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Joanne Boyer is founder and editor of Wisdom Voices Press and www.WisdomVoices.com. Her first book is "Wisdom of Progressive Voices." Joanne has worked in professional communications for more than 30 years. Her career includes being the first woman sports writer for several daily newspapers in the 1970s. Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI, she resides in Minneapolis with her husband, also an author.
(1 comments) SHARE Tuesday, February 22, 2011 On, Wisconsin: The Legacy of "Fighting Bob" LaFollette
The Wisconsin protests against Governor Scott Walker's union-busting hark back to Robert (Fighting Bob) LaFollette, Wisconsin's great progressive hero.
(12 comments) SHARE Monday, November 7, 2011 Can Occupy Wall Street Push Us To Single Payer?
A natural extension of the Occupy Wall Street Movement should be Occupy The For-Profit Health Care Corporations. Single Payer remains the answer and we need to stay focused on this issue in 2012.
(2 comments) SHARE Wednesday, May 15, 2013 The Common Good, The Planet, and Humankind
Sojourners editor Jim Wallis' newest book asks us to consider an ancient concept called the common good in order to help with the political, environmental, and social ills of our day. As we face terrifying news about climate change what more do we need to understand the concept of interconnectedness and the common good?
(10 comments) SHARE Tuesday, September 18, 2012 The Breadth and Depth of Voter Suppression Should Scare Us All
The assault on voting rights is unlike anything this country has seen in generations. Citizens United squeezes democracy on one end and voter suppression on the other. Will democracy survive?
(4 comments) SHARE Tuesday, February 14, 2012 The Fraud of 'Voter Fraud'
Elections cannot be free and fair unless they are open to every eligible voter. Photo ID requirements erode the integrity of elections. Just why are all these photo ID laws being passed in Republican-controlled legislatures across the country?
(7 comments) SHARE Wednesday, June 13, 2012 Single Payer: Moving Forward In The States
Single payer remains the only common sense solution to our health care crisis -- no matter what the Supreme Court rules on the Affordable Care Act. The states continue to move forward. Vermont was first. Will Minnesota be next?
(1 comments) SHARE Tuesday, January 10, 2012 'I Did Not Want To Be On The Side Of History That Remained Silent'
With the recall of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker due soon, it's good to reflect back on the events of a year ago to understand how and why this recall is happening. Wisconsin State Senator Lena Taylor, one of the "Wisconsin 14 -- remembers back to those historic days in February 2011.
(2 comments) SHARE Monday, August 20, 2012 A Movement Afoot To Eradicate Citizens United
Move To Amend's Midwest Barnstorming Tour is generating enthusiasm to do the work of eliminating Citizens United from our lives. Similar to all social movements, there's much work to be done.
SHARE Monday, December 12, 2011 The Next Generation of Progressive Leaders
Ever wonder if there is a "next generation" of progressive leaders waiting to have the torch passed to them? Wonder no more. Read about the great work being done by the Young Elected Officials Network and its director, Andrew Gillum.
(3 comments) SHARE Wednesday, June 25, 2014 Who's Talking Single Payer? You'd Be Surprised At The Depth and Breadth
So you think the push for single payer has slowed after ACA implementation? Well, you'd be wrong. Take a look at all the different groups and people pushing for the only real answer to our fractured health care system.
(1 comments) SHARE Tuesday, August 14, 2012 Really Paul Ryan? You Chose Ayn Rand Over Dorothy Day?
How is it that Paul Ryan loves to talk about his Catholicism and yet chose to embrace the teachings of atheist Ayn Rand over that of Dorothy Day?
(3 comments) SHARE Monday, March 12, 2012 They're Back: Those Wonderful Wisconsinites Won't Give Up
Those incredible people in Wisconsin continue to inspire us and show us what democracy looks like. They remembered last weekend by marking the one year anniversary of Gov. Scott Walker's union-stripping legislation. They also looked forward to his recall.
