Problematic

 President Ronald Reagan summed it all up in one statement, “Government is not the answer, government is the problem.’ In my former life as a police office, one technique I used to break tension was smiling and saying, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help!” This often elicited a chuckle and helped diffuse the situation, allowing everyone to relax and begin to resolve the conflict. After almost thirty years as a police officer and now finishing off my fifth term as County Supervisor, I have a pretty good handle on how government actually works, or better said, fails its’ citizens every day. Unlike a private business that sells a product to create revenue, governments create revenue by taxation and fees. Far too many of the services that governments provide are riddled with redundancies. Far too many governments use the excuse that their citizens expect local control in order to provide essential services. Far too many governments simply continue to conduct their business as they always have; They just need to raise taxes because the costs to provide those services continue to rise. These excuses make no sense whatsoever.

The “Kingdom Syndrome” permeates our government, particularly at the local level. Sharing services is a dirty word to many administrative bureaucrats that seem to think any reduction in their organization somehow lessens their authority. Those types of bureaucrats are the single greatest impediment to operating an efficient government and lowering property taxes. Governor Evers and far too many Wisconsin Counties are advocating for an end to levy caps. Ending the levy caps will enable all local and County governments to raise property taxes again. Remember what happened before levy caps and Jim Doyle was Governor? If one government has purchased costly equipment that is not used on a daily basis, why would a neighboring government need to purchase the same costly equipment if they also did not need it daily? Why couldn’t both municipalities come to an agreement to share that equipment, in some cases saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. This technique could be used to eliminate other redundancies in our government as well, saving taxpayer dollars or allowing tax revenue to be diverted to road repair and reconstruction.

Another argument against sharing of services, cooperating with other municipalities and consolidating essential services is that those governments would lose local control. This argument is actually illogical. Governments actually succeed when they provide essential services efficiently and timely. Governments actually succeed when those services are also provided cost effectively. Governments also succeed when they are streamlined and effective, using their resources wisely to meet the moral obligations to provide for those in need. As an example, larger organizations have more resources necessary to fulfill those obligations such as public safety, roads and infrastructure and human services. Organizations that operate with efficiency and have employees that understand and respect those that they serve is paramount to managing a successful government organization.

When “Economy of Scale” principals are applied, cost advantages are obtained by purchasing at a lower per-unit cost because those purchases are in larger quantities. Additionally, when crises occur, more resources are available to assign to more effectively resolve the problem. It is actually far more efficient for municipalities to cooperate, consolidate and collaborate in order to create those efficiencies that better serve their citizens. The only product that government provides is to serve their citizens to the best of their ability.

“We’ve always done it this way”, “Why fix it if it ain’t broke.” This type of governing is the primary reason that property taxes seldom are reduced, unlike Washington County that has continued to reduce the property tax rate. Washington County will continue to be a leader in innovation and finding new ways to better serve our citizens and continue to reduce their tax burden. The County Board will be considering, and likely passing, resolutions to oppose the lifting of property tax levy caps and opposing the additional .5% sales tax initiative at their April meeting. Wisconsin residents remain among the highest taxed in the nation and any additional taxation is unnecessary and unfair. The intent of the property tax levy caps was to force local governments to innovate and find ways to be more efficient. Lifting those caps only serves to validate those governments who refused to enact changes necessary to better serve their citizens.

Played

Played, definition: Made a fool of, chumped, taken advantage of, when one uses another to benefit themselves, abused. In the White House stood a man that was bucking conventional wisdom and enacting policies that benefited the United States but absolutely enraged the left and democrats. The economy was roaring, unemployment numbers, especially for minorities, were the lowest in our history. Businesses were returning and repatriating their capital here instead of abroad. China was being confronted and their headlong rush to replace the United States as the largest economic and military power in the world was being stymied. The southern border was finally under control and the crime and drug flow across it was beginning to wane. It was apparent that Donald Trump was going to be re-elected. Leftists and democrats absolutely seethed with anger that the “Bad Orange Man”, whom they deemed to be below the status of the office of President and had, not only challenged their status quo, but was actually returning the power back to the people he represented by holding the powerful accountable, was going to be able to torment them for another 4 years from the Oval Office.  Then, a perfect storm was presented to the left when China unleashed the novel coronavirus upon the world.

“Never let a crisis go to waste.” Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s Chief of Staff and Chicago Mayor famously said. This crisis could not have occurred at a more advantageous time. With holdover Dr. Anthony “Often Wrong” Fauci from the National Institute of Health leading President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force, a virulent opportunity to derail the nation’s roaring economy presented itself. The words shutdown, essential worker, social distancing, masking and stay at home became integral parts of our vocabulary in order to keep us all safe from a virus that 99.85% of the population would survive and 85% would need a test to find out if they even had it. But it was enough to embolden the left to begin, in earnest, a coordinated strategy to fundamentally change our election process and enable democrats to control national and statewide elections, particularly in the battle ground states of Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Time Magazine had an interesting article confirming how the left coordinated this assault on our Republic. The left's strategy to dump Trump

With broad assistance from the “Ministry of truth” in the mainstream media and social media platforms, any and all conservative push back from this unprecedented assault upon our basic freedoms was effectively blocked by "Fact Checkers" and suspending Twitter accounts for "violations of community standards.". In an election unlike any other, enough votes were counted to elect Joe Biden, whose campaign strategy was to basically to hide in his basement and not screw it up. The hatred that the left spewed through the media they controlled convinced enough of the low information voters to send Donald Trump packing. It made no difference that the democrat candidate was largely non-existent during the campaign, anyone but Trump was their rallying cry. Trump’s abrasive style convinced many useful idiots in the Republican party to pull their support from their President, effectively amplifying the left leaning media’s refrain and lifting support for the doddering old man Biden.

