From Our Readers...Issue Date: December 9, 2021 Dear Editor
State Representative Elijah Behnke (R-Oconto) issued the following statement in response to Governor Evers' veto of Senate Bill 463 (SB 463):
"Parents should always have full control over their children's education, plain and simple. This includes having access to the course curriculum and classroom materials that students will be exposed to. This access should be free and easy to utilize, allowing parents to monitor their children's education and make changes when appropriate."
"Senator Duey Stroebel and I authored SB 463 to ensure just that. With how politicized education has become in many areas, parents deserve to know what is being taught in their children's classroom now more than ever. This bill would've gone a long way towards making sure education doesn't turn into indoctrination."
"Instead, Gov. Evers figured he knew what was better for students than their own parents. He vetoed a bill that would've empowered parents to have control over their children's education. Instead, the Governor opted to keep them in the dark about what is being taught in the classroom."
"One can't help but wonder, what is he trying so desperately to hide?"
Rep. Elijah Behnke
Oconto, WI
Editor
HOW I SEE THE ISSUES
The Middle/High School Building Project and Referendums
The voters narrowly defeated the 2021 referendum to rebuild the existing Middle/High School building. The margin was 13 votes. That means that the supporters of the 2021 Referendum only needed 7 votes to convert and pass the referendum. With that in mind, you can bet that their will be another referendum in the next possible interval. Keep in mind that the Peshtigo and Grover tax payers have luckily sidestepped a debt load of 47 million dollars. This is during an inflation period of witch, the similar, I have never seen in my life time. If the referendum had passed, just think what the tax payers, would be getting for that 47 million dollars.
47 million dollars = 35 million on the referendum plus 12 million dollars to pay the Banker.
* A bigger footprint for a building that is too large for the land it sets on now!
* A remolded building.
* A building just a car length away from the river. What would the Dept of Natural Resources have to say about this project?
* A 3 year project that you know will be full of unforeseen obstacles to overcome.
* A 3ard gymnasium whose main use is to provide room for classes displaced while their rooms are being renovated.
* A pile of congestion between construction trucks, deliveries, buss traffic, automobiles and "dangerous foot traffic".
* A promise of at least 3 years in duration.
* And now the biggest issue ?? handing over a "Cash Cow" to Performance Service Inc. "PSI". PSI is a company of Engineers whose task is to listen to the School Board, Teachers, Contractors, and concerned citizens of the voting public as to the best solution for our building dilemma. If PSI wins the job ?? they will contractually orchestrate the entire project, start to finish, and earn 5% of the total cost. It is their business to know everything about the Peshtigo School Dist. They know how many right hand and left hand doors are in the entire building complex as well as how many door knobs are on the shelves incase one would need to be replaced. It's their business to know and they know it well. PSI knows how much money Peshtigo can barrow, and they know how much of a money bubble they need to work with. Peshtigo fits their "Recipe" otherwise they would not be pitching the project. Understand; Peshtigo is handing over a huge bubble of money for witch there is no competition. PSI is sure of that because they talk with other companies that do the same type of work. They make a gentleman's agreement as to who will get, what, where, and when, business that is out there. You will never be able to prove this thought, but it is out their. Just use common sense to understand the situation. Keep this in mind for the next referendum. Remember, it's your tax money.
My name is Marshall Lund, 715-789-2256. I pay Grover Property Taxes. This letter is how I see the Peshtigo Middle/High School Referendum Issues. I also see the situation as a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY for Peshtigo to do something " VERY, VERY "special for its self and the surrounding community. We need you Hometown Professionals to wake up at a local level otherwise someone else will give away our tax dollars. ITS YOUR MONEY
Marshal Lund
Peshtigo, WI
Dear Editor
A recent article reminisced about the former positive political climate and reputation for effective, clean government in Wisconsin. It argued that reputation resulted from priorities expected of those we elected to serve us. First was serving interests of the Assembly or Senate district, followed by that of the legislative body to which they were elected, and third, the interests of a political party.
Today's climate is appallingly the opposite. The interests of an Assembly or Senate district are often ignored, even to voting against the interests of their district when the party demands it. The expressed interests of district constituents can be safely ignored because gerrymandered districts guarantee their seats while they kowtow to political parties.
I don't disagree with the argument by various courts that redistricting is a political process that should be decided by the legislative process but only if that process begins with transparently and fairly drawn districts, a situation we clearly do not enjoy today.
I call on my representatives, Representative Jeff Mursau and Senator Mary Felzkowski to serve their constituencies by first voting against any effort to override Governor Evers' veto of the gerrymandered redistricting maps, and second to support adopting a redistricting process that largely takes politicians out and puts the people in charge of designing maps. I urge you to contact your representatives with the same demand.
Ken Harter
305 N Oakland Ave
Oconto Falls WI 54154
920 604-1044
Editor:
Is choosing to prioritize us over them an acceptable moral choice or does it matter?
This is a issue that underlines refugees from war, violence, poverty, and growing up in America without being accepted as American. The late Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of Britain, wrote, "To insist that being loved entails that others be unloved is to fail to understand love itself". To me this is the essence of peace, human morality, and American ideals.
If we truly are going to find peace, I don't believe it will be by building walls to human suffering as we have tried on our southern border and make excuses. It seems to me, we have chosen enforcement and stereotyping to hear, in my mind, the truth that Rabbi Sacks stated above. If we understood love and humanity, we would adequately staff the border with people who can do the medical screening, give the medical care to make them and others safe, and offer a hand up rather than a hand down when appropriate. It also means to me find space for them in this country and for Afghanistans who are sitting in military base. The idea that they don't speak English is no different than many of the immigrants from Europe and Asia. They speak English within a generation. In short, it does matter how we choose to understand love and morality.
Gilbert Engel
Niagara
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