To all WIS. DUERS What issue are you most passionate about?

[gizmo1979]

I'am can be passionate about most of the liberal issues but it's hard to gauge the pulse of people here.I'd like to find out your passions so we can organize on the issues we can get the most support so we can start to take back our government one issue at a time!

[htuttle]

1. It would have to be the environment for me

I may be interested in many issues, but without a healthy biosphere, none of it matters.

It's one of the few issues I will not negotiate on. If it screws up the environment, we just can't do it -- no matter what sort of bipartisan compromises are made.

Justice, health care, the economy -- these are all issues that are kind of transitory. They primarily affect those living at that time. However, the environment represents a real responsibility to the future. Our actions now affect the planet forever (even if stuff grows back -- it's not the same stuff).

[Viking12]

8. I agree and disagree

Agree: The environment is at the top of my list too! :toast:

Disagree: "Justice, health care, the economy -- these are all issues that are kind of transitory." These issues are directly related to environmental issues. To abstractly and artifically dissociate the environment from justice, health care, and economic issues is counter-productive. Responsibility for the future necessarily relies on responsibility for these issues today.

[htuttle]

12. I thought about that when I posted it

And yes, that is very true. It's all of one piece in that sense.

But if it comes down to having low pay or a dirty environment, I'd pick low pay. If it comes down to having universal health care or a clean environment, I'd pick a clean environment.

However, those are all fake choices -- I can't imagine a situation where we'd actually be asked to make that choice. Except, perhaps, for choosing between economic well-being and environmental well-being. That choice *might* present itself in the future (though it doesn't necessarily have to -- it's not a black and white choice).

What I was trying to get across is that I do not think I would be willing to concede an environmental issue in order to get an increase in the minimum wage, for example. Those types of 'logrolling' deals happen all too often in legislatures everywhere.

[Viking12]

13. Thanks for the clarification.

I tend to agree with your assessment and priorities.

[EC]

2. Health insurance, more to the point one payer or socializec health care,

environmental protections restored and alternate forms of energy developed now....


http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php

[gizmo1979]

10. have you seen Bush's health care plan?

It completely puts the onus on individuals trough health savings acct.Very high deductibles.more money for the rich.

[EC]

14. I know...n/t

[BrainRants]

3. Intelligent Design vs. Evolution in our public schools

I know this is a small issue, but IMHO, I don't like the thought of having to battle overzealous religious types to debate the merits of science vs beliefs disguised as science curriculum with clever wording in our state public schools. (I really don't care what they teach in the parochial schools, those kids can play catchup when college rolls around)

This puts me clearly in the "education" issue. Schools are forced to either ignore or debate well established scientific theory to include "we don't know, so the Bible must be right" creationism mumbo jumbo, meanwhile the kids fall further behind the rest of the thinking world in Science & Math.

Just call me anti-stupid. :)

[ralps]

4. right now i'm most passionate about making sure that ALL the votes

here in the USA and Wisconsin are counted and are verifiable in future elections
:hi:

[MessiahRp]

5. Good question

The Right Wingers are trying to push a ton of crap (just as they were before the November elections). TABOR and the Property Tax Freeze seems to be their first wave of attack but Gay Marriage and Concealed Carry aren't far removed from the back of their mind.

With this in mind my biggest issue is the Right Wing media in the state. Between all the Sinclair stations and the Journal Broadcasting group we're in for a right wing brainwashing.

Up here (Oshkosh) we have two Sinclair stations, a Fox affiliate that replays Fox News programs, and now NBC 26 is owned by Journal Broadcast Media (you know the owners of the schmuck 620 WTMJ radio stations and owners of the relatively right leaning Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

Before JBM owned NBC 26 they were fairly balanced but just the other night they were blatantly pimping fake figures for the Republicans property tax freeze, putting over Republican Alan Lasee's death penalty bill proposal, and putting over Carol Owens for being one of three lawmakers to put out a proposal to ban cell phone talking while driving. Even though there are two other bills out there they sure tried to prop up Carol who was extremely weak and vulnerable against LuAnn Bird last time out.

I wrote a nasty letter to them because of it but THEY are who we need to be worried about. They are a non-stop campaign ad and they will have a ton of our population suckered into believing their stories if we don't stop them by calling them on it frequently.

Rp

[sybylla]

6. I've prioritized - Campaign finance reform and election protection first

Without them, I can't help but feel nothing nothing further will be accomplished.

