Category Archives: Wisconsin Politics

A Sense of Place: Mike McCabe Runs For Wisconsin Governor

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Joanne Boyer

“We have to challenge the political forces that have made the system the way it is today,” said Mike McCabe as he made the announcement of his candidacy for Wisconsin governor from his family farm in rural Wisconsin. Find out more about his people powered campaign to make government work for all the people and not just a few power brokers. Continue reading →

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July 4, 2015: We Are Once Again Called To Reclaim Our Democracy

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Joanne Boyer

A great Jesuit once asked, “Where is it we think our dead have gone? Do we think they remain buried in the ground, or is their spirit alive with us today?” There can be little argument that Bernie Sanders’ stop in Madison, Wisconsin on July 1, 2015 reverberates with the message of “Fighting Bob” La Follette and his speech from July 4, 1897. Continue reading →

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Will It Take A Constitutional Amendment To Stop Voter Suppression?

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Joanne Boyer

Congressman Keith Ellison (DFL-MN) and his colleague Mark Pocan (D-WI) have introduced a bill which would amend the U.S. Constitution to explicitly guarantee the right to vote for American citizens. Read more how these two are fighting back against voter suppression in this, the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Voting Rights Act. Continue reading →

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From The Ashes…Remembering A Teacher’s Hope

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Joanne Boyer

Why on a day when the State of Wisconsin is implementing Right to Work legislation just weeks after gutting public education would I have been rummaging through old documents and found the following hand-written notation from my father, a proud … Continue reading →

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Forgetting Our Land Grant Colleges History: Government Does Make Education Work For All Its People

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Joanne Boyer

We have forgotten that our Founding Fathers and Abraham Lincoln knew that federal and state supported public education was the lifeblood of the nation. We look back on the founding of the time-honored tradition of the land grant colleges. We ask those who think the world began with them, who do you think educated those who educated those who educated you? Continue reading →

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‘The Boundaries Of The University Shall Be The Boundaries Of The State’: A Lesson Wisconsin and Scott Walker Forgot

Posted on January 29, 2015 by Joanne Boyer

Most people knew that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker would attack public education after his re-election in 2014, but his $300M cuts to one of the premier research institution is stunning by any measure. The privatization of public education is happening at record speed. How and why did we lose sight of the fact that PUBLIC education benefits all of us. Our heart bleeds for the University of Wisconsin and others facing the same fate. Continue reading →

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It Didn’t Used To Be Like This: A look back to when a U.S. Senator campaigned on $200 total

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Joanne Boyer

It really wasn’t that long ago when campaigns were run without the truly obscene influence of money brought on by the disastrous U.S. Supreme Court Citizens United ruling. We take a look back at the great U.S. Senator Bill Proxmire, who as recently as 1982 (that’s not that long ago) ran his re-election campaign on $200. We don’t have to run our “democracy” as we do today. There are better ways. Continue reading →

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Tearing Apart The Fabric of Democracy — Again

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Joanne Boyer

I can’t believe we’re still advocating to stop voter suppression laws in 2014. But here we go again. The attempt to keep eligible voters from casting ballots tears at the very foundation of our democracy. We should be outraged at the breadth and depth of voter suppression that still rages within our so-called democracy here in the United States. Continue reading →

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Blue Jeans In High Places: Building A Home For The Politically Homeless

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Joanne Boyer

Mike McCabe’s new book, Blue Jeans In High Places: The Coming Makeover Of American Politics, offers ways to break out of the political entrapment of our current two-party system. “I came to the conclusion that this is a moment that cries out for some political game changers.” As he describes, we have one party that’s scary and another that is scared. Read more about the “One Party Movement” as detailed in his new book. Continue reading →

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A Reflection On Earth Day Founder Gaylord Nelson: What Would He Have To Say Today?

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Joanne Boyer

Today a new generation faces a new set of environmental issues. Fracking. The Keystone Pipeline. Climate Change. But how much different is it really from when Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson shook this country’s environmental conscience? For a look back at Wisconsin’s other governor and great senator, we reconnected with Nelson biographer Bill Christofferson who shared insights and thoughts on this remarkable man. Continue reading →

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