Governor Evers Spotlights Important Issues
Legislative inaction is not an option

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers delivered his second State of the State address to both houses of our Legislature this week. In his remarks he proposed two sweeping and badly needed agendas to address Wisconsin’s dairy farm crisis and gerrymandered state and legislative districts. The first met with mild approval from the GOP controlled legislature while the second was dismissed out of hand. 

Wisconsin has been losing two family dairy farm operations a day for far too long. Small dairy operations have not been able to cope with the punishing Trump tariffs and trade wars that have curtailed their markets and made it virtually impossible to turn a profit. Evers condemned the Trump administration’s distain for small family farmers noting, “we have not forgotten those who have shared the harvest and bounty, feeding our families, our communities, our state, and our country for more than a century. And tonight, we say we are ready to be a partner in the promise of prosperity.”

Evers announced his call for a special legislative session, as early as next week, to consider a package of bills he will be sending to both houses. They would create a new program to increase Wisconsin dairy exports to 20 percent of the nation’s milk supply by 2024. The effort will be supported by expanded state services for farmers including better access to mental health services and a new program to help farmers connect with state universities, technical colleges, hospitals and local businesses. Finally, Evers will create a Blue-Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity and a state jobs agency Office of Rural Prosperity to help farmers to better manage state programs and aid.

Legislative leadership, which has been loath to work with the Governor or to adopt his proposals, was surprisingly lukewarm in response. State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald was open to finding ways to help Wisconsin farmers as was Sen. Albert Darling. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos was oppositional as usual, warning that help Wisconsin agriculture would just lead to more government handouts. He followed by issuing a press release stating that the Assembly would not convene for a special session to address the dairy farm crisis to debate Evers proposals and act to stem the rising tide of farm closings. Instead, he will refer Evers’ proposed legislation to various Assembly committees for hearings. Vos knows this will drag out the chance for passage of any farm aid relief packages, if it does not kill them all together. 

Governor Evers second major proposal came in the announcement that he would create, by Executive Order, a non-partisan commission that would be charged with drawing new state and congressional district boundaries after the upcoming census. Evers commission would not include elected officials, lobbyists or consultants and, hopefully, will conduct its deliberations in public. The resulting maps would be turned over to the legislature for consideration when it draws the new maps. Evers hopes the proposed maps will be adopted by the Legislature.

Republican legislators were quick to dismiss Evers’ plan to create fair maps. Majority leader Fitzgerald called the plan “completely unconstitutional” based upon the constitutional duty placed on the legislature to draw the maps after every census. Rep. Vos also rejected Evers proposal indicating those in control of the legislature will select the process for drawing new maps. Our current legislative and congressional district boundaries were selected by lawyers hired by the GOP majority who worked with GOP leadership in secret allowing those in power to draw districts that included more Republican than Democratic voters and cramming more Democratic voters into districts that usually vote democratic anyway. 

Governor Evers continues to put issues of statewide importance before the legislature for action. By using calls for special legislative sessions, he puts the spotlight on the GOP majorities in both houses. So far, his calls have not met with any positive responses. The legislature refused to even debate the very reasonable gun violence proposals Evers put forward in the last special session by adjourning as soon as the opening gavel fell.

Unless the republicans now in legislative control change their methods and engage in constructive debate resulting in passage of bills that command widespread public support, they will face the voters’ wrath in the next election cycle. They need to understand that there are issues that transcend the partisan divide and command the support of a majority of the electorate. If they continue to turn a blind eye to the will of the people, they will soon be out of work.

Progressive Blues From Red Country: Official Languages Exclude

Progressive Blues From Red Country: Official Languages Exclude: Wisconsin Does Not Need an Official Language We are multi-lingual and diverse Three Wisconsin Republican lawmakers are trying to resurrec...

Official Languages Exclude

Wisconsin Does Not Need an Official Language
We are multi-lingual and diverse

Three Wisconsin Republican lawmakers are trying to resurrect a bill that would make English the official language of state government. What that means is that governmental efforts to assist state residents for whom English is a second or third language by offering printed material in languages other than English would be abolished or curtailed. The bill is similar to one introduced in 2013 by the same authors that failed to even get a hearing in the Assembly. 

