A Liberal Lives In Wisconsin

       When he restored government funding for abortion services in 1993, President Clinton explained that he wanted abortions to be safe, accessible, and rare. He succeeded beyond what he possibly could have imagined. Since his initiative was launched in the mid-90s, abortion rates have seen a decline of roughly 50 percent over the course of 25 years. How did he do this? Not by banning abortion, but by increasing healthcare and education resources for the age group most inclined to get abortions: teenagers.       Among the most successful iterations of his commitment to the education, health, and welfare of children was his initiative targeting teen pregnancy. While created with a goal of reducing teen pregnancy by a third before 2005, teen pregnancy rates have declined by nearly 90 percent over the course of 30 years, a trend also reflected in the teen birth rate. Clinton's National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy was among the most successful healthcare reforms in American hi

     In 2022, in spite of the outbreak of a once-in-a-century war in Europe, the world saw positive steps toward peace in other nations that had historically been riddled with conflict. In Afghanistan, the number of conflict-related deaths dropped from 40,000 to 4,000 and could dip beneath 1,000 in 2023, which means it has been reduced from "major war" status to "war" status and could fall to "minor conflict" status this year. In Iraq and Syria, the United States and allies like the Syrian Democratic Forces continued to take high-level terrorist leaders off the battlefield as the number of terrorism-related fatalities continued to fall: Iraq, and possibly Syria, are also likely to see their violence fall to "minor conflict" status within the next few years. In Ethiopia, a five-month truce and then a full end were announced to the Tigray War, the most devastating conflict in the world at the time; the Ethiopian government and the Tigrayan rebels h

       The United States is the only nation in the Western world that executes people. In North and South America, all nations have fully abolished the death penalty, have not used it in decades and do not hand out capital sentences, or reserve it only for times of war. In Europe, only the former Soviet nation of Belarus conducts executions, and these are mostly by silenced gunshot to the back of the head in secret, cold, damp cells in the middle of the night. In Oceania, no nation executes people.      This leaves Africa and Asia. In Africa, the vast majority of nations have bans, moratoriums, or de facto  moratoriums on the death penalty. Only Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, The Gambia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, and Somalia  have the death penalty intact. Nigeria  and Somalia maintain death by shooting, hanging, and sometimes stoning for "crimes" like being gay and renouncing religious customs.      Asia is where the death penalty is alive and well. Jordan,

     John F. Kennedy's inauguration was one of great historic significance. Among the youngest presidents in American history and the youngest elected to the office, as well as the first born in the 20th century, he became its first Catholic president (Joe Biden became the second 60 years later) on January 20th, 1961.      At this inauguration, Kennedy famously used chiasmus with his words, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what your can do for your country." His ceremony was the first to include a poet, with a beautiful message delivered by legendary wordsmith Robert Frost.

     Woodrow Wilson was the first president to introduce a comprehensive domestic agenda at the very beginning of his administration, a "New Freedom" involving bank reform, tariff and tax overhaul, labor and farming rights, and environmental protection.       In every one of these facets, Wilson succeeded. Perhaps the one most relevant to this day is the way he overhauled the American government's income. Until that point, America had been run by tariffs, or fees on imports and exports. The income tax had been established by constitutional amendment in 1912, and Wilson took advantage of this the day he took office.      Signed on October 3rd, 1913, the Revenue Act of 1913, also called the "Underwood Tariff," cut the tariff rate from 40 percent to 26, a 35 percent decrease. To make up for this, Wilson imposed a direct tax of one percent on the wealthiest three percent of Americans. 110 years later, the law is still the primary basis for government revenue.      S

     The cynicism that permeates our press and our public astounds me sometimes. People say the economy is falling apart because they feel like the economy is falling apart, rather than basing it on the numerous measures of economic health that have been established over the past century. People said that our economy would take years to recover from the effects of COVID-19, and then that inflation would continue rising in perpetuity, and then that our economy would fall into a recession. They have been proven wrong at every juncture, and it is my hope as well as my firm belief that they will continue to be proven wrong, as evidenced by the ten pieces of news from this month listed below: Record job growth: With December's job report being the latest in a string of jobs reports that have come in above expectations, America has created 11 million jobs in the first two years of the Biden administration, more than in any two years in American history. Record low unemployment: Once aga

