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Commentary
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Written by Janet Bewley Press, State Senator Dist 25
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Saturday, 11 March 2017 11:35 |
On National Girl Scouts Day, March 12, 2017
ASHLAND, WI - One of the things I enjoy most about being a State Senator is visiting local schools to talk with fourth graders about state government. I always try and include time for questions and answers. Fourth graders can be very curious. I get lots of questions about my family – do I have children, did I have brothers and sisters – and my preferences – what’s my favorite color, do I like dogs, cats, or lizards? (I like turtles.)
Sometimes you get a question you’re not expecting, a question that throws you for a loop. Earlier this month, after fielding questions about how old I am and if I know any famous people, a student raised her hand and asked “why do you do it?”
I must have paused long enough for her to realize I wasn’t sure what she meant, so she added “why did you want to be a Senator?” And the answer that immediately came to mind was to help. So that’s what I told her. “Like the Girl Scouts,” she replied. I didn’t have lots of time to think about it at the time, as other students had more questions for me to answer. But she was right.
This week offered me another opportunity to both think and talk about what it means to help. On Wednesday, Representative Mary Felzkowski and I hosted a “Troop Meeting” at the State Capitol in honor of 105th anniversary of the founding of the Girl Scouts of America. Over those 105 years, Girl Scouting has helped millions of girls and women build the courage, confidence, and character to make the world a better place.
The continued influence of Girl Scouting is evident by the strength of the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Alliance, which represents 56,000 girl members and 17,000 adult volunteers. Girls from every part of the state came to Madison to celebrate and receive awards for their accomplishments. I was proud to join with Representative Felzkowski and other colleagues to welcome these young women to the Capitol.
As I was thinking about what I would say, I remembered the words of the Girl Scout motto that I recited as a young girl back in Cleveland. “Be Prepared. A Girl Scout is ready to help out wherever she is needed. Willingness to serve is not enough; you must know how to do the job well, even in an emergency."
Ready to help out wherever needed. Those are good words to live by. Words that are just as important today as they were in 1947 when the Girl Scouts adopted the motto. I have often talked about my admiration for the men and women who got us through the Second World War and rebuilt our country after the Depression.
I learned this week that the Girls Scouts also helped the war effort. Instead of selling cookies, they sold special calendars and war bonds, tended victory gardens, and scrapped metals and fat to be reused.
We are lucky we live in much safer times. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the Girl Scouts in some way on March 12th – support a local troop by buying an extra box of cookies, take a moment and encourage a young girl you know, find a way to help someone who needs it. |
Commentary -
Commentary
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Written by Mike McCabe, Blue Jean Nation
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Thursday, 09 March 2017 14:16 |
American values? Conservatives and Republicans seem more confident in their beliefs, and they define Democrats by default. Trump is promising both guns and butter. But, what are your core values?
ALTOONA, WI - If my travels over the last several years have taught me anything, it’s that America — or at least our little corner of it here in Wisconsin — is in the midst of an identity crisis. I’ve been given the opportunity to meet with every imaginable kind of group — urban and rural, young and old, haves and have nots and used to haves, white and black and brown, left and right. One time we meet in a church or a school. Another time it’s a bowling alley or tavern. Next time it’s a VFW or American Legion hall. After that, a public library or bookstore.
Everywhere I go, I’m given a chance to share some thoughts. But I also get to ask questions and listen. I’ve asked the same questions at every stop: What are your core values? What do you stand for?
When I talk with conservative or Republican audiences, I’m struck by how quickly and confidently and uniformly they answer. Six themes surface time after time. Less government. Lower taxes. Free market economics. Individual liberty. Old-fashioned family values. Patriotism.
Sometimes the freedom they profess to love seems to clash with their definition of family values. Sometimes their love of country takes the form of military might or homeland security. Other times it comes out sounding like fear or even hatred of foreigners.
