America is a nation that is supposed to be based on the
concepts of freedom, opportunity, justice and equity for all. In order to
achieve these lofty goals we have grounded our political ideology in the
concept of democracy and the ability of the individual to exert some influence
on the society they live in economically, politically and socially. We can see
the efforts of individuals and groups to achieve these ideals throughout our
history in struggles for civil rights, freedoms and an ongoing search for
social justice.
What is troubling is that
we are hearing those who claim to love America
most, those who claim to value freedom, opportunity and equity most, those who
are among the most vocal in trumpeting the ideals of America, espousing values that
directly contradict the goals of freedom, opportunity, justice and equity for
all. Instead of honoring the spirit of our founding documents and the legacy of
the struggle for social justice that weaves throughout our history, these
leaders of the conservative movement, and other political leaders have become the voice for the economic and
political elite in our society.
Our nation is one that is
built on change and on challenging the status quo. We have made mistakes along
the way, but whenever there are periods of progress we see an effort made to
change the existing power structures of society. Different groups take the lead
at different times, and the stated goals of every movement may appear to be
different. Yet, the Progressive ideals that emerged in the very beginning of
our nation's history are always present.
Some groups have become
relative constants in the push for a better America where the "American
Dream" is achievable for a majority of citizens. One of these groups is
organized labor. Unions and other labor organizations have provided a
counterpoint to the conservative message of individualism, consumerism and the
power of an unfettered market. Where the prevailing conservative rhetoric has
been one of excessive spending and concentration of wealth in the hands of the
minority, unions have a long history of improving the standards of living for
all citizens. During periods of the greatest stratification in income and
social class, unions have provided a mechanism for the majority of the
citizenry to have a voice, and to have hope for upward mobility.
Because unions provide
hope and opportunity for so many, it seems curious that there would be such a
negative portrayal of unions in our political and economic discourse. Unions
are blamed for the fall of industries and businesses, as well as portrayed as
undemocratic and un-American. We see a concerted effort by those in power to
curtail the power and voice of the American worker through anti-union rhetoric
and policy making..
How big business stifled one of the most crucial
institutions of the US
economy.
qz.com
AlterNet uncovers an anti-Obama program linked to the Koch
brothers' Americans for Prosperity, spoon-fed to employees of a major
home-improvement chain.
alternet.org
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker says he has the “courage…and
capacity” to take on powerful interests, including unions, at the federal
level. Walker, a Republican who is likely to enter the preside...
wrn.com
Why is it that unions take
so much heat in our current political climate? Those who have shaped the view
of unions as anti-American and the defender of the inept have done a masterful
job of twisting the concepts of freedom and independence in a way that produces
results that are contradictory to the stated goal. In other words, by giving
American workers the freedom to not unionize, we actually see the power of the
individual reduced. In an unequal environment, like the workplace, where the
minority has access to the most power and other resources, the individual has
fewer enforceable rights. Any individual employee becomes replaceable and
essentially powerless. It is only through collective action that the individual
gains any traction towards a better working environment. A quick glance through
history gives us ample evidence of this.
Anti-union forces have
also convinced us that the only way we can all succeed is through a free-market
that allows the "job creators" the ability to do whatever is needed
to grow their own wealth. Wealth that they will then allow to "trickle-down"
to the rest of us. Once again, history provides us with powerful evidence that
wealth flows upward and becomes concentrated, it doesn't get shared with the
majority of those laboring to create it. Organized labor has long been a way to
get wealth to flow back to a greater number of people in ways that tax breaks
and incentives to business have failed to accomplish.
The Pew Charitable Trusts has released an analysis showing
that while the percentage of households in the middle class declined in all 50
states between...
wpr.org
How the minimum wage hurts us all.
washingtonpost.com
Massive union-backed protests, an improving economy and
regulatory action undertaken by the Obama administration all contributed to
McDonald’s’s decision Wednesday to raise workers’ wages. But the move won’t
likely be enough to...
politico.com|By Brian Mahoney and
Marianne LeVine
Anti-union
sentiment is being fomented and entrenched in the thinking of many and is
damaging to our democracy as well. The democracy that our conservative brethren
claim to love is unsustainable when only a small number of individuals can
access power in any meaningful way. We have seen how the power of the ballot
has been weakened by excessive financial contributions that essentially buy
candidates.
