Great
News!!!
We always need to hear
good news and this ruling gives us continued hope that we will see some justice
done in the battle over Act 10.
United Wisconsin Statement on Appeals Court Ruling to Continue
Stay of Act 10 Provisions | United Wi
Politics-
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly…
First, the good… We are fortunate to have 2 competitive races
for school board seats in Madison. While it would be even better to be able to
say we have 3 of them, far too often local races are uncontested or
uncompetitive. Democracy demands a
choice and we should make sure that we are informed voters who will make wise
decisions at the polls.
Madison school board candidates Greg Packnett and James Howard
discuss superintendent Jennifer Cheat
www.thedailypage.com
The
bad… Politics are always partisan in some manner, but recently Wisconsin's political
scene has degenerated significantly.
While we should remember that the "Good Old Days" weren't
always so terrific, we can hope for a return to a time when politicians were
able to discuss ideas and find some compromise in their efforts to create
legislation and policy for the people they represent.
The ugly… In another
example of the GOP's willingness to ignore the voices of all citizens, the
controversial mining bill moved quickly through the legislative process. The long term consequences of the bill remain
to be seen, but I find it difficult to see it having a positive effect on either
the employment picture, or on the environment in the areas that are
impacted.
Lies
Become Truth…
More
examples of ways the public is being mislead and misinformed as the battle for
the future of our society continues.
These three examples show the direction that one political ideology
wants our nation to move in. In the conservative
future we will need to work longer hours, retire later and will see independent
businesses devoured by corporations.
Efforts
to privatize Social Security and to eliminate other New Deal programs are in
full swing. Members of the GOP are working
to scare the electorate using data that isn't always accurate.
This piece is a great
example of how Fox and other conservative outlets present information to guide
viewers to accept a specific world view.
The panel speaks about how Wal-Mart "democratizes" our society
and how we shouldn't deny anyone the benefits of having a Wal-Mart close
by. As if buying cheap things somehow
makes our lives complete.
They don't miss a chance
to attack unions and talk about how unions were once good (to prevent black
lung disease for example), but this is 2013 and people would rather have cheap
products than work for wages high enough to afford quality goods produced by
well paid and fairly treated workers.
Fox's Dagen McDowell On Walmart Leading To Mom And Pop Shops
Closing: "Ma And Pa Need To Get Over It
As a society we put our
money where our values are. CEO's,
athletes and entertainers make millions or more, while those who care for our
sick and elderly barely scrape by.
We
have a representative democracy, however, when the representation is based on
gerrymandered districts then there are serious problems with the elected
officials that result.
Organize
for the Future…
I
heard a report on the radio that talked about how an individual's spending
habits were heavily influenced by their TV viewing habits. Watching wealthy people on TV makes many of
us spend more. In effect we are no
longer keeping up with our neighbors when it comes to consumerism, but are
trying to keep up with media figures.
Something that is impossible for the typical individual, or family to
do. Most of us live in a reality that is
very different from what is portrayed in the media, yet we often allow the
entertainment and news industry to shape our world views.
Part of what unions, and
other organizations, must do is reconnect with people on a level that is
different from what political or media figures operate on. People may identify with what they see on TV
or at the movies, but they spend most of their time operating in very different
circumstances. In order to really reach
people in meaningful ways we need to get the message out that unions or other
organizations can have a positive influence on people's daily lives.
Politics are important,
and they are a very visible arena that unions need to have a presence in. However, they are not the only venue that
unions operate in. Nor are they the most
crucial part of organizing. In fact, in
many ways it is a losing proposition when unions try to compete with the
consumer driven message that is so prevalent in our politics and media. The union message is one of unity, empathy
and compassion. Traits which are in
direct contrast to the consumerism that calls for each person to try and get
the most for themselves.
In order to effectively
spread our message and our values we must rely on direct, personal contact with
people. As we've institutionalized our
collective bargaining rights and other union ideals we have to some extent lost
the "spirit" of the union.
