Opinions

To the editor:

Tom Nelson has been a dedicated public servant for Northeast Wisconsin for many years.

Cynical campaigns ads, financed by money from outside of Wisconsin, have been trying to paint Tom merely as a career politician. Those running the ads either don’t know Tom or are taking the low road of trying to smear a good man.

I’ve known Tom for a long time, and it has always been clear to me that Tom is only interested in doing whatever he can to better the lives of the hard-working people of Wisconsin. Tom realizes that holding public office allows him to do the most good for the most people.

Unfortunately, campaigning is a necessary evil for getting elected.

To the editor:

If he had put our nation’s security at risk, I would not vote for him.

If his organization received large donations from countries that killed women and gays, I would not vote for him.

If he boasted 30 years of government experience but still could not discern if an email was classified or not, I would not vote for him.

If he boasted about how he has defended children his entire life but is for abortion, I would not vote for him.

If he wanted my 3-year-old granddaughter to go to restrooms with men dressed as women, I would not vote for him. I have taught my daughter and will teach my granddaughter to disregard sexist remarks and move on, especially when they were made so many years ago and also to forgive those who say they are sorry.

If he caused lives to be destroyed in Benghazi and then lied to the faces of the parents as they stood at their child’s casket, I would not vote for him.

To the editor:

As the campaign season winds down, many of us are becoming weary of the pervasive negativity. The overwhelming amount of TV ads and glossy attack mail pieces points to the ability of “big money” to try to influence voters in local races with inflammatory, misleading and often false claims, many of which have not relationship to the issues facing our nation. The issues are important, as is the truth.

Tom Nelson has been trying to focus on issues important to our area. Tom has been subjected to vicious and false attacks by his opponent and well-funded PACs.

Tom has a record of hard work to help working families. Throughout his career he has consistently either returned pay raises to the taxpayers of given the money to charity. He worked to save Senior Care in Wisconsin when the federal government tried to revoke it. He worked has proposed a plan to keep Social Security and Medicare solvent without reducing benefits.

To the editor:

To say the community of Bonduel and its surrounding areas are proud of its school would be an understatement. Families, businesses, and community residents support the schools through donations, time and expertise. I believe the School District of Bonduel exemplifies what is great about rural public education.

As we plan for the future, we are asking for input from families and the community. A survey was developed to help us plan fiscally and for programming. Your input is important to the Board of Education and administration as we believe that our district is a reflection of our community. The pride you feel when our students perform on stage, on the field or in the classroom is mutual between students and their families and neighbors.

To the editor:

We have an important election coming up at all levels of voting. Many peopleare not thrilled with our choices, and at times I agree. We still need to decide who will come up with legislation that will grow this country nationally and locally and not limit its potential.

For senator, I strongly urge you to support the re-election of Ron Johnson. Six years ago, the voters threw out Russ Feingold. The reasons for electing Ron and keeping out Russ are the same as they were six years ago. Ron Johnson is a citizen legislator who understands the challenges of keeping good jobs in Wisconsin. Russ is a career politician who lacks such understanding. Russ is proud of voting for the disaster called Obamacare. He still would support it, having not learned at all. Clearly, the best person for the job is Ron Johnson.

Jack-o’-lanterns can be seen on steps, peeking out of residents’ windows and in stores throughout our community. Some are smiling and some scary. Some are lit, some are decorated with hats and jewelry, and others are painted a variety of colors. All are unique and fun to see.

I remember my kids picking out their pumpkins to carve. They had a good time and it was always fun to see their smiling or scary pumpkin faces.

My daughter, Amy, enjoyed putting the seeds on a cookie sheet and baking them. After eating a few and sharing them with her brother, she gave the squirrels a Halloween treat.

I wonder how many of you know the legend of the jack-o’-lantern.

To the editor:

The Constitution is now dead, thanks to all who put our current commander-in-chief in charge for the last 7½ years. Whether or not if you believe in the Bill of Rights, you lost what little is left Oct. 3, when federal agencies, at the behest of Barack Obama and without consent of Congress, gave control of the internet to an international group. ICANN, based in California, had been the guardian of the internet making sure it was free to all to use as well as free to access for free speech without charge to anyone.

Now we cannot be assured of access, freedom from censorship or freedom from being charged to use the net. If you are a Christian, conservative or a lover of the Constitution you already know your being called a bigot, racist, homophobe, Islamaphobe and a terrorist by the mainstream media as well as many in the federal government.

To the editor:

A teacher friend told my sister, a retired teacher, that Russ Feingold was the smartest student she ever had. I have known Russ since he first ran for office to represent the Middleton area in the Wisconsin Legislature.

His experience in government is valuable in actually accomplishing things in Washington. The bipartisan campaign finance reform act he cosponsored with Republican John McCain is just one example.

After serving in elected office, I learned how different government is from business. Feingold knows how to protect our constitutional rights and still keep the country safe. He has presented an actual plan for saving Social Security.

Feingold deserves our thanks for devoting his talents to public service. He also deserves your vote to return him to the U.S. Senate.

Mary-Beth Kuester,

Clintonville

To the editor:

What many think of as a disease from the days of “La Boheme,” tuberculosis is today the world’s leading infectious killer.

According to new data from the World Health Organization, the age-old scourge is even worse than we knew, with more people falling sick, more people dying and more cases of dangerous drug-resistant strains than we previously thought.

How is this possible when TB is both preventable and curable? TB will only end when the world summons the energy and commitment to end it. But the White House has tried to cut TB funding for the last five years.

We have to demand that our next president and Congress reverse course, making the end of TB a priority in our policies and in our investments. This is a problem we can solve, and it’s time to take action before the TB epidemic becomes even worse and more widespread.

David Koeller,

Shawano

To the editor:

You want to talk about rigged elections? Look no further than Wisconsin. Five years ago, Republicans in Madison spent 2 million taxpayer dollars in secret meetings to approve new legislative district boundaries.

These elected officials were not involved in deciding on the new boundaries; they were simply given the new maps — after they signed an oath not to discuss the maps with the pubic that had elected them.

The new district boundaries had immediate results in the 2012 election. There were 1.4 million Democratic votes cast that year and 1.2 million Republican votes. Yet Republicans won 60 of the 99 Assembly seats while the Democrats won only 39. That means Democrats cast 54 percent of the votes but won only 40 percent of the elections. Gerrymandering at its best and worst.