Middle WI News - June Issue

8/6/2019 Middle WI News - June Issue

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/middle-wi-news-june-issue 1/14

On Monday, May 9, Governor Walker delivered a speech to an

audience of school-choice advocates in Washington, DC, in which

he told them,“Every kid deserves to have a great education because

they each have limitless potential.”

Apparently, that doesn’t include the children of Wisconsin’s public schools,

who just received an $834 million cut in their right to have such a great

education. This cut was the largest in state history.

What surprised even Walker’s supporters at his speech to the American Federa-

tion for Children summit—which included billionaire school-choice activist Betsy

DeVos, who funds voucher efforts around the country—was his plan to expand

Milwaukee’s voucher program to other cities: Racine, Green Bay, and Beloit.

In a May 11, 2011, letter to the Wisconsin Joint Committee on Finance, Legislative Fiscal

Bureau director Robert Wm. Lang stated:

“Basedonourreviewofthecollectionsdataandtheneweconomicforecast,we

nowbelievethatgeneralfundtaxrevenueswillbehigherthanthepreviousestimates

by$233millionin2010–11,$204millionin2011–12,and$199millionin2012–13.

Thethree-yearincreaseis$636million,or1.6%.”

As a result of this Representative Donna Seidel (D-Wausau), along with other Democratic

legislators, released an Alternative Budget Proposal to counter some of the severe cuts

made to education and other social programs by the Walker budget.

WALKER’S PRIVATIZEDEDUCATION AGENDA by Jim Mattes

Alternative Budget Proposals by Dave Svetlik

june 22, 2011

w w w . m i d d l e w i s c o n s i n . o r g

IN THIS ISSUE:

News & Notes ...........5

We Can Take

Government Back

for the People ...........7

The Origins of

Middle Wisconsin .....8

Interesting Facts.....11

The Literar Page ...12

CHALLENGINGTHE MyTH

Mth: Private Is

More Efcient Than

Public.......................13

(CONTINUEDONPAGE2…)

©2011MiddleWisconsin (CONTINUEDONPAGE4…)


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/middle-wi-news-june-issue 2/14june 22, 2011

The recently passed budget that awaits the Governor’s signature includes Racinein the program. Efforts to include Green Bay were thwarted by an overwhelmingreaction of opposition from educators, the Green Bay community, and theSuperintendent. Senator Mike Ellis of Appleton, the Senate President, appeared

blindsided by the Governor’s proposal to expand the voucher program, stating,“I didn’t see this coming. We have problems with eliminating the income thresholdbecause the idea behind this program was to help poverty-stricken students whodon’t have the wherewithal to go to private school.” Senator Luther Olsen, one ofsix Republicans up for recall and the chair of the Education Committee, was alsoquick to back away from the Governor’s latest plan, but he ended up voting for theRacine expansion in the budget.

The irony in the Governor’s expanded plan is that a recent evaluation by the Wis-consin Department of Public Instruction clearly indicates that students in voucherschools do not outperform their counterparts from public schools. Vouchersupporters like to point to statistics that seem to indicate that students in the

scholarship program were more likely to graduate from high school, but they tendto ignore similar statistics which show that students in the program do NOT dobetter than their public school counterparts on standardized reading and mathtests. Worse yet, the Governor has successfully inserted in the budget a provisionthat eliminates the requirement that students take these statewide achievementtests by which the public could measure the accountability of the voucher schoolsas they do the public schools.

The National Education Association’s new executive director, John Stocks,believes that the Governor’s real agenda is to dismantle public schools throughprivatization schemes. He says, “The taxpayers are being bilked.... For someonewho claims to be a staunch taxpayer advocate, he [Walker] is a hypocrite.”

Florida Governor Rick Scott has proposed the most far-reaching new voucherplans. He wants to create “education savings accounts” that would help payprivate school tuition for ANY student in the state. Under his plan, every familywith school-aged children could get 85% of the per-pupil cost in public schools—roughly $5,500—to use for school expenses OUTSIDE the public system. Is thiswhere Wisconsin is headed?

Currently, the Milwaukee voucher program is capped at 22,500 pupils, but the newbudget lifts that cap. It also lifts the cap on virtual, online charter schools.

These new voucher plans seem to y in the face of the national trend, in whichthe Obama administration is winding down federally funded vouchers in Washington,DC. It let funding expire for the Opportunity Scholarship Program, even as it

embraces other reform efforts through the Race to the Top grants.

A June 8 MilwaukeeJournalSentinel article indicates that Walker plans to link jobtraining money with local education reform. According to the Chair of the Councilon Workforce Investment, educators will be required to create programs tailored tothe needs of local employers. This means that business will become the tail wag-ging the dog, so to speak. The Governor apparently wants to improve the alignmentbetween what private sector employers need and the skills that education and job

WALKER’S AGENDA (continuedfromp.1)

“The NEA’s new

executive director,

John Stocks, believes

that the Governor’s

real agenda is to

dismantle public

schools through privatization schemes.”




training systems provide. Some suggest that this goes beyond such things as link-ing curriculum like agricultural science in schools that serve children from primarilyagriculturally dominant areas, but stay tuned to see what other “links” may be inthe ofng.

