Tanya Lohr: I carried a box — with Wisconsin’s futureinside
Dear Editor: I carried a box.
It seems like such a strange statement to use when describing adefining moment in one’s life, and yet for me that’s exactly whatthis statement is.
My initial reaction to the honor of carrying a box of recallpetitions into the Government Accountability Board office on Jan.17 was pure excitement. I couldn’t wait to turn in the signatureswe had all worked so hard to collect. That feeling of exhilarationcontinued throughout that evening as we celebrated the victory ofover 1 million signatures collected. we laughed as we hugged andcongratulated each other on a job well done.
Now my thoughts keep wandering to the experience of carryingthat box. I think about walking down that corridor of people whowere holding hands with one another so that our path to the GAB wasclear of obstacles. I caught glimpses of people I had met in thelast 11 months. I had never met them before Feb. 11, but I was nowconnected to them for the rest of my life. They yelled “thank you”as I passed by, but all I kept thinking was “thank YOU for helpingme find my way.”
I think about the sacrifices that were made to collect thesignatures I carried. how many broken friendships and severedfamily ties are inside the box? And what did the volunteers have togive up in order to successfully circulate each of thesepetitions?
When I was first selected for this task, I thought I was justcarrying a box. now I realize that I was carrying the future of astate entrenched in its own cold war. I was told the box would beheavy. Little did I know how heavy it would really be.
Tanya Lohr
Blake Rohrer: Cars merging in zipper fashion is mostefficient
Dear Editor: thank you to editor Paul Fanlund for his work onbehalf of our community. I am writing to question the final pointin his aggressive driving column. what he likes least is actuallywhat is best for moving traffic along and reducing congestion. Whenthere is a lane-narrowing, traffic engineers and mathematicianshave shown that the most efficient and quickest way to move trafficthrough is to have vehicles use BOTH lanes all the way to themerge, and then merge in a zipper fashion.
This is yet another area where Minnesota has surpassed Wisconsinin recent years, as the Minnesota DOT has put together a publiceducation campaign to help drivers learn how to merge in this moreefficient way. When cars back up into one lane long before themerge, it is actually less efficient and more dangerous.
I encourage Fanlund to help Wisconsin drivers learn how tonavigate a merge. The Minnesota DOT’s Webpage is informative.
Blake Rohrer
Nancy Karls Niehaus: Reading aloud to children is stillfundamental
Dear Editor: As a mother and classroom teacher who cares deeplyabout promoting reading to create competent, passionate lifelongreaders, I was very interested in the column supporting the bipartisan state readinginitiative.
Those of us who spend our lives in the classroom with readers ofall abilities know there are definitely complexities in readinginstruction, as not all students learn the same way. Onefundamental reading activity, however, that has remained steadfastthrough decades of research, which often gets overlooked because ofits simplicity, is the read aloud. Perhaps one of the greatestresources on the topic is “The Read Aloud Handbook” by JimTrelease, who touts its importance from infancy well intoadolescence.
As this initiative aims to increase accountability in child carecenters, “evaluating them on their efforts in teaching youngchildren to read,” my hope is that formal reading instruction isnot the emphasis with systematic reading programs that oftenpressure students before they are developmentally ready, and add tothe stress and angst of both our preschool students and theirparents. rather, may rich authentic literacy environments be thefocus, with children immersed in age-appropriate languageactivities.
Unfortunately, all too often political rhetoric and the power ofthe almighty marketing dollar bury the research of the powerful,authentic and result-yielding activity of the read aloud. may themessage of this classic and proven method be envelopedwholeheartedly across all age levels, but especially as one of many“instructional tools” for our youngest readers.
Nancy Karls Niehaus
town of Middleton
Norman Sannes: Dems, recall organizers also gettingout-of-state aid
Dear Editor: Subject: Walker, Wisconsin Ranger.
John Nichols makes a big deal of folks in Texas donating to ScottWalker’s coffers. Big deal! what about all the out-of-statecontributions to the folks running the recall debacle? Big unionand other out-of-state donors contributed heavily.
In the past, Tammy Baldwin has received a great deal fromout-of-state donors (Emily’s List for one), and she will in her tryfor U.S. senator. Other Democrats have been privy to the same. It’sjust more hypocritical sour grapes from the left, specificallysocialist John Nichols.
Norman Sannes
Ron Biendseil: Why Sen. Kohl should run forgovernor
Dear Editor: Recently I called Sen. Herb Kohl to urge him toagree to serve as a candidate for governor in the Scott Walkerrecall. Soon I will make a similar call to former U.S. Rep. DavidObey.
There are many other talented, dedicated and competentDemocratic candidates who would make excellent Wisconsin governors.But this is not the time for them to run.
And like thousands of Wisconsinites, I wish Russ Feingold wouldrun. But he won’t.
Right now, we need a candidate who will serve as an evenhandedalternative to Walker and then step aside in the next gubernatorialrace to let Democrats and Republicans compete on a level playingfield.
Right now, we need to focus on how Walker has betrayed the trustof the electorate, how he has deprived thousands of Wisconsincitizens of their right to vote in our elections, how he has wagedwar on police officers, firefighters, teachers and their families,and how his “jobs program” has been an unmitigated failure.
Right now, we need a governor who will unite us rather thandivide us along geographical, political, or socio-economiclines.
Right now, we need Kohl (or Obey).
Ron Biendseil
Ben Peppard: South Carolina would welcome Wisconsinjobs
Dear Editor: I know that there is a union movement to removeGov. Scott Walker. I believe that this is great — we can use morecompanies moving to South Carolina. we happen to be a right-to-workstate and do give tax incentives to relocate.
Walker has done everything he said he would do and now theoutside unions are coming in to try to disrupt what seems tosupport improvement to the education of the students in the state.what is wrong with that? the unions need to work with Walker, nottry to break down the education of the children.
Just some thoughts of an outsider with some experience inbusiness in Wisconsin.
Ben Peppard
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