Letters to the Editor

Dear editor, Last fall the River Valley FFA Alumni decided to make a change to the school fair building in order to store the animal gates while not in use, we had a story in the Home News and also made an announcement on WRCO and like always the response was great. The alumni was able to generate even more funds than what was needed for the material. I would like to thank all of those who were so generous to donate in a year when things are far from normal. It is a great feeling to know that we live in a school district where so many of you share the same interest in the annual school fair as our committee does. Tim Johnson RV School Fair Co-Chairperson Spring Green   Dear editor, After the events of January 6 at the U. S. Capitol it is difficult to think of much else.  Our current leader in the White House encouraged an attack on the Capitol and our democracy.  Out of a U.S. population of over 300 million, this small group of weak-minded, closed-hearted fanatics followed a leader with the same shortcomings to commit actions that were unimaginable even a day before.  We had put the wrong person in the White House, but in a matter of days, he will be gone.  That is a good thing, one error corrected.    Just a day earlier, two new U.S. Senators were elected.  The result of this election is the removal of another leader.  Mitch McConnell, current Majority Leader in the U. S. Senate and self-proclaimed grim reaper, will be replaced.  The Senate can now get back to doing the people’s business:  bringing bills to the floor, debating, compromising, and passing bills.  The work of our federal government can come back online after a ten-year hiatus.  We had put the wrong person in charge of the Senate, but in a matter of days, he will be gone. That is a good thing, another error corrected.   That leaves the Wisconsin Legislature.  The 2018 election put a new leader in the governor’s mansion.  That was a good thing.  Since then, the legislature has been on a mission to obstruct him regardless of the negative fallout that brings to Wisconsin citizens.  Yet in 2020, we reelected essentially the same slate of legislators.    Last week, instead of compromising with the governor, the Wisconsin Assembly passed a COVID bill that gives immunity to business from COVID civil liability claims, limits the work of local health officers, and restricts the decision-making ability of local school boards.  The Wisconsin Senate says they are willing to compromise with the governor, but our Senator Howard Marklein says:  “The most important element of this bill, in my opinion, is liability protections for schools, churches, non-profits and employers,”  not people dying, not overwhelmed hospitals, not stressed healthcare workers, not failing businesses, not hungry people, not people unable to pay rent and mortgages.  So, we still have the wrong people in leadership positions in the Wisconsin Legislature.  That is a bad thing.  We have to wait until at least 2022 to change that.  In the meantime, is there anything we can do to make them work for us?  Is there any way for us to minimize the harm of this error?  Every citizen is free to contact their representatives for any reason. Please do so.  Beverly Pestel  Richland Center