Letters to the Editor

Dear editor, Patriots in 1776 had to make a very brave and fateful decision as to whether freedom of speech was a strong enough reason to go into battle with the most powerful army in the world, armed only with a squirrel gun. Some today have forgotten that act of bravery and consider free speech a meaningless concept. Fortunately far more people think free speech is not only meaningful, it is America’s greatest accomplishment. Lots of places have democratic forms of government, but the United States is the only country that guarantees free expression. Citizens speaking unpopular views of their government in other countries can be prosecuted. Not in America! It makes us special. America isn’t just a free country, it’s the freest. If you are in the minority on any public issue, speaking your mind is the only real power you have. Freedom of speech makes free thought possible. All other rights derive from it. It is so important that it was put at the top of the Bill of Rights. Our founders understood that for America to truly be a free country, it needs to be occupied by free minds.  America can survive famine, wars, drought, and recessions. It cannot survive leaders who despise their own people. Some of these leaders, despite their dismal records, have no idea how really bad they are. One such leader was running for re-election as Virginias governor last November. The governors radical platform was an attempt to block Virginia parents from exercising their free speech and constitutional rights to direct or object to any aspect of their children’s education.  As expected the governor received support from the American Federation of Teachers union (AFT), but it was the National School Board Associations attempt to have parents charged as domestic terrorists by the FBI that drew national attention. All of this overreach of power has put public education in a critical light and front and center of a national debate. Thank God for Virginia voters! They have elected a new dynamic governor, lieutenant governor, and state attorney general that have quickly codified parental rights into state law. Taxpayers and parents, especially in a referendum year, have a right to know where the River Valley School District, or any school district, stands on issues that were raised in Virginia. Where does the district stand on issues of parental rights, critical race theory, the 1619 Project, transgender bathrooms and boys on girls sports teams? Is the district brave enough to go on record addressing these issues? Parents everywhere are looking for friends in education. Can they trust the teachers unions? How can they ever trust the National School Board Association after 29 states severed ties with them, including Wisconsin, for their actions in trying to get dissenting parents listed as domestic terrorists.  Do parents have any friends in the Wisconsin State Legislature? Wisconsin State Representative Lee Snodgrass (D-Appleton) tweeted in February, 2022, “If parents want to have a say in their child’s education, they should home school or pay for private school tuition out of their family budget.” Snodgrass is the second vice chair of the Wisconsin State Democratic Party. On the other side of the isle, a bill [AB 963], similar to Virginias has recently been introduced by Wisconsin representatives. The bill would prohibit infringing “the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, health care, and mental health of their children without demonstrating the infringement is required…” The bill establishes 15 rights that allows parents to sue governmental bodies or officials if these rights are violated. There is also a bill introduced to ban critical race theory in Wisconsin.  Compulsory attendance in public education started in 1852. The concept was a building filled with public servants, serving the public. So what happened? Why are parents taking their children out of public schools in astounding numbers? A recent report from the National Alliance for Public Charter schools that studied enrollment shifts, shows that 1.45 million students from every racial and socioeconomic background have recently left traditional public schools. Historically parents wanted, and the public schools used to provide, an education that allowed their children to become productive, thinking members of society who can form families and stable communities. An overwhelming number of parents now say that the curriculum taught in public schools does not match their values or prepare their children for college and the workplace.  Daniel J McGuire Former River Valley School Board Member  Richland County Supervisor  Lone Rock   Dear editor, To all residents in the Plain community area and under the Plain Ambulance District:  I am writing to encourage anyone who is interested to volunteer with our Emergency Medical Services (EMS).  We need EMT’s to fill all of our slots to  serve our community. I joined the volunteer EMS system in 1976 with the fire district as a first responder when we did not have an ambulance. The ambulance service was started up in January, 1977, when I joined, through the hard work of Louis Nachreiner and Delmar Ring. It was kicked off with 17 EMTs and drivers. From that time until now we’ve had about 128 personnel who have served our area, and I’ve enjoyed working with each one. We were all able to share service time slots so that all of them were covered. However, because we are short-staffed right now, we are having some problems covering all service slots. We want to make sure that our emergency system can be there when people need it, and I hope that you will consider becoming a volunteer. Anyone thinking about joining can give Tracey Brent a call at (608) 574-9200. If you or someone you know might be interested, give Tracey a call to find out what the job is like. You don’t need to make a commitment at that time. There will be a EMT school in Plain this fall.  EMT Bob Neuheisel  Plain   Dear editor, As a resident of the Town of Wyoming in Iowa County I plan to vote for Matthew Allen for Iowa County Circuit Court Judge on Tuesday April 5.   