Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

It’s too early to panic over prospects for a second Trump presidency. But it’s not too early to get real nervous. The latest round of disheartening polling came out over the weekend, this one brought to us by ABC News and the Washington Post. Let’s run through the top lines. Pres. Joe Biden’s approval numbersContinue reading “Prepare to Panic”

We live in the NRA’s vision of utopia. Yesterday a gunman stepped out of a car in front of a Texas outlet mall and started shooting. He left at least eight people dead, including a five-year old, before a local police officer shot him down. There it is. The NRA’s answer to everything. A goodContinue reading “Is This What It Takes?”

I don’t often find myself in agreement with Speaker Robin Vos, but I think he’s right about diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The other day Vos pandered to a hard-right Milwaukee radio audience by saying that he would move to cut $14 million from the UW budget that goes to fund DEI program staff. ButContinue reading “Rethink DEI”

You can’t fault Sarah Godlewski for wanting to have something to do. I’m not sure what Godlewski, the former State Treasurer and Senate candidate, ever did to cross Gov. Tony Evers, but Evers sentenced her to four years as Secretary of State after Secretary of State For Life Doug LaFollette decided to quit shortly afterContinue reading “A Job For Godlewski”

A couple of weeks ago Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson appeared at a joint news conference with Republican Speaker Robin Vos to announce their agreement on language for a new sales tax for the city. Yesterday details of that agreement came out. The deal, which will be part of the state budget, would allow MilwaukeeContinue reading “Cavalier Johnson for Governor?”

Let’s play a few rounds of reasonable/unreasonable. In Tennessee, Democratic State Representatives Justin Pearson and Justin Jones were expelled from the Legislature for participating in a takeover of the House floor by protestors angry over the body’s refusal to pass gun control legislation. In Montana, Rep. Zoey Zephyr was banned from her House floor forContinue reading “Reasonable/Unreasonable”

Below you will find a picture of my entire yield in the inaugural edition of Dave’s Watersweet Maple Syrup, a product of Watersmeet, Michigan. That’s right, that’s one mason jar. And you’re also correct in noting that it’s about two-thirds full (generously interpreted). That’s all there is. That’s all she wrote. That’s all I got.Continue reading “Midwest: Yield”

A couple of weeks ago Dane County Executive Joe Parisi appointed former Supervisor and current State Rep. Shelia Stubbs to lead the county’s human services agency. On paper, Stubbs looked like a good choice, but she has managed to disqualify herself with her actions since the appointment. The whole thing started out weird. For someContinue reading “Stubbs Disqualifies Herself”

Stop the presses! (Okay, there are no presses. Don’t press “publish”!) Yesterday we witnessed an example of bipartisan cooperation on an important issue. At a press conference in Milwaukee Republican legislative leaders Robin Vos and Devin LaMehieu joined the Democratic Mayor of Milwaukee, Cavalier Johnson, and the Milwaukee County Executive, David Crowley, to announce aContinue reading “Is Shared Revenue Deal About Brewers Stadium?”

Yesterday Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s House passed a bill that — at least in the broad strokes, it’s a 320 page document and God knows what lurks within — isn’t all that unreasonable. In exchange for raising the debt limit by $1.5 trillion into 2024, the bill would roll back overall federal spending and: So, threeContinue reading “McCarthy’s Offer”