What is painfully clear is that Governor Walker’s education agenda overreachesbeyond the scope of what private school vouchers were originally intended toaccomplish. His new budget eliminates grant programs for Advanced Placementcourses, alcohol and drug abuse prevention, licensed nurses with bachelor’s de-grees, and English for Southeast Asian students. Some of the nonscal items thatshowed up in the nal budget just passed by the legislature include the following:

• Eliminating the 180-day minimum school day calendar

• Repealing the limit on the number of students who can use open enrollmentto attend a virtual charter school in ANOTHER district

• Allowing ANY four-year UW campus to sponsor an independent charter school

• Requiring that charter school teachers need only have a bachelor’s degree toteach (NOT a teacher’s license)

• Removing the need for reading specialists

Consider these comments from Mike Langyel, head of Milwaukee Teachers’ Edu-cation Association: “In a time of budget cuts, the Governor is going to subsidizethe tuition of wealthy families by removing the income caps.... Choice schools getto choose the students they want to educate and leave behind the rest—studentswith behavioral problems or special needs—to populate the city’s public schoolsat a higher rate than choice schools.”

Finally, Gloria Rogers, President of the Racine branch of the NAACP, offers thisominous reection: The school choice vouchers to Racine students would allowa family of four earning $67,500 to become eligible for the same dollar amount asthose with an annual income of $10,000. She asserts, “Is this not the beginningof a ploy to resegregate schools? If we allow the voucher system, it will end upbecoming a subsidy for the rich to pay for their children going to private schoolsand leave behind those that have the greatest need.”

Afterreadingthisambitious“agenda”oftheWalkeradministration,isthereanyquestionastowhatdirectiontheGovernorandhiscorporatesupporterswishtotakeourstate?

Sources & Recommended Reading

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2011/05/betsy-devos-in-running-for-billionaire.html

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2011/4/20/232844/831

http://my.redoglake.com/iizwerequeen/tag/betsy-devos/

http://herinst.org/BusinessManagedDemocracy/education/campaigns/DeVos.html

WALKER’S AGENDA (continuedfromp.2)

“What is painfully

clear is that Governor

Walker’s education

agenda overreaches

beyond the scope of

what private school

vouchers wereoriginally intended to

accomplish.”



http://my.firedoglake.com/iflizwerequeen/tag/betsy-devos/



http://my.firedoglake.com/iflizwerequeen/tag/betsy-devos/





In a press release on May 17, Representa-

tive Seidel stated, “Budgets are all about

choices and the recent revenue estimates

give the governor an opportunity to choose

Wisconsin’s children and workers over

special interests and campaign donors.”The proposed budget directs $356 million

to public schools, including the Wisconsin

Technical College System. It also elimi-

nates the expansion of voucher schoolsto ensure support of public education,

rather than sending $40 million to

private schools. Locally, this will mean

an increase in funding of $4.9 million for

the Wausau School District and $3.3

million for the D.C. Everest School District.

Additionally, the proposal directs $200

million to repay the Injured Patient andFamilies Compensation Fund and $100

million to restructure the state’s bonding

debt to avoid future budget problems.

Perhaps even more important than the

Democratic Alternative Budget Proposal

is the May 25 release of the Wisconsin

Values Budget by a group of 31 nonprot

organizations. Spearheaded by the Wis-

consin Council on Children and Families,

Citizen Action of Wisconsin, the Institute

for Wisconsin’s Future, and the Centeron Wisconsin Strategy (COWS), the

Wisconsin Values Budget, in words

taken from wispolitics.com:

“providesabalancedapproachtothe

state’sscalchallenges,demonstrating

thattheGovernor’schoicesarenot

necessaryones.Therearebetter

optionsthatpreserveWisconsin’s

remarkablerecordofprogressand

innovationinsuchkeyareasas

education,healthcare,masstransit,

andsupportforlow-incomeworkers strivingtojointhemiddleclass....

Insteadofrelyingonspendingcuts

alone,theWisconsinValuesBudget

addressesthedecitthrougha

combinationofspendingcuts;

targetedrevenueincreasesthatrequire

corporationsandthewealthyto

contributetheirfairshare;improved

revenuecollectionefforts;andpublic

employeeconcessions.”

