Today the Health Care for America Now campaign was launched both in Wisconsin and all across the nation. At the Wisconsin State Capitol and in 52 other cities across the country, this new effort is demanding quality, affordable health care for all. The unprecedented $40 million campaign for health care seeks to bring together millions […]
Van Hollen’s second act of legislation was within another hazy area of legislation, the issuing of permits to retired officers. This is an area of legislation that Wisconsin differs from in all but one state (Illinois), however, if this is to be changed then it should be changed with new legislation, rather than through another […]
On Saturday, a group of walkers for peace will set out from Chicago on a seven-week walk ending at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Their mission: To challenge and to nonviolently resist our country’s continuing war in and occupation of Iraq. The walk, which will cross the entire state of Wisconsin, is organized […]
The Wall Street Journal is reporting on the prospect of $200 a barrel price for oil by the end of the year. The price has shot up over the last 7 years but that increase has been much more rapid in the last six months. During that time we have seen it go up from […]
The first candidates for Tom Reynolds’ (R-Outer Reaches) Clean Sweep Wisconsin’s project to run some 12 candidates against Milwuakee-area Democratic incumbents in the Democratic primary are now public. The Reynolds’ folks are: Phil Landowski (running against state Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee)) and Josh Hoisington (running against Tony Staskunas (D-West Allis), West Allis being Reynolds’ home […]
United State Senator Jesse Helms (R-What’s Wrong With You Sick, Frothing Morons?) is finally dead. Happy birthday, U.S. of A. Helms was a hate-slathered cretin, whose campaigns and governing showed American democracy at its worst. “White people, wake up before it is too late. Do you want Negroes working beside you, your wife and your daughters, […]
One more time on Summerfest and the Army. Having visited the Army exhibit, rather than relying on newspaper reports, I’m now for declaring victory. What the Army exhibit offers now is much different from the virtual killing it was promoting as a recruiting tool for young teens before Peace Action-Wisconsin intervened. Summerfest still needs some […]
Joe Leibham, State Senator from Sheyboygan just won’t stop trying to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin voters with his hair-brained voter ID scheme. Even as a new audit of the April 1 election found ‘nearly error-free voting,’ Joe ‘Still Can’t Prove a Voter Fraud Case’ Leibham keeps up the voter ID rhetoric. ‘I still […]
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported today that gay Wisconsin couples going to California to get married might be subject to prosecution when they get back home. The story points to an obscure Wisconsin law which prohibits Wisconsinites from going to another state to get married, if that marriage would otherwise be illegal back at home. […]
John McCain has been little more than a rubber stamp for the failing George W. Bush economy. Perhaps this is the reason that he has such a hard time bringing himself to admit that this economy has been very hard on the average American. June was the latest time where John McCain claimed that, ‘the […]
Rabid radio talker Charlie Sykes devoted more than half of his morning show railing on Summerfest for asking the Army to shut down a virtual killing game, urging listeners to call those wimpy Summerfest folks and complain. Actually, Summerfest needs to be thanked and congratulated for doing the right thing. It is never easy to […]
One small step for humankind: At the request of Summerfest officials, the U.S. Army on Tuesday removed a virtual urban warfare game that allowed fest-goers as young as 13 to hop into a Humvee simulator and fire machine guns at life-size people on a computer screen. Peace Action-Wisconsin launched a campaign Tuesday to shut down […]
This morning John McCain tried to get a do-over regarding his admission that he doesn’t know much about economics. While appearing in an interview on ABC this morning, McCain interrupted the interviewer after she referred to his admission. McCain responded saying that he never said that he didn’t know much about economics and that actually, […]
Another big election year means another year for Republicans to make false claims about voter fraud. It looks like they are already running the exact same drill that they have run stretching all the way back to the 1960’s. The Republican National Committee has added a page on its website entitled ‘You Can’t Make this […]
Former Assembly Speaker John Gard has scheduled several town-hall meetings that he says will focus on gas prices. Unfortunately his positions on our addiction to oil is no different than the failed policies of the most unpopular president in history, George W. Bush. More specifically Gard is talking about giving Big Oil a free pass […]
Judicial Activism is both praised and criticized, as it often divides the court„ but it has without question produced valuable results over issues that were controversial at some time, such as Brown v. Board of Education, a critical case that brought an end to segregation during the 1950s. This judicial activism is defined as ‘an […]
