Political Heat

It should be national interests over party interests, and Paul Ryan has an opportunity to show that now more than ever Donald Trump had a lot to say about a Muslim family whose son died while serving in the war in Iraq. Khizr Khan and his wife Ghazala Khan both appeared at the Democratic National Convention last week to urge people to vote for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump, citing Trump’s ignorant views on the Muslim community as frightening and dangerous. Khizr Khan spoke while his wife stood by his side, asking of Trump, “Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery? Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities.” He added, “You have sacrificed nothing and no one.” This led to Trump defending himself on ABC with host George Stephanopoulos. When pressed to explain if he had ever made sacrifices, Trump said he had by creating “tens of thousands of jobs.” How that is a sacrifice, ...

Federal judge strikes down several restrictive voting laws in the state Wisconsin Republicans aren’t happy with the latest court ruling on laws regulating voting. U.S. District Court Judge James Peterson ruled on Friday that the laws imposed on Wisconsin voters created an undue burden on citizens, specifically on minorities. “The heart of the opinion considers whether each of the other challenged provisions unduly burdens the right to vote, in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments,” Peterson wrote in his decision. He ultimately found that “[t]he purported justifications for these laws do not justify the burdens they impose.” His ruling essentially strikes down laws passed by Republican lawmakers since Gov. Scott Walker took office that: limited early voting to no earlier than the ten weekdays before an election, and restricted communities from allowing voters to cast ballots on weekends; limited the number of polling places that a community could have for ear...

Freedom of the press is being restricted against those who report the truth A reporter with the Washington Post attended (or at least attempted to) a rally for Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence in Waukesha this week. Though he initially tried to enter as a member of the press, his credentials were denied on the basis of his employer. Unfortunately this isn't an isolated incident. Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has forbidden reporters from the Washington Post and other news organizations from attending his campaign events on account of their fact-based reporting. Sick of seeing headlines that portrayed him in a negative light, Trump denied the organization, as well as a slew of others, access during the course of his campaign. What happened to Jose A. DelReal, the reporter with the Post who was denied access to the Pence event, should disturb anyone who considers a free press an important aspect of our American democracy. From the Post :...

Student test scores across all demographics are on the rise I’m optimistic about the direction the Madison Metropolitan School District is taking. The achievement gap remains. There is still a vast difference between how well white students are doing versus students of color, with the latter falling well-behind the former. Much more work needs to be done. Yet the latest report from MMSD signals that positive changes are happening, with academic achievement rates across all demographics going up from the previous year. Black students reached a 64 percent reading proficiency, a vast improvement from the previous year’s numbers of 52 percent. In Hispanic students, the reading proficiency numbers were 73 percent, up ten percentage points from the previous academic year. Things improved in part because the school district focused on family-centric engagement philosophies. “This year, schools deepened their focus on instructional strategies to accelerate student performance,...

We can't afford a Trump presidency -- and Hillary is the candidate closest to Bernie's ideals The speeches given by party leaders at the first day of the Democratic National Convention were inspiring. Michelle Obama, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders gave stellar performances, appealing to both logical and emotional arguments for why Clinton is our best choice for president. Some reactions from the crowd, however, disturbed me. Most of the audience, of course, acted cordially, cheering for these leaders and generally showing respect during their time at the podium. Yet a good handful of “Bernie-or-Bust” supporters, those who vowed never to vote for Clinton no matter what, were boorish and uncompromising in their need to be heard , making it difficult at times to hear on television what the speakers were trying to say. Comedian Sarah Silverman took the Bernie-or-Bust portion of the crowd head-on in her comments onstage last night. “You’re being ridiculous,” she told ...

Governor and his state Supreme Court pick won’t discuss the reasons why he was selected Elections have consequences. Sometimes, those consequences have long-standing results that can’t simply be overturned by the following election season -- they last for years beyond the ballot being cast. One of the consequences of electing Gov. Scott Walker in 2014 was that it inevitably led him to run for president just weeks after he was elected. That put a sour taste in people’s mouths, and as he sought to court the conservative base throughout the nation he moved even further to the right than he had already planted himself as in the state. It’s no wonder that Walker’s approval rating now stands at 38 percent , with nearly six-in-ten now disapproving of his performance as governor. Still, Walker’s victory in 2014 means he’ll serve until at least the start of 2019, which means he’s still capable of creating more problems for our state. His decision to select Daniel Kelly as the state...

Testimony of white Madison police officer should inspire confidence that positive change is possible I am someone who is sympathetic to the Black Lives Matter movement. As a white male, I know that I can never truly understand what it’s like to grow up and live as an African American in our community. But I can recognize when injustices occur, and I do want to see positive changes in our society. I’m also someone who is supportive of police officers and the important role they play in keeping us safe. Most officers deserve our respect. There are certainly instances where some have crossed a line and conducted themselves in ways that we wouldn’t and shouldn’t accept. But we cannot assume that all officers behave in this way. Most are decent, hard-working, and stellar individuals. It is possible to hold both views, to be pro-Black Lives Matter and pro-police. You can request changes to institutional rules of the police force, and also be supportive of the police force overall. ...

