For as long as I can remember, Citizen Action has been the leading advocate for health care reform. As such, they are the perfect group to organize Thursday's action when Mike Pence hits town to fundraise for Leah Vukmir.  Below are the details from their Facebook post:

(Exact time TBA asap, likely between 5 pm & 7 pm)
VP Mike Pence Is coming to a fundraiser for Leah Vukmir in her bid to unseat Senator Tammy Baldwin and attack our healthcare. Leah Vukmir has NOT pledged to protect people with preexisting conditions and have made it clear she would repeal our healthcare! Join Citizen Action & allies (let us know if you want to be added!) to say NO to repealing health care, NO to Pence, YES to Medicare for All that protects people with pre-existing conditions!

We will be joined by State Legislative leaders, people with preexisting conditions and YOU!

We ask that co-op members or those interested in being Citizen Action co-op members please bring a voided check to show Pence we can mobilize many small checks to take on his giant checks!

Hope to see GRNS well represented.

The other big protest event is Saturday, September 8, 2018, MARCH FOR ECONOMIC AND CLIMATE JUSTICE

Don't forget to rsvp for our annual picnic. In addition to great food, and motivating speakers, we will have Bluegrass from Linda and Poul Sandersen. It is impossible not to feel happy when listening to them and we need all of the happiness that we can find as commit to making a Blue Wave reality in Wisconsin and in D.C.

I googled "depression in the age of" and the top completion should come as no surprise: Trump.  Looking at the list that followed I realized that none of us is alone in this feeling. The old adage "misery loves company" is the most worthless saying I've ever heard. It accepts misery as inevitable and I refuse to do that. It is time shake off any passive acceptance that plagues us. It is time to empower ourselves. It is also time for a little old-fashioned self-care, too. 

In an article from Psychology Today last year, How to Cope With Trump Anxiety, offers a productive list of actions:

1. Empower Yourself
2. Connect
3. Appreciate Your Ability to Cope
4. Get Physical
5. Write
6. Assign Probability and Plan
7. Retain Hope

At Grassroots North Shore, you can work on four of the seven actions.  We have spent the last 14 years helping people empower themselves to work for progressive change and solutions. If you feel alone, come to our annual picnic and connect with others. If you want to get physical, sign up to knock on doors. Doing something will help you to retain hope. And, always remember the word of Margaret Mead, " Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

With the primaries over it is time to get to work.  We love this statement from UW-Milwaukee professor Mordecai Lee talking about grassroots political groups and how they could help counter money in politicals.  "They don’t particularly have a lot of money but they have volunteers, they have campaign energy, they have a kind of cohesive perspective on who they would like to see elected, who not elected and they give endorsement."  That is, indeed, Grassroots North Shore.

Therefore, this is the first  second of many requests for volunteers. We need first and foremost, people to knock on doors and talk face-to-face with voters. We know that these conversations are the most effective way to motivate voters.  We also need people to make calls and work in the office.  Please sign up and a member of the Campaign Committee will contact you.

Don't forget to rsvp for our annual picnic. In addition to great food, and motivating speakers, we will have Bluegrass from Linda and Poul Sandersen. It is impossible not to feel happy when listening to them and we need all of the happiness that we can find as commit to making a Blue Wave reality in Wisconsin and in D.C.

With the primaries over it is time to get to work.  We love this statement from UW-Milwaukee professor Mordecai Lee talking about grassroots political groups and how they could help counter money in politicals.  "They don’t particularly have a lot of money but they have volunteers, they have campaign energy, they have a kind of cohesive perspective on who they would like to see elected, who not elected and they give endorsement."  That is, indeed, Grassroots North Shore.

Therefore, this is the first of many requests for volunteers. We need first and foremost, people to knock on doors and talk face-to-face with voters. We know that these conversations are the most effective way to motivate voters.  We also need people to make calls and work in the office.  Please sign up and a member of the Campaign Committee will contact you.

Now, some fun: September 16, 2018 - Our Annual Picnic, Served hot or cold, politics is on the menu at our picnic... Once more we will feature Keith Schmitz's famous pulled pork and pulled chicken at Cahill Park Square in Whitefish Bay.

RSVP now! 

