Politics
War Spending in Perspective
We all know federal spending on war and preparation for war – what we euphemistically call “defense” spending – is huge. But most people have no understanding of how big these numbers are, how they compare with other government spending, and what it all means for their lives.
People might understand $100,000 because that is about the median family income in the U.S. (which means half of families live on less). An average house costs around $400,000. But $7,400,000,000,000 – the total federal budget for FY 2026 – is just a big, incomprehensible number.
Und...
A “Defense” Spending Surge
“In America, nothing – and I mean nothing – seems capable of reversing massive military spending and incessant warfare.” William Astore, a retired USAF Lt. Colonel, historian, author and commentator on military issues.
Pentagon spending for fiscal year 2026 (October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026) is projected to be $961.6 billion. This is an 8.1% increase over FY2025. I say “projected” because with federal spending no one knows what the totals will be until after the fact. The dollars budgeted may not match the amounts authorized by Congress (in appropriation ...
Tiffany is a Bad Choice for Governor
Wisconsin will choose a new Governor in November. At this time there are nine Democratic candidates for the August 11 primary. The Republican's have just two. But Representative Tom Tiffany will be the candidate. He has been endorsed by Trump.
Tom Tiffany becoming governor will be a disaster for Wisconsin. This is not a biased, partisan opinion. An objective, factual look at Tiffany's 15 year record in the Wisconsin legislature and ...
Giving Up is Unforgivable
“The right to vote is precious, almost sacred. It is the most nonviolent tool or instrument in a democratic society. We must use it.” John Lewis, former U.S. Representative and “good trouble” civil rights leader.
Wisconsin has an election on Tuesday, April 7th. As John Lewis said, voting is a necessary, essential duty of citizens in a democracy. Unfortunately too many of us don't take this “precious...sacred” obligation seriously enough. Usually around 40% of eligible voters don't bother to show up and the percentage is often higher in off-year or nonparti...
Banning Gerrymandering
Wisconsin Governor Evers has called a special session of the legislature for April 14th to pass a constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering. Extraordinary public pressure will be needed for this important reform to have any chance in the Republican controlled legislature.
Prior to the latest redistricting compromise, Wisconsin had the worst gerrymandered legislative maps in the country. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled the old districts unconstitutional and required new state legislative districts be created. Fearing the liberal controlled Supreme Court would ...
A Longtime Republican’s Values Would be Unrecognizable in Today’s Party
Kevin Hermening’s recent announcement of his run for state assembly prompted the memory of a photo my Aunt Irene happily showed me some years ago. Over age 80, she was seated behind Mr. Hermening on his motorcycle, two committed
Republicans about to go for a ride at a fundraiser.
Were my aunt, a long time leader of Republican women, able to look down upon the 2026 Republican Party, there is not much in it she would recognize.
A fiscal conservative, relentlessly advocating for balanced budgets, she would be taken aback by the Big Beautiful Bill signed into law ...
Ginger Murray Meet and Greet
Due to the incoming bad weather, Ginger Murray, candidate for the 7th Congressional District, has rescheduled her Meet and Greet. The new date and time is Sunday, March 22 at the Wausau labor Temple.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Election April 7
In Wisconsin April 7 is the spring nonpartisan election. The statewide issue is the election of a Supreme Court justice. Across the state there are many nonpartisan local government and school board positions on the ballot and 72 local school funding referendums for voters to approve or reject.
Historically voter turnout for spring elections has been low. These races don't get a lot of press coverage and don't usually have controversial issues at stake. But that doesn't mean they are not important elections. Local communities can be severely impacted when an unpopular ...