(1 comments) SHARE Wednesday, August 31, 2011 Fighting for Labor and Our Democracy
As we approach Labor Day we need to remember that the fight for workers' rights is really a fight for human rights. Labor organizing veteran Stewart Acuff talks about today's struggle for labor and our democracy.
SHARE Tuesday, July 10, 2012 Will Minnesota Be Next To Succumb To The Lie Of Voter Fraud
Minnesota now faces a constitutional amendment with voter photo ID because the Land of 10,000 Lakes has a Democratic governor who would has and would veto such a law. The unending lie of voter fraud continues in another format.
(2 comments) SHARE Wednesday, February 9, 2011 The Importance of Telling Our Progressive Stories
Telling our personal stories can help keep alive the social and political accomplishments of the Progressive movement. A whole generation needs to hear how our daily lives were improved by what progressives fought for and achieved.
(2 comments) SHARE Friday, November 2, 2012 ALEC: Alive and Well and Pushing Voter Suppression In Minnesota
Minnesota now faces "cut and paste" ALEC voter suppression legislation being embedded with permanent ink in our state constitution. It's another ballot amendment that has national implications.
(4 comments) SHARE Wednesday, November 30, 2011 Is Your Vote Really Being Counted?
Brad Friedman's diligent work exposing the manipulation and fraud of our electronic voting system makes him a true defender of our democracy.
SHARE Friday, February 20, 2015 Forgetting Our Land Grant Colleges History: Public Higher Education Does Work
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?
(2 comments) SHARE Tuesday, October 2, 2012 Paul Wellstone: 10 Years Later, Oh How He Is Missed
Paul Wellstone's brilliant progressive voice was silenced in a plane crash 10 years ago this month. We should never forget (and thanks to Wellstone Action his legacy lives on) his belief that government could positively impact people's lives.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, June 22, 2012 Food For Thought As We Await The Supreme Court Ruling
Will single payer -- the people's choice -- ever become a reality? As we await the Supreme Court's decision on the Affordable Health Care Act, a few insights from Wendell Potter on the work ahead.
SHARE Friday, September 14, 2012 So You Think It's Easty To Get An ID Card? Think Again
Read here about what it's like for someone whose life is not just like yours to try and get an ID. We have become so insular these days that we have forgotten what it's like to walk a mile in someone else's shoes.
SHARE Monday, January 30, 2012 Are We Teaching Our Kids to Earn -- Or How to Think?
What does it mean to be educated? It is as important to prepare the next generation for well-lived lives as well as jobs. Here's a toast to the importance of a Liberal Arts education.
SHARE Thursday, June 30, 2011 Fighting Back Against Citizens United
Grass roots organizing remains the most potent tool to combat the flow of corporate money into our political campaigns. Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Executive Director Mike McCabe offers some tips on how to do that.
(3 comments) SHARE Wednesday, August 10, 2011 Trying to Slay the Citizens United Dragon
The Wisconsin state senate recall elections gave us our first taste of the impact of Citizens United. Some organizations are working to amend the Constitution to stop the damages from this Supreme Court ruling.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, November 11, 2011 The Penn State Tragedy: Power and Control Once Again Trump Knowing Right From Wrong
The Penn State child sex abuse scandal is another example of how power, control and greed have scared us deeply. We are once again provided the chance to reflect and make positive changes to who we are as a people and what we value as a society.
(2 comments) SHARE Thursday, September 24, 2015 100 Years Ago We Thought Very Differently About The Pope
100 years ago it would have been unthinkable for a Pope to address the U.S. Congress. Anti-Catholicism and anti-immigration fervor ran rampant. We take a quick trip back in time to illustrate how one of today's premier Catholic universities and its premier football team came of age despite this discrimination against the Catholic Church. It gives us hope that 100 years from now, the issues Pope Francis discusses today will al
(4 comments) SHARE Wednesday, March 14, 2012 "The real impetus of voter ID laws is partisan"
Voter photo ID laws laws are part of comprehensive campaign to deny the vote to millions for partisan gain -- essentially sacrificing the health of our democracy to win elections. So says Judith Browne Dianis, co-director of The Advancement Project. Learn how you can fight back.