This past March, leading up to the April Elections, we looked at Leadership MKE.  The group worked to unseat supervisors who had opposed Chris Abele, Milwaukee County Exec, in the past. It should come as no surprise that Abele also used his seemingly limitless personal wealth to finance the group. Between January and March of 2018, he donated $740,000 to the group. According to the finance report, he was not the only person funding the group.  Five other people donated a total of $65.00

Leadership MKE is at it again trying to buy an office. In the race for Milwaukee County Sheriff, we are not alone in endorsing Earnell Lucas. Leadership MKE has endorsed his opponent. So, as your mailboxes fill with glossy ads, make sure to look and see who paid for them. Please, if you see this at the bottom, ask yourself if there is an ulterior motive behind the expense.

1. Make sure that your voter registration is correct.  You can check it here.
2. Mark your calendar and make a plan to vote on August 14, 2018.
3. Remind your friends and contacts to vote.  Don't stop there.  Ask them to remind their friends and contacts to do the same.

A few dates to add to your calendar:

• September 16, 2018 - Our Annual Picnic, Served hot or cold, politics is on the menu at our picnic... Once more we will feature Keith Schmidt's famous pulled pork and pulled chicken at Cahill Park Square in Whitefish Bay.
• October 14, 2018 - Our Annual Fundraiser with featured speaker, John Nichols. 

1. Make sure that your voter registration is correct.  You can check it here.
2. Mark your calendar and make a plan to vote on August 14, 2018.
3. Remind your friends and contacts to vote.  Don't stop there.  Ask them to remind their friends and contacts to do the same.
4. Read the op-ed from Earnell Lucas for Milwaukee County Sheriff and see one of the reasons GRNS has endorsed.
5. If you live in the 23rd Aldermanic District read from Andy Lamb and Liz Sumner in this highly competitive race.
6. Even though they are running unopposed in the Primary, remember to vote for our much needed Dems who will be running in November.

A few dates to add to your calendar:

• September 16, 2018 - Our Annual Picnic, Served hot or cold, politics is on the menu at our picnic... Once more we will feature Keith Schmidt's famous pulled pork and pulled chicken at Cahill Park Square in Whitefish Bay.
• October 14, 2018 - Our Annual Fundraiser with featured speaker, John Nichols. 

Ongoing Projects

• WAVE will be collecting shoes until August 2nd.  If you want to donate here is the list of places where you will find donation boxes.
• The Democratic Party still needs volunteers to work the booth during the State Fair.  Details are in last weeks newsletter.

Finally, I am happy to report that Nancy Kaplan (whom I often describe as our own Rachel Maddow) is almost back to normal after her stroke six months ago.  The doctors said that it would take a full year for her to return to full recovery.  Any of you who know Nancy also know that she achieves her goals far more quickly than the average person.  She indicates that she will resume the newsletter after Labor Day.  Thank you for your patience while I have covered for Nancy but let's face it, if Nancy is the Rachel Maddow of Northshore politics then I am the Erma Bombeck.  We need facts and analysis; we will save entertainment for after we win.

Two groups have requested our help with upcoming events/initiatives.  The first is WAVE :

Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) is looking for old/used shoes for a project they are working on. 

In literature Science Fiction takes current trends and shows through exaggeration where, if left unchecked, they may lead us. George Orwell's novel, 1984 was published in 1949 but returned to the best-seller lists in 2017. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, published in 1985 is not only back on the best-seller list but is also a successful television show. They both speak to today's conflicts and the decimation of societal norms.

I mention this because I recently saw Boots Riley new film, Sorry to Bother You. Yes, it is a comedy but it has the same power as 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale. Here in Wisconsin, we see state Republicans extolling our low unemployment but hear nothing about the stagnant salaries, shrinking middle class, and safety nets under attack.  Much like Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, Riley presents a chilling solution, the return of slavery albeit marketed as a safe existence free from the worries of providing for oneself and one's family.

Orwell and Atwood did not provide a roadmap for averting potential catastrophic outcomes but we have one -- VOTE. 

So that you can be an informed voter, here is our first piece from one of November's candidates, Emily Siegrist who is running in the 24th Assembly district.

Have you ever noticed our mission statement, WE ARE A GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS WHO WORK TO ADVOCATE, EDUCATE AND INFORM FOR PROGRESSIVE CHANGE AND SOLUTIONS? Sometimes that is not easy.  We have a policy not to endorse in primaries where two or more Progressives are running for the same office. We want to support the candidate who is running in November against the Republican.  There is one exception to the rule.  Sometimes there is no Republican running for a seat making the winner of the primary the defacto winner of the election as in the Milwaukee Co. Sheriff's race. (More on that in a few weeks).

