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Middle Wisconsin NEWS

www.MiddleWisconsin.com July 2013

IN THIS ISSUE:

Be a Local Patriot!
While weighty issues may feel like they are beyond our control, we DO have the power to change and enrich our lives at a LOCAL level. It is with this empowering sentiment that we encourage you to focus on spending more of your time and your dollars in your local community.

Be a Local Patriot ......................1 Hold On .....................................2 Give and Take...........................3 The Closer You Look ................4 Wisconsin Deserves Better.......6 Where Are the Jobs? ................7 Nuclear Weapons .....................8 Working Wisconsin ...................9 Frightening Fracking ...10 Challenging the Myth ..............11 A Conservatives Pledge.........12

Heres some ideas for how you can show your local patriotism:

Understand what services your local taxes pay for; use them; and educate others about them There are innumerable places, events, and activities that your tax dollars pay for in part or in full. This summer head out and have some fun at your local bike trails, swimming pools/aquatic centers, library programs, outdoor concerts, museums, hiking trails, boat landings, lakes, rivers, and parks. Youd be surprised how many resources youre already paying for that youre not utilizing. Vote (or better yet, run for office) in your local elections Mandy Wright had a busy career as a teacher and had a bustling family life, but she saw the change in direction the state took in 2010, and this otherwise apolitical mother of three chose not to bury her head in the sand. She reached out to her colleagues, neighbors, and friends for support, ran for State Assembly and WON! Read Mandys compelling story of how shes working to make a difference in Wisconsin. Shop locally to keep your money out of the coffers of Big Business Make a conscious effort to support your neighborhood storefronts, rather than corporate interests. Instead of shopping at Wal-Mart for your fruits and veggies, join a CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Or visit the farmers market or a pick-your-own farm. Volunteer in and donate to your local schools, charities, and political headquarters These are the organizations that do great work right in your local community. Why not give a favorite cause a hand to demonstrate your support and your values? This summer, we at Middle Wisconsin challenge you to BE A LOCAL PATRIOT. Help the families and business in your community to THRIVE!

Middle Wisconsin News welcomes letters, articles, and essays on relevant topics. We ask that you limit submissions to 600 words and provide sources when appropriate. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity, and taste. Emailed submissions should be sent in plain text or Microsoft Word attachments to: dave@middlewisconsin.org

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Middle Wisconsin NEWS

Hold On
By John SpiegelhoffMerrill How is it that we as Progressives just dont throw in the proverbial towel, given the attacks on virtually everything we hold dear? Why do we continue to fight back against what seems to be insurmountable odds?

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Can we be like drops of water falling on the stone, splashing, breaking, disbursing in air weaker than the stone by far but be aware that as time goes by the rock will wear away and the water comes again. Holly Near Singer/songwriter Social activist Lesbian icon

The answer is simple: We have hope. Hope for the future. Hope for our children that they will live in a society that believes that people of every color and sexual orientation are equal. We hold steadfast, knowing that the vast majority of our families, friends, and communities have more commonalities than they have differences. We believe that one day our legislators will craft laws that reflect our common values and not those of moneyed interests. Its true: Some days are very hard when we see whats happening in Wisconsin and our nation. There are attacks on voting rights, womens rights, and workers rights. But we carry on because we cannot fathom giving up. Giving up is not in our nature. Our nations history for rights and fairness has never been easy abolition of slavery, womens suffrage, workers rights, civil rights, and now immigration reform and gay and lesbian equality. There will be some who oppose what is right and just. They have always been on the wrong side of history. They see issues through a lens of intolerance and make decisions influenced by moneyed interests. So, how long must we wait? The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., summed it up eloquently when he said,How long? Not long. The arc of the moral universe bends towards justice. We shall overcome someday. Hold on. A Reflection by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Every movement for social change, whether for womens suffrage, desegregation and civil rights, workers rights, environmental protections, or full equality for LGBT Americans, has taken time and comes at a heavy price. Often the struggle seems too long, too painful, or too difficult to pursue.

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In the day-to-day quest, frustration can easily overwhelm hope. The lyrics by Holly Near always remind me, and I use my position to remind others, that great change takes time. Just as the majestic Grand Canyon was carved away over eons by drops of water, the cumulative action of countless individuals has the same force to create dramatic and meaningful change in society.