Then we must focus on economic issues. I can't help but feel that we are falling into a huge economic cesspool, aided and abetted by our failure to provide affordable healthcare to our citizens, our failure to pay a living wage, and our failure to ask that those who can afford it, shoulder more of the tax burden for those who can't.

[ewagner]

7. Tough call

Right now I'm more focused on building a winning infrastructure within the local and state-wide party organizations than any particular issue......

I'm pissed about a lot of the initiatives the repubs are taking right now and will actively fight them but I'm going to have to "multi-task" to get things done.

[gizmo1979]

11. So how do we do that?

We really need to get our act together.It's starting to look like we will be on the endangered species list!We need to use the numbers we have at this sight to try and spread the word.

[ewagner]

15. Need some Dem/liberal

527s and PACs....

working on it...as are others.........

[RetroLounge]

9. Education and local elections

Going to work on getting the School Board changed this spring.

Short sighted idiots decided to close another neighborhood school.

RL

[ewagner]

16. Good start......

need to work our way up to State Legislature............

[MadisonProgressive]

17. Free Drugs for Everyone!

[Zebulon]

18. Most passionate about:

In no particular order:

1. getting the party back from corporate flacks

2. fair elections

3. health care

4. the environment

[mark414]

19. campaign finance reform

without that nothing changes

[Jimbo S]

20. My issues are different than most

#1. Social freedom: resist and defeat the Christian Taliban and their agenda.

#2. Economic freedom: the curent state of the job market, and I don't mean UE rate/outsourcing/etc. I mean the trend towards the use of temp work, contract work, not interviewing out of town candidates and so on. This impedes one ability to achieve a higher standard of living (the American dream).

#3. Health care: if you work, you should have access to affordable reasonable health care. I don't know the total answer, but I feel the government can step in and play a limited role here. (This has a shirt tail relation to #2).

#4. Afforable secondary education. (Again, partly related to #2).

There are others, but these four really stir my passion.

[sybylla]

21. Welcome to DU, Jimbo

I like your issues. There are so many important ones it's hard to choose.

[Jimbo S]

22. Good to be here

at least contributing anyways. Been lurking for a year, finally decided to get an account and give a donation since I've gotten so much from this site.

Just a warning, I tend to be a devil's advocate at times. I feel this helps strengthen any arguing points. I also have an independent streak, so my opinions may go against the grain at times. I'll try to keep that smaller side of me in check until my post count gets up. :)

Thanks for the welcome wagon, syb!

[gizmo1979]

23. That is excellent welcome aboard!

I wrote to petri and feingold about affordable secondary ed.and used economic slavery to state my case.Haven't heard back yet.

[Jimbo S]

24. Are they the ones to write to?

Not sure how politicians at the national level can help much with public school tuition. Maybe efforts are better spent contacting the Govenor, Legislature and Board of Regents?

When I was a frosh, tuition at UW-Madison was $639. My senior year it was $935. Almost 50% in four years. Now it's $3,100!

They want to feeze state and property taxes? How about both ways: freeze the tuition!

[Engebret]

25. Change the game

1) Stop the Smoke Nazi’s. Even non-smokers are sick of these
whackos trying to steal everyones freedom. People are sick of the Nanny society.
There is an emerging backlash. Second hand smoke is a smoke & mirror issue. SUVs kill real people.
This an overlooked issue that has potential. I think we want to be known as the freedom party as opposed to the Repugs.

2) Environment/State Parks. The average citizen feels cheated out of their state parks by the FIBs. The parks are crowded with obnoxious behemoth motorhomes and loud FIBs.
It’s been functionally impossible for a Wisconsin person to get into Peninsula state park for years, and many people are really pissed. WI parks are actually pathetic, small, and crowded compared to Iowa, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, and other states.

3) Property taxes are too high for everyone, but especially for older and unemployed.
This is the magic issue and the Repugs are going to beat us on this one unless we come up with something revolutionary. WI teachers have the second highest compensation package in the country at $62K/year, while the average citizen makes $28K. Believe me, voters have noticed. Many Madison and Milwaukee teachers are arrogant and out of control.

4) Madison does not represent WI. People in the northern 2/3 of WI do not like or trust Madison or it’s whackos. These people are carpetbaggers, and the rest of WI knows this. Get with the program and talk to the rest of the state.

Just trying to help.
You want the truth? Or just group think.