(1 comments) SHARE Monday, June 4, 2012 Wisconsin's Final Recall Hours: From Jackson Browne to Get Out And Vote
Tuesday will hopefully bring an end to Scott Walker and his Wisconsin-tradition busting. It won't be easy. Those who grab power through lies and deceit never go quietly into the night. Can the people take back democracy or are we headed toward oligarchy?
(5 comments) SHARE Wednesday, August 20, 2014 'The goal is to have one party that's worth a damn'
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.
SHARE Monday, May 23, 2011 Fighting Bob Fest North: Wisconsin Grassroots Keep Growing
Wisconsin's grassroots action cannot be undone by Governor Scott Walker. Fighting Bob Fest North was the perfect antidote to Wisconsin's voter suppression law that just passed.
(4 comments) SHARE Wednesday, September 18, 2013 While Republicans Threaten To Defund It, The ACA Takes Us Closer To Single Payer
The ACA will save me money on one hand. But our for-profit health care delivery system still rules the day. Why do we tolerate a system that rates our lives like Olympic medals (bronze, silver, and gold). Let's start the push to move the ACA toward single payer.
SHARE Wednesday, November 23, 2011 From Ohio to Wisconsin Labor Leads The Way
Standing up for the middle class is the most American thing one can do and no one does that better than the labor movement in this country. Well wishes from Ohio's AFL-CIO President Tim Burga to the workers in Wisconsin.
SHARE Wednesday, December 11, 2013 The ACA, Pope Francis, and Me: The Road To Single Payer
How will we ultimately define the success of the ACA? If it moves us to a single payer system to include those as Francis calls "on the fringe" then it will haven't meant something for us as a country.
(1 comments) SHARE Sunday, September 4, 2011 Labor Day 2011: Don't Forget The Past
How quickly we can forget the great heritage of the American Labor Movement. Where would we be today without their hard-fought battles to make a middle class. Let's hope we remember before it disappears.
(2 comments) SHARE Thursday, April 5, 2012 'We're beginning to awake from our (environmental) slumber'
The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, which offers free legal advice to communities, is working to move us away from a corporate created system of environmental protection toward one that is ecosystem centered.
(1 comments) SHARE Sunday, June 19, 2011 Make American Jobs The Agenda
The Speakout For Good Jobs Now tour began in Minneapolis over the weekend. The Democratic Progressive Caucus is trying to get the conversation back to "Make America Work for Those Who Work For A Living"
(3 comments) SHARE Saturday, December 15, 2012 We Are Crying Out "Help Me': A Look At Nonviolence As An Alternative
The Connecticut tragedy is but another reminder our national soul is suffering deeply. A look at one of this country's most vocal advocates for peace and nonviolence may hold a key to healing.
(4 comments) SHARE Monday, July 16, 2012 We Are Not Made For War
The work for peace never ends. Those who attended the Peacestock gathering this past weekend were reminded of this by two great voices who speak for no more war -- Father Ray Bourgeois and David Swanson.
(2 comments) SHARE Sunday, July 31, 2011 Reclaiming Democracy for 'We the People'
Parker J. Palmer, in his new book "Healing The Heart of Democracy," discusses how "We The People" can reclaim our role in the democratic experiment of this country
(2 comments) SHARE Tuesday, November 26, 2013 My Junk Insurance Policy Cancelled? I Jumped For Joy
Those who made the most noise over junk insurance policy cancellations did not understand what those policies really are. I was cancelled and I jumped for joy.
