We would like to respond to Matt Johnson’s article in the June 10 La Crosse Tribune entitled “Viroqua Poorest Town in Wisconsin.” First of all, the original article that Matt was responding to that was published on the website 24/7 Wall Street was referring only to towns—towns with populations of less than 25,000. Thus, American cities with their urban plights are not even considered in the original article. Also, the original article was published on a website that is maintained by an organization that proudly boasts its association to Wall Street which is our planet’s current number one name associated with greed and avarice, lying and cheating, enslavement and manipulation of the masses. So, taken into consideration, the author of the original article was probably looking through the lens of his vodka martini from his designer couch in his Lower Manhattan sex club. (You’ve seen The Wolf of Wall Street, haven’t you?). His mission was, no doubt, to try to divert our attention from the crimes of the “haves” by shining a light on the “nots.” Or perhaps he was trying to remind us in the way that the lackeys of the 1% can spin a story with their twisted use of the English language that there is an alternative to playing along with capitalist consumerism with the inferred message that that life sucks.
Mr. Johnson, of course, had to pick up this story because the organization he works for counts Viroqua and Vernon County as part of its neigborhood. We must point out that Matt did a laudable service of pointing out that there were “other socioeconomic measures of the town [that were] quite strong.”
The high percentage of adults with high school diplomas coupled with the relatively low poverty rate implies a resident population of citizens who have purposely chosen to A) live in Viroqua (and Vernon County—which has equally ‘poor’ socioeconomic statistics), B) live on relatively low incomes and C) not complain about their situation.
Later in the article Mr. Johnson paraphrases Couleecap executive director Grace Jones as saying that “it’s no secret the La Crosse area in general has long-term poverty issues.” But then again, what town, county, city, or region on this planet does not have long-term poverty issues?
Another hidden factor in the socioeconomic census statistics for the Monroe, Crawford and Vernon County region of “the poorest three counties in Wisconsin” is the residence of a fairly large population of citizenry who do not value money, possessions, material acquisition, and consumerism in the same way that “average Americans” are conditioned to do. We are, of course, speaking of the Amish—of which Wisconsin has one of the three fastest growing Amish populations in the U.S.—the Cashton settlement (Vernon County) being the nation’s 15th largest Amish population and the largest in Wisconsin. Again, we must reiterate that the Amish population does not share the same capitalist consumer agenda that Wall Street and Washington, D.C. would have us all worship. Therein lies a segue into the key element of this response: the dominant paradigm of moral, ethical, and socioeconomic behavior that Wall Street, Washington and the corporate media would have us all accept and defend whole-heartedly is not necessarily “right,” “better,” or even “good.” We would even go so far as to assert that according to an educated, non-impoverished population base living in Viroqua, Wisconsin, that there exist alternative moral, ethical, and socioeconomic goals and standards to the ones Wall Street would have us espouse. Such sacrilege!
Therefore, it must be said that the “5-Year Estimates from the US Census Bureau” that came from the 2009-2013 American Community Survey (ACS) must be taken with a grain of salt as the term “poverty” is highly subjective and may have no correlation to the level of “happiness” or "satisfaction" achieved by those who have chosen to live in Viroqua and its environs.
Did you know that Vernon County has the highest number of certified organic farmers in the nation? Did you know that our Founding Fathers regarded farming as “the most noble profession”?
Did you know that our nation’s wealthy elite colluded to methodically destroy the 97% agrarian way of life that permeated this great nation from coast to coast in order to man their factories and sweat shops, their clerical desk jobs and corporate cubicles? It is their goal to have us enslaved to them through debt and income insecurity in order to keep us too afraid and powerless to rise up and throw off their chains. We believe that many people who have chosen to live in Viroqua have made this choice with the intention of living under the radar and outside of the control of the corporate elite.
Did you know that Viroqua’s beloved Waldorf schools, Pleasant Ridge and Youth Initiative, harbor the nation’s only 100% organic hot lunch program? Did you know, that in a town of just over 4,000 people that Viroqua has a non-commercial, non-corporate, community supported radio station that has over 85 community volunteers producing and airing their own shows? Did you know that our small town also has over 4,000 members to its local food cooperative? Did you know that Vernon County is the home to a multitude of organizations that have consciously selected a cooperative model over a corporate model? Fifth Season Co-operative, Viroqua Food Cooperative, Westby Co-operative Creamery, Organic Valley Co-operative, Vernon Electric Cooperative, Center Point Counseling Co-operative, Maple Valley Co-operative, Kickapoo Woods Co-operative…. and the list goes on and on. Again, people move here for their valuation of quality over quantity, of choice and freedom over limitation and enslavement. Some might say we have chosen a different kind of slavery with our average of low incomes, yet in this state we are able to feel less of the pressures of the machinations of control and forced dependency coming from faceless owners of global corporatocracy. Instead, we choose co-operation over corporations. Our currency is cooperation. Viroqua is a town of people who care deeply for the well being of our small businesses as demonstrated through three very large and successfully funded Kickstarter campaigns in the past year. Viroqua is a town of people who care deeply for each other.
Interdependency is another of our most treasured currencies. Two times a week, thousands of community members receive an email from Banner’s List, a list of events and classifieds that is generated by community members. This list is filled with standard postings of items for sale and community events, however, the majority of listings are a demonstration of a community coming together to help each other. On Banner's List you will find meal wheels for new parents or recently hospitalized persons, requests for ride shares, searches for lost chickens (not kidding), or inquiries seeking instructions on how to darn socks or teach others the art of canning/food preservation. Wealth and success in our town are gauged in the knowledge that our talents and abilities are used in ways that help and serve others.
In every town there is work to be done. In our town, Viroqua, there is the cooperative, heart-centered power to do it… interdependently and collaboratively. After traveling around the world for a place to settle, we very conscientiously chose Viroqua and Vernon County as our nesting place as have many others that we have met since arriving here four years ago.
In every town there is work to be done. In our town, Viroqua, there is the cooperative, heart-centered power to do it… interdependently and collaboratively. After traveling around the world for a place to settle, we very conscientiously chose Viroqua and Vernon County as our nesting place as have many others that we have met since arriving here four years ago.
The final fact we would like to draw attention to is the final quote from Mr. Johnson’s article. According to Johnson, the editor of 24/7 Wall Street said that overall the story has drawn strong reactions. “The number of negative reactions has been above normal for a report of this size and distribution.” To us this says a lot. It says that people recognize the bias in anything coming from an organization that chooses to associate themselves with Wall Street, but more, it says that those “poor” and “impoverished” people about whom the article was written are educated enough to feel empowered to react to a “Wall Street” generated and oriented article, and that they have courage and hutzpah enough to pen a letter in order to express their “negative reactions.” Bravo! you poor, impoverished people choosing to live simple, happy and meaningful lives outside of the dominant paradigm of corporate greed and out-of-control consumerism. We think you very wise. And definitely wealthy beyond your average debt-ridden American.