The rationale offered for making English Wisconsin’s official language is that it would assist those whose mother tongue is not English to integrate more quickly into the dominant culture and help make them more attractive to prospective employers. What it really would do is make life more difficult for those not like white folks to fully understand how state government works and might be able to help those “outsiders” navigate state government systems.

English as official language laws have been enacted in other states and have uniformly been criticized as erecting barriers helping to exclude immigrants from becoming part of the mainstream society. If the bill’s authors were really serious about helping integrate non-English speakers into society, they would have coupled their bill with increased funding for English language instruction programs.

Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa, a Latina Democrat from Milwaukee, issued a statement Monday accusing Republicans of pushing an anti-Latino agenda to divide the state.

‘‘This bill reared its ugly head in previous sessions, but it didn’t even receive a public hearing because it is clear Wisconsinites do not support such extreme policies,’’ she said. ‘‘The shameful attacks on Latinos are divide and conquer politics at their worst.’’

Christine Neumann-Ortiz, founder and Executive Director of the immigration advocacy group Voices de la Frontera and Matt Rothschild of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, recently wrote an opinion piece in the Wisconsin Examiner highly critical of the proposal. 

Noting that Gov. Evers would likely veto such a bill “in a heartbeat,” they opined that the law would only serve to fan the flames of bigotry and lead to increased hate crimes against those who speak a different language. They rightly cast this effort as part of the white nationalism policies championed by the Trump administration and the GOP nationally. Finally, they note that all state units of government would be required to issue documents only printed in English, with but a few limited exceptions, limiting what local governments could publish to assist non-English speaking residents of their communities.

It is time to stop trying to divide Wisconsin residents on the basis of race, national origin or primary spoken language. Such efforts to make Wisconsin great again do not unite or uplift. They just make it easier for white people to throw acid in the faces of perceived immigrant foreigners. 

How difficult is it to remember that many of our Caucasian immigrant forbearers first came to this country speaking a language other than English? My ancestors came speaking German and I have friends and relations whose ancestors spoke French, Russian and a host of other European languages before learning, over generations, how to speak and write in English. 

What will happen to my youngest grand-daughter who entered public school into a Spanish immersion program where most of her instruction has been in that language? She still speaks English to us, but now is all but fluent in a second language as well. 

The bill’s authors, Senators David Craig, Andre Jacque, and Steve Nass, would be better served by working on legislation that commands support of people from around the state, like the bi-partisan package of bills aimed at reducing water pollution recently introduced in both houses of the legislature or the criminal justice reform bills proposed by Governor Evers and Democrats in both houses of the legislature. Our legislators need to stop arbitrarily dividing us and start finding ways we can all flourish in a multi-cultural and multi-lingual society.

Not Bloomberg

Bloomberg is Wrong for Wisconsin

Votes here are not for sale.

Former Republican New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced that he is running for President of the United States in 2020……….. as a Democrat. 

Bloomberg is a self-made billionaire who has championed some liberal causes and many conservative ones throughout his political and business careers. He believes that he is the only one tough enough to take on Donald Trump in next year’s election. He is willing to spend millions of his own money to try and convince Democrats and disaffected Republicans that he is correct. 

Whether you agree with Bloomberg’s politics and policies or not, he is correct about one thing. The path to the presidency has to run through Wisconsin, a state Trump won in 2016. To solidify the point, Bloomberg rented office space in downtown Milwaukee and recently opened his first Wisconsin campaign office in the space. He plans to hire staff and spend lots of his money on television ads here to tell voters why they should vote for him. No mention yet on the scope and depth of a ground game to reach actual voters with his still undefined platform.

Moderate Republicans welcome Bloomberg to the field. He is one of their own or, at least, one they feel comfortable with, as he avoids the popular themes and plans put forth by many in the progressive wing of the Democratic party like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. He won’t seriously come after accumulated wealth to level the tax burden on working people if elected. 

