Letter to the Editor: Disgruntled Kitchens Voter

I voted for Joel Kitchens in the recent elections. I honestly felt he was the best-qualified candidate, and that he sincerely wanted to represent the interests of the citizens in his district while avoiding partisan politics. Boy, was I wrong and I wish I had that vote back.

The lame duck legislation just passed along party lines by the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly – with Rep. Kitchens voting yes – to limit the powers of the incoming governor and attorney general is partisan politics at its worst. Even if you agree with the legislation itself, how can you possibly agree with the way the process was handled? Proposals emerging late on a Friday, overnight closed-door sessions with only Republicans in the meeting room, virtually no time for public input or debate, everything rushed through, bills passed, and then legislators scurrying out of town. Is that democracy? Republican legislators can deny it until they’re blue in the face, but these bills never would have been advanced if Gov. Walker had won re-election. And that’s just not right.

I emailed Rep. Kitchens more than once to share my concerns while these bills were being “discussed.” In his replies, one thing Kitchens pointed out to me was that he has had a good working relationship with Tony Evers in the past, and that he looked forward to finding common ground on issues with Evers once he was governor. That being the case, I’m more baffled than ever that Rep. Kitchens went along with his Republican colleagues in passing this legislation. If you really want to work with someone and find common ground with him, why wouldn’t you advocate waiting and bringing up these legislative proposals after Evers is seated? And until that time, why wouldn’t you vote no? These are questions I’ll be keeping in mind when I visit my polling place again in November 2020.

Finally, here’s the reason all this is so important to me: I lived in Illinois for 60 years before retiring here to Wisconsin 2½ years ago. I watched as Democrats used the exact same political skullduggery and tricks, literally for decades, until they gained an absolute stranglehold on Illinois politics and governance. The end result? Today, Illinois is in complete financial ruin, their citizens’ taxes are only going to go up and up, and residents are fleeing the state in record numbers. I do not wish the same fate on Wisconsin. A one-party political system will fail; it’s only a question of when. And when it does, it’s we the people who will suffer the consequences. Wisconsin Republicans should be careful what they wish for.

Rich Wolter

Baileys Harbor, Wis.