Letters to the Editor: May 19, 2012

Stand For Something Better

Standing with Walker? Please explain.

Don’t conservatives want smaller government?

Walker has given the governor more power than ever, made us the most regulated voting state, won’t allow districts to raise taxes to make up for his cuts, even if the majority wants to, and forbid boards from bargaining with teachers. He even told sex ed teachers what to emphasize. This is small government?

Don’t conservatives want integrity?

Walker is the first governor with a defense fund. There are over 10 felony charges of his staff. Politifact confirmed Walker as the second-to-worst governor for making false statements. Now, he is caught telling a donor his secret plan to “divide and conquer.” How is this integrity?

Don’t conservatives want job creation?

We're last in the country! Walker has made the same mistakes as Europe, and the outcome was the same, division and economic collapse. It’s unparalleled arrogance that ignores experts to go with his gut. How is this “turning Wisconsin around”?

I understand commitment to ideals, but to Walker? A leader should unite and lead, not “divide and conquer” for political gain. If you’re going to stand, stand for something better than Walker.

    --Scott Herron, New Richmond resident

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Safety belts save lives

Traffic deaths in Wisconsin so far this year have increased compared with the same time last year. Tragically, in all too many of these recent deadly crashes, the drivers and passengers may have survived if they had been buckled up.

It is a proven fact that wearing a safety belt will effectively protect you from being ejected from a vehicle or thrown around violently inside during a crash and possibly hitting another vehicle occupant with massive force. Wearing a safety belt at all times is common sense, so it’s hard to understand why approximately one out of five motorists in our state does not buckle up.

To increase safety belt use, law enforcement officers throughout Wisconsin will be patrolling city streets, rural roads, and major highways—day and night—during the Click It or Ticket mobilization from May 21 to June 3. The Click It or Ticket message is clear—whenever officers observe an unbelted driver or passenger, they will stop the vehicle and issue tickets.

The ultimate goal of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and our traffic safety partners is to reduce the number of preventable traffic deaths to “Zero in Wisconsin.” To achieve this life-saving goal, all of us in Wisconsin need to buckle up every time we drive or ride in a vehicle. 

    --Mark Gottlieb, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation

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