Keep Showing Up

Let me start this week’s “Message From the Chair” with a quote from All The President’s Men: "The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand." Watch the quick clip from the movie for your enjoyment.
 
I will not downplay the extreme danger Trump and his Klan poses, now calling for the arrest of President Obama and other political opponents, but it is hard to watch him desperately blabber on against the backdrop of our now gold-painted Oval Office and think anyone should take him seriously.
 
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson took time away from checking on his son’s phone porn content to shut down Congress in order to avoid a vote on the Epstein files. Just because they went home doesn’t mean we will stay home. Most of us could not walk away from our jobs because we were chicken babies and then expect to get paid and receive benefits for six weeks.
 
I called our Congressman Glenn Grothman’s office and asked his staffer (Fond du Lac phone number: 920-907-0624), “Now that the Congressman will be home for the summer, will he be having a town hall in Ozaukee County?” His staffer replied that the Congressman just had a phone-in town hall in our county. Hmmmm, any of you on that call? So I pushed it and asked him if the Congressman (I am always very respectful) will be having ANY in-person town halls across the 6th Congressional District. The staffer became a tad annoyed and said they will be posted in his newsletter. So dear Oz Dems, please call Glenn’s office and ask him when the Congressman will be holding in-person town halls and where. Daily.
 
Here in the state government, my Assemblyman Paul Melotik had a long cheerleader letter in the Ozaukee News Graphic praising the passing of the state budget. I will highlight two issues that I find disturbing. One is the removal of any funding for the Knowles-Nelson grants, and two is funding special education at 42%, which is not even half of the cost. Remember special education is funded at 90% for voucher schools.
 
Special education student spending is mandated by the state. Our special ed kids cost more to educate, and they should get full services. The problem is school districts will continue to have to go to referendums to make up that loss in funding. Neither of our Democratic representatives in the Legislature voted for the budget. Assemblywoman Deb Andraca and State Senator Jodi Habush Sinykin both voted no. Thank them please.
 
So the truth is these are not very bright guys, but they are in power. So it is our job to keep showing up. Thank you to the 20 people on the “18 miles of Ozaukee Outrage” event on July 17. I was on Pioneer Road (but not looking down; I have an irrational fear of heights). The response that we are seeing is more and more positive. Keep attending the peaceful protests. Great place to meet and talk with other great people. Stop in and see us at the Fair. Our booth is across from the Lions Club’s beer tent.
 
We are not staying home. Thank you for reading.