I have known Matt and his family for over 10 years and was privileged to work with Matt for five of those years. Matt has the background that qualifies him for judge.  He has been an attorney for almost 20 years.  During the last 10 of those years, he has served Iowa County as Corporation Council and Assistant District Attorney and most recently as District Attorney.  He has experience in child protection, juvenile matters, traffic, OWI, guardianship, protective placement, civil and criminal cases, child support, personal injury as well as legal advisor to the Iowa County board while Corporation Council.  Matt was one of the key team members in establishing the Drug Treatment Court in Iowa County.   In addition to his legal experience his personal qualifications are another reason I encourage the citizens of Iowa County to vote for Matt Allen.  He has an outstanding work ethic; is professional, patient, honest and trustworthy.  Over the past 10 years he has developed an outstanding working relationship with his staff, the staff in the Clerk of Courts office, law enforcement, local police departments, Social Services, mental health professionals and fellow attorneys. Please join me and many others and vote for a leader with the knowledge, integrity, and work ethic required for Iowa County Judge, Matt Allen. Cathy Olson Town of Wyoming   Dear editor, Our absentee ballots are arriving, so it is time to do a little research on the races being decided, and to acquaint ourselves with candidates who are probably not familiar “household names.”  We are all learning how very important these smaller, close-to-home races are, with very real consequences in our daily lives. One race, in Sauk County, is particularly important: Circuit Court Judge. In an ideal world, we’d all wish that politics would play no part in choosing  someone to fairly decide legal cases. But sadly, in Wisconsin, at this point in time, with this particular post; it is grimly critical that everyone be aware that one of the candidates is a Walker appointee, with firm connections to others in that tightly-knit group.  Back in 2018, he ran and lost in spite of (or because of) endorsements by major  Wisconsin “conservatives”  Gableman, Bradley, Prosser, and Hagedorn. National endorsements included anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ groups, plus the NRA.  The other person running, Blake Duren, has no such “baggage” weighing him down. Read their interviews in this paper, compare their assets, and be very aware of Screnock’s undeniable history when making your choice. Another judgeship is up for grabs, for Iowa County voters. Luckily, it seems to be free of such powerful political ties. We can be thankful that there are still some races with good, solid candidates, willing to serve in public office. We could only wish and hope that the clean, fair election process would extend beyond that race to the seats now occupied by Marklein and Novak, who seem to be so firmly locked in by gerrymandering and dark money that nobody even bothers to challenge their seats. We have a lot to do yet, to cure such severe damage to our public rights. Let’s make sure we bring as many voters to this election as we can.  Peggy Peckham Arena   Dear editor, On March 9, the New York Times had a fact checking article in Section A, Page 15.  It was titled “Invasion and Pandemic, Not Policies, are driving up gas prices.”  On Friday, Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) wrote in his weekly email that gas prices and inflation are primarily impacted by decisions of the federal government.  Which is true? Marklein repeats what the Republicans have been saying for the past year. He, however,  never once cited proof of any of his statements.   According to Patrick DeHaan, an expert on , and head of Petroleum Analysis for the app Gas Buddy, says that the primary reason for increased gas prices were the pandemic and the disruption to global supply and demand, not the Keystone XL pipeline or temporary halt of oil drilling leases.  When the pandemic took hold, demand for oil dried up (-$37.63 for crude that April).  As the pandemic loosened, demand increased, but supply did not.  Investors are reluctant to provide financing to the oil industry, thereby the supply doesn’t increase. Jennifer Granholm, Energy Secretary, told oil companies to “please take advantage of the open leases you have, hire workers, get your rigs up.” According to the Center for Biological Diversity, comparing President Joe Biden’s first year to President Donald Trump’s first year, Biden approved 34 percent more drilling permits! So, Senator Marklein, instead of telling us how Republicans in Wisconsin are fixing our roads, and giving us tiny tax breaks, and how gas prices are the fault of the Democrats, how about taking a ride on Highway 14 in Richland Center?   How about backing up some of your statements?  For 10 years now we have been hearing from you how the Republicans are going to fix roads.  This year the Biden administration allocated monies to go to states…with that money we can have better roads…and Republicans will steal  the credit.   Barbara Voyce Lone Rock   Dear editor, In a time when our democracy is being challenged, it has never been more important to vote. Yes, even in the spring election, when the “unimportant,” supposedly non-partisan races take place; “unimportant” offices like mayor, school board, and circuit court judges [sarcasm noted]. There should be a free, easily accessible voter guide that summarizes candidates’ positions, but there isn’t, so you may have to do a bit of research to select the person you think is best for the job. It isn’t that difficult: do a Google search, find a candidate forum online, ask around.  Isn’t our democracy worth it? Please research the candidates and vote on April 5. If you don’t, you have no reason to complain after the election. C’mon, do your part or quit yer b*tchin’. Claudia Wood Highland