Category Archives: Op-Ed

AMERICA’S ELECTIONS DEMAND INTEGRITY

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September’s Op-Ed on Election Integrity.  It will appear in the Shawano Leader on Friday, Sept. 18th.

The cornerstone of a democracy is the people’s right to elect their leaders.  It is vital that our elections are safe and secure.

Today the majority of people in our country get their news from social media, primarily Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  They are exposed to a daily dose of hoaxes, rumors, conspiracy theories and misleading news.  When it’s all mixed in with reliable information from honest sources, the truth can be very hard to discern.

Facebook has echo chambers where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their “own opinions”.  Facebook is a private company controls the content you see according to algorithms and commercial interests.  When a single company which controls the news content for the majority of the population, the possibility of abuse is rampant.

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THERE ARE NO EASY ANSWER FOR SCHOOL REOPENINGS

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Parents are terrified and they should be.  COVID-19 is extremely infectious.

It’s a tough time for parents and school districts.  They are forced to make decisions they don’t want to make.

With no federal guidelines to follow, each school district must wrestle with how best to accommodate all students in a safe environment.  Options include returning to virtual learning started in the spring, the usual in-class instruction or some combination of the two. 

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JULY OP-ED ON INEQUALITY

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If you did not get a chance to read the op-ed in the Shawano Leader, here it is:

OUR PAST ACTIONS DON’T SHOW EQUITY

“…with liberty and justice for all.”

How often have we said those words when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and not really thought about what the words really meant.  Being free within a society from the oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life is liberty.  It means civil rights and human rights.

Just behavior or treatment is justice.  It means fairness and equity.Since 1892 these words have been recited as an expression of allegiance to the flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America.  However, the “for all” part of the pledge has never really applied to everyone. Continue reading →

Monopoly Mayhem: Corporations Win, Workers Lose

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Since the start of the pandemic:

— Mark Zuckerberg’s wealth has grown by 59 percent

— Jeff Bezos’ wealth has grown by 39 percent

— The U.S. has added 29 more billionaires

— 45,500,000 Americans have lost their jobs

— 20,000,000 Americans are at risk of eviction

The system is rigged, folks.

Monopoly Mayhem: Corporations Win, Workers Lose

Since the start of the pandemic:— Mark Zuckerberg's wealth has grown by 59 percent— Jeff Bezos' wealth has grown by 39 percent— The U.S. has added 29 more billionaires— 45,500,000 Americans have lost their jobs— 20,000,000 Americans are at risk of evictionThe system is rigged, folks.

Posted by Robert Reich on Tuesday, July 7, 2020

PANDEMIC MAKES UNEMPLOYMENT PAYMENTS CRUCIAL

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Unemployment Insurance payments are the life-blood of many Americans at this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since 1932, when Wisconsin was the first state to provide relief to workers who were out of work as a result of the 1929 financial collapse, workers have been able to receive temporary weekly cash payments.  The cash payments are meant for unemployed persons to provide basic necessities for themselves and their families.  The basic idea is that the money would be immediately spent, thus providing a direct stimulus to their local economies.

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Fair Maps for Wisconsin

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Amanda Stuck, candidate for the 8th Congressional District, will be speaking on the Fair Maps legislation.

October 16th
7:00 pm
Shawano Civic Center
Shawano Dems’ Meeting to follow.

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This month’s op-ed on guns was sent in to the Shawano Leader.

IT’S TIME TO CHANGE THE NARRATIVE ON GUNS

   What’s worth more?  Guns or our children?

   At the beginning of this school year, students had a new kind of drill.  They had to pretend that an active shooter was in the building.  Students should not have to go through the trauma of worrying about the possibility that someone could come into their classroom and try and kill them.

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