Middle Wisconsin NEWS

Give and Take
A Book Review by Virginia Kirsch Wausau In the working world, nice people finish last. Right? WRONG! Adam Grant, professor at Wharton School, studied givers and takers extensively for his book entitled GIVE AND TAKE. The book presents much evidence, showing that generous people arent necessarily doormats la the saying nice guys finish last. Instead, they can be very successful in their professions and in their personal lives. But theres a catch . . . You have to be the right kind of giver. Professor Grant divides people into three groups:

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By shifting ever so slightly in the giver direction, we might find our waking hours marked by greater success, richer meaning and more lasting impact.
Adam Grant, PhD Author & professor
(Excerpt from Give and Take )

GIVERS.those who give more than they take; who are generous in sharing advice, ideas, and insights, as well as time helping others in their family, at work, and in their community. Givers contribute to others without expecting anything in return. (It is possible to overdo the giving and burn out. Thus, you want to learn to be what he calls an otherish giver, not a selfless giver. Plus, he suggests a magic number of hours of giving per year to maximally energize you both mentally and physically. He also advises Givers to avoid being too trusting, too empathetic, and too timid.) TAKERS.those who take more than they give at work, in their community, and in personal relationships. They monitor their actions carefully, doing or saying things to their advantage. They calculate their actions. They watch for opportunities to benefit themselves and try to get as much as possible from others. MATCHERSthose who match a favor with a favor. They expect to give as well as take in their relationships. Matchers aim to trade evenly. Tit for tat. Dr. Grant details how many famous icons were Takers and how that hurt them personally and professionally like Dr. Jonas Salk, Ken Lay (of Enron), and Frank Lloyd Wright. He also presents intriguing case studies of successful givers: a business consultant, a venture capitalist, a teacher, a sales consultant, and a politician (Abraham Lincoln). He explores the life of comedy writer George Meyer, who earned Emmys and established a reputation of opening doors for people who collaborated with him on the TV show The Simpsons. In the beginning of his writing career, he remained unknown. However, he soon created many networks through his giving of time, advice, and support, which brought much success to him, as well as all those he assisted along the way. Professor Grant comments (on p. 258):

In our world, networking and collaboration are replacing the Lone Ranger style of leadership. GIVE AND TAKE supports this kinder, gentler approach to getting to the top. The final chapter lists many resources to help you become or continue to be a Giver. If youre interested, you can even test your Giver Quotient with his FREE SURVEY: http://www.giveandtake.com/Home/ChooseAssessment

This is what I find magnetic about successful givers: they get to the top without cutting others down, finding ways of expanding the pie that benefit themselves and the people around them. Whereas success is zero-sum in a group of takers, in groups of givers, it may be true that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

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Middle Wisconsin NEWS

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The Closer You Look, the Less You See

The Art of Political Misdirection
By Tom Ivey Wausau

The primary element of social control is the strategy of distraction which is to divert public attention from important issues and changes determined by the political and economic elites, by the technique of flood or flooding continuous distractions and insignificant information .
Noam Chomski
Professor Emeritus Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, MIT

Come in close, because the more you think you see, the easier itll be to fool you. So begins the movie Now You See Me a story of magicians who employ misdirection to conceal their real purpose. While the misdirection in this movie is entertaining, the political misdirection engaged in by corporate and other moneyed interests is not. Political misdirection threatens many programs and laws near and dear to a majority of our citizens. At first glance, the issues involved may seem unrelated, but thats part of an intentional strategy a strategy designed to grab the attention of advocates and disguise the ultimate goal of the perpetrators. Attacks on such issues as these threaten basic liberties, protections, and benefits safeguarding citizens: School funding Privatizing public schools | Voting rights | Medicare (BadgerCare) City, county, & municipal funding | Food stamp programs | Womens rights Individual legal protections | Public ownership of land, power plants, highways, & prisons Consumer protection laws & class actions | Progressive tax systems Conservation of natural resources | Family-supporting jobs | Unemployment Insurance Workers rights | Immigration | Social Security | Medicare | and more... We rally to protect these issues whenever they are threatened. But in our eagerness to protect, we often see issues in isolation and fail to see the connections to other issues, leading to additional losses in rights and benefits. So what are the connections? Consider some key questions
What do threats to these issues have in common? Typically these attacks:

