RFArea REA Newsletter November 2015

MEETING for November 12, 2015—11:00 a.m. at the West Wind

Our own member Larry Harred will be featured at this November’s meeting.  While a professor at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Larry taught a course in Detective Fiction for many years.  This popular genre attracts readers—and viewers—by the millions worldwide.

Those of us devoted to Masterpiece Theater are familiar with Sherlock
Holmes, Inspector Poirot, Miss Marple, and Kurt Wallander.  All of these television programs are, of course, adaptations from the novels of Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Henning Mankell.We hope that this presentation will be interesting to our members and invite you to attend on Thursday, November 12th.  EVERYONE IS WELCOME!  PLEASE COME.

This discussion will be preceded by a Board Meeting at 10:00 a.m. at the West Wind.  All members are invited to attend board meetings.

EDITORIAL: WHAT’S WRONG WITH BIG GOVERNMENT?    

By Bernie Brohaugh                     

           

Beginning his campaign for reelection to the U.S. Senate, our own Ron Johnson is harping on one issue as usual:  downsizing the federal government.  Hatred of BIG GOVERNMENT, shared by just about all Republicans, has always irritated me because I think it is essentially hypocritical.  As far as I can tell, it results from a resent by Republicans’ financial backers that their greed is partially held in check by government regulations and watchdogs.  I say “partially” because as time goes on, they find more and more ways to sidestep the regulations, or eliminate them altogether, and to put blinkers and muzzles on the watchdogs.  Greed is probably the strongest motivator, but almost as strong is a passion to operate entirely without restraint, to do anything they wish without consideration for anyone else.  To achieve this kind of license, anything goes:  lying, bribery, political skullduggery, you name it.

But is BIG GOVERNMENT really so bad?  Frankly, despite the endless indictments of it, most of them exaggerated or downright false, I would put more trust in BIG GOVERNMENT than in 99% of our bankers, industrialists, and their toadies in Congress.  If governments are rated according to the average standard of living and the level of happiness of the people they represent—a fair standard to go by—then the BIG GOVERNMENTS of Scandinavia are at or near the very top of the list.  And they are countries that tax their citizenry far more heavily than the U.S. does.  So much for Republican demonization of taxes.

from liberalamerica.org

Among the most vehemently opposed to not only BIG GOVERNMENT but virtually all government are the czars of the fossil fuel industry.  Defying all of the scientists who have blamed fossil fuels for much of the current climate crisis—the huge majority across the globe—they resist all attempts to impose new regulations intended to confront the problem while laboring tenaciously to jettison those that already exist.  Present profits are everything.  To hell with tomorrow and life to come.

In 2008, we learned with excruciating certainly how disastrous that relaxation of banking protocol can be.  And without government controls on auto manufacturing, how many recalls would have occurred had the manufacturers been left to monitor themselves?  The answer to that question is obvious in the wake of the recent catastrophic Volkswagen chicanery.  One who vigorously opposes most functions of government (George C. Leef in The Freeman) makes a recommendation that is just about the most bizarre I have yet encountered:  to abolish building codes!  Wouldn’t fly-by-night contractors have a field day should that happen!

BIG GOVERNMENT may at times behave unwisely and may at times do little more than become a nuisance.  But where would we be without most of the services BIG GOVERNMENT supplies:  inspecting food and drink, regulating sanitation systems, providing aid to education, providing student financial aid, preserving the quality of the water we drink and the air we breathe, insuring safety in the workplace, providing social programs like Medicaid, Medicare, Workmen’s Compensation, and Social Security, monitoring the weather, maintaining a postal system, and sustaining a military establishment that no other country can match.

I, for one, have gotten my bellyful of disingenuous bellyaching about BIG GOVERNMENT. I, for one, am instead going to county the many blessings BIG GOVERNMENT has served up to me every day of my life.