Governor Walker’s budget cuts over $2

billion from counties, cities and towns,

education, and state services while at the

same time giving tax breaks to corpora-

tions and the wealthy. The Wisconsin

Values Budget takes a very differentapproach. Under the Walker plan, the

entire budget gap is closed through public

employee concessions (38%), and cuts

to seniors, education, and communities(62%). Under the Wisconsin Values plan,

the gap is closed through tax increases

on corporations and wealthy Wisconsin-

ites (29%), improved revenue collection

(25%), public employee concessions

(29%), and efciency and miscellaneous

cuts (17%). The Walker budget targets

our public education system, along withmembers of our society who can least

afford it, and will almost certainly result

in reduced economic activity and em-

ployment. The Wisconsin Values Budget

rejects the historically disproved belief

that taxing corporations and the wealthy

kills jobs, and leads us back to economic

health without sacricing the middle and

lower classes.

If we have any hope of overcoming the

harm that will result from the Walkerbudget, we need to present an alternative.

Visit http://citizenactionwi.org/healthcare/

alt-budget-2011.html for a description of

the Wisconsin Values Budget. It is critical

that we educate ourselves.

Helpful Resources

http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/

Misc/2011_05_11Darling%20and%20

Vos_General%20Fund.pdf

http://fairfundingforourfuture.org/pdf/ statements/05-18_seidel.pdf

http://www.rivertowns.net/event/article/

id/233833/

“Under the WisconsinValues plan, the gap

is closed through tax

increases on corpo-

rations and wealthy

Wisconsinites (29%),

improved revenue

collection (25%), public

employee concessions

(29%), and efciency and miscellaneous

cuts (17%).”

Alrav Budg Prpal (continuedfromp.1)

http://citizenactionwi.org/healthcare/alt-budget-2011.html


http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/Misc/2011_05_11Darling%20and%20Vos_General%20Fund.pdf



http://fairfundingforourfuture.org/pdf/statements/05-18_seidel.pdf


http://www.rivertowns.net/event/article/id/233833/













news & notes by Jim Mattes

Internet Turn Down ofFederal Funds

A surprise provision in the state budgetwould have prohibited the University of

Wisconsin system from continuing a project

to provide communities—including the

Wausau area—with broadband Internet

connections. Republicans defended the

measure, saying the UW system should not

be in the business of providing telecom-

munications. Opponents of the measure

argued that broadband expansion builds

an infrastructure that is unavailable through

private industry. The bill would have prohib-

ited the UW from participating and elimi-nated $1.4 million for employee salaries to

staff WiscNet. WiscNet provides Internet

services for 75% of schools and libraries in

Wisconsin.

This measure would have forced the UW

system to return $39 million in funds to

Washington, DC, and would have forced

schools to turn to Badgernet, the statewide

area network, which depends heavily on

AT&T as its primary vendor.

As of Wednesday, June 15, the budget billwriters withdrew this controversial provision.

Perhaps public outcry from both sides of

the aisle, as well as from tech people from

around the state, inuenced this decision.

Forfurtherinfoonthisstory,seeCity

Pages(June9–16issue,p.6)and http://

arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/06/

wisconsin-public-internet-ghts-telecoms-

attempts-to-kill-it-off.ars

Concealed Carr BillPasses Senate 25-8The Wisconsin Senate passed a bill Tuesday,

June 14, that will allow concealed weapons

in the state Capitol and other public places,

but not in police stations, courthouses, and

other designated locations. The nal vote

was 25-8, with 6 Democrats joining all 19

Republicans in supporting it. Deferring to

Governor Walker’s request for permit and

training requirements, the bill added these

provisions to the original bill, which was a

strict “constitutional carry” bill, which would

have allowed any legal citizen over age 21

without a felony conviction to carry a con-

cealed weapon.

Republicans believe the measure will help

people take control over their own safety.

Several Democrats believed it was a

“no-brainer” to exempt the Capitol because

some impassioned debates could arouse

a single visitor to do serious damage if he/

she became irrational. However, Republican

Senator Pam Galloway, of Wausau, the

bill’s author, said, “It would be hypocriticalof us to carve out the state Capitol as a

building prohibited from carrying concealed

weapons.”

Senator Jim Holperin, of Eagle River, one of

the three Democrats up for recall, was one of

the six Democrats who voted in favor of the

bill. He believes that the bill will help Wiscon-

sin align itself with the other 48 states that

have conformed to the wishes of the voters

and comply with the Constitution.

Supreme Court OverturnsLower Court Ruling onCollective BargainingIn a 4-3 decision, the State Supreme Court

ruled Wednesday, June 15, that Circuit Judge

Maryann Sumi overstepped her authority

when she voided Governor Walker’s measure

limiting collective bargaining. Sumi ruled that

the state’s open meetings law was violated

when Republicans met and amended the

bill in March, allowing the Senate to bypass

a Democratic boycott. Republican Senator

Pam Galloway said the ruling “vindicated” the

Legislature’s passage of the law and gives

municipalities stability in their own budget

processes.