Recently presidential candidate John McCain took a trip to Iowa where he visited some of the areas most damaged by the June flooding. McCain and crew ignored a request, from Iowa’s governor, to forego the visit although Iowa officials feared the campaign visit may distract security from the state’s massive flood recovery efforts. During his […]
John McCain’s record in the U.S. Senate has repeatedly demonstrated that he is totally out of touch with the average working person in this country. His recent and constantly shifting policy statements have totally reinforced this fact. Just the other day, while he was fundraising in California, a reporter asked him a very easy question […]
The following text (in two e-mails) below was received from timkisting@aol.com, commenting on a brief analysis (SC Decision Striking Down Gun Control Is Fine with This Progressive) on the Supreme Court decision, District of Columbia v. Heller (07-290), that was picked up in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on Sunday. Well, let’s hope this guy, timkisting@aol.com, doesn’t […]
Last week it was reported that a Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) staffer condescendingly referred to the Epic Systems founder and well-respected progressive business leader as ‘that computer lady.’ As a result the One Wisconsin Institute launched an education effort this week questioning WMC’s attitude toward women and their history of opposing legislation that would […]
The last battle is about to fought in this young democratic nation. Former one term Republican state senator, Tom Reynolds, who has a radical reputation and is a card carrying member of the lunatic fringe, has not been sitting idly by watching his Party implode from the weight of its many contradictions. How loony is […]
Federal Election Day Voter Registration is a great way to increase voter turnout. Election Day Registration would ensure that no voters are disenfranchised by voter registration regulations. Currently, there is a bill in the US Senate, proposed by Senator Feingold, that would establish Federal Election Day Voter Registration and it needs your support. As Wisconsinites, […]
Congressman F. Jim Sensenbrenner must have way too much time on his hands. He must be spending it reading all of the right wing blog hysteria over flood victims in Milwaukee actually getting aid. Earlier this week people in Milwaukee’s central city stood in line to get food vouchers. There was apparently some confusion and […]
Although the media is trying its best to paint him as something different, Congressman Paul Ryan continues to prove that he is from the same polluted conservative mold as the most unpopular president in history. While the rhetoric around Ryan may suggest otherwise, reality and his actual record have proven him to be nothing more […]
Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) have shown themselves to be little more than a partisan organization in recent years. Rather than simply representing business interests in the state, they have become hugely partisan and practically the funding arm for right wing candidates. Understandably, this increasingly partisan direction has concerned numerous businesses that did not sign […]
The federal government will expand its sanction of Milwaukee schools this year, according to a report published in today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 38 schools currently receiving federal government aid for low income students will be hit with cuts to that aid. The Department of Education calls these schools “identified for improvement” and refers to the […]
Over the last few days Republican Congressman Paul Ryan has been getting more underserved love from the media. They called him everything from a ‘rising star‘ in the Wisconsin State Journal to a ‘medicine man‘ in a Washington Post column by the infamous right winger Robert Novak. In both stories there seems to be an […]
Today Paid Sick Days Milwaukee, a coalition of labor, educational and community organizations, delivered over 42,000 signatures to the Milwaukee Common Council. The effort was lead by 9 to 5, National Association of Working Women. They are asking the council to pass a requirement that all businesses in Milwaukee provide employees with paid sick day […]
The Wisconsin State Journal editorial ‘The status qua in not an option,” praised Rep. Paul Ryans “Road Map to America’s Future”, a plan so hideous that it boggles the mind and puts each of us at the mercy of insurance companies and banks. I can hear it now, “But he’s a respected Republican, we trust […]
Another cave-in by House Dems. Another $162-billion for war. At least 151 Dems voted against it, even if it was a token gesture and they knew the bill would pass. Wisconsin’s Ron Kind was one of 80 Democrats who voted yes. (The number keeps shrinking; last time it was 85.) Even Dave Obey and Nancy […]
As ruthless as F. Jim Sensenbrenner ruled while the GOP ran Congress, it’s hard not to take some satisfaction in his plummeting influence. But then he goes an does something that warrants mentioning, despite his eroding relevance to the national debate. The midwest has suffered greatly during the recent floods. Since late-May 24 deaths are blamed on […]
Wisconsinites will have a chance to use their own voices to urge Wisconsin U.S. Representatives to reject Senator John McCain's $4 billion Big Oil tax giveaway, thanks to the massive online petition One Wisconsin Now launched today.