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have a disproportionately negative effect on women, minorities, and families and individuals with lower incomes financially benefit corporations and those of wealth by privatizing essential government responsibilities impact the outcome of elections, making it easier for moneyed interests to control election results
Continued on p. 5

Middle Wisconsin NEWS

The Closer You Look Continued

July 2013 Page 5

Also on the ALEC membership list are 49 current Wisconsin legislators, many of whom attend ALEC meetings on the corporate dime through a scholarship program that CMD has argued violates Wisconsin ethics and lobbying laws. The leaders of both Wisconsins senate and assembly, Scott and Jeff Fitzgerald, are active in ALEC. ALEC alumni leading the state include Governor Scott Walker, his appointee to head the Department of Administration, Mike Huebsch, and his appointee to head the state Public Service Commission, Phil Montgomery.
http://alecexposed.org/w/ iagecdALEC_Exposed_in_ Wisconsin.pdf

2. Are these attacks unique to Wisconsin? No! Virtually identical legislative attacks surface all over the country. These bills are primarily written by one entity The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC legislative members put their own names on the bills and submit them. 3. Who benefits from attacking our safeguards?
ALEC Corporations

Follow the money Look at the corporations and individuals supporting ALEC. Forty years ago, corporate and other moneyed interests joined to design a strategy of political misdirection with the ultimate goal of minimizing government interference and maximizing profit, all at the expense of tax payers. They accurately reasoned if Progressives and other interest groups were busy protecting their favorite causes, they would be too distracted to notice ALECs true objectives privatizing essential governmental services to profit from our tax dollars and reducing the size of government to avoid corporate accountability. Just like with the street magician, if youre busy watching his right hand, you wont notice his left hand lifting your wallet. This 4th of July, the Wausau Daily Herald reprinted an editorial on Freedom from 1972: It is more difficult sometimes to recognize the enemies of freedom not necessarily persons, but ideas, entrenched interests, prejudices hallowed by tradition. At one time, freedom in America was for the respectable people, those who owned enough property to qualify for the right to vote. Throughout our history, too often freedom has been abridged or denied to certain classes and minority groups. These warnings are as important today as they were 40 years ago. ALECs strategies play on the worst of human shortcomings greed, prejudice, envy, and mistrust. These are not the values that make us strong. These are not Wisconsin values. They certainly are not Americas values. Look at the bigger picture. Try this simple test: If a proposal treats people fairly, shows respect, and furthers the community good, its worth supporting. If it doesnt meet all three of these standards, its not worth supporting. For more information about ALEC, check out Bill Moyers & Company on PBS http://billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-united-states-of-alec-a-follow-up/

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Middle Wisconsin NEWS

Wisconsin Deserves Better
By Jeanne Larson Phillips Three judges two of whom were appointed by Republican presidents on a federal court panel hearing a challenge to Wisconsins Republican-led redistricting harshly criticized the costly, secretive, and peculiarly furtive process used by the GOP in drawing and defending the maps.

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You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time. But you cannot fool ALL of the people ALL of the time. Abraham Lincoln

The lawsuit was resolved in February 2012, upholding most of the maps because courts have limited grounds to strike down redistricting, but the court sanctioned the GOPs lawyers, ordering them to pay $17,500 for filing frivolous motions to keep redistricting-related documents secret, stating, Quite frankly, the Legislature and the actions of its counsel give every appearance of flailing wildly in a desperate attempt to hide from both the court and the public the true nature of exactly what transpired in the redistricting process. The court retained jurisdiction over the case to determine how much was withheld and whether further sanctions were appropriate. April 2013 court filings showed hundreds of thousands of GOP redistricting-related documents were deleted in defiance of court orders to turn over all documents. On at least two occasions, someone using the login credentials for Tad Ottman and Adam Foltz, staffers of then-Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, logged on to GOP computers and, through inadvertence or ineptitude, or otherwise, deleted files just before the deadline to turn documents over to the other side. Plaintiffs spent over $100,000 conducting computer analysis and sought to have the legislature or its counsel cover further costs to recover and reconstruct deleted files. The court denied the motion. In May, the parties announced reaching a settlement. On June 3, the court issued its final ruling in which it expressed concern over the rancor brought on by the GOPs secretive actions in this round of redistricting. Iowa has earned praise for its redistricting process. Their nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency draws both congressional and state legislative lines using clear criteria, such as keeping county lines intact. The legislature then accepts or rejects the plan without amendment. This independent process does not use political data, protect incumbents, or seek partisan gain. Alternatives to Iowas redistricting process include forms of proportional voting in a super district that puts voters in control of their representation rather than those drawing winner-take-all election lines. So, what can you do about this?