“We Are Wisconsin”

meeting

Thursday, June 23

6:00 PM

Wausau Labor Temple

Findouthowyoucan

getinvolvedinthe

senaterecallefforts.

AllMiddleWisconsin

membersareinvited.

Concert for Voters

Sunday, August 14

400 Block, Wausau

I nformationabout

registeringtovote&

networkingtopreparefor

Novemberrecalls

Speakers:

DaveObey,

SenatorErpenbach,

RepresentativeBarca,

&TonySchultz

Musical Acts:

PurgatoryHill,Hometown

Harmonies,NewMerry

Pranksters,SloppyJoe,

DougKroening&the

D-Railers,Solidarity

Singalong,TylerVogt,

&LisaAkey

eVents cAlendAr

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/06/wisconsin-public-internet-fights-telecoms-attempts-to-kill-it-off.ars










news & notes (continued from p. 5)

One day later, several labor groups began

challenging the constitutionality of the bill they

say would destroy collective bargaining rights

for all but a select group of public sectorworkers. Gov. Walker responded by saying,

“I think the people of the state feel the legal

action is done and it’s time to move forward.”

Restrictive Voter ID BillSigned Into LawOn May 19, the State Senate approved a

controversial bill requiring voters to show

photo identication at the polls. Under the

bill, a voter would have to present a driver’s

license, state ID, passport, military ID, natural-ization papers, or a tribal ID. College students

could vote with a school ID; however, cur-

rently, none of the WI university IDs include

the necessary information for students to use

their school IDs to vote.

People will be asked for ID in elections this

year, but they will be allowed to vote without

one. Staring in 2012, they will not be allowed

to cast a ballot without a valid ID.

Supporters say that the bill is necessary to

assure that voter fraud is resolved. Critics saythe bill is an attempt to suppress the votes of

students, seniors, and minorities and seeks

to x a nonexistent problem. Only 20 cases

of voter fraud have been prosecuted by the

Department of Justice since the 2008 elec-

tion, and none of those involved people using

someone else’s name at the polls.

Scott Ross, of One Wisconsin Now, believes

that ultimately this bill will cost Wisconsin not

only fair and clean elections, but also millions

of tax dollars when the courts rule that votershave been denied their legal right to vote.

Fake Candidates WillCost Taxpaers Plent

as Recall Primaries andElection Dates Are SetSixteen candidates have led nomination

papers by the June 14 deadline in six Sen-

ate districts where Republicans are being

targeted for recall elections. Republicans have

made no secret that six of their candidates

are “protest candidates” who are running as

Democrats to force primaries to give their

incumbent Republican Senators an additiona

month to prepare for a general election.

The Democrats originally planned to enter“placeholder” candidates in the three districts

where Democrats were targeted but withdrew

that plan after deciding that the Republi-

cans could not manipulate in which primary

elections and in which general elections

they would place their considerable nancial

support. Estimates from local election clerks

about the cost of the “extra” primaries total u

to $428,000, no small total when our state is

“broke.”

The multiple candidates are forcing prima-ries to be held on July 12, with the general

recall election to follow on August 9 for the six

Republicans. The three Democratic recalls,

which all appear to have “legitimate” candi-

dates, are set for primaries on July 19 and

general elections on August 16.

Forfurtherinfo,checkouttheJune14issue

oftheMilwaukeeJournalSentinel.

Mondays, 5:00 pm

Day’s Bowl-A-Dome

Wausau

Bringafriendortwoand

joinMiddleWisconsin

membersMondaynights

totalkcurrentevents&

havesomefun.

weekly eVent



Where did the concept of representative democracy go?

What happened to the consent of the

governed? There used to be a time in this

great state when laws were created based

on a legitimate and identiable issue sup-

ported by sound rational. Proposed legis-

lation usually came from the ranks of the

governed, who contacted their represen-

tative, who drafted a bill. In other words,

the majority of the governed believed a

legitimate need existed to create a law.

Rational and logical debate followed on

the merits of the bill. The bill was either

passed or failed. I am aghast at the form

of government we have now in Wisconsin.

Laws are passed by a Legislature of ideo-

logues. The will of the people is ignored.

Laws are now passed based upon an

agenda that serves no other purpose than

to suppress the governed and to consolidate

and maintain the power of the majority party.

Legislation is created and laws are passedwhich aim to suppress the poor, working,

and middle classes in Wisconsin. These

include signicant cuts in Medicaid, voter

suppression, stripping employees of their

collective bargaining rights, and depart-

mental appointments without legislative

oversight.

Take heed, but do not despair. It is time to

take our government back from the brink

of disaster. Despite the voter suppres-

sion law passed by our Legislature, recallelections are occurring all over Wisconsin.

Exercise your right to cast a vote to take

back your government from those who aim

to take away your rights and your voice.