Bloomberg has a lot of ground to make up on those who have been on the campaign trail longer. His massive TV ad buys here and across the nation have barely budged the Wisconsin polls. The best of the bunch gives him just about a 3 percent approval rating, placing him well back from those taking part in the televised debates and running grass-roots supported and funded campaigns.

Progressive Democrats here and across the nation have roundly criticized Bloomberg for trying to buy the election with his massive personal wealth and fear he will take moderate votes away from the populists running more grass roots efforts. I suspect he will hurt more moderate, centrist Democrats like former Vice-President Joe Biden, U. S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana. The best we can hope for is that a Bloomberg campaign will doom those closer to the center, clearing the way for a populist progressive to take the primaries and win the nomination at the DNC convention in Milwaukee this summer.

Progressive and even moderate Democrats take issue with Bloomberg’s controversial “stop and frisk” policy that turned New York City police officers loose to harass and detain “suspicious looking” people who just happened to be people whose skin tones were more than off-white. Even though Bloomberg has told the media his policy was a mistake in hindsight, he pushed it hard against all detractors while he was the Mayor of New York City and continued to defend it long after he left office. 

Bloomberg’s wealth and position conveniently allow him to avoid the cauldron of the debates where ideas, policies and positions get the scrutiny they deserve and candidate’s ability to defend their proposals is publicly tested. A self-funded campaign does not have to measure success like a grass-roots campaign with millions of supporters does. Bloomberg only has to answer to himself, not the people whose money supports the policies and proposals of the progressives. 

We have already witnessed what so-called “self-made” wealthy people do when elected in rigged elections bought and paid for with personal wealth. We don’t need a Democratic Donald Trump who says things people want to hear in order to secure their votes and then does just what he pleases afterwards. We don’t need another wealthy politician whose wealth and claimed business acumen are pushed as the solution to the problems facing our government and a deeply divided country.

Michael Bloomberg demonstrates the fear and arrogance driving many of those who have amassed great personal wealth. They took advantage of the trickle down, continually lower taxes political strategies championed by the GOP politicans they help to maintain power in Washington and Wisconsin. They fear their gravy train will be stopped by a reformist progressive led government and believe that only they have the right to hold the keys to the city. 

I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions, but this New Year I will make an exception. My resolution is to work to sweep these old guard folks from the halls of government and put working people and a vibrant middle class first by electing a progressive, grass roots supported candidate with a proven track record of standing up for them.

On Being Santa

On Being Santa

Family Promise Needs Him 

Over the decades, I have been asked to become Santa for a time to spread some holiday cheer to those who need or miss it.

My first time was in State College, PA as a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce. I donned a borrowed suit, hat, wig, beard and a bag of candy and strolled through the shops and taverns in that small down spreading smiles with a hearty Ho-Ho Ho. I didn’t just greet customers, but went into kitchens, behind bars and into back wrapping rooms to add some merriment for those who were trying to make other happy. 

My wife brought our three-year-old daughter downtown and we met up on the street, much to her surprise. I bent down and in my best disguised voice said, “Have you been a good, little girl this year?” She peered into my eyes, paused for a moment and replied, “Hi Dad.” We both smiled and laughed. I’ll never forget the experience.

My next adoption of the Santa persona was for the Washington County Humane Society’s Pictures with Santa fundraiser. Local folks brought all manner of pets down to the old strip mall between Kohls and Shopko to have me stand, sit or lie down with their critters for a picture they could use as a Christmas card. I had a lot of fun, raised some needed funds for the Shelter, but had to clean the suit of lots of lots of extra fur. Most enjoyed the experience and I did not get bit by anything or squeezed by the constrictor. All in all, this was a success too.

I donned the suit more than once for holiday parties at our local Democratic Party office where Christmas took on a more partisan tone surrounding the election or issue of the moment. Still I was able to coax a smile and a carol out of these more serious crowds as we shared Merry Christmas treats and libations. Success again.

My most memorable excursion into Santa’s world came this past Thursday night when my wife and I became Santa and Mrs. Claus for the Family Promise of Washington County’s Christmas party at Holy Angels School. We entered the room full of families who have or are experiencing homelessness and were greeted by the innocent, believing smiles and wide eyes of small ones who flocked to us for hugs and surprises. 