LEGISLATURE CONTINUES TO UNDERMINE DEMOCRACY IN WISCONSIN

By Jane Harred

Several bills recently passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature or by the Republican-controlled Committee on Elections and Local Government will, many of us believe, give us less democracy and more political corruption in Wisconsin.  The bills, along with other actions by state Republicans, serve primarily to consolidate Republican power.

During the week of October 19, Wisconsin’s Assembly and Senate, voting along party lines, passed into law a bill that would prohibit John Doe investigations of lawmakers accused of political misconduct, such as ethics or campaign-finance violations or bribery.  Representative Knudson and Senator Harsdorf both voted for this bill, and Walker signed it into law.  Alleged crimes committed by politicians can still be investigated by other means, such as convening grand juries, but that is done very rarely in Wisconsin.  As district attorneys who have used the John Doe process say, John Doe is more efficient and less expensive than grand jury proceedings.  Thus, the legislature has given Wisconsin fewer tools with which to investigate political corruption and, some say, has basically handed politicians a card saying, “Get out of jail free.”

Another bill dissolving the Government Accountability Board, a bill introduced by Representative Knudson, was also passed by Republicans in the Assembly, and by the end of business on Friday 30 October, the Republicans on the Committee on Elections and Local Government had voted to make the bill available for scheduling.  The GAB will be replaced with two commissions populated by partisan appointees.  The current board is composed of a panel of former judges.

A third bill involving campaign finances, passed in the Assembly and by the Committee on Elections and Local Government as described above, removes most restrictions from political contributions, making Wisconsin the only state in the nation that will allow unlimited “dark money” to flow to individual candidates.  Not only does the new law double the amount that donors can give directly to candidates—and adjust that limit for inflation every five years--it also allows unlimited donations to political parties and committees and allows these donations to be transferred between political action committees.  It legalizes coordination between candidates and “independent,” issue-advocacy groups, which do not have to disclose donors’ names. 

Clearly, if campaigns can coordinate with such groups, then such groups aren’t actually “independent.”  If there is also no limit to how much someone can donate to these groups, and if candidates can both persuade wealthy donors to give money to such groups and also work with those groups, then candidates can effectively receive unlimited amounts of money from corporations and wealthy individuals.  And since such groups are not required to disclose the names of their donors, the citizens of Wisconsin will have no way of knowing who is trying to influence people who run for office.

As numerous news stories and comments have pointed out, these bills were prompted by the Republicans’ anger at investigations of Walker’s campaign.

Democrats in the legislature recused themselves from voting on the campaign finance bill.  Republicans called their recusal a stunt.  Democrats cited state statute 19.46, which prevents public officials from "taking any official action substantially affecting a matter in which the official ... has a substantial financial interest."

Republicans say these bills will protect free speech and reduce corruption. To many of us, it’s clear that these bills will do precisely the opposite.  It appears that Republicans want to be free to commit crimes in office and be assured that it’s unlikely they’ll be punished for them--or even investigated.  They also want to be free to gather unlimited money from corporations and wealthy individuals whose donations can be kept in the dark so that, when Republicans do favors for or pass laws favorable to corporations and the wealthy, no citizen can know whether the donors are buying influence or the lawmakers are peddling it—in effect, making bribery legal.  They are now freer to do all these things because the laws they’ve written and passed allow it.

All of these bills, and other measures, consolidate Republican power.  Republicans have also gradually stripped duties from the Secretary of State office over the years, slashing its budget and eliminating most staff and reducing its operational funding in preparation for eliminating the secretary of state office altogether.  Not coincidentally, the office is held by a Democrat, Doug LaFollette.

Assembly Republicans have treated the office of the state treasurer in the same way, voting to eliminate this office by 2019 after gradually reducing the treasurer’s duties over the years. The treasurer’s only remaining responsibility is serving on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. The Republicans plan to give the lieutenant governor the treasurer’s spot on the board.