Editor’sNote:JohnisaStaffRepresentative

forAFSCMECouncil40

We Can Take Government Backfor the People by John Spiegelhoff

“To a system in the

depths of decadence

the truth is seen as

madness, while its

own unquestioned,

unquestionable dogma

is seen as the height

of reason.”

—AuthorUnknown



In just a few months, Middle Wisconsin

has hosted a dizzying array of meetings,events, and protests. Our communication

and promotion tools—including our web-

site ( www.middlewisconsin.org ), private

Facebook page (with over 650 members),

public Facebook page (with more than 300

members), newsletter, and t-shirts—have

helped people stay informed but also have

given us all a sense of community and

outlet as more devastating information is

continuously released from Madison.

Member demographics include union

and nonunion working people, retirees,

teachers, small business owners, the

unemployed, lawyers, high school students,

university staff, and more. We seek to

represent the middle of the state and to

focus on the health of our community. Our

immediate goals are to recall Governor

Walker and Senator Galloway, as well as

to grow our organization. The question has

often arisen, “How did Middle Wisconsin

get started?”

On Wednesday, February 16, 2011, my

husband, two coworkers, and I headed

to Madison after work to join the protests

against Governor Walker’s Budget Repair

Bill that would have cut unions, education,

healthcare, and public transportation—

all critical services that we, our neigh-

bors, and our students rely upon. Therewere thousands gathered in the Capitol

that night, and the next day, the Fab 14

left the state. Within the next 2 weeks,

we managed to protest with our three

young children two times, and while it was

exhilarating to be part of the larger move-

ment fermenting with ideas, our family was

exhausted. From this exhaustion sprung a

realization: We cannot continue to dedi-

cate all our energy to Madison; it’s time to

focus on what we can do here in Wausau.How was Pam Galloway elected in my

backyard? Sean Duffy does not represent

my values.

I invited a diverse group of 50 socially con-

scious friends and acquaintances to dinner

Friday night. With poster paper on the

walls to gather ideas, we came together in

frustration and anger, but also with a sense

of purpose. We needed to get involved.

How had these policies intruded on our

families, professions, and communities so

rapidly and clearly against our will? The or-

ganization’s name and site domain, Middle

Wisconsin, had already been conceived

and was graciously offered for the use of

our group. A private Facebook page and

website were created within days, and so

began Middle Wisconsin.

The Origins of Middle Wisconsin by Mandy Wright

Mission stAteMent

Mddl Wc

a dpd,

cz’ cal

wrkg valua

ad uppr plcal

cadda ad ma-

ur ha prm

ju ad rapar

gvrm, halhy

cmmu, cal

rpbly, hrvg

lcal cm, v-

rmal wardhp,

ad qualy duca.


http://www.middlewisconsin.org/

http://www.middlewisconsin.org/



March was fast and furious. With two

initial meetings of over 60 participants

each, there was focus and drive to sup-

port JoAnne Kloppenburg’s bid for State

Supreme Court Justice. Committees

were formed, of which Research has

been particularly active, with two docu-

ments published on our site. A newsletter

was created. As Kloppenburg’s election

was discussed, a tried and true initiative

called “One to Get Ten” was suggested

and implemented, garnering thousands

of promised votes. More than 20 people

from our group canvassed neighborhoods

across Wausau. A Hmong Community

meeting at Horace Mann informed clan

leaders and over 60 community members

about the importance of the elections and

how to register to vote. This format was

replicated with the Hmong in Stevens

Point. Middle Wisconsin quickly formed

into a Political Action Committee to enable

us to nancially support the election of

Kloppenburg’s campaign and to air a radio

ad (during the WDEZ polka hour) focusing

on the rights of the elderly and veterans

that were being threatened. We have sincedissolved to operate as a coalition not

subject to GAB regulations.

We, as a growing community coalition,

organized a protest in front of Wausau’s

courthouse with 300 participants and only

2 days’ notice. Facebook proved to be

a powerful communication tool for pro-

tests against a GOP meeting at the Rose

Garden, as well as two visits by Walker

to Wausau with only a few hours’ notice.

A group of retirees initiated “Coffee atPam’s” in front of Pam Galloway’s house,

which lasted only 1 day since she quickly

agreed to their previously made requests

to meet with her when she realized it was

personal.

There have been several public showings

of documentaries, including “Down By the

River,” centered on Martin Luther King,

Jr.’s nal struggle for the rights of sanita-

tion workers in the South; “Black Box,” an

exposé on voter fraud dating back to the

’90s; and “Astroturf Wars,” about corpo-

rate sponsorship of “grassroots move-

ments.” Lively discussion has followed

each viewing.

Several members of Middle Wisconsin

were able to represent the group at the

Joint Finance Committee meeting at NTC,

the Carry and Conceal proposal at UWMC

and Donna Seidel’s “Save Our Schools”

budget proposal at Wausau West. In ad-dition, the Center for Civic Engagement

hosted a Tax Day teach-in featuring Kat

Becker and Eric Giordianno, two UWMC

professors who presented in favor of more

progressive taxation. On Tax Day itself, we

protested in front of the Post Ofce.

