On July 9, our village came together to pay tribute to Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Wyatt in what could be described as one of the finest moments in our village’s history.  I would like to include another local hero, who gave her life in much the same fashion. The July 9th dedication of the Daniel Wyatt Memorial Ball Park was such a fitting memorial to one of our local heroes that gave his life for love of country.  From the memories of Daniel’s Commanding Officer, who stood only 400 meters away from where Daniel took his last breath, to the wonderful eulogies from our state and local leaders…

Famous phrase from comedian Ron White and how it applies to the movement for Caledonia to start its own school district. With all the problems facing Racine Unified School District, the past week put an exclamation point to the Ron White one-liner, “You can’t fix stupid!”  I have been an outspoken critic of Unified since 2001, first as the state educational liaison for Citizens for a Sound Economy, a national organization started by former Senate Majority Leader Dick Armey, as founder of Just Cause Wisconsin, as an RUSD Board of Education member, and as leader of the movement to start a new …

Dear RUSD Leaders: The biggest problem you face is not whether or not you need new facilities or more revenue.  The biggest issue before you is summed up in one question; “How do you regain public trust?”  The answer isn’t simple, but without trust, any plans or ideas to better educate our children will fail.  The colossal failure of the referendum questions was a message from your employers that the status quo is unacceptable and the time is now to right the ship. In Caledonia, a vast majority has been unhappy for some time, and has even launched attempts to leave the district and start our …

These endorsements are solely my own and do not reflect the views of Caledonia Patch or AOL. This election cycle is not your typical spring election.  No matter what your views are, it has never been more important to vote in a spring election.  Locally, we will be voting for a new County Executive, a new Trustee, School Board candidates, three referendum questions and a Supreme Court Judge.  All of these positions could determine how your taxes are affected.  I will never pretend to have all the answers, nor will I ever tell anyone who to vote for.  I present these as who I will be voting …

When I was elected to the school board in April of 2005, the overall sentiment of my constituents was as clear as it is today.  The people of eastern Racine County want to help the Racine Unified School District, and they want better education for their children, but have little faith the district is capable of doing so based on poor decisions and unwise use of the taxpayer dollars they have received in the past.  Not much has changed as I talk to people in my community. This time around, three separate questions will be on the ballot for a total $128 million, and while some of the ideas of …

“Government isn’t the solution to our problems, government is the problem.” – Ronald Reagan If you reversed the meaning of Ronald Reagan’s famous quote to read, “Government is the solution to our problems, government isn’t the problem”, you would probably think you were reading a communist manifesto.  The strange reality is this is exactly how the left believes.   The evidence is all around us and has been for a long time. Since the inauguration of President Barrack Hussein Obama, government has done things unthinkable of our founding fathers.  From nationalizing health care to bailing out …

As the union imposed exile of 14 Wisconsin State Senators enters its fourth week, it’s time to ask the most fundamental question: what compromise are they seeking and what is their solution to the Doyle driven budget mess?  Maybe that is a better question to ask Richard Trumpka, or the Democratic National Committee. Recently the Journal Sentinel obtained emails from Governor Scott Walker to the Democrat Senators, as recently as today, offered a compromise allowing unions collective bargaining on wages with no limits.  That is a major reversal from the original proposal, and was the main theme…

The real motivation for the 14 Democratic State Senators may just have been revealed by secret emails between Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller and the Democratic Mayor of Madison, Dave Cieslewicz on February 15, 2011, just days before the Wisconsin Emergency Budget Repair bill was scheduled for a vote. Investigative Reporter, Bryan Polcyn, of FOX 6 News, revealed emails from Cieslewica, who asked if Miller could talk to Secretary of State Douglas LaFollette to see if the bill could be delayed by going to the senate floor for a vote so that union contracts could be done prior to passage.  …

Governor Scott Walker will roll out the new biennial state budget today and speculation has run rampant in school districts and municipalities throughout the state.  Unfortunately, without the Emergency Budget Repair bill passed and in place, all entities that participate in shared revenue and receive state aid, will have to make deep cuts.  These cuts will in most cases result in mass layoffs across the state and 14 Wisconsin Senators hiding in Illinois are to blame. According to David Hazen, Chief Financial Officer for RUSD, our school district could lose up to $20 million in shared revenue…

During the two past weeks, I have followed a subject near and dear to all of us with children, our school system.  Not just by listening to the talking points by both sides regarding the Wisconsin Emergency Budget Repair Bill and the upcoming three referendum questions, but by analyzing our own Racine Unified School District’s budget to see just how we could possibly come to a different conclusion than the ones presented by Governor Scott Walker and our local school board.  I’m not presenting this as an ambitious amateur, but as a former school board member (2005 – 2008), that sat on the …

The world is watching the debate over the Emergency Budget Repair bill before the Wisconsin legislature and with good cause.  Governors, state legislatures, municipalities and school districts are facing mounting deficits and budget shortfalls.  In Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Constitution, the Governor is required by statute to balance the biennial budget.  That is what this bill is all about. After reviewing the Racine Education Associations 2009 – 2011 contract, it is easy to see why the union wants to protect their bargaining rights, and taxpayers are not so sympathetic towards …