Letter to the Editor: Is This Really Who We Are?

Is this really who we are? Voting this year up and down the ballot is more important than ever to preserve what decency is left in our country.

Fifteen GOP Governors opted out of a federal summer food program for 8 million children. Most of these governors are in states with some of the highest rates of children in poverty. Abortion restrictions are making women fight for their lives, waiting until they are sick enough to get care. Suicide rates among teens, especially LGBTQ+ and trans teens, are spiking as states ban books, restrict teaching accurate U.S. History, pass anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, reduce funding for counselors, and eliminate Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs.

Donald Trump says Article 2 of the Constitution allows him to do whatever he wants. He vows retribution toward those who oppose him, uses language for opponents and immigrants like “vermin,” and says they are “poisoning our blood.” He ended his Christmas letter “May they rot in hell” about those he calls the “thugs” who oppose him. 

Sen. Ron Johnson’s anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-choice track record earned him seven out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Congressional Scorecard. While initially saying he had “no reason to oppose it,” he voted against a motion to advance the Respect for Marriage Act codifying same-sex marriage. He confirmed he is “pretty well leading the efforts” to block a bipartisan border security deal.

This kind of thinking exists with candidates for our local elections. While the election of a Circuit Court Judge should be non-partisan, it’s important to know our candidates. I wasn’t familiar with Brett Reetz, running to replace Door County Circuit Court Judge Todd Ehlers, so found his Reetzality blog online (since taken down). His own language calls the 2020 election stolen, states that he believes liberals are Satanic, the establishment are “high-level useful idiots,” and “government is cancer.”  

From the top to the bottom of the ballot, our votes do count! Learn as much as you can about candidates in our upcoming elections and vote! The results will tell us whether this is really who we are.

Nora Flood

Sister Bay, Wisconsin