Walker was embarrassed on the national stage in his attempt to gain the Republican presidential nomination and, as he said, “wreak havoc” on the nation, and he made a petulant exit from the race.  His approval rating in Wisconsin has dropped dramatically:  the Marquette University Law School Poll, done after Walker dropped out, shows his approval rating is down to 37 percent, while 62 percent oppose a third term as governor for Walker.  So far, Walker has used much of his time in office to run for president.  Now, a failed national candidate with his approval ratings plummeting, he is using his time in office to wreak havoc in Wisconsin, turning it into the Republicans’ little fiefdom by making laws that prohibit scrutiny of their activities and that eliminate any meaningful control of state government by its citizens.  Welcome to Walkerworld, which looks to many of us like a totalitarian state.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

By Jane Harred

Budget Deal Prevents Sharp Increase in Medicare Premiums and Deductibles

More than 15 million older Americans will see no sharp increases in Medicare premiums, thanks to the budget agreement reached by congressional leaders and the White House.  The deal also prevents deep cuts in Social Security benefits for nine million disabled workers.

Wisconsin’s Republican Senator Ron Johnson voted against the deal.

If the budget deal had not passed, about 30% of Medicare beneficiaries would have faced an increase in monthly premiums of more than 50 percent, from about $105 a month to about &159.  The deal reduces that increase to about $120 a month.  Affected beneficiaries would have included those new to Medicare and those who do not receive Social Security payments.

About 70% of Medicare beneficiaries will see no increase in their Medicare premiums because, for only the third time in 40 years, Social Security beneficiaries will not see a cost-of-living adjustment next year.  Federal law links premiums to Social Security payments.

The annual deductible for all Medicare beneficiaries is now set to increase to about $167 from the current $147.  Without the deal, the deductible would have increased to $223.

In addition, the budget deal prevents deep cuts in benefits to around 9 million American workers and about 1.7 million children who receive Social Security disability benefits.  And it requires that manufacturers of generic drugs provide discounts to Medicaid if the prices of these drugs increase faster than the rate of inflation.

AARP, the lobbying group that represents older Americans, praised the agreement but noted that the legislation does not address a long-term solution to funding challenges that face the Social Security disability trust fund.

More Attacks on Public Education

The Wisconsin State Journal for October 26, 2015, reports that Republican state lawmakers are seeking to restrict when and how local school districts can raise money from their local taxpayers.  These restrictions would be imposed on top of policies that offer few new state dollars for public schools.

One bill would require that school boards ask voters to approve referendums only during the traditional spring or fall elections.   The same bill would also prohibit school boards from raising money for two years after voters reject a referendum.  Boards could not issue bonds, take out loans, or temporarily borrow money in June, July, and August to pay for immediate expenses for two years after such a rejection.  Currently, school boards can hold special elections for referendums and can go back to voters during the next scheduled election if a referendum question fails.

Another bill bans school boards from exceeding their state-imposed revenue limits in order to pay for energy-efficiency projects.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction opposes both bills because both are “eroding local control.”

You can read a report about this proposal at the Wisconsin Budget Project’s website at http://www.wisconsinbudgetproject.org/proposed-limits-would-make-it-more-difficult-for-voters-to-approve-new-resources-for-schools.

State Republicans Want Guns in More Places on Campus

On Monday, October 12, 2015, state Rep. Jesse Kremer (R-Kewaskum) and state Sen. Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) introduced the Campus Carry Act, a bill that would remove the right of UW and technical college campuses to ban concealed weapons in campus buildings and classrooms.

The bill would allow those with concealed weapon licenses to carry their guns inside the buildings and classrooms of Wisconsin's public universities and colleges.  Colleges and universities would no longer be able to prohibit licensees from doing so.

The state's current concealed-carry law, approved in 2011 by the GOP-controlled legislature and Republican governor Scott Walker, already allows people with concealed weapons licenses to carry weapons on the grounds of public universities and colleges.  But the law also allows the University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin Technical College System to ban weapons inside campus buildings, which they have done.


