Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

This week’s quote comes to us from none other then the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons, who said at a recent border security conference in Phoenix that the agency needs: “To get better at treating this like a business” and suggested the nation’s deportation system could function “like Amazon, trying toContinue reading “The Q&Q For 4/26/25”

As Popes go, I liked this one. His ideas were rooted in the 19th Century, which is about a millennium ahead of his recent predecessors. But what passes for progressive in the Catholic Church, well, isn’t anyplace else. He had good things to say about women and gay people, but they’re still second class citizensContinue reading “The Pope’s Place in the World”

When Vince Lombardi was coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers, he sat at a card table with a cardboard name plate and when the Packers’ number came up he picked Donnie Anderson. Those were the days when men were men. Now, the draft has become like an awards show. It’s… let meContinue reading “NFL Should’ve Paid For Its Own Party”

April 23, 2025 Dear Mr. Speaker: The genius of or our system of government is that it doesn’t rely on the goodness of human nature. Quite the opposite. It assumes people will be self-serving. But sometimes the stars align and what’s in one party’s self-interests is also good for democracy in the long run. SuchContinue reading “My Letter to Robin Vos”

It’s Earth Day and a good time to revisit Line 5 and what that awful saga has to say about what’s become of the environmental movement — or maybe what it has always been. To remind readers, Line 5 is an oil and natural gas pipeline, owned by the Canadian company Enbridge. It runs 645Continue reading “How Environmentalists Have Gone Astray”

In liberal ideology there are no bad people. Well, yes, there are straight, white men who haven’t committed crimes. They are very bad. But even they aren’t bad because of anything they’ve done as individuals. They were just born oppressors. So, if you’re a liberal who accepts that dubious argument, you can’t see Trump followersContinue reading “Elite Resistance Won’t Do It”

This week’s quote comes to us from none other than Aaron Rodgers, who complained about his treatment by the New York Jets when they informed him that they were moving on to a new quarterback. Rodgers told Pat McAfee: “I figured that when I flew across the country on my dime, there would be aContinue reading “The Q&Q For 4/19/25”

I love my local public radio station in the Northwoods. WXPR, located in Rhinelander, is unique in public radio as it’s independent, not part of the Wisconsin Public Radio Network. For Madison readers, think of a mash up between WERN and WORT. XPR takes some of the NPR feed, including Morning Edition and All ThingsContinue reading “Save WXPR, Cut NPR”

A lot of liberals are beside themselves with glee now that Harvard is standing up to Donald Trump’s demands. Me, I’m sort of with Harvard. I guess. Better than the alternative. Probably. Trump threatened to hold up billions of dollars in Federal grants unless Harvard complied with a list of demands aimed at somehow curbingContinue reading “I’m With Harvard. Sort Of.”

Back in 2010 I didn’t get it. Rallies were popping up all over the place to protest the just-adopted Affordable Care Act. And it looked like the protesters were the very people who would benefit most from the new law. I couldn’t understand how so many people could be misreading a very good thing asContinue reading “Chaos is the Point”