So, how can we fulfill our mission statement to inform?  We are asking candidates in contested primaries the opportunity to write op-eds for our newsletter and website. We only make one stipulation -- no opponent bashing. Tell our readers what is right about you, not what is wrong with your opponent. 

Stay tuned in the coming weeks to hear from candidates.

Last weeks Governors Forum was our biggest event to date with close to 200 in attendance.  You can view a copy of the live stream here.  The candidates were all class preferring to talk about their individual strengths rather than bash each other. The one thing they all agreed on, however, is that Foxconn is bad for Wisconsin which leads to the first of this week's two major actions.

A new group, the Gaia Coalition, Is organizing a protest for the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Foxconn debacle. The Republican bigwigs will be there in mass. So will we. The event will start at Smolenski Park, 438 S Stuart Rd, Mt Pleasant, WI 53406 at noon. If you are attending the organizers ask for two things: 1) Carpool if possible and 2) Protest signs should highlight issues, not people.

The second opportunity this week to demonstrate is around immigration. Saturday is the Day of Action, Keeping Families Together.  Again, carpools are recommended (check details below).

Today's Supreme Court decisions were disappointing. They ruled against a California law that would require "crisis pregnancy centers" to share information about abortion with clients.

They also upheld the Administration's Muslim Ban.  "In a 5-to-4 vote, the court’s conservatives said the president’s statutory power over immigration was not undermined by his history of incendiary statements about the dangers he said Muslims pose to Americans."

We knew in November of 2016 that this would be a marathon, not a sprint. At least we will not endure The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner.  We will be running this marathon together, holding each other up until we cross the finish line.

I would love to start a caravan of Grandmothers to our southern border so that we could hold and nurture the children being used as pawns. That action, however, may be a bit more than I can personally accomplish.  That does not mean that I can't show my disgust with the administration that is making it happen.  There is a new group in town, The Gaia Coalition. They have created Operation Shake the Ground and enlisted the support of 21 local organizations, GRNS among them. It appears that Trump will be there. Let's give him the welcome that he deserves.  There is no address for the event, just a map to Mt. Pleasant.  Afterward, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal business executive, Ted Kellner will host a luncheon fundraiser.  

By now you have no doubt heard about the Supreme Courts non-decision about Wisconsin's suit for Fair Maps.  The issue is not dead.  It is not even on life support. We just need to keep working. The Washington Post provides a good explanation of what we must do going forward. Of course, we could flip the Legislature and Governor to Democrat.

With that in mind:

What Would You Ask the Next Governor of Wisconsin?

During the last two weeks, our newsletter previewed responses to two questions for candidates speaking at our Governor Candidates’ Forum, which you can attend the afternoon of Sunday, June 24^th at Ovation Sarah Chudnow Campus in Mequon. Those responses were from Matt Flynn, Paul Soglin, and Kelda Helen Roys, Mahlon Mitchell, and Tony Evers. Today you will find out how Mike McCabe and Kathleen Vinehout answered our questions.

Question 1- What is the role and responsibility of the state regarding protection of immigrants?

McCabe: 

Wisconsin should set an example for the nation to follow by swimming against the political current and resisting the backward anti-immigration agenda of the current federal administration.

Once elected, my administration will set a new tone for Wisconsin that acknowledges and honors the contributions to our society made by immigrants, opposes xenophobic federal policies on immigration (including current ICE enforcement practices), stands in favor of creating pathways to citizenship, and works to establish a new mindset that is welcoming and hospitable toward immigrants rather suspicious and hostile.

There also is a great deal that needs to be done to change policing and stop racial profiling, but no step is more important than reversing the philosophical shift that has moved policing away from a “protect and serve” mission to one that can best be described as “intimidate and control.” In addition, Wisconsin should be a safe harbor for Dreamers. DACA has allowed more than 7,500 young people to live and work legally in the state and has undeniably benefited the state’s economy. I have seen estimates that ending DACA would take substantially more than $400 million out of Wisconsin’s economy annually. Ending DACA is not only unjust immigration policy, it is counterproductive economic policy.

