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Revolutionary republic of July 4 should eschew empire's excess
The days leading up to the 233rd anniversary of American independence offered plenty of opportunities to consider how a country founded in opposition to empire and imperialism should respond to the inclination toward democracy and repression of democracy on display in distant (and not so distant) lands. read story
Spencer Black legislates for the environment
The Legislature sets the agenda for the state on a host of fronts, from social and economic policy to public safety and environmental protection. That last area of concern remains a focus of state Rep. Spencer Black, the Madison Democrat who for many years has been the Legislature's most outspoken environmentalist. And he is getting things done. read story
State Debate: Is there any fight left in Americans?, Beloit Daily News asks
Beloit Daily News asks: Any fight left in Americans?
The spending spree in government, at all levels, continues with all the roaring enthusiasm of a runaway brush fire. For years now, many have argued that a day of reckoning would come, when the insatiable appetite for government spending would overwhelm citizens' ability (or willingness) to pay. That day is no longer speculative. You can see it from here.
The American people have become sheep. They follow the news sparingly. Too many know too little, and seem to care even less. The leadership is betting the people will put up with anything they want, with barely a whimper.
Are they right? Is that true? We shall see.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Local officials need to start thinking about what wind rules should be
Wisconsin needs more wind-powered energy, and it should do what it can to encourage the growth of wind power. That should include the adoption of uniform statewide siting rules for large wind farms, as proposed in legislation sponsored by state Sen. Jeff Plale (D-South Milwaukee).
But municipalities such as Menomonee Falls are smart to move forward with their own rules governing the erection of a wind turbine in someone's back yard to reduce energy costs. Local officials need to address the regulatory issue to give guidance to residents as interest in wind power grows. Officials would be smart to start thinking now about where turbines might work within reason -- and where they wouldn't.
La Crosse Tribune believes cap-and-trade bill tries to do too much
Who could vote against something called the Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009?
Apparently, quite a few members of the House of Representatives. It cleared the House by a scant seven-vote margin last week. That slim margin forebodes tough sledding in the U.S. Senate, which Majority Leader Harry Reid said could take up the "cap-and-trade" legislation in the fall.
That the Clean Energy and Security Act received little public inspection before its House passage is no wonder: Its breath-taking scope would have given even the most credulous supporters of reducing green house gas emissions pause. Even with a putative filibuster-proof Democratic majority in the Senate, a cap-and-trade scheme with as many add-ons as the House bill contains won't make it through the Senate. That's just as well: Such a bill should simply concentrate on capping and gradually reducing green house gas emissions while ensuring alternative energy sources -- including nuclear power -- face fewer barriers.
Racine Journal Times has recipe for the Fourth
Fire up the barbecue grill, strike up the bands, gather your family around. It's time to celebrate the Fourth of July. For most of us it means picnics and backyard barbecues, taking in parades and fireworks, enjoying a long weekend as summer and all its fun stretches before us.
It's a grand time. We hope all your celebrations are fun-filled and you take joy in your family gatherings. But we also hope you take a moment to reflect on how we got here as a nation.
The fireworks over the weekend are in part to remind us of the "bombs bursting in air" that Francis Scott Key memorialized in a poem after watching the American defense of Fort McHenry against the British in the War of 1812. When dawn came the stars and stripes were still flying. Key's poem, of course, became our national anthem -- a celebration of our country's will and determination to survive and thrive and to defend our hard-fought freedoms.
Jefferson plant closing another step in collapse of state's industrial base
It is hard to take seriously the state Department of Commerce, an agency that consistently responds to the deindustrialization of Wisconsin by saying, "Uh, well, um, er, ah -- what happened?" Such was the case Wednesday, when Briggs & Stratton Corp. announced plans to shutter its Jefferson manufacturing plant. read story
State Debate: Stay away from bears, La Crosse Tribune says
A 7/2 roundup of editorials from state newspapers read story
Gutting state's film incentives a foolish move
An embarrassing display of ignorance characterized the arguments of those who hoped to do away with Wisconsin's film incentives program. Of course, as those arguments were coming from the state Department of Commerce. read story
State Debate: We must change tactics to tackle hunger, says Oshkosh Northwestern
Oshkosh Northwestern: With one billion hungry, we must change tactics, lives
It is a number so staggeringly large that it almost defies comprehension: the United Nations estimates that 1 billion people across the globe are hungry. Approximately, one in six people are affected by hunger due to war, drought, political instability, high food prices and poverty.
We like to think we live in a modern age where wealth and technology have rid us of the old obstacles. As this report suggests, progress is something we cannot take for granted. The establishment of the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry earlier this year was a reminder that hunger is not a hidden problem. Ours is a generous community. Many churches and organizations host food drives and support year-round outreach. The folks on the front lines report that the need is growing at a sharp, even alarming, rate.
Leave space business, Racine Journal Times argues
It looks as if we truly are on the brink of going where no man has gone before. And if we're a few years late, no matter. We're still getting there.
In New Mexico, officials gathered recently for the groundbreaking ceremony for Spaceport America. This will be the headquarters for flights by Virgin Galactic, the British company which intends to offer suborbital spaceflights to paying tourists. Meanwhile, the private company Orbital Sciences Corp. found a subcontractor for the cargo modules it will use to supply the International Space Station.
The era we're talking about is one in which the federal government gets out of the space business and focuses on space exploration. Government is best at funding ventures so risky that private money won't flow there. Modern medicine and modern computers wouldn't be where they are without government investment in basic science. But there comes a point at which it's better for private companies to develop and deploy technologies because they're better at reducing costs and providing innovation that pleases customers.