President Obama said that elections have consequences and in this case his statement could not ring truer. One of Biden’s first executive orders shutdown the Keystone Pipeline, erasing thousands of jobs, sparking an end to our nation’s foray into energy independence and angered one of our closest allies, Canada. To date, fifty-two executive orders have been signed by President Biden. So much for co-equal branches of government. Not to worry though, each order will be codified into law once the filibuster rule is “amended” by the democrat controlled Senate. One needs to look no further than our border with Mexico to see the humanitarian disaster unfolding there by the reckless termination of President Trump’s policies that had actually stemmed the flow of illegal immigrants entering the US. The breaking of contracts to build the wall and cancelling monies appropriated by Congress to finish the wall, by executive fiat, is likely unconstitutional and is currently being challenged in court.

While the freedoms granted to the citizens of the United States are being eroded and erased by our newly elected leftist government, those who decided that those horrible tweets, insufferable boasts and a President with the audacity to fight back, was too much to handle, are being confronted with the reality that the result of the 2020 election has sent our nation into a downward spiral. This headlong rush to socialism will destroy our nation unless we awaken from our slumber and decide to stand up and oppose the insanity that is the left. The democrat party must be repudiated and sent packing. Democrats must never be allowed to gain power again. They do not stand for the people that elected them as their representatives. We must get involved. We must step out of our comfort zones and do our civic duty and run for local elective offices. This is the only way to defeat the left, to remove them from power by voting them out. Far too long we have stood by and watched common core reduce our children’s test scores below some of those in third world countries. Now, the lie that is Critical race theory, is being added to the curriculum to indoctrinate our children. White privilege is declared as the only reason the “oppressed” are unable to succeed. White Supremacy has become the new boogey man. Local governments are raising taxes and borrowing, rather than considering solutions to streamline and make government more efficient and effective. It is on all of us if we stand by and do nothing. If those who would be leaders in our community decide to hide in the shadows, we will all get what we deserve. If we refuse to stand up to the bullying left and let them indoctrinate our children, we will have no one to blame but the person who looks back at us in the mirror. The time for action is at a crossroads. If we fail, so does our nation and our children will pay the ultimate price.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Ephesians 6:10-12

Equitable Outcomes

 The left continues to obfuscate the term equity as if, somehow, it is the equivalent of equality. It is not. One of the ever tolerant left’s first attempts at artificially attaining equitable outcomes was the social engineering program, “Affirmative Action”. This program refers to a set of policies and practices that set quotas giving partiality to gender, race, sexuality, creed or nationalities that were alleged to be discriminated against. In other words, these policies gave preference in hiring, college entrance and promotions to any and all minority groups with the goal of bridging past and present inequalities in employment and pay, access to education, promoting diversity, and rectifying perceived past biases. Because of these perceived injustices, minorities were to be given priority in order to level the playing field. This policy’s intent was not to just level the playing field, but actually ended up promoting the exact opposite by denying others opportunity because of the color of their skin or gender. Reverse discrimination is the actual effect upon society when a policy is intended to achieve an equitable outcome.

Equality equals fairness. When one merits or earns a position, promotion or scholarship, the best qualified person rises to the top. This enables all society to benefit by having the best qualified persons in positions that require a particular skill. One wouldn’t accept any surgeon to perform a critical medical procedure. One would look for the best surgeon with the best outcomes. One wouldn’t engage with an attorney that was less competent than another to litigate a significant case. One wouldn’t want a plumber to install a toilet if he/she completed inferior work. When we look for someone to represent us, complete tasks for us or watch our children we look for the most proficient, trustworthy and capable person possible. In nature, the strongest survive to mate and propagate their species. Those that are weak fail to reproduce, allowing the best chance at survival for the species. With the “woke” left the gene pool is deliberately diluted, allowing those that are not always the best and brightest to ascend to the highest levels and most important positions in society without actually having earned their status.

Now comes the Equality Act, Bill HR-5, legislation to amend the Civil Rights Act to include LGBTQ and transgendered persons. This will codify a legal path for persons that identify as a sex other than their biological gender at birth, to participate in women’s sports, choose the restroom of their choosing and make a mockery of the biological differences between the genders. The term “(including sexual orientation and gender identity), is the phrase that ties this wayward legislation together. Included in the Bill; “(2) GENDER IDENTITY. The term ‘gender identity’ means the gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, regardless of the individual’s designated sex at birth. “(B) a perception or belief, even if inaccurate, concerning the race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), or national origin, respectively, of the individual.” Up is down and right is wrong. If the authors of this Bill and those that support it, actually took a step back and realized what they are doing, perhaps their eyes would be opened to the absurdity of it. Now don’t get me wrong. The LGTBQ community and those who identify as transgender should be covered by the Civil Rights Act and protected from any and all discrimination. But there are limits to the authority granted the Federal Government to compel others to relinquish their Constitutional rights in order to elevate others.

Equitable results from a law that uplifts one portion of society at the expense of many others. Let’s level the playing field. We have entered into Orwellian territory as it now appears that “all people are equal, but some people are just more equal than others.” Now that enough ballots were counted to put the democrats in control of both chambers of Congress and the White House, they continue with reckless abandon on a leftward trajectory. Radical legislation like HR Bill 5, and many more even more radical, will be passed to the benefit of the “grievance” factions of the democrat party. Stand by for thrills because you aint seen nothing yet! If the Senate eliminates the filibuster, it won’t matter if Republicans take back the House and Senate in 2022. It will be too late to overturn these new laws, especially if the Supreme Court and Federal Courts are packed with democrat appointees. The left has finally gotten what they wanted. Now we all will get what we deserve.