I apologize for neglecting my blogging blue duties of late, but I have been distracted by local politics in my community. The April election brought us a candidate with a new perspective, grounded in the reality of a background in state and local government along with budget analysis, who really spoke directly to the most important issues facing the voters…..and got elected on that platform. Because it is a local, non-partisan election, very little money is spent by most candidates. I worked hard on that campaign and it proved, yet again, that grassroots efforts and a real message (beyond the standard “I’m not them”) do pay off. In just a few months, we have already seen positive change.
During these last few weeks, I have watched in horror as the next budget is being put together. Being that I have a Poli Sci/History undergrad degree as well as a Master’s degree, I have at least a passing acquaintance with how government functions. I just don’t see how taking over (and appointing a County official to administer it) MPS schools, ending the waiting period for gun purchases, increasing the speed limit, refusing abortion services, cutting taxes for the wealthy, dismantling a top notch University system, along all the other pieces of crap (I was going to say bullshit, but thought better of it) that are contained in the Governor’s budget are going to help Wisconsin flourish economically. In fact, these measures don’t work.
Meanwhile, the Governor continues to campaign for President and has been traveling all over the world. As befitting a man of his stature, he brags that the British PM told him Obama sucks and that he knows how to solve the crisis in the Middle East. All the time he’s gone, his minions continue to decimate the well being of our beloved State. Right now he’s in Canada, picking low-hanging economic fruit, as they are already our number one trading partner and have invested at least $5 billion in Wisconsin over the last ten years.
So, what’s my point? All of this could have been avoided if Walker had been successfully removed from office, either at the polls or through the recall. Yadda yadda yadda. People need to be motivated to participate in the process, feel like they have something to vote FOR, and then have to have the ability to get out and actually VOTE. The title of this post references a very old musical that points out that we usually already have what we are searching to find. We just need to stop and figure it out. We will have to see if the newly elected DPW leadership can live up to their potential, but just like the old Zen adage, true “change comes from within”. We have to change our basic thought process. Money is clearly not the answer, nor is in-fighting, or concentrating on two major metro areas at the expense of the rest of the State. Instead, it may very well be old-fashioned grassroots organizing around solutions to specific problems. What worked in my small community can work on a larger level.
Well said Nancy. We need to be showing that not has this regressive agenda failed and damaged Wisconsin, but we need to promote that there is a BETTER WAY. And that includes investing in Wisconsin with improved infrastructure that is paid for (not borrowed), and improving our state’s advantages in education and natural attractions, and restoring the high quality of life that we used to take pride in.
And it needs to be idea-based and coming from the bottom, as you say. There’s something happening here (I saw a ton of “Save our Schools” signs in Tosa yesterday, for example) and people are tuned in. Let’s not allow the consultant class to screw it up
Ms. Northshore, I would not presume to criticize your use of the English language to effectively describe the gross antics or actions of Walker, Fitzgerald, and others of their ilk. Using descriptive language of the street may be the best way to communicate to the public the egregiously, unjust or immoral failings of Wisconsin’s elected Republican officials.
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But if you are uncomfortable and wish to be more gentile, yet effective , I suggest that “more GOP legislative diarrhea” may be just as apt to describe the sight, smell, and content of their wasteful or defecating efforts upon the public.