Abraham Lincoln 16th U.S. President

Contact Republican leaders Scott Fitzgerald, Mike Ellis, Robin Vos, and Scott Suder to demand implementation of a nonpartisan, independent, transparent, and less expensive redistricting process. As the federal court stated in its June 3 ruling, We cannot help but conclude that the people of Wisconsin deserve better in the next round of redistricting after the 2020 census. Sources Fischer, B. (2013, June 4). Federal court criticized Wisconsin Republicans for peculiarly furtive redistricting, Closes case, PR Watch. Mehaji, J. (2011, June 27). Iowas laudable redistricting process and the super district alternative, FairVote.org.

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Middle Wisconsin NEWS

Where Are the Jobs?
By Joyce Luedke Hayward

July 2013 Page 7

1. Do you know that in the most recent annual score card done by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Wisconsin ranked 50th dead last for shortterm job growth measured between September 2010 and November 2012? 2. Do you know that in 2010, the year before Scott Walker became governor, Wisconsin ranked 11th among the 50 states in private-sector job creation growth outperforming the nation as a whole? 3. Do you know that Wisconsin, in 2012, ranked 44th in private sector job creation? 4. Do you know that in the last month, another 1,000 employees in Wisconsin have lost their jobs? Many of these jobs were in well-paying positions: financial services, manufacturing, agriculture, and retailing. The job situation is getting worse, not better! 5. Do you know that Wisconsin had a job loss of 14,500 in 2012? Do you know this comes after a net job loss of 12,500 jobs from January 2011 to 2012 the worst performance of all 50 states? 6. Do you know that Wisconsin is now 4th out of 50 states in the largest weekly wage lost? Percentage-wise, the weekly wage loss for Wisconsin is minus 2.65%. In actual money, Wisconsin employees wages fell to $770 from $791 in that one-year period. The figures come from the Quarterly Census of Employer and Wages Program by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics measuring the 3rd quarter of 2011 and the 3rd quarter of 2012. 7. Do you know that wages in WI manufacturing also dropped more than the national average to 46th in 20112012? 8. Do you know the Legislative Audit Bureau released a scathing report about the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) which was the brain child of the Walker Administration?

A very short listing of the most egregious activities of the WEDC: * Failed to track more than $12 million in past due loans. * Did not always engage in competitive bidding on contracts. * Did not require financial statements from companies receiving incentives. * Did not follow up on the number of jobs created. * State credit cards were used to buy alcohol and other incentives. * State laws were broken on several fronts. A short time ago, the WEDC hired its third financial officer in less than two years. He resigned within 24 hours. John Gillespie was hired in April to fill the position of public information officer for the WEDC. He resigned because he owes $36,047 in back taxes to the state of Wisconsin and received $7,700 in improper unemployment benefits. I am a very concerned citizen. Clearly what is happening in Madison is not working for the vast majority of citizens. Call your legislators TODAY and start asking questions.

