Fear Not

The Only Thing We Have to Fear

Is Fear Itself

During some of its darkest hours President Franklin Delano Roosevelt told the country that, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Those words ring with even more truth today than they did during the depths of the Great Depression in 1932.

Today’s politics of division and supremacy are primarily based on nothing but fear. Our leaders and some of their followers would have us fear each other, fear those whose skin is a different color, fear those who come to our shores escaping violence, fear those who believe in a different supreme being, fear those who love differently, fear those who seek to control their own reproductive systems, fear those who believe in science as a basis for sound policy, and fear those who follow different economic or political systems.

We need to own firearms in even greater numbers because we fear the “bad guy” who might come to take what is ours. Second Amendment purists and those who profit from it, base their beliefs and business model on the myth that there is some “other” out there who is looking to bring us harm. Virtually every email I see from the NRA and its local offspring, Delta Defense, promotes their platform based on fear. 

Recent fervor supporting immigration bans prohibiting people entering our country from neighboring countries to the South is mostly based on fear of the Mexican criminal who will deal drugs, rape our women and steal our children. Many cling to this myth even in the face of clear proof that most immigrants come here to work and make a better life for themselves and their families.

The rise of newly emboldened white supremacy groups is based upon the irrational fear that somehow Anglo European immigrants will soon be forced from power and become an under class as America becomes more multi-ethnically diverse. Genetically, human beings are much more alike than different. Skin color differences do not translate into a better or worse human being. It makes no difference, yet too many of us are taught to fear based just on this element of the human condition. 

Fear of those who love those with similar gender characteristics is another one of those irrational emotions used to divide. Folks attracted to those like themselves are not trying to kidnap children or lure them into a heretical lifestyle. Same sex couples can be just as good or just as bad at parenting as opposite sex couples. Gender fluidity will never upset the social order. 

The recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding President Trump’s travel ban unfortunately gives it an aura of legitimacy it does not deserve. The travel ban prohibiting Muslims from certain countries from entering our country is based on another irrational fear, that all who share that faith from those countries are bent upon committing terrorist acts on our soil. Most people who practice Islam are just as anti-terror as anyone else who disavows its use. To ban entire populations based upon a few dangerous individuals does nothing to advance world peace and a belief in a common humanity.

Fear of women becoming hyper-sexualized and running amok was one of the original motivations for limiting access to birth control and opposing reproductive choice.  Fear of feminism is based on outmoded notions of women’s’ inequality and inability to think and act for themselves without male guidance. 

Fearing the erosion of Christian belief systems led to challenges to science-based policy decisions in education. If you teach evolution as a fact proven by the scientific method, the underpinnings of beliefs in divine creation will evaporate. If you challenge the way we live because we know humans have created climate change and must wean ourselves from the use of fossil fuels in order to survive, I will lose my livelihood. Therefore, acting on climate change is an evil to be feared.

Fear of communism, socialism, tribalism, cooperatives and the other economic and political systems that compete with capitalism drives current political thought away from our being able to choose aspects of those competing systems that might be beneficial to our continued prosperity. Universal healthcare and food security come to mind as rational ways to maintain the species. We seem to fear them just because they have worked in different political systems than our own and threaten certain capitalistic institutions. 

As we approach the annual celebration of America’s founding on July the Fourth, let us resolve to banish fear as a reason to act or fail to act. Let us boldly embrace the other, the different, the new and the experimental so we truly can make America greater than she was before.

A Blue Wave Approaches

Scott Walker is Right

A Blue Wave is Coming                     

Tuesday’s election results, both local and statewide, show that a majority of voters are not happy with the current GOP leadership and policy choices and are looking for more moderate, if not progressive, leadership. The shocking local result was the “yes” vote on the City of West Bend street referendum where voters actually agreed to a modest increase in property taxes to fix too long neglected city streets. 

In a post-election tweet Tuesday night, Governor Walker tried to rally his base with a prediction of a Democratic wave swamping his ship in the Fall and a desperate plea for money after Milwaukee County Judge Rebecca Dallet beat Judge Michael Screnock by double digit numbers.  Walker campaign team staff ran Screncock’s campaign and traditional GOP backers, like the NRA and the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, contributed vast sums for TV ads, all to no avail. Screnock even lost to Dallet in his own home county. Walker’s pick for a circuit court seat in very red Waukesha County also lost. Dallet ran a liberal backed campaign against special interest money in politics and the current GOP results driven majority on the Court. She won handily in the cities and saw the red turn purple and even blue in many former GOP strongholds across the state. Those defeats sent a clear signal that voters, even in traditionally red areas, are no longer lining up for the Walker/NRA agenda.

In the other statewide race, a last minute liberal led charge saved the State Treasurer from extinction at the hands of the GOP legislative majority. Clearly, the legislative leadership wanted to be rid of their only constitutionally mandated financial watchdog so they could continue to loot the treasury and send tax windfalls to their crony supporters with no one else having a handle on the purse strings. Voters saw through the ploy and rejected the constitutional amendment that would have killed the office. Another blue defeat for the Walker led crew.