Earlier this week the Capital Times newspaper called for the recall of ethically challenged Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler. They point to her blatant violations of very clear conflicts of interest rules prior to taking her seat on the high court. Her serious and repeated violations of judicial ethics rules are not the only reason […]
George Lightbourn is the former budget advisor for Governor Scott McCallum. Now he is a glorified shill for corporate interests at the right wing Wisconsin Policy Research Institute. Thursday corporate interests attacked the $2-billion-saving ‘Healthy Wisconsin‘ plan through their chosen outlet. Before taking WPRI’s rantings too seriously, perhaps one should first consider the source, because […]
One Wisconsin Now has launched a petition to Wisconsin’s Congressional Delegation demanding that they stand against Senator John McCain’s plan to giveaway $4 billion in new tax breaks to his friends in Big Oil. In 2006 Bush and McCain supported budget giveaways of $5 billion in tax cuts. This at a time when working people […]
One Wisconsin Now will be live blogging at Milwaukee’s Juneteenth celebration today. Among other things, I will be reporting on an SEIU event on healthcare. SEIU will have a bus near Center St. and MLK Drive and will address our healthcare crisis and the need for universal healthcare. If you can’t make it to Juneteenth […]
Anyone that is watching television in the state of Wisconsin has probably seen the new John McCain ad on the environment. The ad over-reaches trying to put a happy face on John McCain’s record in the Senate. Although the ad tries to paint McCain as a ‘maverick’ on the environment, reality shows that his departures […]
George Lightbourn’s central thesis that Medicare and Medicaid were bad ideas, is as bankrupt as his previous work with Gov. Scott McCallum to sell off the $6 billion that would have come to the state from the tobacco settlement for pennies on the dollar.
George Lightbourn, former head budget guru for Gov. Scott McCallum and current pro-corporate shill at the right wing Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, is attacking the $2-billion-saving “Healthy Wisconsin” plan to provide access to affordable and quality health care for all. George Lightbourn’s central thesis that Medicare and Medicaid were bad ideas is as bankrupt as his […]
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is conducting a nationwide ‘Road to Healthcare‘ campaign. During the effort, SEIU has traveled by bus all across the country educating people on the healthcare issue and enlisting people to demand the same quality healthcare that our public officials receive. They were also calling for an end to the […]
After making my way from Center Street to Burleigh, I found a large crowd that gathered to watch the beginning of the Juneteenth parade. Again there was music from participating radio stations and from live musicians. First I saw a group of drummers marching with younger women in more traditional African garb and dancing. Both the drummers and […]
As soon as I turned the corner from Center Street onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, I was instantly able to take in the festive atmosphere from Milwaukee’s 2008 Juneteenth celebration. For those that may not know, Juneteenth is a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. The atmosphere today reminds me […]
You have to give the Republicans credit for one thing: They have an echo chamber that won’t quit, even when what they’re echoing rings totally false. Republicans from Dick Cheney on down have been admitting they were wrong in claiming that China is drilling for oil off the coast of Florida. It’s a false claim […]
One Wisconsin Now was proud to help sponsor a Milwaukee stop during David Sirota’s book tour. David Sirota is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of the New York Times best selling, Hostile Takeover. Sirota came to the Schwartz bookstore on Downer last night to discuss the issues addressed in his new book, The Uprising. […]
Monday marked the beginning of the federal trial against former Milwaukee Alderman Michael McGee Jr. Regardless of your opinion about McGee and the charges against him, several issues have come to light in recent weeks. One of the emerging questions centers around U.S. Attorney Steve Biskupic’s use of an Arabic speaking agent in the investigation […]
Yesterday, the John McCain camp issued a press release in conjunction with a new ad touting Sen. McCain’s record on the environment. See the ad for yourself on the YouTube(s). ‘Five years ago,’ says the ad, ‘John McCain stood up to the President and sounded the alarm on global warming.’ As proof of his maverickiness, […]
U.S. Senator John McCain has proposed a gas tax ‘holiday.’ This is a concept that has been universally panned by economists. The average consumer would see almost no savings. It seems clear that it is little more than a pander to people that are struggling with record gas prices. While John McCain offers only smoke […]
Fathers’ Day, 2008, Matthis Chiroux makes a public refusal of his orders to reactivate and deploy in support of the Iraq occupation.In this video Matthis addresses the media with his father and his brothers in Iraq Veterans Against the War standing by his side. You see Matthis has completed his required enlistment of five years […]
Some of you may have been reading the military newspapers, and seen that the Army is in a really bad fix. We’ve had to borrow money from the Navy and Air Force just to get paid for June 15. Even that borrowed money will only keep the payrolls running until the end of July. Currently, […]
Should George Bush and Dick Cheney be impeached? David Swanson, a national activist and writer who speaks in Milwaukee Thursday night, thinks so. So does Dennis Kucinich, who read 35 articles of impeachment against Bush into the record last week. I’ve been skeptical about impeachment, but a conservative professor and blogger may have tipped the […]