Middle Wisconsin NEWS

Nuclear Weapons Mythology
By Phillip Anderson Maple

July 2013 Page 8

There is an old saying that generals always fight the last war. Tactics, weapons, and enemies change, but the generals stick with the old ways they know. Our spending on nuclear weapons programs is an example. The Cold War has been over for 20 years, but we continue to believe nuclear weapons are a necessary evil that keeps us safe. Many myths about the value and effectiveness of nuclear deterrence are being challenged by current thinking. But the spending continues.1

cannot morally, or legally, actually use nuclear weapons. Another myth is that our nuclear weapons are well protected, so terrorists cant get to them. Yet two old guys and an 82-year-old Catholic nun destroyed this myth at Oak Ridge last year.

remains the number one expenditure of the federal government. We will continue to have financial problems as long as we continue to believe the mythology. We must stop fighting the last war and put diplomacy, sane policy, and people first.
1

The Oak Ridge facility shows where the money goes. Although the U.S. nuclear arsenal has been cut in half since the end of the Cold War, and we are not actually building new nuclear weapons, the NNSA plans to expand The National Nuclear Security AdminOak Ridge by building a new producistrations (NNSAs) request for nuclear tion plant. weapons activities for 2013 is $7.6 billion, a 5% increase over 2012 The Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) 2 spending. Since 9/11, we have spent had a 2005 cost estimate of $600 mil$230.3 billion for nuclear lion to $1.5 billion. This estimate is now weapons, a 21% increase.3 between $4.2 and $7.5 billion. And this project is still in the design stage. We currently plan to spend approxiNothing has actually been built, but mately $640 billion through fiscal year $600 million has been spent. 2022 on nuclear weapons and related programs (including costs of nuclear Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) has introweapons production, operation, duced the Smarter Approach to Nuclemaintenance, environmental clean-up, ar Expenditures (SANE) Act (H.R. security, and prevention of nuclear 3974). The SANE Act would freeze, proliferation).4 delay, and cut funding for nuclear weapons and related programs in both But our current enemies are not the Energy and Defense Departments. deterred. Nuclear weapons do not This would result in savings of $100 work for terrorists, suicide bombers, or billion over 10 years. The bill would rogue states. Nuclear retaliation can- cancel the Oak Ridge expansion.5 not deter terrorists because they do not have a territory to retaliate against. The SANE Act is a modest attempt to Leaders of a rogue state may not use control costs. The Pentagon, and all the rational thinking and they know we related national defense spending,

Ten Facts About Nuclear Weapons http://www.wagingpeace.org/ articles/2009/09/facts_myths.pdf

2

The FY2013 Nuclear Weapons Budget http://www.psr.org/assets/pdfs.fy2013-nuclear-weapons:budget.pdf

3

U.S. Security Spending Since 9/11 http://nationalpriorities.org/ analysis/2011/us-security-spendingsince-911/

4

What Nuclear Weapons Cost Us http://www.ploughshares.org/sites/ default/files/resources/What% 20Nuclear%20WWeapons%20Cost% 20Us%20Final%20(100212).pdf

5

Rep. Ed Markeys website: http://Markey.house.gov/pressrelease/markey-introduces-sane-actcut-bloated-nuclear-weapons-budget

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Working Wisconsin Labor News & Views

The Strike
By John Spiegelhoff Merrill American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Most working people shudder when they hear the word strike. Whether you belong to a union or not, it conjures up past images of strife and inequality.

Silence never won rights. They are not handed down from above; they are forced by pressures from below. Roger Baldwin
Founder
American Civil Liberties Union

Why do we as the working class shrink when we hear this one simple word? A strike is the great equalizer. It is an action of last resort that working people take when they feel that they are being taken advantage of by corporations or their employers. Throughout the turn of the century and through the 1930s, strikes were commonplace. At that time, there was no law that forbad strikes during this time. Workers saw themselves as a class and were quite aware that if their employers mistreated other workers, their turn was potentially next. In many industries, if a group of workers went on strike, then other workers would also strike against their employer. This was known as a sympathy strike. Workers had solidarity. They had class conscientiousness. The key element to the rise of the middle class was the strike. But employers would have nothing of the sort. After many decades of workers improving their lives, the outlawing of solidarity began with the passage of the National Labor Relations Act (1935) and the Taft-Hartley Act (1947). The underlying philosophy of these laws treats the decision to unionize as a choice of the employees of an individual employer. In effect, these laws crushed the common bond between workers when they came to each others mutual aid when strikes occurred. It made it unlawful for workers to render aid (go on strike) if the workers did not have a dispute with their own employer. In addition, the courts made solidarity amongst workers even more daunting when industrywide bargaining was gutted, restrictions were made on picket-line militancy, and the permanent replacement of striking workers was allowed. So what is the remedy to our lack of class solidarity?