When I meet with Democrats or left-leaning groups and ask them my questions, what I typically hear is crickets. I get puzzled looks. Pregnant pauses. A few might bring up issues or causes they care about. I stop them. I ask again. What are your values? What principles form the basis of your positions on issues? Sometimes answers never come, only shrugs. When answers are offered, they generally are neither confident nor uniform.
In the vacuum that forms, Republicans define Democrats by default. Since Republicans say they are for less government and lower taxes, that puts Democrats on the side of more government and higher taxes. This current understanding will probably persist until either Democrats reach a consensus on what values guide them or a blossoming Republican identity crisis reaches full bloom.
Now that the GOP is Donald Trump’s party, the commitment to limited government is fading. Trump is promising both guns and butter, with his demands for a massive military buildup and a trillion-dollar domestic building program. Free trade is giving way to protectionism. Intrusive government authoritarianism is increasingly trespassing on personal freedoms. Both in style and in substance, Trump is at odds with what Reagan-style conservatives consider traditional social values. Those on the right are having a harder and harder time recognizing their party and agreeing on what it should stand for.
So again I ask both Republicans and Democrats: What are your core values?
Here are mine:
- Freedom with responsibility. Each individual has a right to be free. But with that right comes an obligation to make sure others are free as well.
- Democracy, both political and economic. Both our political system and our economy should be of the people, by the people, and for the people.
- Equality. We are all created equal, with inalienable rights. No one starts at third base.
- Caretaking. This means looking out for one another, and having each other’s back. It means taking care of the land and water and air.
- Service. To community. To country. To each other.
— Mike McCabe |
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Commentary
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Written by Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Martha Laning
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Friday, 03 March 2017 15:24 |
Many people around here want and need important parts of the Affordable Care Act, but Republicans still have no plan of their own to replace it.
JANESVILLE - Vice President Mike Pence was here today with other top Republicans to unite his party around a replacement of Obamacare.
It is very telling that Vice President Pence, Speaker Ryan, and Secretary Price spent more time in invite-only meetings than speaking to regular Wisconsinites who are afraid that their health care will be taken away from them.
If they had spoken to a family no longer under a mountain of debt from medical bills, a part-time teacher who can finally afford preventative care, or a recent college graduate who no longer goes to sleep at night praying they don't get sick, they'd know that the Affordable Care Act is helping millions of our friends, families, and neighbors.
The fact is that the ACA is more popular than ever after helping 150 million Americans with pre-existing conditions gain crucial health care coverage, increasing mental health and substance abuse health coverage substantially, and insuring millions of young adults who can now stay on their parent's health insurance until age 26.
Republicans still have no plan of their own to insure the millions of Americans who got access to lifesaving health care under the ACA. And the few ideas they have put on the table would lead to worse care that is harder to get and more expensive.
Instead of trying to rip coverage away from Americans, we should be working to strengthen the Affordable Care Act and finding ways to expand access to affordable health care.
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Martha Laning is the Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair. |
Last Updated on Friday, 03 March 2017 15:53 |
Commentary -
Commentary
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Written by Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, Matt Rothschild
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Thursday, 02 March 2017 16:54 |
We look at Justice Michael Gableman speaks at GOP fundraiser, Citizens United, a new “Influence Peddler of the Month”, and Trump & Fascism.
MADISON - It’s been a busy week so far. We got a tip from one of our members that Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman is no longer even pretending to be nonpartisan, so we checked it out and it’s true: Gableman, Club for Growth leader to speak at GOP fundraiser We also noted that GOP legislators are on board with the effort to amend the U.S. Constitution – not to overturn Citizens United– but to foolishly require a balanced budget: Wisconsin GOP backs article V convention. No Dems allowed! For our “Influence Peddler of the Month,” we dug up a group you may never even have heard of: Influence peddler of the month - Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association And we just unveiled our handy primer on Fascism and Donald Trump: “A guide for study and resistance.” Feel free to share it far and wide: New feature: Trump & Fascism Thanks for taking a look! Best, as always, Matt Rothschild Executive Director
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Learn more about the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign at www.wisdc.org. |
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