Well, at least budget was on time says Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
It's July 1 and the governor has signed a budget. This should be an unremarkable statement but, given past legislative performance and the necessity to close a $6.6 billion gap, it is anything but. In 2007, the Legislature got its budget to the governor four months late. And that was done in an economic environment that might be viewed as positively upbeat compared with today's downturn.
We weren't fans of previous years' partisan gridlock but are just as critical of this year's backroom deals struck out of public view. The Legislature must be made to operate under the same open-meeting requirements it imposes on others. Still, given the extraordinarily difficult economic circumstances under which the budget was crafted, we're thankful that the middle class was mostly sheltered, while services to low-income residents are allowed to continue and, in some cases, expand.
Kenosha News: A little fireworks courtesy, please
As the Fourth of July approaches, so does an annual problem: Some people enjoy fireworks, and some don't.
Most people enjoy the big fireworks displays, and those who don't can avoid them. Kenosha's fireworks display and similar ones in other municipalities are scheduled events. If you don't like crowds or you don't like the noise or the gunpowder smell that comes along with fireworks, don't go. Even people living close to the harbor could avoid Kenosha's fireworks by going away for the evening. Big, professionally staged fireworks shows rarely cause problems.
It's the unscheduled, amateur displays that aggravate a lot of people. The noise bothers people, especially people who are trying to sleep. It also causes anxiety for many pets, especially dogs. The carelessness displayed by some people shooting off fireworks in their back yards also causes anxiety for some of their neighbors, and with good reason. It's not unusual for fireworks to cause fires when they are used recklessly.
In the interest of being neighborly, here are some things fireworks fans should avoid: sending rockets over the house next door or the garage; surprising people who aren't watching or expecting your fireworks display; shooting off fireworks after the bars close.
That really isn't much to ask.
Energy bill is still too weak
The American Clean Energy and Security legislation that was backed by the Obama administration and congressional Democratic leaders as a centerpiece of the drive to address climate change was approved late last week by the U.S. House. read story
State Debate: Budget could be worse; process should be better, Eau Claire Leader Telegram says
Eau Claire Leader Telegram: Budget could be worse; process should be better
It's a vast understatement to say Gov. Jim Doyle and the state Legislature had an unenviable task when creating the 2009-11 state budget, which the governor signed Monday. The global recession left the state with a record-breaking $6.6 billion shortfall in the two-year spending plan. For perspective, that's nearly 12 percent of the previous two-year budget.
So, as with any budget, this one is a mixed bag. Probably the best thing that can be said about it is that it could be worse. The Democratic governor and the Democratic-dominated Legislature balanced the roughly $62 billion budget with a mixture of cuts (including state employee furloughs), fees and tax increases.
And while Doyle and lawmakers deserve a bit of credit for the first-time-in-a-generation feat of finishing the budget before the July 1 deadline (which will ensure the state won't lose millions in federal funds), they deserve even more criticism for the rushed, secretive process used to pass the document: Crucial votes were taken in the middle of the night; decisions were made before details were available for review; most of the real action took place behind closed doors; and opposition Republicans was largely excluded from meaningful participation. That makes for bad public relations and potentially bad public policy. As we learn more about the massive document in the coming days, we'll find out how much of the latter found its way into the budget.
Sheboygan Press: Early voting isn't needed in Wisconsin
The Government Accountability Board's idea for making Election Day balloting go more smoothly sounds reasonable. But the big question is whether local government can afford it.
Because so many people used the absentee ballot to avoid long lines at polling places in November, the accountability board wants to explore a system of early voting. The idea is to set up regional voting centers where people could cast ballots up to 20 days before Election Day. Voting would also be held on Saturdays, but early voting would end three days before the actual election. Sounds good, but the computer program or software needed for this could cost the state as much as $500,000. Plus there would be expenses for local municipal clerks, especially for those who would have to set up and monitor the regional center.
Appleton Post Crescent asks: Can 'czars' rule wisely?
Kenneth Feinberg, the compensation czar recently appointed to set the pay for 175 top executives at seven of the largest companies that have received government bailout money, wields the power of what you would imagine in a "czar." He gets to set the salaries and bonuses of some of the country's top executives, who oversee companies such as Citigroup, General Motors and American International Group.
Clearly, these troubled companies need oversight as they attempt to get back on track and return some of that bailout money to us, the taxpayers. Fair enough. But is a "czar" the person to do it? The proliferation of czars in the Obama administration -- the latest tally was something like 21 -- is almost comical. Sen. John McCain quipped that Obama "has more czars than Romanovs," the dynasty that ruled Russia for three centuries.
So far, Obama has appointed a health czar, drug czar, border czar, regulatory czar and information technology czar, among others. All have important tasks before them, but you have to wonder if their appointment blurs the traditional lines of government too much.
La Crosse Tribune believes killing bear was right
A prominent bear researcher earlier this year pointed out that the Coulee Region provides perfect habitat for black bears. Bear sightings are now commonplace. In fact, they've been reported in Ferryville and points even farther south.
And on Saturday, a bear was wandering in the vicinity of Losey Boulevard and Vine Street on La Crosse's south side. Within minutes, the DNR was involved. And 32 minutes after the police received the first of numerous complaints about the bear, a DNR warden and police killed the bear after it climbed a tree above the old Myrick Park zoo.
Many people are outraged that the bear was killed with three 12-gauge slugs to the chest rather than tranquilized and relocated. The story is a little more complicated than that. Police reacted appropriately in that they immediately addressed what was a serious public safety threat.
Pocan, Miller bring adult supervision to budget process
No matter what anyone thinks of the biennial state budget that has now been approved by both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature, it is a success by one very important measure. It was finished on time. read story
