ORIGINAL INTENT, SUPREME COURT ELECTIONS, AND THE 2ND AMENDMENT
Wisconsin has a Supreme Court election on April 2nd. If you have been following this race, or paying attention to any of the U.S Supreme Court nomination hearings, you have heard a lot of noise about judicial philosophy and “original intent.” What does this mean? Is it important?Original intent is the idea that the Constitution and other laws must be interpreted based on the original intent or meaning of the authors. This view sees the Constitution as a static document frozen in time. It can only be changed by the formal amendment process. This is in contrast to a ...
Is Wisconsin’s Grey Wolf an endangered species?
On March 6, 2019 Middle Wisconsin received the following press release from Wisconsin State Senator Tom Tiffany (R Minocqua):Contact: Senator Tom Tiffany FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Phone: (608) 266-2509 March 6, 2019Senator Tiffany’s Statement on the Plan to Lift Wolf Protections MADISON, Wis. - State Senator Tom Tiffany (R-Minocqua) released this statement following reports the U.S. Department of Interior plans to lift endangered species protections:“I absolutely agree with Secretary Bernhardt’s decision to remove endangered species protections for the gray ...
FIRST GLANCE AT GOVERNOR EVERS’ BUDGET
Governor Tony Evers presented his first budget to the Legislature on Thursday evening last week. It was a uniquely crafted budget. It contained encouraging policy for Wisconsin’s future. And many of the Governor’s budget provisions were long overdue.The Governor’s comments highlighted his goal to present the people’s budget to the Legislature: “It’s about creating a Wisconsin that works for everyone — a Wisconsin for us. This isn’t the Tony Evers’ budget, the Democratic budget, the speaker’s budget, or the Republican budget — this is the people’s ...
WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT
“Get involved. The world is run by those who show up” - Bumper stickerWisconsin has another important Supreme Court election on April 2nd. This is an election that people need to take seriously. Who gets elected can make a difference to people's lives. People need to show up!This year's election is similar to the Supreme Court race in 2018. The choice is between two sitting judges and the qualifications of the two candidates varies significantly. Judge Lisa Neubauer is an experienced, qualified, non-partisan, candidate. Judge Brian Hagedorn has limited experience, ...
Water is Precious – Part III
Water is cheap. Fixing water quality problems is expensive. Protecting our water before polluting it is less expensive. We can take steps now to preserve our cheapest most precious resource. Changing our perceptions about water use, using nature to help us preserve water and reinvesting in science are easy ways to show how an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.In the last two columns, I discussed how water sustains our lives and how important it is for our economic prosperity. This week I will offer simple, but critical ways we can invest in water, our most ...
MAKING THE WORLD WORK FOR EVERYONE – A PALE BLUE DOT PART V
Planet Earth from a distance of 4 billion miles. Photo by Voyager I. Source: NASA/JPL Feb. 1990 (Just below middle of page in orange/brown color band on right)Imagine we had a magic wand we could simply wave to solve humanity’s problems and make the world work for everyone. We could assess all of the human activities occurring around the Earth, decide if they were beneficial or harmful to the health of people and the planet, and use the wand to end bad activities and initiate good ones. Simple. So, what might we do if we had such a wand: The use of fossil fuels to ...
VOTE TUESDAY APRIL 2
April 2 is Spring Election Day in Wisconsin. Important races are being held in state, county, municipal, School Board and other areas.Voter turnout for this type of election is often very low. Please remember to add your voice by voting.An extremely important statewide race on April 2 is the seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Voters will elect the next Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, replacing retiring Justice Shirley Abrahamson.Why is this race so important? There are many lawsuits that may ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court, including: The Legislatu...
VOICES OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
“When blatant antisemitic conspiracy theories were spread against George Soros, President Trump retweeted them. When antisemites carried tiki torches in Charlottesville, Donald Trump called them “very fine people.” Under Trump, well-known antisemites and white supremacists have unprecedented access to positions of power.Yet when Congresswoman Ilhan Omar criticized AIPAC [American Israeli Public Affairs Committee] for behaving like any other powerful lobby, Trump has the audacity to feign concern over antisemitism?We don’t buy it. Ilhan Omar supports our ...
Wisconsin Fish Tales
It was a real eye opener for those of us who fish Wisconsin's waters last week when retired DNR fisheries biologist Frank Pratt spoke at the UW Center for Civic Engagement. He told us how our changing climate already affects the fish in our rivers, lakes and streams, and what is yet to come. The news could hardly have been worse.Careful monitoring and diligent record keeping reveal that the waters our fish live in are warming. Numerous factors determine just how much, but the temperature rise ranges between half and one and a half degree Celsius - as much as almost three ...
The Year of Clean Drinking Water
It is a remarkable question to have to ask: Why do people oppose protecting our air and water? One would think protecting these vital resources would not be a controversial or a political issue. Everyone's heath and the health of the economy depend on clean water and air. Tourism, agriculture and many other industries must have clean water. You aren't going to have many tourists coming north to see smog and enjoy “dead zone” rivers and lakes.Governor Tony Evers is trying to move the state forward on these issues. Will the Republican controlled legislature cooperate? ...