Middle Wisconsin hosted a bowling event

at Day’s Bowl-A-Dome, where we unveiled

our t-shirts and raised over $300, thanks

to Dean Day’s generous support. For Earth

Day, a garbage clean-up was organized.

Roy Zimmerman, a musician and politi-

cal satirist, performed at First Universalist

Unitarian Church of Wausau with a Middle

Wisconsin reception beforehand. We were

a presence at the Labor Picnic in Merrill,

connecting with like-minded organizations

individuals, and politicians. Most recently,

“From this exhaustion

sprung a realization:

We cannot continue to

dedicate all our energy

to Madison; it’s time to

focus on what we can

do here in Wausau.

How was Pam Gal-

loway elected in my

backyard? Sean Duffy

does not represent

my values.”


th org f Mddl Wc (continuedfromp.8)



on May 26, union members, teachers, and

concerned citizens united in an outcry

against Walker’s book reading to Franklin

Elementary students, and many of those in

attendance were there because Middle

Wisconsin had informed them of the protest.

Looking to the future, we have reserved

the 400 Block of Wausau on Sunday,

August 14, for a Concert for Voters. With

seven musical acts and speakers like Dave

Obey, Senator Erpenbach, Representative

Barca, and Tony Schultz lined up, it prom-

ises to be a rallying point for our commu-

nity. We will also have information about

registering to vote and will be networking

in preparation for the November recalls.

The musical line-up includes Purgatory

Hill, Hometown Harmonies, New Merry

Pranksters, Sloppy Joe, Doug Kroening &

the D-Railers, Solidarity Singalong, Tyler

Vogt, and Lisa Akey, all of whom have

donated their musical talents for no more

than gas money.

The amount of time and energy that

people have put into the efforts of Middle

Wisconsin is overwhelming. Thank you

if you organized a protest, designed the

logo, wrote an editorial, started the web-

site, or spoke at a meeting. Thank you if

you contributed to the newsletter, offered

your music talents, attended a rally, or

bought a t-shirt. Thank you if you postedon Facebook, called our local media, or

contacted your elected ofcials. Thank you

if you recommended us to a friend.

Changing the prevailing stories in the

United States may be easier to accomplish

than we might think. The apparent politi-

cal divisions notwithstanding, U.S. polling

data reveal a startling degree of consen-

sus on key issues. Eighty-three percent

of Americans believe that as a society the

United States is focused on the wrong pri-

orities. Supermajorities want to see greate

priority given to children, family, commu-

nity, and a healthy environment. Americans

also want a world that puts people ahead

of prots, spiritual values ahead of nan-

cial values, and international cooperation

ahead of international domination. These

earth community values are in fact widely

shared by both conservatives and liberals.

Our nation is on the wrong course not

because Americans have the wrong val-

ues. It is on the wrong course because of

remnant imperial institutions that give an

accountable power to a small allegiance

of right-wing extremists who call them-

selves conservatives and claim to support

family and community values, but whose

preferred economic and social policies

constitute a ruthless war against children,

families, communities, and the environ-

ment (Korten, 2006).

Middle Wisconsin’s success is due to

each person’s passion for change. The

power to save our community lies with all

of us, and through our communal efforts,

we will all be stronger.

Source:Korten,D.(2006,Summer).From

empiretoEarthcommunity.Yes!Magazine,p.18.

“U.S. polling data

reveal a startling

degree of consensus

on key issues. Eighty-

three percent of

Americans believe that

as a society the United

States is focused on

the wrong priorities.”

th org f Mddl Wc (continuedfromp.9)



Fact:

2010 Average CEO Pa

at S&P 500 Companies

Salary....................................$1,093,989

Bonus ......................................$251,413

Stock Awards .......................$3,833,052

Option Awards ......................$2,384,871

Non-equity Incentive Plan

Compensation ......................$2,397,152

Pension and Deferred Compensation

Earnings ...............................$1,182,057

All Other Compensation ..........$215,911

TOTAL ................................$11,358,445

Income inequality in the United States

during the past decade has spiked to

levels not seen since the Roaring ’20s that

led to the Great Depression. The increase

of income inequality leading up to the

2008 nancial crisis and “Great Reces-sion” is striking. Between 1993 and 2008,

the top 1% of Americans captured 52%

of all income growth in the United States.

Source: Emmanuel Saez, U.C. Berkeley Eco-

nomics Department, “Striking It Richer: The

Evolution of Top Incomes in the United States,”

July 17, 2010. Available at http://elsa.berkeley.

edu/~saez/saez-UStopincomes-2008.pdf

Fact:

R. W. Tillerson

Chairman and CEO

EXXON MOBIL CORP (XOM)

Headquarters: Irving, TX

PetroleumReningandRelatedIndustries

In 2010, R. W. Tillerson received

$28,952,558 in total compensation. By

comparison, the median worker made

$33,190 in 2010. R. W. Tillerson made

872 times the median worker’s pay.

