Letters to the Editor

Dear editor, I have been passing through the intersection of Highway 14 and Rainbow Road for 48 years and have been responding to the crashes there for 35 years and have had to cross it for other emergency calls for 35 years. My partner Tracy Thaden, who was involved in a serious crash at the intersection on June 5, has been responding through that intersection many times this past year as she is one of a very few EMTs that answers daytime emergency calls. Bruce Bradley told me that he thought a roundabout would be the best solution to make Highway 14 safer.  I believe that is the best idea.   Roundabouts are used around the world and are all over southern Wisconsin now. Highway 12 at Baraboo and Delton are recent additions on a federal highway. Rainbow Road, Winsted Street (Highway 23 south)  and Highway 23 north (also known as County G - the stoplight intersection)   could all be made into roundabouts. This would slow down the traffic on Highway 14 and make all three intersections safer.   We have many crashes at each intersection on a frequent basis. This would make it much safer for EMT Jamie Radke, Tracy and I to cross Highway 14 for future emergency calls. Another easier change would be to make Highway 14 at Rainbow Road into a wider road with a center turn lane so people in both directions had a safer place to wait when making a left turn onto Rainbow Road. Just like at the stoplights - give everyone a lane so no one has to stop in the fast lane of traffic to make a turn.   A right turn lane onto Rainbow Road would be good, too, as there is plenty of room there.   So many people cross the river bridge and turn right onto Rainbow Road to justify a right turn lane.  And people going eastbound do turn right onto Rainbow Road so why not just do it all right? We could use a little of that “infrastructure funding.”  A reduced speed limit, warning lights and signs could be an immediate improvement. The real issue I see is people need to stop looking at their phones while driving.   Tracy was wearing a special motorcycle jacket that is bright yellow and her turn signal was in operation and brake light would have been on - the car driver said that he didn’t see her. Her expensive padded protective coat and a top quality Harley D helmet and gloves show that she did what she could to protect herself.  I believe the car driver was probably not paying attention. I was driving to Spring Green the other day and was first on the scene of a car crash on County WC.   The driver went straight as the road curved to the left, went off the road onto the gravel shoulder, over corrected and skidded out across the highway, went down the steep bank and ended up in the cornfield below.  She had the “good luck” and escaped serious injury though the car was heavily damaged.   I cared for her while the ambulance made its way out to Wilson Creek.   EMT Jamie Radtke came right from home also and gave the driver professional care right away, too.   I have no doubt the driver was distracted - I see it in most all of the crashes the last 10 years. How do we get drivers to pay attention??  Count to one.     One second can change or end a life on our roads these days.   Whether it is one person on one vehicle or the chair reaction crashes we see all the time on TV now - it is all avoidable if people paid attention and maybe slowed down a little. By the way, we could use many more volunteers on Fire/EMS departments - people need emergency help around here every day and we are all in this together. I so appreciate the love and support my fellow volunteers have given to me from Tracy’s crash scene in the middle of Highway 14. Thank you all. Jim Birkemeier   Spring Green   Dear editor, Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green)is playing games with our children’s future. He is increasing “school funding in name only” according to John Forester, executive director of the School Administrators Alliance. The Joint Finance Committee (JFC), co-chaired by Marklein voted to put over $400 million into the education fund. However, not one dime of their “investment” will actually make it into a school budget. The money goes directly to property tax relief, cleverly disguised as education funding but not funding any child’s education. Technically, the JFC has met the requirements of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) program which requires a “Maintenance of Effort” or continuing the funding in the same proportions as in 2019. Wisconsin’s public schools were underfunded even in 2019. The Wisconsin Policy Forum shows that our once outstanding education system is now below average for per-pupil spending in the United States. We have also fallen behind in K-12 spending increases for over a decade. COVID-19 has laid bare the inequities of our school funding system that have been there for decades, with a few districts doing well while the majority of schools fall farther and farther behind. Our legislators have the opportunity to help equalize some of the inequities in that system. Budgets are often described as moral documents that reflect the priorities of the authors. If Marklein, Representative Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam), and the rest of the JFC won’t put the futures of our children as their top priority, what is their incentive for holding office? Jill Gaskell Blanchardville   Dear editor, Over the last year, many of us have experienced first-hand the frustration of slow and unreliable internet service.  