From Chuck Wellington
Monroe
To the editor:
From the Presidency to the Senate and down to our State Legislature, the Republican Party deserves to be put in the minority. In other words, they need to be given a “time out.” There have been times when the same pronouncement applied to the Democrats. I can’t remember a time in recent history, however, when a party has acted so egregiously on so many matters that I have felt this strongly.
In Wisconsin, the Republicans have gerrymandered districts; they have ignored their previous platform of honoring “local control” (consider their disregard of local opinions regarding frac-sand mining, CAFO’s and other environmentally questionable activities); when Scott Walker lost the Governor’s race, Republicans took the indefensible step of limiting our elected Governor’s powers; they have politicized our Supreme Court; and they have taken every opportunity to challenge reasonable efforts by Governor Evers as well as local officials to fight the Corona virus.
At the Federal level, the grievances are even more acute. They certainly point to Donald Trump, but the problem goes deeper and involves his many Republican enablers. They have shown no desire to stand up to his abuses. Therefore, there is no remedy except to bring in a changing of the guard.
In our state, no Republican since Dale Schultz has had the courage to vote his conscience. The party, in response, ended his career. Republicans stifle anything except “lock step” conformity. As a result, a democracy that thrives on debate, compromise and consensus is suffocated.
The Republican Party has had numerous opportunities during the last four years to return to honest and just governance in the best interests of all citizens. This hasn’t happened. A time-out would be the best thing for the Republican party to rediscover what they stand for. Our country needs two strong parties built upon principal and integrity, not power at any cost.
We have the opportunity in November to return integrity, compassion, good judgment and respect to the White House. We also have the opportunity locally to elect an individual who will represent the best interests of our community. Kriss Marion is a gifted problem solver and dedicated individual who will do what is best for Wisconsin. Our state and our country need fresh and energetic faces who will work together to solve our many challenges. We the people should settle for nothing less.
