Class,
Money, Elections
and
Education. . .
We
are well into our third year of intense social, political and economic struggle
here in Wisconsin,
and there isn't any sign that the conflict will be deescalating anytime
soon. With any extended clash the action
ebbs and flows depending on a variety of circumstances and the issues being
contested can become distorted and changed as events progress. What seemed to be clear and well defined
issues are altered by the actions and reactions of the parties involved. Context is such an important part of any
interpretation of events, and things change over the course of months and
years. As time passes we also see a loss
of focus and a tendency to return to what we are comfortable with.
Maintaining
focus on the issues that caused us to take to the streets in 2011, and that
increased our political awareness and participation, is challenging for a
variety of reasons. The intensity of the
protests and recall efforts of 2011-12 is difficult to maintain, especially
when many of the participants are in such high intensity professions like
education. To expect educators to
continue to teach all day, expand their professional knowledge, and to be
political activists puts a tremendous strain on each individual. It is also difficult to fight battles on so
many fronts. Educators are challenged in
the political arena, but also are facing significant numbers of challenges
professionally as anti-education initiatives portrayed as "reform"
efforts are implemented. Finally, it is
difficult to maintain focus on issues that those in power put so much effort
into distorting and masking. Continuing
to speak out about the issues that united us in 2011 means cutting through
layers of misinformation and staying focused on the true issues.
Yet,
these issues are no less important, in fact the need to keep people thinking
about what is really happening in our society is increasing as we move further
from the pivotal events of 2011. The
Progressive Uprisings have been met with equally strong responses from the
opposition. The voices of labor, the
working and middle classes along with groups that have been historically
silenced in political, social and economic debates are being countered by a
powerful minority A minority that seeks to maintain a system that segregates
the majority of us from accessing the benefits of freedom and equality that our
national ideology espouses.
These
struggles revolve around some central issues that have been common themes
throughout our history. Of course
economics is a central theme in any of these conflicts. Economic policies show what we as a society
value. They also define success for
individuals and groups and are one of the primary ways that power is defined in
American society. Wisconsin has a long history of being an
important player in how Americans look at economics and social class.
Follow workers.org on The
author was a member of Milwaukee?s
workers.org
The wealthy in our society
use the language of class struggle to justify their own positions on economic
issues. The constant struggle in America to
"move up" and to "keep up with the Joneses" puts a strain
on all of us.
The merely rich are making
more, but they're not worth more. It's the 0.01 percent that are creating our
new Gilded Age.
The Atlantic|By
Matthew O'Brien
This strain plays out in a
number of ways. Politicians are
constantly forced to choose what views, ideals and opinions they should
represent. As elected representatives of
the people they are put in the position of making decisions that impact a
diverse group of people. No district,
whatever the size, is 100% unified around any given issue. Elected representatives choose to cast their
vote based on a number of factors, of which remaining in office isn't the least
influential. As the class struggles
intensify, the pressure from different groups rises increases as well. Our political leaders are forced to make
choices, and too often they are choosing the elite who can finance the next
campaign over the majority of citizens.
The Journal Sentinel seems to
be giving Gov. Scott Walker a pass on his lackluster job-creation record, with
no real investigation of why Wisconsin...
expressmilwaukee.com
In order to maintain their
influence we have seen significant efforts made by the elite to insure that
wealth will be one of, if not the, major influences on our political system.
Originalists used a modern
interpretation of the term to eviscerate campaign-finance limits. The Framers
would be disgusted.
The Daily Beast
The court's McCutcheon v. FEC
decision will empower big donors in states across the country, too.
Mother Jones
Of course, there are the
inevitable denials of any sort of effort to buy elections and purchase elected
officials.
In The Wall Street Journal,
Charles Koch writes that instead of welcoming free debate, collectivists engage
in character assassination.
The Wall Street Journal|By Charles G. Koch
The middle and working
classes are continuing to try and organize to protect our interests. Without huge sums of money, individuals must
unite to increase our chances of success.
Wondering about what having a
union means for you? Hear directly from other Verizon Wireless workers and union
members.
youtube.com|By
CWAUnion
The conflict spills over
from economics, and reaches all parts of our society. Education has become one of the key
battlegrounds where the conflicting views of what our society should be is
being fought. Education is one of the
potential equalizers that can balance the playing field and provide
opportunities for all citizens. However,
it is also a place where financial influence and political conflicts can create
inequity and marginalize large segments of our population.
Efforts to privatize and
profit from our schools have been combined with political ideologies and thus
create a potentially disastrous situation for our public education system.
A battle in NYC shows what
happens when corporate-backed schools fight special needs public school kids
for space.
AlterNet
Bill continues his
conversation with education historian Diane Ravitch about the privatization of
public education.
Bill Moyers
Chicago slush. - David Sirota Chicago is the iconic example
of all of these trends. A new report being released this morning shows that the
supposedly budget-strapped Windy
City - which for years
h...
preaprez.wordpress.com
Dear Editor: On April 1,
Delavan-Darien became one of the first school systems in Wisconsin to be brought to its knees by Act
10. Voters rejected the school referendum asking
madison.com|By
Lee Enterprises
The public needs to
continue to hear the counter arguments to privatization of public schools. If we as a society can unite around our
public education system, we can provide a foundation to truly build a just and
equitable society.
The education privatizers are
trying to convince us that parental 'choice' will solve all the problems in our
schools. But the choice they have in mind is to dismantle a once-proud system
of education that was nurtured and funded...
CommonDreams.org
Are they really better at it
than traditional public schools? A look at the data.
Washington Post
A new study showing explosive
growth in student poverty suggests that rather than raising standards and
testing students more, the biggest...
Bill Moyers
The
Good, The Bad and
The
Ugly. . .
The Good . . . Another example of how citizens around Wisconsin are looking for ways to reclaim
our state.
Thanks to a movement
spearheaded by several concerned Eau
Claire residents - including WEAC Retired members
Chris Hambuch-Boyle, Gail Halmstad and Pamela Wall - citizens are...
weac.org|By
ascedia.com
A classy campaign and a
race that put the focus where it should be, on ways to make our schools better
for all students.
Race with two minority
candidates influenced by unusual endorsements.
madison.com|By
Lee Enterprises
The Bad . . . While there is a case to be made for new faces and voices in our
government, there is also a need for "veterans" to help guide
newcomers and to provide the expertise that comes with experience. Some of these elected officials are leaving
because of the current political climate which leaves little room for
compromise and bipartisanship.
A lot of institutional
memory, wise pragmatism and common sense - - 94 years' worth - - went out of
the Wisconsin State Senator chamber when...
thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com
We certainly wouldn't want
professional educators to score our essay exams, would we?
[ post ][ account ]0
favoritesCL >austin
>all jobs >et cetera jobs— — —✉☎replyxprohibited[?]Posted: 2014-03-10 11:47am Seeking
Talented...
austin.craigslist.org
The Ugly . . . We know that we have a lot of work to do together in Wisconsin.
A new report from the Annie
E. Casey Foundation finds African-American kids face huge barriers to success
in the Badger State.
madison.com|By
Lee Enterprises
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