Judge permits voters without ID to sign affidavit, allowing them to vote in general election A federal judge today ruled that Wisconsin citizens who are unable to attain an ID for the purposes of voting would be allowed to sign an affidavit allowing them the right to cast a ballot in the upcoming general election. From Molly Beck at Madison.com : U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman issued a preliminary injunction order on Tuesday in a case challenging the state's law requiring voters to have photo identification, granting a request from the American Civil Liberties Union. ... While most voters either have an ID or can get one easily, "a safety net is needed for those voters who cannot obtain qualifying ID with reasonable effort," Adelman wrote in the order. "The plaintiffs’ proposed affidavit option is a sensible approach that will both prevent the disenfranchisement of some voters during the pendency of this litigation and preserve Wisconsin’s interests in pr...

Lead levels across the state are at unacceptable levels, especially for children -- but little is being done Lead is no laughing matter. It is a poisonous substance, and even small amounts of it can dramatically affect intelligence levels and behavioral problems in individuals, not to mention death. It’s why we see “unleaded gasoline” as the standard at gas stations, and why lead was removed from household paints and other products in the past. The crisis in Flint, Michigan, demonstrated that lead continues to be a problem in our nation’s drinking water. Pipes that go into people’s homes are still contaminated with lead. In Madison, the lead problem has been substantially reduced , thanks to a large-scale effort more than a decade ago to remove lead pipes from the city’s water system. But the rest of the state is less fortunate, including the city of Milwaukee, which is seeing its own silent lead epidemic. One in every twelve kids in our state’s largest city tested positiv...

The “Blue Lives Matter” bill should pass -- but so should other measures to protect law enforcement and the public In the wake of the Dallas shootings that targeted police officers, leaving several dead and more wounded, the response and outpouring from prominent politicians and community leaders has, for the most part, been positive (except for a few voices that have represented misguided viewpoints). Actions speak louder than words, of course, and in Wisconsin one legislator has suggested passing a “Blue Lives Matter” bill, which would classify violent attacks specifically targeting police, fire, or other EMS personnel as a hate crime. “I strongly believe that anyone who targets these brave men and women, solely because of their profession, should face serious penalties,” the bill’s author, state Rep. David Steffen (R-Howard), said . “This legislation sends a clear message that the despicable attacks we’ve seen against officers throughout the country will not be tolerated in...

Nass shouldn't meddle in the business of UW studies State Sen. Steve Nass, a Republican from Whitewater, isn’t too thrilled with the curriculum in a certain Sociology class at the University of Wisconsin. The homework assignment, assigned by UW Sociology lecturer Jason Nolen, asks students to read “an essay on gay men's sexual desires,” according to Channel 3000 . The vague description likely alludes to a class that Nolen is teaching on sexuality, a broad topic that isn’t too uncommon on college campuses across the nation. But the specific nature of the assignment -- homosexual desires -- has Sen. Nass all in a tizzy. It’s got him so frustrated that he’s doing what other Wisconsin Republicans have done over the past couple of weeks: he’s threatening funding cuts to the UW . [Nass has] challenged [UW] leaders to give him their thoughts on the essay, cautioning them that their responses will play a role in evaluating the system's 2017-2019 budget request . (Emphasis...

Governor takes calculated -- and foolish -- risk in speaking on behalf of Trump Gov. Scott Walker recently decided he will indeed speak at the Republican National Convention this year, fueling speculation that he no longer considers himself to the “dark horse” candidate to replace presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump in a possible coup d’etat . Walker furthered those speculations in a tweet on Wednesday, stating he will endorse Trump, though not typing his name out directly: Last August, I said I'd support the GOP nominee. It's now clear who the RNC delegates will vote to nominate. And he is better than she is. — Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) July 6, 2016 Over at Cognitive Dissidence , Capper gives his two cents on what Walker’s motivations may be: While Walker undoubtedly has a deeply buried hope that he could still leave Cleveland as the nominee, it is far more likely he playing the PAC to milk all the donations he can get from them. He still has that big ...

Safeguards are meant to prevent long-term health issues, especially for children; other measures are equally proper Christian Berkey, CEO of Johnson Creek Enterprises (an electronic cigarette liquid manufacturer), is fearful that federal Food and Drug Administration regulations could do substantial harm to the e-cigarette industry. image via Wikipedia “Close to a million jobs could vanish and nearly 30,000 businesses could close because of federal regulations on vaping,” he wrote in an op-ed appearing on Madison.com this week. Those overbearing rules that Berkey talks about, however, aren’t going to do as much damage as he says they are. And they serve a real purpose, especially given how little we know about the long-term effects of e-cigarette use. The regulations primarily limit individuals under the age of 18 from being able to purchase vaping equipment, accessories or liquid. Other regulations require that companies that are mixing vaping liquids register with and g...

The idea that more guns make us safer is flawed -- and Wisconsin is a case study in it Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel seems to think Wisconsin is safer today than it was five years ago. He doesn’t base this assumption on stats or figures. He bases it on the fact that, five years ago this week, Wisconsin passed a concealed carry bill into law that was meant to allow citizens the right to carry guns in public places. The justifications back then for passing the bill were simple: if the criminals in our state didn’t know whether you had a gun or not, they’d be more hesitant to approach you with a weapon themselves. “Criminals in Wisconsin are going to have to start asking themselves if their potential crimes are worth the risk encountering someone ready to fully defend themselves,” Rep. Jeff Mursau (R-Crivitz) said in 2011 . Gov. Scott Walker similarly promised that our state would be safer with concealed carry when he signed the bill passed by the legislature. “By s...