Even though these children are living in poverty and the uncertainty that accompanies it, they made cookies for Santa and Mrs. Claus which they gave to us with great joy and wonder. We could see the pride of accomplishment in the decorations and sprinkles. We thanked each one and mostly followed with a hug. Some asked where the Elves were or how old I was. Each got an answer and a smile. 

We sat for pictures with the kids. Some came with their siblings or a parent to capture the moment. After pics were snapped, each child got to pick out a stuffed toy from a large box. Many had to come back to show us what they picked out. Teens came with friends or siblings to sit on Santa’s lap for a picture and a toy. The large ones also got special Green Bay Packer socks wrapped with love at the North Pole by Mrs. Claus.

We ended the short evening with a photo of Santa and Mrs. Claus with all of the Family Promise volunteers who had worked very hard to pull off a successful dinner and event with the Clauses. It was an honor to be with them and to share, at least for a moment, in their joy of a job well done. I was glad to see some old friends among them who took time out of their busy lives to make the lives of others a bit better. They smiled and I consider the night my best Santa yet.

For those of you who don’t know about Family Promise of Washington County, check out their website at https://familypromisewc.org. If you don’t believe that one of the wealthiest counties in Wisconsin has a homeless population, read about the work these great volunteers do throughout the year to help those struggling with that very real problem right in our hometown neighborhoods.

If you are looking for a great cause to support that makes a real difference in the lives of folks right here in Washington County, consider a donation to this great organization. They have a wish list on their home page or just send them a good-sized donation. It will be well used.

Protect Water Protectors

Fossil fuel advocates ignore First Amendment rights

Evers failed to protect the protectors

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers turned his back on environmental protectors, including major supporters and Wisconsin’s federally enrolled Native tribes, when he failed to veto Assembly Bill 426 and signed it into law as Act 33.

The bill, co-sponsored by Washington County Rep. Rick Gundrum, expanded the definition of energy provider under state law and made peaceful protest on property owned, leased, or operated by companies engaged in oil, water or gas production or transmission a felony offense, punishable by up to a six-year prison sentence and up to a $10,000 fine.

The bill was modeled after proposals by ALEC, the ultra-conservative American Legislative Exchange Council, and the Council of State Governments in response to the protests at Standing Rock against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Wisconsin became the tenth state to pass similar legislation. Evers’ press release echoed the ALEC and oil and gas industry talking points, indicating the bill was needed to “ensure each energy provider is treated the same under the law while still protecting the right to exercise free speech and the right to assembly.” Evers added that he wanted the Legislature to work with Wisconsin tribal nations in the future “before developing and advancing policies that directly or indirectly affect” them. Given the final language of the new law, neither the tribes nor many of the state’s environmental groups were satisfied.

Maria Haskins, of the tribal advocacy group Menikanaehkem Inc., noted, “neither the energy industry nor the state of Wisconsin has consulted any tribal government about how this legislation would infringe on the sovereignty of Wisconsin’s twelve Indian Nations.”

Thirty-six groups signed letters delivered to the governor urging him to veto the bill. They included the ACLU, Sierra Club, the landowner group 80 Feet is Enough and others. Their concerns included claims that the new law infringes upon constitutional rights to protest and a loss of landowner rights. The letters point to the possibility of more people of color being sent to prison trying to protect our water.

Fourteen more national groups including Greenpeace, the National Lawyers Guild, PEN America, Defending Rights and Dissent anhers also asked Evers to veto the bill. Their letter concluded, “special protections designed to protect the energy industry from protests, including non-violent civil disobedience, do nothing to protect the public or worker safety. They do threaten our democracy by chilling dissent.”

Elizabeth Ward of Sierra Club-Wisconsin called out the governor for failing to protect the environment and make good on his campaign promise to address climate change. “Governor Evers had the opportunity to demonstrate leadership on climate change, and he opted not to. The need to stand up for water protectors, Tribal members, and landowners with oil pipelines running through their property has been crystal clear with the recent pipeline fights in Wisconsin and around the country. It’s disappointing that the governor was unwilling to do so and instead supported this bill that helps the fossil fuel industry continue to lock us into a climate catastrophe,” she noted.