     The second major piece of legislation signed by Barack Obama (after the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was signed two days after he took office) was the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, an economic stimulus in the wake of the Great Recession brought about by the administration of George W. Bush. The first major piece of legislation signed by Joe Biden was the American Rescue Plan Act, an economic stimulus in the wake of the COVID-19 Recession brought about by Donald Trump. Both of the past Republican presidents lost the popular vote, wrecked the economy, and left the responsibility of fixing it to their Democratic successors.      Ronald Reagan created 16.3 million jobs during his time in the White House. After that, utter disaster: Bush Sr. created 2.617 million jobs in one term, Bush Jr. just 523,000 in two, and Donald Trump actually cost America 3.164 million jobs. On the other hand, Jimmy Carter created 10.117 million jobs in his single term, Clinton created 22.745

     While he was fighting for reelection in 2012, Barack Obama saw the impacts of lackadaisical gun policy when hundreds of people, including countless small children, were massacred in a series of violent shootings by deranged individuals able to get access to guns too easily. Describing common-sense gun control as a fight comparable to that of the civil rights and suffrage movements, he planned to make it a central theme of his second term and, aside from visiting survivors and the families of victims, called on Congress to pass legislation to ban assault rifles, mandate background checks on all gun purchases, increase penalties for weapons trafficking, appoint a BAFTE administrator, and more.      While the Republican-controlled House refused to protect children, President Obama was able to secure a temporary relief with executive orders. On January 16th, 2013, he signed 23 of them, from encouraging responsible gun ownership to expanding background checks on weapons sales and creat

     Private laws? What does that mean? Most Americans have never even heard of private laws, nor do they know that the average piece of legislation is actually called a "public law." There's a reason for that. Private laws are laws that apply to only one specific individual and provide some form of relief, almost always for immigrants at risk of deportation.      Private laws are far less common nowadays than they were a few decades ago. Republicans are largely opposed to the practice, and, in fact, the last time private laws were signed was the 111th Congress, when Democrats under President Obama held a trifecta. On December 22nd, 2010, Obama signed two private laws to extend visa eligibility to Shigeru Yamada and Hotaru Nakama Ferschke. Trump signed zero such bills into law.      On December 27th, 2022, and January 5th, 2022, President Biden signed a combined total of three private laws providing relief to Rebecca Trimble; three members of the Bueso family; and three m

     The face of sovereign citizens and QAnon in Northeast Wisconsin, Ann Retzlaff, is back in trouble again. She's fallen a long way since she became the hero of conservatives across the state with her refusal to obey COVID-19 restrictions. Annie's Campground, that business she used to flout the rules, was permanently closed after a judge approved the sale. In late November, Positive Ventures LLC, the company that now owns the property, sued Retzlaff for her unpaid debt on the property; Judge Kussel recused himself from the case, as he was overseeing the criminal trial of Retzlaff until she filed a lawsuit alleging he was "assisting human trafficking."      It's the criminal case against Retzlaff that's causing her the most trouble, however. As I previously stated , she bonded out in August after being in jail for roughly four months on charges that she ran from and otherwise resisted police in May 2021 and April 2022 in two separate traffic stops where she c

     Perhaps nothing demonstrates the more stark contrasts between Republicans and Democrats in terms of human rights than the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility. Founded in 2002 by President Bush, the camp has held nearly 800 individuals in its history, most without charge and with little solid intelligence tying them to acts of terrorism. These men were largely held in "black sites" around the world, where they were subjected to torture, before being transferred to "Gitmo" and effectively held in cages, denied medical treatment, and subjected to a lack of due process and an overbearing climate for decades. After being subjected to a series of legal setbacks by his own Supreme Court, the war criminal president began to transfer inmates out of the notorious facility.      Immediately upon taking office, President Obama signed executive orders banning the use of torture and seeking closure of the facility. In spite of the National Defense Authorization Act passed by C

     It is my firm belief that, when the history of this era is written, the decision on the part of the ultra-MAGA Supreme Court to strike down Roe v. Wade  will go down as a big mistake not only for human rights, but for the political fortunes of American conservatives. It was abortion and democracy that led Americans to view the GOP as a party of extremists not worthy of their votes in 2022, resulting in large part in the best midterms results of any sitting Democratic president in modern history.      The decision resulted in, has resulted in, and will result in dozens of state laws and initiatives restricting and expanding reproductive healthcare access, turning the United States into a patchwork of total bans and unfettered access. It is my view, however, that the latter will outweigh the former. Even in deep red states, people, when given the chance, have voted overwhelmingly to protect and expand access. In states with Democratic governments, work is beginning not only to expan