Advocating for retail and food workers to organize and improve their working conditions Providing support for any workers who engage in a strike both materially and standing on a picket line Determining what forms of union struggle would improve workers lives, and then embracing these forms, whatever the risks.

The laws are stacked against workers. Without risk-taking, even in the form of civil disobedience, we are at the mercy of corporations/employers.
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Dissent is democracy Dissent is patriotic.

Middle Wisconsin NEWS

Frightening Facts about Fracking
By Virginia Kirsch Wausau

July 2013 Page 10

Water, sand, and chemicals are mixed and forced into wells under high pressure to fracture the earth, releasing natural gas. (Western Wisconsin has some of the best sand for this purpose.) Water is also used to prepare cement that lines the wells, to mix chemicals, and to control dust on roads. Wastewater from fracking is lost from the earths water cycle forever (see more on this below). Here are some other frightening facts about fracking: 1. Fracking a single well can require more than 1 million gallons of water. This depletes local groundwater and can dry up nearby creeks. The wastewater produced by fracking contains high levels of radioactivity that wastewater treatment plants are not equipped to treat. 2. Dangerous fracking chemicals are kept secret. In many states, big drilling companies dont have to disclose what chemicals they use in their fracking fluid the mixture is a trade secret. Its effects on your health wont be secret, though. 3. Big Oil and Gas are exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Air Act. The Halliburton Loophole came as a result of intensive lobbying from thenVice President Dick Cheney. 4. You can light your tap water on fire. When the high explosions used in fracking shatter the rock in which the gas is contained, it can leak into nearby household wells and drinking water. This gas not only can make you sick and even kill you but its also highly explosive. Watch a video of this terrifying phenomenon here. 5. The number of fracking wells is growing. Fracking is already underway in 28 states. Big Oil and Gas companies are racing to drill more wells before people realize how dangerous this is to their health and safety. No one is safe from the spread of this dangerous drilling practice. A new concern has developed: Ohio citizens are upset that water from reservoirs are being sold for natural gas drilling. Reservoirs were set up for citizen use, not for drilling. In some western states (like Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming), water shortages appear. Even in central Pennsylvania, which usually has enough water, drilling has been curtailed because drought has reduced water levels in the Susquehanna River and its tributaries. Most of the wastewater is injected below ground in Ohios 176 injection wells for permanent disposal. This means that the water is lost from the fresh water cycle, said critic Sara Rollet Gosman, of the National Wildlife Federation. Unlike water used by agriculture and industry, water used in fracking disappears from the water cycle and cannot be used again. That means the water may be forever removed from the life cycle of the earths surface. The water is lost and gone forever. Sources http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/fracking/ Downing, B. (2012, June 2). Removal of billions of gallons of water from the earths surface arouses new opposition to fracking. Akron Beacon Journal Online. Retrieved from http://www.ohio.com/news/local-news/removal-of-billions-of-gallons-of-water-from-theearth-s-surface-arouses-new-opposition-to-fracking-1.311519

Thats prime land. Ive raised 294 bushels of corn an acre there before, with water and the Lords help. Its over.
Ashley Yost from Haskell County, Kansas, whose farm is on the southern high Plains Aquifer, which is now so low that crops cant be watered. New York Times May 20, 2013

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Middle Wisconsin NEWS

CHALLENGING THE MYTH...

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And if all others accepted the lie which the party imposed if all records told the same tale then the lie passed into history and became the truth.
George Orwell 1984 (published in 1949)