Chris Ott, the executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin, vowed to monitor the enforcement of this law and “oppose any attempts to infringe on the freedom of speech or criminalize people for making their voices heard.”

Unfortunately, Governor Evers sent a conflicting message by signing this bill into law. He previously appointed a task force to focus on actions to combat climate change led by Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. In doing so, Evers signaled his support of efforts to rein in the destructive impact the use of fossil fuels has on our environment. His failure to veto this “pipeline protection” bill undercuts his own task force and calls into question Evers’ commitment to protecting our environment.

Human Beings Are Not Mascots

Human Beings are not Mascots
Teach Respect Not Racism

Imagine a high school choosing to name its sports mascot an “Old White Guy” or a “Crazy Christian.” The surrounding community would rise up as one to say how inappropriate and demeaning to the elderly Caucasian or the practicing Christian. We would not tolerate such an insult, even us old white guys who might find it mildly amusing to be so honored.

It amazes me that surrounding community members still find it appropriate to continue to use Native American figures as mascots and school symbols and name their sports teams after them when it is clear that many indigenous peoples are offended by these portrayals and object to their continued use.

The Wisconsin Association of School Boards, the organization that represents and serves public school boards across Wisconsin, is circulating a resolution requesting those few public-school districts still using Native American names and mascot imagery to change their names and mascots to create more inclusive and welcoming learning environments for their students. So far, 17 districts have signed on and others have voluntarily changed their practices. Some districts have learned from the past and made the change. But 31 districts across the State still use their Indian or Chief names and mascots, including Menomonee Falls High School and the Kewaskum school district.

The Menomonee Falls district has taken up the challenge and is holding community listening sessions to gauge public support. The district’s superintendent has come out in favor of changing their mascot and name. Community members have spoken in favor of the change while other have voiced support for continued use. Community groups have urged the board to change the mascot and imagery, including the American Civil Liberties Union. The school board will vote on the issue in December.

My community, Kewaskum, has ducked the issue so far. Here the problem is larger as the village is named after Chief Kewaskum, a Potawatomi chief. The school mascot is an Indian as are those who play sports for the school. Kewaskum shares an even bigger issue because both the village president and a member of the school board who is also a Republican member of the state Assembly have been vocal adherents of the “let’s stop with the political correctness” defense of continuing use of the name and imagery. Rep. Tim Ranthum, the school board member, even wants to put larger Indian chief logos on school sports field fences, claiming the name as a matter of community pride. He recalls proudly when prominent community members used to attend sporting events in full native regalia. He claims to be honoring the past chief, even though his descendants see no honor in the practice.

There have been been published studies showing that Native American students enrolled in schools that use people like them as mascots and terms like Indian for members of the school’s sports teams do not feel welcomed or included in their learning environments and do not do as well academically as similar students in schools with mascots and sports team names that do not appropriate their likeness or heritage.

Wisconsin law used to make it relatively easy for marginalized students to challenge the use of their heritage or racial identity. They did not have to show actual harm in order to prevail. In 2013, Wisconsin changed the law shifting the burden to the student aggrieved to show harm and also added a requirement for a community petition signed by 10 percent of the district population to force a change. This change did not end the controversy as Wisconsin tribes continue to lobby for teaching respect, not racism. So far, the Republican Legislature has not listened or acted with respect toward those who find the mascots, names and images offensive and insulting.

This is also a national problem, especially when you consider the NFL’s Washington Redskins and Kansas City Chiefs. Not to mention the Atlanta Braves baseball team and the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team. Pressure has been mounting on these franchises to change their identities and demeaning use of native names, images and heritage.

Those who lived on these lands long before the invasion of the Anglo-Europeans deserve more respect than they are given. We need more robust curriculums on Native American customs, history and environmental stewardship in our schools. With a deeper understanding and appreciation of indigenous people and how we might benefit from many of their ways of living in harmony with their environment, perhaps we can find better and less offensive mascots and sports team names.