The UW System opposes the bill, saying more weapons in more places on more campuses would increase safety risks for students and faculty and not deter crime.

JEANETTE POTTS AND MARYLIN PLANSKY KICK OFF THE “GET-TO-KNOW-YOU” TALKS AT THE OCTOBER MEETING

Jeanette Potts joined our unit in 2014 along with her husband, Glenn.   Originally from Illinois, Glenn and Jeanette moved to River Falls when Glenn got a teaching position in the Economics Department at UW-River Falls.  After their two children, Edward and Mary, were a little older, Jeanette finished her undergraduate degree at the university in elementary education and went on to complete a Master’s degree in special education.

Jeanette spent her teaching career in three school districts in Minnesota.  She spent one year in Eagan and another at Marine-on-St. Croix, both very wealthy districts, where her instruction of special education students was conducted as pull-out classes.  Her students spent most of their days in regular classrooms and would see her for specialized instruction on a limited basis.

Feeling the need for a greater challenge, Jeanette took a job with the St. Paul School District where she taught self-contained classes with a mixture of students from grades 4, 5, and 6 with a variety of learning disabilities.  She recognized that her students came from “tough” circumstances—single-parent households in which mothers and grandmothers were not educated themselves and where the family structures were sometimes quite dysfunctional.  Jeanette admits that for the first six months or so, she had a difficult time connecting with her students, breaking through their hard exteriors, and establishing the trust needed to teach them.  But it eventually came.

Jeanette ended her teaching career at Como Park, where she taught second-grade children with learning disabilities.  Eventually, the lack of classroom support, the overcrowded classrooms, and the difficulty of teaching children with such needs became a bit overwhelming.

Jeanette told us that her teaching was a difficult but rewarding experience—one made all the more challenging by the social problems many of our urban public school students face and by the lack of financial support schools need to address the needs of students.

Marylin Plansky, a longtime RFArea REA member and former president and treasurer, chose an adventurous period of her teaching career about which to tell us.  From 1968 to 1970, Marylin and one of her close friends decided to leave Wisconsin and headed for Germany.  They had heard that the Department of Defense was looking for teachers to be assigned to military bases in Europe to instruct the children of service members.

Without a contract, Marylin and her friend arrived in what was then West Germany and were assigned a place at the Hanau Army Base, a half-hour east of Frankfurt, with a class of second graders.  Contrasted to her rather ethnically homogenous Wisconsin students, those in Germany were not only from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, but many were also the children of American soldiers married to German nationals.

This time period was at the height of the Vietnam War.  Fathers were being mustered out to fight at a moment’s notice, soldiers given two weeks to “clear post”—to their families back to the states and themselves to the front.  Children were clearly affected by such abrupt changes.  Marylin still remembers one little girl cried for the entire two weeks until she had to leave.

Marylin was also on hand to see dramatic changes in Europe.  Russia invaded and occupied Czechoslovakia.  When traveling on a troop train from West Germany to Berlin, she saw the East German police searching the underside of the train with dogs to check for contraband or stowaways.

While posted in Germany, Marylin traveled extensively—one of her real reasons for leaving Wisconsin in the first place.  She and her friend took trips to Greece, Poland, Russia, Scandinavia, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Spain, and the Middle East during various school vacations.  They also saw lots of West Germany and Berlin.

Originally intending to stay even longer, Marilyn returned to Wisconsin in the spring of 1970 when her father passed away and she felt the need to be closer to her mother.  Thus commenced Marylin’s enduring wanderlust.  In fact, she is going to be in Hawaii during our November meeting!  Bon voyage!

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL TIME

It’s that time of year again—time to renew your membership to RFArea REA and to WREA.  Annual local dues are $10 per year.  Annual state dues are $50.   The membership year runs from October 1st to September 30th.

While 29 people have renewed their memberships in our local unit and most also joined WREA at the state level, we have lots more who still need to send in their dues.

