeannation.com/commentary04-13-2015/ It’s easy to be consumed by what or who we are against rather than what we are for. But if we are going to get Wisconsin and our nation out of the rut we are in politically, we cannot afford to dwell on what we hate. We need to be thinking and talking about what we love and what we hope ...

What Happened To the Notion of Us? A Declaration of Action

What is to become of us as a nation? Do we talk about each other in those terms or do we talk about how we function as a nation as “us and them.” I am not blameless. My worldview has been shaped by my experiences. I am human and I am guilty of viewing those on the other side of the political fence as having little empathy for others. But deep in my heart, I do not want to believe it to be this way. We are all being played - played by the Koch Brothers, the 1% ers and their ilk. We are constantly bombarded that “others” are to blame - the poor, the Unions, the teachers or insert your identified villain of the day here _________. We are ...

Reducing Money in Politics

Do you think there is too much money in politics? Do you think politicians are bought by big money contributions? We need to do something about the extreme amount of money being raised and spent on elections. But it is unlikely that the politicians, or the industries that profit from the current mess, will allow change. What can we do? We can reduce the influence of money in politics if more of us participated in elections. First we should recognize that politics is the way we make decisions in a democratic society. It is how we decide priorities, spending, and public policy. If citizens abdicate, then special interests take over.   Refusing to ...

ON THE BOOKSHELVES…“A FIGHTING CHANCE” by Elizabeth Warren

“This is a story about what’s worth fighting for, and how sometimes, even when we fight against powerful opponents, we can win.” - Elizabeth Warren, author of A Fighting Chance   Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts has told us again and again that the system is fixed. The banking system is fixed to benefit the wealthy and the powerful. The economic system is rigged to benefit the rich. The rich have many loopholes by which to evade paying taxes. Senator Warren also has said, “What are you going to do about the fixed system? Either you can whimper and whine…or you can fight. I choose to fight.” That is the essence ...