Instead of a group of people who know each other and who share common
goals, we gradually became a part of a bureaucratic process. This happens because of many reasons and
isn't necessarily the fault of any specific part of the union organization or
the members themselves. In some cases it
is even because some unions have done such an excellent job of representing
their membership. However, anyone who
values unions and collective bargaining must examine their thoughts and actions
carefully and look to be more involved and in touch. The challenges faced by unions in 2013 allow
us the opportunity to reconnect with our "roots" and to rebuild our
unions into even stronger and more powerful organizations.
I can't stress enough that
unions and other progressive organizations must continue to be involved in
electoral politics. However, it is my
belief that the amount of emphasis that unions have placed on elections has
become a drain on the money and energy of the members and the organizations
themselves. In addition, the return on
the investment hasn't been all that terrific.
Unions that represent the Postal Workers have donated heavily to
Democrats, and that hasn't "paid off". Educators unions threw their support behind
Obama and other Democrats and got a new breed of "reform" as a
result. While the argument can be made
that things could be worse if conservatives were elected, the reality is that
organized labor is being slowly bled dry under the Democrats, or is being
quickly decimated under the Republicans.
Until we reorganize from the base, we face a losing proposition under
either party.
Attacking
Public Education…
The battle over education
funding, and expanding the voucher programs in Wisconsin are an example of how
conservatives are framing the debate and using divisive politics to try and
achieve what are political, not educational goals. The goals that most "reformers" want to accomplish involve
making money off education, re-segregating our schools to protect the elite and
eliminating the political power of educators and their unions. Not everyone involved in the education
"reform" movement are participating in order to advance these
goals. There are some thoughtful, well
intentioned people who are advocating for changes to be made in our public
schools. However, the underlying motives
that drive the big money and powerful interests are more about profit and
power, and less about students and education.
Public schools rely on
public money, this allows conservatives an opportunity to debate education
policy in ways that don’t promote accurate or rational dialog around
educational issues. It also allows
political agendas to influence our schools.
Evidence of this is clear in the debate over the current budget.
We need to support Tony
Evers in his effort to be reelected. Don
Pridemore is a conservative education "reformer" who has little, if
any, experience with education. Instead
he is just a mouthpiece for the "reform" movement and as state
superintendent, it is likely he would do significant and irreparable harm to
our public school system.
The voucher program is an
obvious attempt to undermine public education and to move funds to private
educational enterprises.
The efforts of
"reform" advocates to divide communities from their public schools is
clear. Whether it is through proposals
like vouchers, parent trigger laws or other similar ideas, or through the
continued efforts to undermine confidence in public education,
"reformers" are trying to drive a wedge between public educators and
families. "Reformers" are
especially focusing on groups that are part of the Achievement Gaps. They offer "opportunities" to
escape the public schools, but too often these are not real opportunities.
Vouchers for special needs
students are one case where there are hidden consequences to taking
"advantage" of the "opportunity" offered by the
program. A group of concerned parents
and citizens is organizing to shed light on these issues.
By emphasizing the struggles of different groups and the
Achievement Gaps that exist in our schools, "reformers" hope to
create a movement of students away from public schools and into private
schools. Yet, the success rates of students
who leave public schools isn't as great as what is promised. The results of these efforts have made many
large city school systems more segregated now than they were 60 years ago.
The strategies used to
attack public education are many.
However, they are all tried and true methods that have been effective in
other venues. Here in Wisconsin we are seeing legislation
introduced to require local governments and school districts to pre-fund
retirement benefits, much like what has helped bring the U.S. Post Office to
such dire financial circumstances.
The best defense for
public education continues to be an active and engaged coalition of educators,
families and community members. I'm
excited to be a part of a group, now known as SCAPE (School-Community Alliance
for Public Education) that is made up of members from these different
"groups". This is one of many
organizations springing up in the aftermath of the assaults on public education
and on other public institutions that have provided hope and opportunity for so
many in our society. I hope to be able
to share more about this group in the near future as we work to advance progressive
values from the grassroots in Wisconsin.
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