You can mail both your local and state dues to Treasurer Laura Zlogar at 729 River Ridge Ct., River Falls, WI 54022.  If you would prefer to renew your state membership online, you can do so at www.wrea.net.  Or you can bring your dues to our first unit meeting on Sept. 10th.  If you aren’t sure about your membership status, write or call me at 715-425-0468.  You can also drop me an email at laura.w.zlogar@gmail.com.

State employees and retirees are currently targets of many legislators’ attempts to undermine the Wisconsin Retirement System.  WREA keeps watch on legislation that might harm WRS.  WREA alerts its members to threats to the system so that we can raise our voices and let legislators know exactly what we think about their actions and impending legislation.

WREA also offers us a number of benefits such as access to low-cost health, dental, and vision insurance; free hearing screenings; and discounts on hotels, restaurants, rental cars, and travel.  The full list can be found at https://www.wrea.net/benefits/index.asp.

Our local unit supports the efforts of WREA, provides scholarships to local high school students
headed to college, offers a variety of programs on topics of interest to all of us, and provides us with a social network for former teachers, administrators, and support staff.

  

WREA Volunteers

It’s time again for RFArea REA members to summarize volunteer hours for reporting to the Community Services and Health Issues Committee.  This is a simple way to recognize the efforts of retired educators helping their communities.  Please take a moment to think about how you have volunteered over the past year working with: youth groups, seniors, public schools, health organizations, or other community services.

You can find a volunteer reporting form at www.wrea.net (just click on Volunteer Hours in the left-side menu).

Please fill out the form and send it to Don Leake (don.leake52@gmail.com, 523 Birchcrest Drive, River Falls, WI 54022). Alternatively, you can give it to him at the November 12th meeting.  The deadline for submission is Dec. 1.

Gene Kreibich, an RFArea REA and WREA member since 1991, passed away on September 24, 2015, from complications from a stroke he suffered on Sept. 9^th.  Gene was 82.

Born in Alma, WI, he graduated from Alma High School in 1951 and then attended Buffalo County Teachers College in Alma.  His teaching career, begun at age 19, was interrupted by an 18-month stint in the Army, stationed in Verdun, France.  He earned a bachelor’s degree form UW-Eau Claire in 1965 and a Master’s degree from UW-River Falls in 1969.  His teaching career included assignments at Merillan, Eleva-Strum, Trempeleau (where he served as principal), and Hudson.  He retired in 1991 after 38 years of teaching.

Gene enjoyed sports, often attending Minnesota Twins, Vikings, and North Star games.  However, he was devoted to Wisconsin teams—the Packs, Brewers, Badgers, and Bucks.  He and wife Liz enjoyed vacationing in the Black Hills, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Door County, and elsewhere.

He is survived by his wife, Liz, also an RFArea REA member, sons Robin and Terry, and five grandchildren—Seth, Hannah, Grace, Kathryn, and Eleanor.

Edna Mumm, an RFArea REA and WREA members since 1986, passed away on October 22^nd at age 92.  She had suffered from Alzheimer’s at the end of her life.

Born in Almena, WI, Edna attended Barron High School and UW-River Falls where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Education and an M.A. in Counseling.  She spent most of her career in the Minneapolis Public Schools but then taught in Mondovi for a while, and at Cumberland until her retirement.

She is survived by her sister-in-law, Nan Briesemeister, brother-in-law, Mannie Fossen, and eight nieces and nephews, and many great-nieces and nephews.

Bob Pionke died on October 13 in Marietta, GA, at age 82.  Bob was a longtime professor of Sociology at UW-River Falls and a brief member of RFArea REA.

Bob earned his B.S. degree from UW-Stevens Point, his M.A. from Southern Illinois University, and his Ph.D., from the University of Minnesota.  He served in the Army from 1954-1956, and taught at UW-River Falls from 1963-1995.