Unions
became targets of conservative politicians because they have historically
supported Democrats. This has led to a call for Democrats to abandon their
support for organized labor. In reality, it should be organized labor who need
to abandon the Democrats. The current two-party system has become a quagmire
that fails to represent the vast majority of the electorate. Republican
policies have shifted to the extreme right, and the Democrats haven't offered a
strong alternative in many states, Wisconsin
being one. This failure to harness the power of the citizenry is damaging to
our democracy. The time has come for organized labor to unite with other groups
and restore democracy to our democracy.
Democrats need to look to the future — to millennials,
start-ups and technology
jsonline.com|By Marc Eisen
The wealth gap keeps growing, but nothing will change unless
Americans realize they are having the wool pulled over their eyes.
host.madison.com|By DAVE ZWEIFEL |
Cap Times editor emeritus
Anti-Union forces have
relied on a combination of misleading rhetoric, misleading data and a divide
and conquer strategy that pits workers against each other. The Wisconsin
Uprising was a direct response to this strategy that sought to drive a wedge
between the public and private sector unions. This strategy relies
significantly on keeping most citizens ignorant about the benefits that
organized labor provides our society. It is here where we see the second aspect
of the continuing effort to centralize political, social and economic power
emerge.
Education is one of the
cornerstones of a sustainable democracy. This means that we need a citizenry
that is educated, not just in the basics that are needed to live our daily
lives, but in ways that cause them to question and challenge the status quo.
The "Three R's" may be enough for daily work, but the role of citizen
requires an ability to analyze information and to think critically about the
world we live in. This is why education is often "rationed" in many
societies. Too much knowledge in the hands of individual citizens can be
dangerous to those who seek to maintain their power.
America is a somewhat unusual nation in that we have a
system in place to provide education to all citizens, and we have laws that are
supposed to create systems that are equal for all. While we haven't always
lived up to this ideal, the fact that this is a part of the fabric of our
society gives us opportunity and hope for a future where education is a
resource accessible to all, and one that can drive change for the better.
The rapid growth of market-driven charter schools erodes a
cornerstone of American democracy.
usnews.com|By Jerusha Conner
Because education has this
potential power, and public education is the home of a highly unionized
workforce, it shouldn't surprise us that politicians who are under the
influence of the wealthy and powerful have focused their attention on
controlling public education. The same anti-union agenda that seeks to weaken
the voice of the people is present in the efforts to weaken public education
and limit access to education for many citizens.
Red-state politicians in Wisconsin,
Iowa and North Carolina pick a fight with professors.
They're dangerously wrong
slnm.us|By Aaron R. Hanlon
Education reformers stymied by teachers unions and liberal
state legislatures increasingly are turning to the courts to get their way on
everything from funding charter schools to making it easier to fire teachers.
It’s an end-run strategy...
politico.com|By Stephanie Simon
As public educator unions
have seen their power diminish we are seeing individual educators lose their
ability to express their ideas and advocate for their students. The loss of
income and the loss of contractual protections like "just-cause"
create an environment where public educators are unable, or unwilling to speak
their mind about "reforms" that harm students and schools.
Audrey Beardsley, a professor at Arizona
State University,
recently visited parents, educators, students, and state leaders in New Mexico. There she
learned that...
dianeravitch.net
This
has led to a disturbing trend in education. Veteran educators are leaving the
profession in droves, and fewer and fewer younger educators are entering the
field with the intent to make it a life-long career.
While other school superintendents prepare for more budget
cuts from the state, Dave Polashek is throwing in the towel.
wbay.com
Educators are currently in especially high demand, but fewer
and fewer high school graduates want to become teachers, a new report finds.
www.huffingtonpost.com
Kathleen is joined by a professor of Sociology to discuss
what he calls “A Crisis In American Education.” The crisis? That teacher morale
has hit a new all-time low. The result is that large numbers of teachers are
leaving the profession, and...
wpr.org
All isn't lost, in fact
the opposite may be true. Once again we look to history for evidence that there
is always a pushback from the people. Centralization of wealth and power leads
to a resistance that makes change happen. We can't always predict the form that
this change will take, but we know that it will come. The question for us now
is just how long can and will we wait to make this change happen. The more
stratified our society , the more difficult the struggle to change becomes. As
Patrick Henry said in the late 1700's, "These are the times that try men's
souls," but no matter the challenges we also have the knowledge that we
can move our society in a positive direction. It is up to us to decide if we
are going to be "sunshine patriots" or utilize the freedoms,
opportunities and power we have to accomplish our goals of a socially just
society.
