Progressive Thinking

GREEN BAY - If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That seems to be the Republican motto when it comes to keeping those pesky Democratic voters from voting. A few years back, they invented the great “voter fraud” epidemic, with no real evidence that it ever existed, to justify a voter ID law in Wisconsin. Since many more poor people, espec ...

GREEN BAY – I have been listening to the “debate” coming out of our nation’s capitol all day on CNN and just can’t help but comment. Today, the Republicans in the House voted to hold the budget of the United States hostage so that they could make a statement about ObamaCare. They would fund the budget but not the implementation of the Affordable C ...

A few months ago Burke wasn't on the radar screen of possible Democratic candidates for governor in 2014, and now she seems to be the hand picked candidate pushed by the party establishment. But having family money and running with the country club set have not been known to buy you love in traditional Democratic circles. GREEN BAY - According t ...

GREEN BAY - Maybe, if you don’t look at it, it will go away? That seems to be the conservative stand on the Affordable Health Care Act, commonly known as ObamaCare. In Washington, the right wing in the House has voted 40 times to kill ObamaCare, while the pressing problems of the nation like job creation and immigration go unanswered. Governor Sc ...

GREEN BAY – The American Legal System boasts that it gives the accused the right to a trial before his or her peers. Unfortunately for justice, it sometimes does not guarantee the same right for the victim. Such was graphically the case in the trial of George Zimmerman last week in Florida for the murder of Trayvon Martin. In case you were vacati ...

Senator Smith asks everyone to thank our dedicated teachers by sharing his personal experience and discussing the importance of our educators. MADISON - Last week we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week. Summer is approaching as students and teachers look for a successful close to the school year. Now is the time to thank our teachers before ...

Sen. Smith highlights the important role study committees play in drafting legislation for the upcoming session, and he invites members of the public to consider applying to serve on one before the May 17 deadline. MADISON - Study committees are formed during the spring of election years after the legislative session ends to investigate new is ...

Senator Smith lets readers know about the services available through his legislative office and encourages folks to call with any concerns or issues they may be having with any state agency. MADISON - It may not come as much of a surprise to anyone who knows how much I enjoy talking with folks, but I especially enjoy the conversations I have ...

Senator Smith details the role and responsivities of the Joint Finance Committee, and how politics is getting in the way of its work for the people of Wisconsin. MADISON - In a recent column, I wrote about legislation that went unfinished. Many of the issues that were mentioned were ignored from lack of concern by the majority party or for pu ...

Senator Smith writes about the work of the Department of Justice Office of School Safety and their role for protecting our schools across Wisconsin. This legislative session could’ve been better, but there was one glimmer of hope. The Office of School Safety (OSS) at the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) was a bright spot for lawmakers th ...