Letters to the Editor

Dear editor, I recently saw that the new budget passed by the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly was voted for by both Republicans and Democrats. This makes it the first bi-partisan budget in well over a decade, and I have to extend this credit to Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) who has helped craft this budget since the very beginning. Our government is often wasteful in their spending. Obviously, our state and country have been through a difficult year and allocating every penny of our taxpayer money to the right direction is extremely important. After seeing much of the budget funding, I am grateful that Senator Marklein took careful thought and spent our cash judiciously. He funded all the important things – education, healthcare, roads, etc. – while also providing billions of dollars in tax relief. Obviously, Democrats saw this was good too, since this was a bipartisan budget approval. It is great to see both sides of the aisle agree on something! Overall, I’m thankful that our senator is leading the way in funding our state while also looking out for our hard-earned cash. It’s great to have a budget this year supported by both Democrats and Republicans. Dave Certa Shullsburg   Dear editor, On Sunday our nonpartisan group, the Iowa County Fair Maps Team, marched in the Mineral Point July 4th parade. We advocate for an end to gerrymandering, the practice by the party in power of using past election data to draw district maps that give their party an unfair advantage over the opposing party. As a result of gerrymandering: we have fewer competitive elections; Wisconsinites are deprived of equal representation; and hyper-partisanship prevails.  Like you, our team was celebrating the revolution that gave birth to our country and the promise of freedom. However, July 4th is more than just an opportunity to mark an historic event: it’s a reminder that freedom is not to be taken for granted; it requires continual action to insure its preservation. As our founding father Benjamin Franklin put it, “Eternal Vigilance is the price of freedom.” It was heartening to hear so many parade watchers cheering us on. They understand that gerrymandering is a threat to our freedom. They want fair maps - maps drawn by a nonpartisan, independent commission in a process which is transparent and includes public input. While some folks may have not agreed with the Fair Maps Team, they respectfully received our message and hopefully considered it. Today America is divided into many  groups having different views on what is wrong with our country and how to fix it. But no group owns the right to simply wave the flag thus claiming to be the true patriots. The flag is an eternal symbol of all Americans who cherish and want to preserve our freedoms as well as our forebears who sacrificed to establish a healthy democracy. This was the July 4th message that prevailed in the Mineral Point parade. Thanks to the parade organizers and volunteers who staged this event. For more information about gerrymandering go to www.fairmapswi.com Allen and Judy Pincus Barneveld     Dear editor, To all of you who donated at the Blood Drive at the American Legion in Plain on June 28 - thank you so much!  We did very well, collecting nearly 40 units of much needed blood.  One of the Red Cross workers commented to me how nice it was that the Legion let us use their building for the blood drives.  I agreed, and realized that I never take the time to thank them.  So, thank you American Legion!  Your space works perfectly for the blood drives.  Also, thanks to the Home News and WRCO for getting the word out.  And thanks to my family and friends who help set up and take down, and help keep things running smooth throughout the day.  Next blood drive will be in October, so consider donating life-saving blood.   Kathy Harrington blood drive coordinator Plain