(1 comments) SHARE Wednesday, January 15, 2014 Building A 21st Century Progressive Infrastructure
"My bet is on the American people," says David Bender, political director of ProgressiveVoices.com, a new platform for building a 21st century progressive infrastructure. Few have walked the long and winding progressive road for as long as Bender. He should know if it's a good bet.
(14 comments) SHARE Friday, January 22, 2016 No One Said It Was Going To Be Easy
What would JFK say to those who whine "oh, we'll never get anything done if Bernie Sanders is elected?" Bernie Sanders is calling out the fight in us to remember who we are as a country.
SHARE Friday, June 20, 2014 How Much Has Changed In 100 Years?
100 years ago we were arguing about the same social and political topics as we are today. The more things change, the more they stay the same? And through it all there have been proud progressive voices to counter those who spoke of fear and absolute truths. Find out more about the person who said, "The truest ambition is so to employ life as to be of the greatest service to others." Take that Ayn Rand.
SHARE Monday, March 10, 2014 The Minnesota Peace Project: A Model For All 50 States
The Minnesota Peace Project is the quintessential grass-roots organization that works diligently with its state’s Congressional delegation to help affect change and move us to a more peaceful and non-violent world. Peace is a non-partisan issue and the group has effectively used the art of listening as they work with Democratic and Republican representatives.
(10 comments) SHARE Tuesday, January 15, 2013 Single Payer: The Only Real Answer
The Affordable Healthcare Act is a baby step toward the finish line of real health care reform in this country. Single payer remains the only real solution.
SHARE Monday, March 7, 2011 "This Is What Democracy Looks Like': A Visit to Madison
A visit this past weekend to Madison illustrates the courage, conviction and perserverance of the marchers. They are trying to hang on to their middle class life.
SHARE Friday, July 12, 2013 Embracing Moral Mondays 7 Days A Week
Bill Moyers' Frontline feature "Two American Families" hit a little too close to home: I grew up in one of the neighborhoods features. What was the bedrock of American middle class life has been destroyed intentionally by policies and politicians of both parties. Where is the moral outrage from "We The People?"
SHARE Thursday, July 24, 2014 The Grass Roots Fight For A Living Wage
Jennifer Epps-Addison, Executive Director of Wisconsin Jobs Now offers hope for a future that includes a living wage for U.S. workers.
(1 comments) SHARE Wednesday, July 29, 2015 After Medicare Celebrations End, Let's Push Harder for Single Payer
There are many reasons to celebrate as Medicare turns 50 this week. Yet it's a time to ask why we still don't have a "Medicare For All" single payer health care delivery system in this country and how the "for profit" insurance companies continue to make it impossible for many to access health care.
(1 comments) SHARE Monday, April 15, 2013 We Are Not Broke: Ellison Reintroduces The Robin Hood Tax
We need to change the conversation. We, as a country, are not broke. There are many things we can do to change the inequality dynamics facing us today -- that don't involve preying on the marginalized. The Robin Hood Tax is one simple solution.
(1 comments) SHARE Thursday, July 7, 2011 This Time It's Minnesota
The scene was all too familiar. The Minnesota governmental shutdown reminds us that we have to work harder to bring back common sense government for the common good.
(1 comments) SHARE Tuesday, November 20, 2012 He spoke for the disaffected, the impoverished, and the excluded
Today is Bobby Kennedy's birthday. For those of us who grew up in the 1960s when our country was torn by inequality and war, he offered us hope that we could think outside of ourselves and that peace was far more profitable than war. In his honor, we remember him today.
SHARE Wednesday, June 5, 2013 January 1, 2014: What Will Working Your Way To ACA Implementation Look Like?
We're six months away from full implementation of the Affordable Care Act. What will that process look like for people like me without meaningful health insurance coverage? I plan to blog about the experience. Let's find out what it looks like together.
SHARE Sunday, May 20, 2012 How Will Wisconsin's Marathon Race End?
Keep those positive vibes to the universe going. Wisconsin voters can turn the tide. Are you ready to celebrate or head for your hidey hole?
