Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

It’s been a tough year for Wisconsin and the year just got started. First, in January the Packers fizzled out in the playoffs, coming up short on sky high expectations at the beginning of the season. Then, last weekend. Wisconsin’s own Ben Wikler, the favorite going in, lost a vote of the Democratic National CommitteeContinue reading “Dems Aren’t Done”

There are probably two issues that hurt Democrats more than any others: transgender stuff and immigration. Let’s deal with immigration today. It’s a tricky issue and so Democrats need to read the polls. If you ask people if they’re for deporting illegal aliens (we like to use that phrase here at YSDA just to irritateContinue reading “Dems Get It Wrong on Immigration”

The Democratic Party produces its share of Onion worthy headlines. Here’s one from Monday’s New York Times: “House Democratic Super PAC Creates $50 Million Fund Targeting Working Class.” How do you reconnect with the working class? Why, you blow $50 million on Washington pollsters and consultants to tell you how to reconnect with auto mechanicsContinue reading “Dems to Blow $50M on Fool’s Errand”

Here’s the test of a good Supreme Court justice. We have a good idea of what their political leanings are. But they read the law and the filings and they decide the case in the opposite direction of what you’d expect. I have been mildly but pleasantly surprised that some of the convicted felon DonaldContinue reading “More Like Hagedorn, Please”

No story says more about the state of big time college sports than that of Chris Kiel.  Kiel is a standout wide receiver for Mount Horeb High School. He was heavily recruited by colleges and he had narrowed his choices to North Dakota State and Dartmouth. He chose North Dakota State. The reasons he gaveContinue reading “UW Bungles Toward Fairness For Players”

This week’s quote comes to us from none other than Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn, who said: “Recusal is not optional when the law commands it. After reviewing the filings and the various ethical rules I am sworn to uphold, I have concluded that the law requires me to recuse from this case.” A)Continue reading “The Q&Q For 2/1/25”

Today’s blog is in the category of You Just Can’t Make This Stuff Up. The Madison Metropolitan School District has some of the worst test scores in the state. It has a horrible truancy problem. Its racial achievement gap is comparable to the Grand Canyon. For the most recent year when statistics were available thereContinue reading “MMSD Should Rebrand As Competent”

For those of us whose heads are spinning with the cruelty, the dangerousness, the ugliness and the flat out stupidity of the convicted felon Donald Trump’s flurry of fury in his opening week, well, we ain’t seen nothin’ yet. I think I can predict three things that will happen next. The first is that TrumpContinue reading “It’ll Get Worse”

I had thought that the liberals (Democrats) were facing a stiffer challenge this time in winning an open state Supreme Court seat. One reason was that abortion may have lost some of its saliency now that the procedure is available again in Wisconsin. That’s still true. But the other reason was that I thought theContinue reading “Schimel Supports the Mob”

Here are four random things I believe. I’m against the death penalty, I’m for reproductive freedom, I’m for gun control and I support a higher minimum wage. Now, there’s nothing I can see — no unifying philosophical principle — that links those positions together. And yet, it’s fair to say that the average American wouldContinue reading “Making Sense of “Incoherence””