Author Archives: dave cieslewicz

If you think of music in the 1960’s you might think of Bob Dylan. I think of Burt Bacharach. What was playing on our family stereo or on the radio in those days was Mantovani and the Living Strings and Percy Faith and Andy Williams or, when things really got crazy, Herb Alpert and theContinue reading “Say a Little Prayer”

Anybody who serves as Madison Schools Superintendent deserves our thanks. I’ve always thought that it’s the toughest job in Madison, even tougher than being mayor. Yesterday Carlton Jenkins announced his retirement effective at the end of July, after only three years on the job. Let’s thank him for his service and wish him well onContinue reading “Moving On From Jenkins”

Pres. Joe Biden gave a heck of a good State of the Union speech last night. Let’s dig in. Good energy. Biden was clearly trying to appear energetic and he pulled that off. His speech was one of the longest in recent history and his energy level didn’t lag. It’s Parliament now. Was that PrimeContinue reading “Nice Speech, Joe”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren likes to say that we need “big, bold systemic change.” Sen. Bernie Sanders talks about a “political revolution.” Trumpy hard-right folks just want to blow everything to smithereens and see what happens next. Here at YSDA we champion small, timid puttering around the edges. It’s the way to go. And now someoneContinue reading “For Small, Timid Change”

It’s Sunday morning, so maybe you don’t feel like getting your geek on. No problem. We’re here to nerd out for you. The Wisconsin State Journal ran a long, dense and wonderful story today about the Republicans’ flat tax proposal. Don’t feel like pawing through all those numbers? Let me summarize it in four simpleContinue reading “A Middle Ground on Taxes”

Let me stipulate upfront that I’m no fan of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He’s much too conservative for my tastes, he’s flirted with various conspiracy theories and he’s a political opportunist of the highest order. And for reasons of political opportunism he’s decided to cast himself as the leading opponent of a constellation of badContinue reading “DeSantis Is Right About Woke”

In December of 2021 Darrell Brooks plowed his SUV into a crowd at a holiday parade in Waukesha. He killed six people and injured dozens more. A habitual criminal, Brooks was free on only $1,000 bail. His actions that day didn’t just end six lives. It also ended any serious discussion of reducing or eliminatingContinue reading “Unwise”

My priorities are all messed up. Until a few days ago I hadn’t realized that for an entire year my beloved M&M’s candies were undermining the social order. For the past year I’ve been obsessing over trivia: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, inflation and the concern about recession, crime, the Madison schools and junk like that.Continue reading “The Candy Wars”

Christopher Hitchens didn’t take many prisoners. The day after the Rev. Jerry Falwell died he went on Fox news to declare, “If you gave Falwell an enema he could be buried in a matchbox.” Hitchens himself was buried, probably in something larger than a matchbox, in 2011 at age 62, the victim of cancer. He leftContinue reading “There’s Only One Hitch”

House Democrats are forming the Heartland Caucus. That’s good, but it needs to be just the first step. Led by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan), a group of Democrats from the Midwest has formed the caucus. They hope to grow the group to around 40 members, but it already includes prominent members like Rep. Ilhan OmarContinue reading “Midwest: Heartland Caucus Is a Good Start”