Milwaukee
Area Technical
College’s education
professionals voted overwhelmingly this week to recertify their union, despite
Gov. Scott Walker’s labor legislation limiting bargaining.
jsonline.com|By Karen Herzog
By: Hallie Schmeling Dear Non-Union Teachers in Wisconsin, Let me start
by introducing myself. I’m Hallie, a 27-year old, fifth year teacher in South Milwaukee, WI.
I am certified to teach math, sp...
youngteacherscollective.org
The
Good, The Bad and
The
Ugly. . .
The Good . . . MTI will lead an effort to stock local food pantries for the summer
again this year. We know that summer can be a difficult time for many of our
students who rely on school meals as a staple of their diet and this food drive
can help replenish the shelves of our food pantries in preparation for the
summer months.
The MTI Cares Committee is organizing a second annual food
drive in partnership with AFSCME, MMSD, and Second Harvest FoodBank. The food
drive is scheduled to take place during the week of May 11 – 15. The deadline
to sign up to participate in this district-wide event is April 29, 2015.
madisonteachers.org
Here's a candidate that I
can support in 2016
From the Mother Jones archives.
motherjones.com
The Bad . . . As Governor Walker continues to devote a majority of his time and
energy to his bid for president we are seeing him remain consistent in being
inconsistent. He appears to be willing to change his positions quickly based on
his audience and how he can gain the most political advantage. He also tends to
avoid issues that will cause him political damage or that are controversial
with alarming regularity. Of course, this isn't a characteristic that is
exclusive to him. However, his actions have caused a significant amount of
damage to the citizens and state he was elected to serve, and he was elected
based on the incomplete or inaccurate information that his campaigns provided
the electorate.
Both Gov. Scott Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch have
said the state already has the necessary balance between preventing
discrimination and protecting...
host.madison.com|By Jessie Opoien |
The Capital Times
Gov. Scott Walker suggested that voters should seek a
constitutional amendment to allow state-level bans.
host.madison.com|By Jessie Opoien |
The Capital Times
The governor has flip-flopped on several issues, but this
one is a big deal.
postcrescent.com
The likely GOP presidential contender just laid off a big
chunk of Wisconsin's
environmental watchdogs.
m.motherjones.com
Republicans in the state Legislature want to eliminate
personal property taxes. Realtors and cities say that would shift $290 million.
host.madison.com|By Steven Verburg |
Wisconsin State Journal
Of particular interest to
me is his, and many others, continuing effort to undermine public education
with vouchers and charters that don't do enough to earn the public's money or
trust.
Gov. Scott Walker will be the keynote speaker at the
American Federation for Children's national policy summit on May 18 in New Orleans.
host.madison.com|By Molly Beck |
Wisconsin State Journal
A new study set to be released at the Statehouse Thursday
will reveal how beneficial school vouchers are to Indiana taxpayers and students.
theindychannel.com|By Lauren Lewis,
Eric Cox
MPS high schools took Wisconsin’s top two spots on this
year’s Washington Post list of “America’s Most Challenging High Schools” —
those that are best in the nation at challenging their students to achieve
through college-level exams. Six MPS schools in total made the national list,
which was releas…
mps.milwaukee.k12.wi.us
The Ugly . . . Money shouldn't be considered free speech. Money is a corrupting
influence in politics and policy making at all levels of government.
Large Pile Of Cash Announces US Presidency Bid April 13,
2015 A LARGE stack of money has announced that it will make a run for the White
House in 2016. The pile of cash, estimated to be around 1.2 billion US dollars,
said yesterday at a...
waterfordwhispersnews.com
Billionaire hardware store chain owner John Menard Jr., who
reportedly funneled $1.5 million to a secretive, dark money group that spent
undisclosed millions to help Republican Gov. Scott Walker and GOP senators win
a wave of recall elections, also contributed $30,000 since the beginning of
2009 to…
wisdc.org
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