Walker’s miscalculation about calling special elections in two districts with vacant legislative seats undoubtedly helped swing voters, especially those feeling disenfranchised by GOP voter suppression tactics. When he lost legal challenges to his decision brought by former Democratic Attorney General Eric Holder, the legislature started to bring forward quickie legislation to change the special election rules only to abandon the effort when Walker caved and called the required special elections. The blatant power grab and disenfranchisement of local voters in those districts showed just how low the GOP leaders are willing to stoop in order to maintain power. 

One of the mantras of the far right ever since the famous “no new taxes” pledge took hold is that voters are sick of increasing taxes. West Bend’s alt-right Mayor and Council were so afraid to raise property taxes to fix the city’s crumbling streets, that they sought cover in the advisory referenda questions the voters answered clearly. The referenda question answers told the Mayor and Council that it would be acceptable to raise property taxes modestly, but not too much, in order to fix the streets and to try and persuade the county to help by sharing part of the county sales tax revenue with the county’s municipalities. District 7 Alderman Adam Williquette’s defeat at the hands of a candidate who ran on a “let’s fix the streets” platform should seal the deal. Time will tell.

The West Bend School Board race brought another bell weather election result. In the recent past, tea party extremists with anti-public school, anti-science agendas, have dominated the board. Last year’s school board election changed the board to a pro-public school, more teacher friendly majority and Tuesday’s election delivered a final and resounding rejection of the evangelical Christian attempt to subvert and privatize our public schools. Chris Zwagart and Kurt Rebholz ran on a pro-teacher, leave curriculum development to the experts and sound governance platform. They brought in convincing majorities against an incumbent who developed an alliance with an anti-evolution, anti-teacher zealot. It should not have been as close a result as we saw, but voters again rejected the extremist positions. One of the issues in the race is what to do about the aging elementary school in Jackson. The new majority has a mandate to fix the problem and the ability to convince majorities in the district to replace the old building with a new one. 

Our new school board majority can reject “no tax increases for schools” arguments by pointing to the 50 plus public school referenda approved by Wisconsin voters on Tuesday while only 6 failed. There is a clear mandate in those results showing property taxpayers are willing to pay more to support quality public education. They supported both operational and capital referenda, some with fairly large price tags, even after the GOP leadership passed new laws making it significantly more difficult for local school boards to raise property taxes for public schools.

Tuesday’s election results continue the momentum from the recent special elections where progressive Democrats made further inroads into previously red districts. It must not go unnoticed that our own Dennis Degenhardt, the former CEO of Glacier Hills Credit Union and Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Washington County carried the City of West Bend in the special election for our Assembly seat in the race against former County Board Chair, Rick Gundrum. 

I believe Scott Walker for once. A blue wave is going to swamp his ship in November.

Better Checks and Balances

Checks and Balances Prevent Bad Government

Our government is built upon the premise that having three co-equal branches will prevent the unbridled exercise of power by any one or even two of the others.

Legislatures pass laws, the executive branch executes and enforces laws and courts interpret and apply the law to conflicts that inevitably arise between the other two branches or between parties who claim conflicting application of laws. Courts are given the final say on what a law means, if the law is being applied fairly and as the legislature intended or whether the law or its implementation are within the boundaries set by the constitution.

Governments run into trouble when all three branches are controlled by a group with a shared ideology that excludes input and consideration of the views of others. We live in such a time of unbridled exercise of power by a group who ignores those with differing views.

The only available check against this abuse of political power is by the people casting their ballots in elections to fill the seats in the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.

The next such election is fast approaching. It will decide whether Wisconsin’s Supreme Court will continue to follow a conservative republican ideological agenda or begin a swing to a more balanced check on the excesses of the conservative Wisconsin legislative republican majority supported by an equally excessive conservative republican Governor.

Judicial races are supposed to be non-partisan. People running for judge or, in this case, Justice are not supposed to run as republicans or democrats. They are supposed to run as impartial advocates for the rule of law. Unfortunately, that has not been the case for much of Wisconsin’s history. While there have been many impartial judges and Justices on our courts, there have always been those beholden to special interests in those seats as well.

With the conservative take-over of our government, bought and paid for by dark money special interests, the non-partisan nature of our judiciary is a dim memory. A majority of the Justices on our Supreme Court were elected as proud conservatives whose pockets and campaign funds were filled with conservative corporate donor cash. The implicit promise made in exchange for the cash was unquestioning support of the conservative agenda. That ends up, not with principled decisions based upon logic and legal precedent, but result driven decisions that break the rules our judiciary is supposed to follow.

