Family & Community
How Is Wisconsin Faring?
1. Job Growth:
Wisconsin is ninth out of the 10 Midwestern states in private sector job growth. Only Illinois ranks lower.
Wisconsin is 32nd in all job growth from 2011 through 2013.
A job analysis by the Wisconsin State Journal shows Wisconsin, in 2010, ranked 16th in private sector job growth under Democratic Governor Doyle. At the end of 2013, Wisconsin ranked 36th.
Wisconsin ranks 45th in projected job growth.
Wisconsin placed 2nd in job losses during the month of February 9,500 jobs in the public and private sector were ...
MORAL MONDAY: Income Disparity
A History of "Moral Mondays"
By Virginia Kirsch
Republicans in North Carolina have steadily been defunding public education, health-care and unemployment benefits. They also have restricted voting rights and abortion service. In 2013 Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II said “Enough!”
Rev. Barber called for people to gather at the State House in Raleigh, North Carolina and established Moral Mondays to draw attention to these moral issues. As many as 100,000 people came. The Moral Monday Movement has grown into a statewide progressive coalition. The movement has ...
WORKERS OF THE WORLD…MARCH!
May 1 is known as May Day and also as International Workers’ Day. Workers march in parades all over the world. It is a day we celebrate the workers of our country and express our gratitude to them for building our nation and keeping it running.
On May Day, 2012, thousands of workers marched in New York City to protest the state of the economy and the widening gap of the rich and the poor. In 2014, we remember our workers and continue to push for an increased minimum wage…up to $10.10. There are now 25 states that have increased their minimum wage.
Here are other ...
The Thomas Street Plan: Four-Lane Road Into Two-Lane Bridge Based On Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Funding, Not Necessary Road or Traffic Improvement
Lost federal funding from breaking federal guidelines drives a costly Thomas Street plan that will impact the Wausau School District, Northcentral Technical College, and Marathon County
A careful review of information on the Thomas Street project, including local news coverage, reveals the answer to a question that has been frequently brought up by Wausau residents: why would the city build a four-lane road on Thomas Street into a two-lane bridge? The City’s own research indicates a four-lane stretch of road on Thomas Street is both unnecessary and costly.
The ...
Why You Can’t Do Social Justice Alone
Last summer’s California drought caused severe water shortages. That resulted in higher prices of grain which increased the price of beef. Therefore fast food places cut workers’ wages and the worker sent less money to his family in Mexico. In Mexico, people were dealing with that same drought, which caused immigration in the first place. Kristin Moe raises this issue in her article “Get Intersectional!” in Yes Magazine, April 2014.
Who or what is to blame? - - - Climate change? Labor policies? NAFTA flooding Mexico with cheap US corn? - - - Probably ...
Stories of America
There once was a story of America. It told of the aspiration of centuries of heartbreaking human struggle, of the shining proof that people from every nation on Earth, every walk of life, and every religious belief, could come together in a spirit of community. It told how a magnificent government was formed, how universal needs such as water and roads, breathtaking national parks, law enforcement, and the education of our children, were understood to be the property, and the responsibility, of all. It spoke to the longings of humanity. It spoke to the human heart.
Nati...
Impending Tsunami: Boomers Turning 65
In a recent meeting with Fourth Street Forum host Marcus White, V.P. of Community Partnerships, Carol Wessels, Elder Care Attorney and former chair of the State Bar of Wisconsin's Elder Law Section, Nino Amato, President of the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups, and Sharon Adams, Director and Co-Founder of Walnut Way Conservation Corporation, discussed the future of Baby Boomers turning 65.The forum addressed the concern that over 76 million “boomers” born from 1945 to 1965 in the U.S. are retiring at a rate of 10,000 per day. They are not prepared to retire due to ...
2013 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures
• Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the US.
• More than 5 million Americans are living with the disease.
• 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer's or dementia.
• In 2012, 15.4 million caregivers provided more than 17.5 billion hours of unpaid care valued at $216 billion.
• In 2013, Alzheimer's cost the US $203 billion.
• Average per-person Medicare costs for those with Alzheimer's and other dementias are three
times higher than for those without these conditions.
• In 2050, Alzheimer's is projected to cost the US $1.2 trillion ...
Separation of Church and State
My strong Christian heritage has supported the Constitutional Amendment that separates church and state. My ancestors passed on the wisdom that this separation is necessary. Let me tell you why.
My family left their homeland because wealthy “people of faith” had taken over all religions, public services, the people’s money and their land. Those who resisted were killed in the name of The Church. Sadly, my uncle of several greats was beheaded before crowds. He had dared to stand up for fairness, respect for his neighbors and the common good.
Today we see some of ...
Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare) Fiction versus Fact
1. Fiction: A mass email circulating since 2010 claims under the ACA, Medicare Part B premiums
will reach $247 per month by 2014.
Fact: News from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services disproves that email. Standard premiums for Medicare Part B, covering doctors' services and outpatient care, remain at $104.90 per month for 2014, the same as 2013. People who pay surcharges because of higher incomes will see their rates stay flat. The annual Part B deductible stays unchanged at $147. Officials say the premium, calculated as 25 percent of the program's costs in ...