(2 comments) SHARE Thursday, February 6, 2014 Protesting Keystone: We Do It Because It Is The Right Thing To Do
Will the Keystone Pipeline vigils stop construction of the pipeline? We don't know. What we do know is that doing nothing is not an option. We protest because it's the right thing to do.
SHARE Tuesday, July 3, 2012 After The Ruling: Continuing To Speak Truth To Power
The Supreme Court has ruled, but the for-profit health care industry continues to apply its "deadly spin" as to how people will benefit from this first step in putting people instead of profits first in health care.
SHARE Monday, September 12, 2011 Is This Heaven? No, It's The Fighting Bob Fest
There are few events that capture the true progressive spirit of Robert LaFollette than the Fighting Bob Fest, which celebrates its 10th anniversary Satuarday in Madison.
(1 comments) SHARE Thursday, April 12, 2012 'A Community To Which We Belong'
The Aldo Leopold Foundation introduces an American conservation icon to a 21st century audience.
(1 comments) SHARE Tuesday, December 9, 2014 Hope: A Duty, Not A Nicety
We asked where do you find hope? We heard from several folks and found our own. Where do you see hope for the year ahead?
SHARE Tuesday, February 28, 2012 Remembering The Grandfather Of The Occupy Movement
As we await a spring revival of the Occupy Movement, a look back at the life and times of Eugene V. Debs reminds us that the fight for the 99 percent has long been waged.
SHARE Tuesday, October 11, 2011 Waging A War on War Budgets
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer envisions great possibilities for building stronger communities if we stop the insanity of military spending at the national level.
SHARE Tuesday, April 12, 2011 Remembering Wisconsin's Other Governor
As we approach Earth Day 2011, it would serve us well to look back and remember the vision of Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson.
(2 comments) SHARE Monday, March 26, 2012 Go Ahead Supreme Court, Make Your Ruling
Whatever the U.S. Supreme Court decides on the individual mandate and health exchanges, citizens are ready, willing and able to change our broken health care system into something that is "people centric."
SHARE Tuesday, December 4, 2012 A Shout Out To We The People
The progressive voice of the American people became louder and stronger in 2012. Examples abound everywhere and on every topic from voting rights to workers rights. We salute the American people -- with several examples -- of how individuals and organizations are fighting back and reclaiming our proud progressive past.
SHARE Monday, March 25, 2013 A Night For Truth Seeking And Hope
Mike Malloy has been raising Cain his entire professional career. His voice and commentary have helped to keep truth in our political discussions of today. This past weekend he reflected a bit on hope for the future.
SHARE Tuesday, December 8, 2015 We Didn't Run Out of Stones
We didn't leave the Stone Age because we ran out of stones. We found a "better way" to do things. Now, more than ever, we need to find a way out of the Stone Age of thinking on climate change, war, and the host of other issues confronting us as we head into 2016.
SHARE Thursday, November 17, 2011 Should The Big 10 Say No Bowl Game For Penn State?
Should Penn State play in a bowl game this year? Should the Big 10 Conference step in and say, maybe not this year? If so, it hasn't happened yet. A call to the Big 10 offices netted "no comment."
(1 comments) SHARE Monday, March 18, 2013 The Back To Work Budget: Learn More About It And Advocate For It
The Progressive Caucus has introduced the Back To Work Budget -- full of common sense and things the American people want. Learn more and then call your congressional representative to support it.
(1 comments) SHARE Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Working To Keep Peace In The Conversation
Sister Patricia Chappell, Executive Director of Pax Christi USA continues the day-in and day-out work of talking peace to a world bent on war and violence.
SHARE Thursday, June 7, 2012 Helping To Soothe Your Post-Wisconsin Hangover
David Swanson minces no words -- activism is a daily struggle, not marked by one election cycle. However, he cautions that we are in uncharted waters with this newest form of legalized campaign bribery.