Letter to the Editor: Vukmir vs. Baldwin

As an independent, I try to look at what candidates have accomplished instead of being defined by partisan rhetoric. I may not agree 100 percent with either candidate, but as an independent I look at the critical issues of health of a clean environment, health of people and health of communities.

The Monday night debate between Baldwin and Vukmir, both EOs (elected officials) was a disappointment. Baldwin clarified a few of the false statements by Vukmir and focused on facts about what she has accomplished. I expected to hear Vukmir tell us facts about what she has accomplished for the people of Wisconsin as their EO. Instead she generalized about her nursing and bashed Baldwin. Why?

My immediate assumption was that Leah has not accomplished much so she distracted us with bashing. However, as an independent, I did further research and learned that is not entirely true. More likely Vukmar felt supported by her donors and comfortable using their bullying strategies and deflection politics.

Vukmir has been on the board of directors of ALEC. When looking up the ALEC concept of governing, I learned they support laws for state mandates (top down authoritarian government) instead of bottom up community management (democratic decision making).

ALEC promotes laws that give excessive power and money to their friends and base, their family and people of their own race and people with the same faith. They bully opponents who do not support what they promote. Instead of valuing differences, ALEC politicizes women, LGBT, race, abortion, progressives, conservatives, liberals, and so on to create a divide to conquer strategy and deflection politics and show little care for government of, by and for all people.

I learned that some ALEC issues that dominate legislative agendas in Wisconsin and several other states include: reducing regulation at the local level and increasing regulation at the state level, loosening environmental regulations, excessive tax breaks and lower taxes for large businesses, weakening labor unions, tightening voter identification rules, building walls to prevent illegal immigration, separating children from their parents, banning women’s right to choose and opposing all gun control. At the same time they ridicule those who disagree and deflect what they are doing wrong to the innocent opposing person or party.

I am concerned about possibilities for the American dream. Instead of “why,” I now ask “who benefits” and “who values differences” – who will each candidate be accountable to? Who will work for all the people and who will work for donors without regard for democracy? Some important issues are not critical issues and we need to know the difference when voting. We need GA – Grassroots Accountability.

I hope to see another debate between Vukmir and Baldwin that limits conversation to facts about what each has accomplished and what laws they have supported. Debates should not allow bullying and bragging that wastes the viewers’ time. We Wisconsin voters are intelligent enough to make an educated decision about who to hire based on facts, not BS. We know the difference between caring and greed.  

Carole Vande Walle

Fish Creek, Wis.