Letters for April 23: Where is ‘personal responsibility’?

Today’s letter writers discuss personal responsibility, education, Jim Sensenbrenner, Mike Pence and roads.

In 1983, applicants lined up for blocks seeking a job at the former A.O. Smith autoworks on Milwaukee's north side. Once the single biggest industrial employer inside the city limits, A.O. Smith downsized and closed like much of the industrial base in the urban center.

Sensenbrenner and the Internet

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) repeatedly has claimed that he does not support the release of Donald Trump’s tax returns because it would invade Trump’s privacy. He claims it is a matter of principle.

How does this square with his recent vote to roll back internet privacy regulations? At a recent town hall, Sensenbrenner revealed the degree to which he is stunningly out of touch. According to Sensenbrenner, “Nobody has got to use the Internet.”

This will come as a surprise to the millions of people around the country who use the Internet for work or school every day. Some examples: students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who rely on online courses in order to make school fit their schedules; high school teachers who rely on online textbooks for classes; those who use the Internet for research, scheduling, job hunting and job applications. Nowadays, all of these people rely on the Internet. In my side job as a voice actor, I would be helpless without the Internet; all of my auditions and work product are distributed via the Internet. It is absolutely essential.

The real problem here is that there is no good defense for either of Sensenbrenner’s positions. They are based on convenience. As one of his constituents, I hope he reconsiders.

Joseph Kraynick

Wauwatosa

Pence’s rules

I am astounded at the consternation over the rules Vice President Mike Pence has set up for himself and has adhered to. The two rules we read about are that he never attends one-on-one dinners with women other than his wife, Karen, and that he does not drink alcohol socially when Karen is not with him.

I, for one, admire him. He obviously knows that he cannot control himself unless his wife is present. He is fearful about what a woman, privacy, and/or alcohol might lead to. This is a man who has decided he will not create a situation where others will make accusations against him as have been made against Donald Trump and Bill O’Reilly. He, for sure, will not be able to admit to doing what Donald Trump admitted to to Bobby Bush.

What a better world we would have if all men obeyed Pence’s rules. Wives could keep an eye on their husbands. That would possibly lead to fewer family problems and divorces. Women would have broader experiences and opportunities, because they would interact with Pence’s wife in addition to other men and women. They might learn from her and be more able to help their own husbands in control themselves and, thus, excel in politics. This knowledge might carry over into the world of business and other areas of life.

I wish “Pence’s rules” had not received such negative publicity. We all know that behind every great man there is a great woman. Pence just wants to change that to read, “In every room with a great man there is his wife.”

I’m not sure if this rule would apply to Pence’s wife. Would she avoid one-on-one encounters with men or women or both? It would put a lot of strain on Pence if he had to be present whenever his wife met with other women, whether wives (merely) or officials in their own right? What about meetings with men?

There is a lot to think about here. I admire Pence for opening this discussion.

Karen Wagner

Wautoma

Personal responsibility

I read John Schmid’s series “A time to heal” with great interest, waiting to see what questions he was going to ask and what points he was going to make and how all of this was going to lead to solutions in making Milwaukee a great city once again.

Well, he did make some good points and did ask some interesting questions, but in the end, I felt a little let down by the conclusion or lack thereof.

As I read this series, I kept waiting for something that, in the end, did not come. As always, there is plenty of finger-pointing as to why problems have occurred or why people find themselves in a particular situation, but it’s always his fault, or their fault, or society’s fault, but none of this gets to the heart of the problem or gets us on track to finding a solution.

What I was waiting to hear and did not, were the words “personal responsibility.” These two words should have been the answer to many of the questions that were raised and asked, but not successfully answered. For example, how does one baby become a 30-year-old drunk while hundreds if not thousands more do not? Personal responsibility. Why are some kids not in school at 9 a.m. on a Monday morning while others are in class trying to learn? Personal responsibility. Why are some people willing to do what it takes legally to raise children and support their family, while others are not? Personal responsibility.

While I will agree that Milwaukee is not the city that my family has been living in since 1859, and that there are things that could and should be changed for the better, none of this will be possible if we as individuals and as a collective whole do not accept responsibility when it is needed. If you are a hard-working parent whose children are in school and are working toward self-improvement, then you are not responsible for those who choose to do the opposite, and trying to get people to accept this is simply going to lead to failure.

No one wants to hear that they have taken steps that lead to problems and mistakes, but it’s the only way one can and will change, nothing more will do.

Maybe next time a series is written about our city, with both its good and bad points, there will be less finger-pointing and more self-examination, but I doubt it.

Brian Brehmer

Milwaukee

SPECIAL REPORT: An epidemic of childhood trauma haunts Milwaukee

GOP attack on education

As a veteran public school teacher and father of two enrolled in public school, it is incredibly frustrating for teachers and families to continually have to fight state Republican lawmakers for resources for our kids. As reported by Annysa Johnson on April 15 in her article, “State GOP takes aim at school referendums,” state Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Cedarburg) and his party colleagues are continuing the assault with ridiculous, anti-education efforts.

State spending on school vouchers has increased from about $146 million in 2011-2012 to about $258 million in 2016-2017. During the same time span, Gov. Scott Walker, with the support of straight party-line support in the Senate and Assembly, have cut state aid to public schools by almost $1.1 billion, according to the state’s Legislative Fiscal Bureau. About three weeks ago, Erin Richards reported in a story, “Tensions rise as vouchers pick up traction across Wisconsin,” that nearly 300 private, mostly religious schools will receive taxpayer funding in 2017-2018 of about $263 million, according to Walker’s budget proposal.

The bills, votes and money keep pouring in for vouchers. Again, public school families are picking up the tab for a surrogate public school system that does not serve all kids and their families and, as a group, does not educate as well as the public schools of Wisconsin. What is noticeably absent: laws that would put voucher schools on an equal accountability and transparency footing with Wisconsin’s public schools.

The state GOP also continues its anti-democratic efforts in a shameful flip-flop on its campaign pledge to give schools and voters the tools they need to achieve. Eliminating recurring referendums, limiting school boards’ referenda decision-making authority, and the audacity to penalize communities who democratically elect to raise money to fulfill their educational missions are each a direct reversal of GOP claims of empowering local voters. As Johnson reported, voters chose to borrow 10 times more than in 2011 and requests to exceed GOP-set revenue limits almost doubled the average number of requests between 2009 and 2013.

Clearly, voters want to invest in public education. Clearly, GOP lawmakers continue to attack public education.

Aaron Callender

Fox Point

Roads vs. streetcars

What an interesting dilemma we have in Milwaukee with not enough funds to repair roads, but we do have the ability to pay for a street car now and going forward that will arguably serve very few average citizens in our community (“Bumpy ride: an endless quest to fix local roads in Wisconsin,” April 16).

Jim Bauernfeind

Milwaukee

Can Walker repeat?

“$100 million freed up for state roads.” That April 14 headline speaks volumes in recognition of Gov. Scott Walker’s response to civic and business leaders and the concerns of Wisconsin citizens, who have endured the driving mess out on the west end of I-94 in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties.

Now, can he repeat as relates to the mess for Wisconsin southeastern residents regarding the Lincoln Hills and Cooper Lake juvenile correctional facilities?

William A. Jennaro

Milwaukee County

Circuit Judge (Ret.)

Milwaukee