The Myth of the Conservative Republican

By Dave Svetlik Mosinee

con-serv'a-tive (kon-sur'va tiv) adj. [OFr conservative < LL conservativus] 1. conserving or tending to conserve; preservative 2. tending to preserve established traditions and institutions and to resist or oppose any changes in these 3. of or characteristic of a Conservative
The grass is blue, the sky is green, and dismantling our traditional public school system and entrusting the education of our children to profit-making corporate voucher schools is conservative. George Orwell himself would stand in awe. The masterful reversal of reality in the continued use of the word conservative to define the contemporary Republican Party has been so effective, so complete, that even Progressives assist in perpetuating the myth. With little thought to the ongoing message, we have allowed the words Republican and Conservative to become virtually interchangeable. It is Conservatives Republican Conservatives who are privatizing the public school system established by our ancestors. It is Conservative Republicans who are undermining traditional voting rights fought for by those who have gone before us. It is Conservatives who seek to sell our public lands, highways, buildings, and water systems paid for by the sweat of our parents and grandparents to the first wealthy bidder. It is Republican Conservatives who seek to privatize the traditional Social Security system that has kept millions of Americans who are elderly or disabled out of poverty since 1935. It is Conservatives who wish to destroy the Medicare system that since 1965 has guaranteed healthcare for people who are elderly or disabled. It is Conservative Republicans who have undermined any traditional sense of community any sense of people working together for the common good. It is Conservative Republicans who have convinced us that all things even our children have value only if they make a profit. The list is endless. I do not wish to single-out true Conservatives as culpable in the assault on all that average citizens hold dear in America. Their caution and thoughtfulness are vital to moving wisely forward. But the ideology now being perpetrated by the Republican Party is in no sense conservative. It is radical, extreme, and destructive. Virtually all of the legislation being enacted by Republicans in Wisconsin and elsewhere was written by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Its only goal is to serve the selfish interests of the wealthy. In an astounding turnaround, it is Progressives who are now the Conservatives. It is Progressives who wish to preserve long-established public schools. It is Progressives who are fighting to protect traditional voting rights. It is Progressives who are against privatizing public properties paid for by our ancestors. It is Progressives who seek to save the Social Security and Medicare systems. It is Progressives who are fighting to save a traditional sense of community and common purpose. It is Progressives who wish to maintain the traditional American belief that all humans have an intrinsic worth and dignity far above money and profit.

Middle Wisconsin NEWS A Conservatives Pledge

By Dave Svetlik Mosinee

July 2013 Page 12

As a conservative, I pledge:
1. To preserve established traditions and institutions and to resist or oppose any changes in these without doing extensive and impartial research into any such proposed changes. 2. To oppose any legislation written in full or part by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and not, as traditionally and patriotically expected, by my elected representatives. 3. To preserve the traditional public school system established by my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, and to accept my responsibility as a citizen to see that these public schools are continuously improved and supported for the benefit of all students. 4. To resist any corporate privatization of traditional public schools. 5. To oppose the replacement of traditional locally elected school boards by corporate boards controlled by millionaires and billionaires. 6. To oppose the replacement of traditional locally elected city and county officials by corporate managers, as occurred in Detroit and other cities around the nation. 7. To oppose the sale or privatization of any public lands, facilities, or infrastructure, such as bridges and roads, paid for by the labors of my forefathers. 8. To preserve the highly successful Social Security system established by my ancestors in 1935, and to resist any attempts by politicians or moneyed interests to privatize this public, earned benefit. 9. To preserve the publicly funded and controlled Medicare system established in 1965 and resist any attempts to privatize or undermine this vital earned benefit. 10. To oppose any attempts by government to intrude into the traditional, confidential relationship between a patient and his/her doctor. 11. To oppose any and all attempts by politicians to limit the traditional voting rights fought for by my ancestors. 12. To support a return to the patriotic, traditional progressive taxation system that my parents and grandparents fought for in the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, that required corporations and the rich to pay their fair share. 13. To support patriotism by ending offshore tax havens for the rich and corporations. 14. To support patriotism in business leaders by putting an end to corporate welfare benefitting only the wealthy. 15. To support a return to traditional family-supporting jobs. 16. To support a return to traditional defined-benefit pensions. 17. To support the traditional prosecution of financial industry criminals such as the Wall Street bankers who destroyed our economy and caused national and state indebtedness through the use of fraudulent financial gimmicks. 18. To support a return to traditional, patriotic, and ethical standards in the financial industry by the creation of a financial transaction tax, which limits casino capitalism and creates jobs by putting more money into the main street economy. 19. To support a constitutional amendment overriding the unpatriotic Supreme Court Citizens United decision. 20. The list goes on.