The importance of broadband in how we work, learn, and live has never been more apparent. The state has recognized this importance too, launching a round of broadband expansion funding that will award up to $100 million to work on meeting this critical need in communities like ours.  You can help. If you received a postcard from Lightspeed in the last couple of weeks, please don’t throw it out!  Take a minute to complete their survey. They, in conjunction with Iowa County, are submitting a broadband expansion application. Your responses will strengthen their proposal and increase the chances of state funding helping our community.  Thank you.  Stef Morrill River Valley Commons Spring Green   Dear editor,  Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green_ and his Republican cronies on the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) want us to believe they are really helping all of us to do better financially.  Marklein sent out an email touting how wonderful their next biennial budget  is for us. We’ll start with the tax breaks...Wisconsin has a $4.4 billion surplus this year.  They plan on returning $3.4 billion to us taxpayers!  Sounds great, doesn’t it?  However, according to AP news article of 6/17/21,  a family making $40,000 to $50,000 will get $115 total!  That averages out to less than $10/month.  Wow….what a difference this will make in the life of a family near poverty.  But, hey, the rich deserve more...so those who make up to $150,000 will get $999 ….and if you make a million or more?  Phew, you will get enough to take a great vacation (of course, you could afford it without the tax refund, but why not help the rich get richer, right?) And, by the way, this so-called tax relief is over a two year period.  Over 70 percent of the total  goes to those who make over $100,000 a year. What about broadband?  Remember, the Republicans have promised for the past 10 years that they would expand broadband to rural and underserved areas. Now that Governor Tony Evers says he is doing just that, the Republicans are finally allocating budget money for this.  (They don’t want Evers to get any credit!)  Oh, wait.  We have a $4.4 billion surplus, and the JFC wants to borrow money for broadband, and end up paying at least $34 million in interest.  Have the money to pay for this, but borrow for it instead, and pay interest.  That really is a brilliant move! (Wisconsin Examiner 6/16/21) So with this $3.4 billion dollars, instead of buying votes, it would make more sense to use this towards our roads and bridges that are falling apart. Tires, axles, and other car parts cost us far more than $10/month because of the damage caused by the roads. And what about childcare?  Not a word.  They don’t want to pay for contraception, are crying because the birth rate is down, and yet don’t want to do anything to help with the huge cost of childcare.  So, Marklein and JFC members, this is a lousy budget you are creating. This is a budget that creates an even bigger division between the poor and the rich, and does nothing to help the middle class.  For shame. Marklein’s office was asked to verify or correct information given. There has been no response.   Barbara Voyce Lone Rock   Dear editor, During June Dairy month, it is a perfect time to have a conversation about how the general public is being misled about the food they consume. As a dairy farmer, I am really glad to see that Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) is working on Truth In Food Labeling legislation again. These bills are important to our dairy industry and consumers because they protect our products from fake competitors. Real milk and real dairy products should not be confused with lab made, plant-based alternatives that use our names. Almond “milk” is not “milk.” Soy “provolone” is not “provolone.” These are not the same things. I know that these Truth in Food Labeling bills are not the end-all for our industry, but they are important to us as farmers as well as the consumers who put them on their tables.  We work hard to raise strong, healthy animals to produce high-quality, nutritious food. The people who buy our products deserve the absolute best - real dairy, real ice cream, real cheese and real meat. They should not have to figure out whether the cheese slices they hold are real – or not. Thanks, Senator Marklein, for standing up for real dairy farmers in Wisconsin and our consumers, during Dairy Month. We appreciate your effort. Sincerely, Jim Winn South Wayne