Michael S. JeffriesChairman and CEO

ABERCROMBIE & FITCH (ANF)

Headquarters: New Alban, OH

ApparelandAccessoryStores

In 2009, Michael S. Jeffries received

$36,335,644 in total compensation. By

comparison, the median worker made

$33,190 in 2010. Michael S. Jeffries made

1,094 times the median worker’s pay.

Source: http://www.acio.org/corporatewatch/

paywatch/index.cfm

Editor’sNote:Whatcanonesay?

A$40,000employeemustwork284years

toequalIyearofS&PCEOpay.Butthere

isgoodnews:Apersonmaking$100,000

onlyhastowork114yearstoequalthe

CEO’s1yearofpay.Ofcourse,theCEO

oftenpaysalowereffectivetaxratethan

thosepaidlessdo,butlet’snotgetpicky.

interesting fActs “tha h Frd car

mgh ad fr f h B t sr,

Habal vadd

Rm ad eramu

wr oxfrd

clr....”

—Sinclair Lewis

Main Street (Published 1920)

edr’ n:

Change “Bon Ton Store”

to “Wal-Mart” and little

has changed.

We could all read

Main Street again.

http://elsa.berkeley.edu/~saez/saez-UStopincomes-2008.pdf


http://www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/paywatch/index.cfm








Thank you, Scott Walker,

Because of you, I have a new purpose,

I have awakened and my eyes are nally clear,

...The fog I have lived in for many years is lifted,

A new dawn has risen for me.

You see, Scott,

I used to believe good would always win,

That people, all people, really cared about one another,

That government was something I should only think about on Election Day.

But because of you, Scott Walker,My eyes are nally open,

So many people walk around asleep, they stil l don’t see,

But because of you, Scott,

I will help them, I will wake them!

I have stood in the snow, the rain,

The wind, the heat, and the sun,

My skin has thickened,

My hair has grayed,

My hands have bled from the beating of my tambourine,

All of this has made me stronger.

So thank you, Scott Walker,

For you alone have given me,

A reason to wake, a reason to breathe,

A reason to ght another day!

My children will have a better tomorrow because of you,

You have taught my family resilience, solidarity, and the true meaning of unity!

We may have lost some friends along the way,

Some of our own family may have left us, too,

But the new sisters and brothers we have found

Are the greatest gift you could have given us.

So thank you, Scott Walker,

Thank you, for today I stood up.

Thank you, Scott Walker by JK

tHe literAry PAge

Wearelookingforletterstothe

editor,articlesonrelevant

topics,andreportsfrompeople

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regularcontributors.Topicscan

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otherappropriatetopics.We

hopetorepresentthebroad

spectrumofpeople:bluecol-

larandwhitecollarworkers,

publicandprivateemployees,

unionandnon-unionmembers,

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cAll for entries



We are all aware, especially in

Wisconsin, that at both the state

and federal levels, government

properties, functions, and

services are being privatized.

From water utilities to prisons, roads,

heating plants, parks, and parking meters,

publicly owned entities are being sold

off to corporations. Few of us, however,

realize the extent of this process. The past

decade has witnessed unprecedentedtransferal of public property to private

hands. According to Lee Cokorinos:

“Weliveinthemidstofthemost

extensiveprivatizationofpublic

assetsandservicesinhistory.From

asetoffringethinktankpolicyproposals

inthe1970sand’80s,thedrivefor

privatizationhasgrownintoanindustry

initself,a“newgoldrush”promoted

andnancedbybillion-dollarspecial

interestsinthenancialservices, defensecontracting,ITandgovernment

consultingsectors.”

Of course, none of this occurred in a vac-

uum or overnight. The stage had to be set.

For over 30 years, we have been hearing:

“Governmentistheenemyandcando

nothingright.”

“Regulationsarekillingtheeconomy

andjobs.”

“TheInvisibleHandwillmostefciently

guidethefreemarket.”

“Allthingspublicarebad—Allthings

privatearegood.”

“Greedisgood.”

This was the process, orchestrated to per-

fection. Condemn the government as an

incompetent threat to the people, remove

its ability to govern and its sources of

revenue to prove you are right, add a little

Adam Smith and Social Darwinism to lend

moral authority and biblical stature, throw

in some Ayn Rand for those who have

never studied history, and you are left with

but one solution: The only way to save

America is to privatize—We must corpora-

tize everything.

