Voting/Elections
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 ...
Red Counties Dependence on the “Deep State”
“One of the most enduring conservative myths is that of the self-reliant, salt-of-the-earth, rural-dwelling American who pulls himself up by his bootstraps...If that were ever true, it hasn’t been for a while. These days, rural America is largely dependent on the federal government it claims to hate.”
This quote is from an article in Daily KOS (“Look just how much red counties depend on the government they hate,” July 10, 2025). The article points out that, “far from self-reliant, rural America is subsidized by blue states.”
Dr. ...
Left vs. Right is not the Issue, Rather Democracy vs. Extremism
What is the political left that our current administration attacks vehemently and relentlessly? It is not a single entity of opposition to any current leader, nor does it describe any single political position. The political left describes a broad spectrum of ideologies that favor governmental reform in the general direction of more social equality. This political stance has, historically, stood against hierarchy and privilege. This puts the political left in the crosshairs of the one-percent oligarchs who have grabbed control of our government. Are there some extrem...
More on political violence
Donald Trump has a lot of damn gall accusing Democrats and liberals of inciting political violence. Since 2015 he has been a primary source of inflammatory, divisive, hate-filled political rhetoric that encouraged violence by his supporters. He is the only president in our history to incite a mob to attack Congress.
In the past I wrote about how political murders are actually rare in comparison to other murders. But they are increasing along with other hate crimes. This article updates a prior article on political violence
“The hope of a ...
Food Stamp Folly
"We all do better when we all do better" was the late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone's simple, yet profound, statement of economic truth. In a stable, sustainable economy no one should be left behind even if they are poor or not as “productive.” This is not just kindness or charity. It is a recognition that an economy, like a chain, is only as strong as its weakest link.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP – formerly called food stamps) illustrates how Paul Wellstone's economic principle works in the real world. It is an example of how ...
The War on Children
“I’m not sure we’ve ever seen an Administration so laser-focused on targeting the nation’s children for harm. This president and his appointees – with an unprecedented assist from Congress – has specifically targeted children’s health care with $880 billion in proposed cuts, is closing down the Department of Education, and literally plans to steal the lunch money of the nation’s poorest kids. Babies have been singled out for special punishment with the proposed revocation of birthright citizenship and deportation of U.S. citizen children. This Administrat...