SKOL: Coal-power industry takes hit with ash spill disaster(2009/01/06) Monte Jacobson of West Salem hadn’t heard about the catastrophic Christmas-week coal ash spill in Kingston, Tenn., when I talked with him last week, three days after the spill. He wrote a letter to the editor last summer warning against the storage of coal ash in a proposed landfill in Vernon County, so I thought he might like to comment on the Tennessee disaster that has been compared to the Exxon Valdez spill.
LETTER: The people want health care for all(2009/01/06) The people have spoken! The results of the health care referendum on the November ballot were a clear mandate to legislators that they must act this session to make sure every Wisconsin resident has access to quality, affordable health care. Seventy-four percent of voters statewide voted “yes” to the health care referendum, and in La Crosse County the percentage was even higher.
LETTER: Gratitude owed to Rotary Lights(2009/01/06) We wish to extend a very special “thank you” to the visitors of Rotary Lights 2008 “A Million Mississippi Reflections.” New Horizons Shelter and Women’s Center was a recipient of your donated nonperishable food items on Dec. 3 and 14.
LETTER: We should put more energy into recycling(2009/01/06) One of Barack Obama’s main agenda items as he is preparing to be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States is to create a new energy policy that reduces our dependence on foreign oil by increasing offshore oil production, investing in plug-in electric vehicles and developing renewable energy technologies.
LETTER: Illegal workers have filled a big void(2009/01/06) The rumbling sound of engines, cities that never sleep and the endless circus of people heading to work is the present world we all live in, the image we see every day.
LETTER: The people share the blame for Blagojevich(2009/01/06) Why Blagojevich? Arrogance. Money. Concern for self over good of the public. People always telling you how great you are. A feeling of entitlement. Support from a power-hungry, corrupt organization. Lots of money.
SKOL: A gift of land in the fifth season(2008/12/30) “I was hillborn,” Ben Logan says in his book “Remembering Christmas,” “brought into life in southwestern Wisconsin’s rough and beautiful land.”
GUEST VIEW: Elders need protection from some caregivers(2008/12/30) A caregiver enters an elderly patient’s room. Undetected, she swipes the patient’s credit card and sneaks upstairs to call her utility company and pay off hundreds of dollars of arrearages with her newfound plastic. She keeps the card and uses it to buy gas and cigarettes. Stealing money’s not enough. Later, she’ll take the patient’s identity, too, opening up another credit card in the patient’s name.
GUEST VIEW: Economy manipulation comes at high price(2008/12/30) For decades Washington has been manipulating prices to encourage homeownership and “steer” the economy. To “incentivize” you to buy a house, it made mortgage payments tax deductible, largely exempted homes from capital gains taxes, and created Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
LETTER: Be fire-safe for sake of firefighters(2008/12/30) My husband is a volunteer firefighter, and I’m incredibly proud of him. He’s fortunate to serve with a group of people who are kind, compassionate and look out for each other. Their leadership is serious about their safety and make sure they’re well-trained and doing things by the book (thanks, chief and AC).
SKOL: Troubles come even to haven for rich(2008/12/22) Our son Jeff’s diesel pickup with the Skol Studio and Design logo on the door was in a long line of vehicles backed up on the narrow mountain road behind a rig laden with preformed construction panels. We were headed for Telluride, Colo., where Jeff had to do some final touchups on his work at a soon-to-open boutique hotel in the middle of the historic mining town turned toney for winter tourism.
GUEST VIEW: It’s time for real change in Congress(2008/12/22) I am among the vast majority of people who disapprove of the U.S. Congress. I have written, and even spoken to Sen. Russ Feingold and a representative of Rep. Ron Kind. I have basically been ignored, therefore I feel the only way I can get my ideas into the marketplace is to run for office myself.
What holidays might you be referring to? Make mine Christmas(2008/12/22) As Dec. 25 draws near, there will b many salutations exchanged. “Merry Christmas,” some say, and others reply, “happy holidays.” Why is there a discrepancy between these greetings? People have differing beliefs, which becomes evident in this faith-based season.
EDITORIAL: Cut state deficit down to size(2008/12/22) Wisconsin’s projected budget deficit is actually a large but manageable $1.25 billion — not the frightening $5.4 billion that has caused consternation at the Capitol and around the state.
SKOL: Hunting for deer answers(2008/12/17) They moved tentatively through the fresh snow, lifting a leg and carefully placing it while looking from side to side, alert. One of them wore a white beanie of snow swept by the wind from an overhanging oak branch. I watched them as they slowly slipped into the woods, a doe and her young — survivors, so far at least, of the annual deer hunt.
EDITORIAL: What happens if auto industry disappears?(2008/12/17) American auto companies can be forgiven if they resent the incongruity of the great bailout debate. Congress and President Bush breezily authorized $700 billion to bail out the banks with virtually no strings attached and absolutely no oversight (a Senator has put an anonymous “hold” on the man nominated as the bailout’s inspector general), but the auto companies ask for a fraction of that and get rebuffed.
HILLTOP VIEW: Political process never really ends(2008/12/17) A new president was finally elected in November. America decided it preferred the policies, beliefs and message of Barack Obama to that of John McCain.
LETTER: Coulee Region Gospel Choir is a real gift(2008/12/17) What a gift to our community when the Coulee Region Gospel Choir partnered up with Sand Lake Wesleyan Church to present two performances of the musical “Child of the Promise” this past weekend!
LETTER: It’s time for fuel-based consumption tax(2008/12/17) I hope that our federal leadership has the courage to attach a fuel-based consumption tax increase to the upcoming fiscal stimulus bill. It wouldn’t stop the inevitable devaluation of the dollar, but it would help move us toward a greener economy.
SKOL: Times call for creative scrimping(2008/12/09) When Gretchen’s January issue of Bon Appetit magazine arrived in the mail this week, I knew right away that there’s something new afoot on the American scene.
GUEST COLUMN: Education is the cornerstone(2008/12/09) We have long held the belief that the days of our children will be better than our own. As we look back at the recent election and anticipate the change that is coming, we must ensure that the education our children receive in our public schools provides them hope for the future and the opportunity to succeed.
GUEST COLUMN: It’s time to go smoke-free(2008/12/09) Wisconsin finally looks ready to learn something from its neighbor to the west when it comes to a statewide smoke-free law.
LETTER: Invisible hand ought to be scrutinized(2008/12/09) Trickle down has not produced what is needed to sustain an economy based upon consumerism — consumers. By cutting middle-class income and investing in manufacture by cheep labor in low-standard-of-living countries, there has been steady decline in the production and maintenance of a middle-class consuming public.
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