But does it work? Is a prot-making entity,

pledged to earn money for its shareholders,actually better or more efcient at owning

or providing formerly public properties and

services? Let us look at the record:

• A 2009 report by Food and Water

Watch titled “Mortgaging Milwaukee’s

Future: Why Leasing the Water

System Is a Bad Deal for Consumers”

found that leasing the city’s water

system to a private operator would

cost the community, at minimum,

an additional $17 million. For moreinformation on the high cost of

privatized water see: http://www.

foodandwaterwatch.org/factsheet/

selling-out-consumers/

• A 2009 article in TheNewYork

Times reported that two judges in

Pennsylvania had received $2.6

million in kickbacks from a private

company that operated juvenile

detention centers. The judges were

aggressively sentencing children forminor infractions to ensure the

detention center remained full.

• A May 2009 report by the Wisconsin

Legislative Audit Bureau showed the

state Department of Transportation

lost $1.2 million outsourcing engineering

The Mth: Private Is More EfcientThan Public by Dave Svetlik

cHAllenging tHe mytH

“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.”

—GeorgeOrwell,1984(publishedin1949)


http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/factsheet/selling-out-consumers/







http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/middle-wi-news-june-issue 14/14

work to private contractors. Most

analysis indicated that outsourced

engineering could have been done

at a lower cost by state workers.

• A 2011 report “Infrastructure

Privatization Contracts and Their

Effect on Governance” by Ellen

Dannin of the Pennsylvania Dickinson

School of Law found that in 2008,

the private contractors that operated

the Northwest Parkway in Denver,

Colorado, objected to improvements

on nearby roads. The 99-year

privatization contract allowed the

company to prevent improvements oncity-owned roads, since the improve-

ments “might hurt the parkway nan-

cially.” The same report showed that

in September 2008, Indiana was re-

quired to reimburse the private Indiana

Toll Road operator $447,000 for tolls

that were waived for people being

evacuated during a severe ood.

These examples are the just tip of the

iceberg. American democracy is in danger,

and perhaps little is more deceptive ordestructive than the growing effort to

privatize our government. Not only is

privatization of dubious value in reducing

costs or increasing efciency, it brings the

added danger of undermining community.

Privatization is a direct assault on col-

lective action—on the ability of a people

to come together for the common good.

Turning one’s government over to prot-

making corporations is the clearest mes-

sage yet that it is “every man for himself.”

That it is “you or me” and not “we.” That

there must be winners and losers. It is a

subtle process that divides us as a people.

Our parents and grandparents gave their

blood, sweat, and tears to hand a strong

public legacy down to their children. How

heartbroken they would be to see it now

being lost to prot making, moneyed

interests.

It is imperative that we all educate

ourselves on the perils of privatization.

Recommended Links

http://inthepublicinterest.org/

http://www.corporations.org/privatization. html

http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-en-try/2010072920/exposed-post-911-privatization-government-spending-and-conser-

vative-failure

http://www.hufngtonpost.com/dylan-ratigan/america-for-sale-is-goldm_b_877285. html

References

Cokorinos, L. (2010). The privatizationindustry. In the Public Interest: EnsuringDemocratic Control of Public Functions & Understanding the Risks of Privatization.Retrieved from http://inthepublicinterest.org/node/362

Dannin, E. (2011, Winter). Infrastructureprivatization contracts and their effect ongovernance. Northwestern Journal of Law

and Social Policy, 6. Retrieved from http:// www.law.northwestern.edu/journals/njlsp/ v6/n1/2/2Dannin.pdf

Food and Water Watch. (2009, Novem-ber). Mortgaging Milwaukee’s future: Whyleasing the water system is a bad deal forconsumers. Retrieved from http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/tools-and-resources/mortgaging-milwaukee%e2%80%99s-future-why-leasing-the-water-system-is-a- bad-deal-for-consumers/

Urbina, I., & Hamill, S. D. (2009, Febru-ary 13). Judges plead guilty in schemeto jail youths for prot. New York Times.Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/us/13judge.html

Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau. (2009,May). Construction Engineering in StateHighway Projects. Retrieved from http:// legis.wisconsin.gov/lab/reports/09-dotcon- structionengineering_ltr.pdf

“Privatization is a

direct assault on

collective action—on

the ability of a people

to come together for

the common good.

Turning one’s govern-

ment over to prot-

making corporations is

the clearest message

yet that it is ‘every

man for himself.’ ”

cHAllenging tHe mytH (continued from p. 13)


http://www.corporations.org/privatization.html


http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010072920/exposed-post-911-privatization-government-spending-and-conservative-failure




http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dylan-ratigan/america-for-sale-is-goldm_b_877285.html



http://inthepublicinterest.org/node/362


http://www.law.northwestern.edu/journals/njlsp/v6/n1/2/2Dannin.pdf



http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/tools-and-resources/mortgaging-milwaukee%e2%80%99s-future-why-leasing-the-water-system-is-a-bad-deal-for-consumers/





http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/us/13judge.html


http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lab/reports/09-dotconstructionengineering_ltr.pdf




























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