Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

Did the Madison school district need a new logo? Did Cracker Barrel need a fresh look? Of course not. And creating new logos was needless, expensive and ultimately counter-productive. But it’s easier and cheaper to rearrange the deck chairs than it is to have enough life boats. The school district should be getting justifiably hammeredContinue reading “Selling Air”

I disagree with much of what Zohran Mamdani supports in his bid to become New York Mayor. But if the polls can be believed, he’s going to win easily in November. So, Democrats need to focus on the big picture strategy. Is it really worth the fight within the party to try to defeat himContinue reading “The Moderate Case for Mamdani”

Of all the horrible things that hard-right populism is doing to our country, maybe the worst is the attack on one of our best human traits. Empathy, you might think, is a good thing. But not to hard-right Christian nationalists according to a recent AP story. “Empathy becomes toxic when it encourages you to affirmContinue reading “Trumpers Now Attack Empathy”

You know it’s a crazy mixed-up world when I agree with the NRA. In its ongoing effort to scapegoat transgender people for every problem under the sun, the Trump administration has floated the idea of restricting gun ownership for anyone experiencing gender dysphoria. The response from the NRA and other gun rights groups was swift.Continue reading “NRA Joins Trans Rights Activists”

Here’s something you won’t read in YSDA every day: the Madison School Board is right. Well, okay, so not the whole board. Just one and a half of the seven members. Those members are Nicki Vander Meulen and Martha Siravo. The issue is weighted grading. The state of Wisconsin has set up a system thatContinue reading “Weighted Grading is Fair Grading”

I have a strange relationship with public broadcasting. I consume a lot of it and it drives me crazy.  It’s like the restaurant reviewer who said of a new bistro, “the food here is terrible. And such small portions!” I thought NPR and PBS had a liberal bias even back when I was a liberal.Continue reading “NPR Will Be Fine”

There’s an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and it’s an opening in more ways than one. Justice Rebecca Bradley announced last week that she won’t seek another ten year term on the court. That’s probably because the conservative saw the writing on the wall. Liberal Democrats have won the last two court racesContinue reading “An Opening on the Supreme Court”

I took the summer off to finish a book. The book is “finished,” sort of. It’s now in the final stages of consideration by the publisher. No contract yet. I’ll tell you more about it when the ink is dry, but because there’s still more work to do on it, these posts are unlikely toContinue reading “How I Spent My Summer Vacation”

Dear Readers, Well, I’ve got some good news and some bad news, though for some of you it will be good news and even better news. The good news is that I’m close to getting a publisher for my book. The bad news is that the publisher would like to see my final draft laterContinue reading “See You in September”

The week’s quote comes to us from none other than Elon Musk who said: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election. Such ingratitude.” A) A disagreement over who is really the world’s richest man. B) Musk’s proposal at DOGE to save a billion dollars by cutting the paper and Sharpees Trump uses to signContinue reading “The Q&Q For 6/7/25”