      It's too late for Republicans to gain majority support among people from "every walk of life," as Adam Kinzinger dreamily imagined, if their current platform remains unchanged. They like to brag about Abe Lincoln, but their solutions for the American people involved nothing beyond ending slavery. My home state of Wisconsin is a prime example.       In 2019, Mandela Barnes became the lieutenant governor, making him the highest-ranking person of color in state history. He's a Democrat, and, just 32 when he took office, I have no doubt that he will be our governor at some point. At the national level, Wisconsin has an impressive contribution to diversity in the form of Tammy Baldwin. She was the first openly-LGBTQ non-incumbent elected to Congress, the first elected to the House of Representatives, and the first elected to the Senate.      Baldwin is not the only one. Barney Frank was the first member of Congress in a same-sex marriage. Mark Pocan, also of Wisconsi

     As I've said before , the alt-right is by far the biggest terrorist threat in the United States, far bigger than those posed by the left and by Islamic terrorists. From the January 6th insurrection to the Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot to violence against abortion providers and election workers , the right in general is growing increasingly into a terrorist movement that seeks only to sow division and, incapable of winning votes on that lack of a platform, resorts to violence and intimidation that one might expect to see in 1863, not 2023.       One new area that should be explored is how Trump is inciting violence against the FBI. For all the flaws of the agency, violence of any kind, especially political violence, should be condemned, especially as it is nearly all targeted toward low-ranking officers with no role in tactical or operational decision-making. These are people who put themselves at risk to enforce the law and protect and serve communities, not people with

       Northeast Wisconsin, particularly Green Bay and Brown County, was home to a wild series of conspiracy theories, coincidences, and outbursts of violent rhetoric following the domestic terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol two years ago today.      As it happened, one neighbor of mine exclaimed that he wished he could be there participating in the violence.      In Green Bay that night, a burly, bearded, redheaded man wore a shirt that proudly displayed the words: "CIVIL WAR: RED TEAM." That the shirt had been manufactured, sold, shipped, washed, and worn that day is doubtful, so it raises some serious questions.      On March 4th, 2021, the day that QAnon assholes believed that Trump would somehow be inaugurated the nineteenth president of a new nation, a man paraded around a local restaurant in full Trump gear.      I live here, and these few degenerates embarrass me.

     For better or for worse, we are living in what is potentially the most historic decade in modern American history. 2020 saw tensions with Iran, Trump's first impeachment, COVID-19, Black Lives Matter protests, the 2020 election, and unprecedented attempts to overturn that election. 2021 and 2022 saw the Capitol insurrection, Trump's second impeachment, the continuation and ultimate diminishment of COVID, the Biden administration and its historic agenda, the 2022 midterms, and global events in Ukraine and Afghanistan. If 2023 is to be any less historic, it hasn't given us any indication. This week alone, historic events are occurring almost by the hour on Capitol Hill: Mitch McConnell was re-elected to his role as Senate Minority Leader, becoming the longest-serving Senate leader in American history. Chuck Schumer was re-elected to his role as the first Jewish Senate leader in American history. Patty Murray was sworn in as the first female Senate president in history, m

     2022 was supposed to be a "Red Wave." Pundits, pollsters, podcasters, politicians, and personalities nationwide predicted it. Then the results came in, and it was instead the best midterm results for any Democratic president in modern history. Republicans were flabbergasted and humiliated, but that was far from the beginning or the end of this humiliation.      After ousting John Boehner and Paul Ryan, the GOP turned to Donald Trump as their savior. He lost the popular vote in 2016, lost the House "bigly" in 2018, got impeached twice, and then lost his office and both houses of Congress in 2020. Even after the humiliating defeat of 2022, he decided a run for the presidency would be a good idea. What's happened since has been the dismissal of his lawsuit against the DOJ over the Mar-a-Lago documents case, the release of his embarrassing tax returns, his dinner with white nationalists, and his Trump NFT fiasco in what liberal and conservative scholars and pol