Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

The root of the problem is that there are too damn many guns floating around in this society and it’s too damn easy for anybody to get one. But, let’s face it, we’re not going to do anything about that anytime soon. In the wake of the tragedy at Madison’s Abundant Life School, Speaker RobinContinue reading “Some Progress On School Shootings”

I hesitate to write about the school shooting at Abundant Life school on Madison’s Eastside because I don’t have any special insights or anything new to share. Here are a few things that should be obvious to any observer. Madison’s first responders performed very well. Madison police were on the scene within minutes and theyContinue reading “Abundant Life”

Wisconsin’s Democratic Party leader Ben Wikler appears to have a good chance to become the next national Democratic Party Committee chair. He’s gotten rave reviews in a lot of influential places, including the opinion pages of the New York Times.  If it pans out, this would be good. Wikler is highly regarded, even by RepublicanContinue reading “Wikler a Good Choice for DNC, But Not Enough”

Daniel Penny and Luigi Mangione are both young men in their 20’s. Both saw what they considered to be danger and injustice. Both acted. The similarities end there. Penny is the former Marine who intervened when a mentally unstable homeless man, Jordan Neely, threatened commuters on a New York subway car. He placed Neely inContinue reading “Young Men and the Internet”

One of the many great divides in our society is between those of us who have a high degree of trust for experts and those who reflexively reject them as either wrong or corrupt or maybe both. I tend to be in the former group. For the most part, I’m inclined to trust people whoContinue reading “Faith in Experts”

For four years I just couldn’t understand what it was that so many people disliked about Joe Biden. In his closing weeks in office, Biden has made me see the light. Let me be clear. Compared to what’s coming, I wish Biden would remain as President for another four years. And I really wish thatContinue reading “Good Riddance, Joe Biden”

Something’s rotten in Baraboo. In 2018 some male students at the junior prom had their picture taken while making a Nazi salute. Two years later the school district paid out over $860,000 to the family of a student who had been harassed because of her race. And at last spring’s high school graduation, a fatherContinue reading “Baraboo: More Speech is the Answer”

This week’s quote comes to us from none other than Penelope Hegseth, the mother of Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s choice to be Secretary of Defense. In an email to her son, obtained by the New York Times, she told him: “On behalf of all the women (and I know it’s many) you have abused inContinue reading “The Q&Q For 12/7/24”

This fall a third of Wisconsin school districts passed referendums to increase taxes. The total bill will be $4.4 billion. On the one hand, we have to acknowledge that voters chose to tax themselves, so that indicates support for schools, and we have to give people some credit for understanding the implications for their familyContinue reading “The Tax Revolt to Come”

A liberal Dane County judge has struck down Act 10, the 2011 law that defanged most public employee unions in Wisconsin. The action will next move to the Supreme Court, whose liberal majority will no doubt uphold that ruling should the case reach them before August. But is that a good thing? And what wouldContinue reading “Would Voters Repeal Act 10?”