Wisconsin is a great state! I was born and raised in Wisconsin, and I enjoy living and working in our state.
Despite some very cold temperatures and heavy snowfalls, unlike some people I know, I’m not eager to spend months in other warmer states. I actually enjoy the change of seasons and the natural beauty of Wisconsin.
In 2014, it was no surprise that Madison was named number one out of the Top 100 Best Places to Live on Livibility’s annual ranking.
One of the arguments against raising the minimum wage in the United States is that many of those in minimum wage jobs are young workers, either in their teens or early 20s.
Such workers, the argument goes, either lack experience, or in the case of workers under the age of 18, live at home and don’t rely on their income to meet their basic needs.
It has been a few years since I last attended the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington, D.C. What I saw when I joined nearly 500 others at the 2014 meeting was another inspiring example of how a diverse and vibrant group of Catholics can inspire each other and bear witness to our faith.
Initiated some years ago by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the Social Ministry Gathering is now also co-sponsored by a number of Catholic organizations, including Catholic Charities USA, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Rural Life, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Catholic Relief Services, the National Council of Catholic Women, and a number of other groups.
Over a three-day period, attendees renewed relationships, celebrated policy victories, educated ourselves on important policy issues, and visited our respective congressional delegations in support of the USCCB’s policy priorities.
There has been a lot of discussion lately about the federal government’s failure to protect religious liberty.
Much of this discussion is over whether the Obama Administration adequately protects religious liberty under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly called “Obamacare.”
In some traditions, January 6 represents the 12th day of Christmas. As such, the date marks a transition from the Christmas season to the ordinary time of our lives.
But does that have to mark the end of the “Christmas spirit”? Dare we hope that the softening of our hearts and the acts of kindness central to Christmas might become an ongoing habit rather than a seasonal exception?
In ways large and small, we have opportunities to express, in our deeds and our choices, a concern for others, especially those whose needs may be greater than our own. Some of those opportunities may be found in our public policy choices.
Ninety-eight percent of all 17-year-olds arrested in Wisconsin committed non-violent crimes, usually underage drinking, disorderly conduct, marijuana possession, or property crimes.
Yet, since 1995, all these 17-year-old offenders are handled by the adult correctional system and, if incarcerated, are placed with the adult prison and jail population.
We have all read about growing public frustration with deadlock in Washington, bitter partisanship in both Washington and state capitals, and the lack of civility in politics.
Increasingly, the conversation on these topics has triggered renewed interest in an old subject — the process by which states redraw congressional and legislative districts after each census.
We can’t live out our vocation as faithful citizens unless we are also active between elections, when the hard work of making laws and policies is done.
Some of that hard work will take place in the next few weeks when the Joint Committee on Finance schedules its hearings on Governor Scott Walker’s state budget proposal. Those hearings will give Catholics and others a chance to influence the content of that budget. It is a chance we should exploit.
Popes Paul VI and John Paul II both described the Catholic Church as an “expert in humanity.” This term recognizes the truth that through its long history Catholicism has engaged and reflected on the fullness and complexity of the human experience.
The Church’s insights on human experience provide a valuable resource to any generation seeking to craft more humane policies and more just societies.
Popes Paul VI and John Paul II both described the Catholic Church as an “expert in humanity.” This term recognizes the truth that through its long history Catholicism has engaged and reflected on the fullness and complexity of the human experience.