The most recent result driven decision by the conservative majority on our Supreme Court involved Wisconsin’s Open Records law that was once the envy of the nation because it exposed the inner workings of the government for all to see. The Court’s most recent interpretation followed two other decisions, all of which increasingly limit what we can find out from our government officials. The case was brought by a teachers’ union against the school administration that refused to provide records involved in a union recertification election. The Court ruled against the union, not based upon precedent, but based on evidence not in the record before the Court. It appears the majority wanted to rule against the union and did just that.

The current race for the open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court pits a Walker ally conservative trial court judge, Michael Screnock, against two others identified by the dreaded demonic “Liberal” label, Tim Burns and Rebecca Dallet. Conservatives now hold five of the seven court seats and Screnock’s election would maintain that edge.

Screnock’s sole qualification is that he represented the governor in court before the governor appointed him to the bench in 2015. He is supported by large donations from out of state dark money groups bent upon maintaining conservative control of our state’s government.

Rebecca Dallet has spent 20 plus years as a prosecutor and trial court judge in Milwaukee County. Up until her most recent TV ad, she tried to maintain at least a facade of impartiality even while soliciting support and endorsements from those associated with democrats. Her newest TV ad leads with a blatant anti-Trump spot meant to signal she’s really one of us.

I like Tim Burns for the Court. He is brutally honest about his progressive values and the need to restore a more even balance to the Court so that it can serve the functions it was designed to perform. His legal career has been spent doing battle with insurance companies on behalf of those injured by others and his promise is to stand up for the average person against the excesses of government.

If you want a Supreme Court that will start on the way to being an effective check on excesses by the other branches of state government, make your voice heard in the primary election on February 20^th.

Waring Fincke is a retired attorney and serves as a guardian for a Sheboygan County non-profit agency.

Women March to Protect and Improve

Watch Women March

They will change the world

The largest worldwide demonstration in history took place a week ago. Women, multiple millions strong, organized and marched with their allies from across the gender spectrum on every continent to tell the world that the new era of authoritarian populism is unacceptable and will be resisted at every turn.

Reminiscent of marches for civil rights, women's' rights and demands for the end to the unjust war in Viet Nam in years gone by, this march clearly trumped Trump's feebly attended inaugural the day before and sent a message that women will not go back, not one step, to the male dominated days of the past.

Tone deaf Trump answered in a room full of old white males the next day by signing an Executive Order banning federal funding for any group any where on the planet that even offers information about abortion. This was followed by a press conference that declared war on journalists critical of Trump and his policies.

The battle is joined.

Women have stepped up and into the leadership of the new progressive movement. They have proclaimed enough of patriarchal patronage and greedy politics of convenience. We will gladly follow into a more empathetic, principled and practical movement that will work for true equality across the gender spectrum, respect for the inherent rights we all possess as human inhabitants of this planet to clean air and water, safe food, universal healthcare, universal suffrage and an end to violence as a path to conflict resolution.

The transition from marching to movement building will not be easy or smooth. But the path is clear and the goals are attainable as we focus on what we stand for, not merely rising up in opposition to what we do not like.

Watching the signage, listening to the speakers and seeing the colors of change evident in the marches, the unity of purpose was clear. We won't give up, we will be heard and we will protect what we have gained over the past eight years.

Trump's minions continue to play right into their own ultimate failure. Executive Orders may change certain policies, but they cannot create the "alternative" reality they so fervently desire. The early Orders, setting the stage for obliterating Obamacare, approving in principle the Keystone and DAPL pipelines, removing helpful information for veterans and LBGTQ Americans from the White House website, shutting down public comment White House phone lines, gagging staffers at agencies disfavored by the administration, building the wall, excluding some Muslim refugees and attacking journalists hell bent on holding Trump accountable all feed into public distrust of the new regime and help create whole new subset of people willing to rise up and resist.

It is not surprising that many of those who marched across the planet were first timers. Trump’s intolerance has created a whole new army of people who have reached the tipping point. They are now willing to put other parts of their lives on hold while they make calls to their members of congress and state legislators, sign up to work on local issues like saving public schools and local libraries, making sure people do not go hungry and have a place to sleep and stay warm, writing letters to the editor, attending town halls, voting and even running for public office.

As one who has been keeping the progressive fire burning for awhile in anticipation of the larger spark that gets people off their couches and away from their TVs, I am thrilled at the prospect of the new wave of enthusiasm the marches have engendered. I am proud of all of my sisters and their allies who stopped what they were doing to march and be seen with signs and tattoos and multi-colored hair while hugging each other with shared joy at their strength.

Yes, Trump has brought us a whole new world. He will temporarily
dismantle, disrupt and disarm some of what is good about America. It will not stand for long in the face of millions and millions of women and their allies who will be working tirelessly to challenge Trump's destruction and later to rebuild a better world from the ashes he leaves behind.

My favorite sign from the march proclaimed, "You know things are messed up when librarians march." So watch out Trump. I would not want to be the man who pissed off so many women.

Waring R. Fincke is a retired attorney and vice-chair of the Democratic Party of Washington County.