Vinehout: 

As Governor, I will direct my cabinet to use the powers and resources of the state to help those who are suffering from discrimination, racial profiling, fear of harassment and separation from their families. This includes working with nonprofit organizations that provide support including legal aid to protect families from separation.

I will set a tone that welcomes all people regardless of immigrant status. Words and symbols are powerful means of changing attitudes.

I joined with Representative Zamarripa as the Senate sponsor of SB 210 which prohibited the State of Wisconsin Investment Board from investing in securities from companies that plan, construct, or design the proposed wall along the U.S. Mexican border.

I would work with the Legislature to pass a drivers’ card for immigrants in Wisconsin. Under the federal REAL ID law, states can provide a drivers’ card option for those who do not have a social security number. AB 727, which I co-sponsored, provided that option.

I would work to restore the eligibility for in-state tuition rates at public universities and colleges for undocumented students in Wisconsin that was repealed in 2011.

Many communities have experienced a dramatic increase in immigrant children who are English Learners. Two examples: Green Bay has 600 Somali students; in Arcadia 84% of primary grade children are Latino. In our Blue Ribbon Commission on School Funding Reform we heard testimony that in 1990, the state paid 63% of the cost of the bilingual/bicultural program. The current rate is about 8%. In my first budget, as Governor, I would fully fund Bilingual-Bicultural education.

I would veto any bill like Senate Bill 275 that commandeers local law enforcement in the service of the federal immigration authorities or punishes local governments that do not want to take on this role. 

Question 2 - Would you leave as is the current public versus voucher structure? If not, how would you propose changing and funding that relationship?

McCabe: 

Wisconsin has been trying to fund two separate and parallel systems of education and can’t do justice by one. There should be a basic rule for government. If a program works, keep it and fund it. If it doesn’t work, get rid of it. By that standard, taxpayer-subsidized private schooling should be ended. Handing out state-funded subsidies that make taxpayers pick up the tab for more than 33,000 Wisconsin students to attend private schools will cost the state in the neighborhood of $580 million over the next two years.

Nearly 900,000 students attend public schools in Wisconsin. When the voucher program was started in 1990, it was pitched as a way to boost student achievement, improve school quality and give families more educational choices. Test scores and other indicators show voucher students are not doing any better than those attending public schools and by some measures are actually doing worse. Overall school quality in Wisconsin has slipped. Most families receiving vouchers already were privately schooling their children before receiving vouchers, shooting a hole in the argument that the program provides choices that didn’t previously exist. The state’s private school subsidy program has been around for 27 years and has failed to deliver the promised results.

Student achievement hasn’t increased. Wisconsin’s education system has not been made better, it’s been made worse. Families aren’t getting more choices, taxpayers are mostly just subsidizing the decisions some families already were making and previously were paying for themselves. Resources are being siphoned away from community schools, weakening them badly. After all these years, it’s clear the voucher experiment hasn’t worked. We shouldn’t throw good money after bad. We should pull the plug on this failed subsidy.

Vinehout:

Public dollars should be spent on public programs that are accountable to the public. Public tax dollars should not be spent on private programs that are not accountable to the public.

I would stop the statewide voucher expansion and the statewide special needs voucher system passed by Republicans a few years ago. In my alternative budgets, I took this money to more fully fund public schools. And, I would do this in my first budget as Governor. I would veto any law that, in any way, expanded public dollars going to private school subsidies.

I would work to change the laws that now exist that treat public schools unfairly. I would make sure public schools are paid at least what private schools are paid to take care of the same kids. Further, existing private schools should follow all the same rules, the same tests, the same accountability, and the same standards as public schools. I would eliminate the expensive tax credit that allows parents to deduct private school tuition from their income taxes.

Further, I would fully fund our public schools. This means making dramatic changes to the way we pay for schools. Recognizing that some students costs more to educate and students needs have changed in a way our present funding formula does not take into account. Reliance on the property tax to fund schools should be reduced. State aid should cover a larger percentage of the costs.

Every student deserves a great public school. For those parents that want to go to private school, I say, “Great – that is your choice – but you need to pay for that private education.”

Many important questions will be asked and answered on June 24^th-- sign up to come and then bring your friends, family, and colleagues along. Free and open to the public; light refreshments will be served.

Sunday, June 24, Ovation, Sarah Chudnow Campus, 10995 N. Market St., Mequon. RSVP Today