Joe Parisi For Dane County Executive, A Nice Person For Troubled Times

UPDATED

I am very proud to endorse Joe Parisi for Dane County Executive.  He is perfectly suited to provide leadership based on his skills, intellect, and temperament.

Joe Parisi tips the scale due to experience and the tone he has brought to politics in general, and to this race for county executive.

There is no doubt that even in Dane County, where our economic health is better than other areas of the state, we still feel the turmoil and angst of too many folks out of work.    It is not just enough to lure jobs to this region, but to make sure they are good paying jobs that provide benefits for all that live and work here.  We are not a bunch of faceless strangers but a series of  neighbors and communities that care about each other.  As such, we want and need to have economic gains for everyone.

Joe Parisi has stated often how he wants to use the county executive’s office as a place for businesses to get in touch with the resources they require to create and retain jobs.   But there is more to the task of creating jobs than just putting a paycheck in someone’s hand.

Whether we want to face it or not we are in a transformative age when it comes to job creation.  The question is do we look forward and create the jobs of tomorrow, or do we retreat and try to reclaim what was lost.

Future jobs in the green economy need to be pursued with all the speed and gusto Dane County can muster.  When Joe Parisi talks about making this county a leader in clean energy jobs I am hearing someone talk about a future with economic benefits for everyone.  When Parisi talks about these jobs I know he wants Dane County to be ahead of the curve in order to be more competitive with other regions of the country.

When Parisi speaks about the need for smart job growth in Dane County I am hearing a leader, not just a candidate.  Be it wind turbines, or solar panels on homes, Parisi has a vision for the future that blends our long-term interests with solid paying jobs.  The second largest county in Wisconsin would be well advised to heed his words.

With the green economy, and the needs of future businesses that will develop in Dane County, comes the vital questions surrounding our transportation policies.  For too long these issues have been mired in anger and confusion.  It need not be that way.

There is no doubt that commuter rail needs to become a reality if we are to be more competitive with other regions of the nation.  There is no way to deny that rail must be an integral part of real economic developement in the county.

Joe Parisi has the ability to communicate effectively without being antagonistic.  In this era  of mean-spirited political rhetoric Parisi will provide straight talk on a whole range of issues, up to and including trains, without resorting to the ugly side of politics. 

Kathleen Falk demonstrated how people with differing perspectives could work for the better good, and I know Parisi will do the same.  Parisi is known as a genuinely nice person, and that will go a long way in helping to shape policy goals with those who work with him.

While working to create a better economic climate in Dane County we can not neglect those who need social services.    While listening to responses of the candidates at the public forums there is no doubt  that Parisi is committed to making sure those who need help will not be forgotten.  All of us who share a set of values about the kind of  communities we want to live in understand the need to remain firm in protecting social programs. 

I truly think that Joe Parisi understands the old saying that we are only as strong as our weakest link.   That also seems to be the general view of the citizens of Dane County.

There will be many hard spots ahead for the new county executive, but I know Joe Parisi is well-suited to meet them.

We only need to look to the heart of the Madison isthmus to find political statehouse antagonists who snicker at what we have in Dane County.  The question then is how to deal with Republicans who have an ax to grind?

While there has been much talk of Governor Walker in this campaign the fact is we need to maintain civility in order to construct a working relationship for the next four years with the political opposition.

I know the maturity and decency that Joe Parisi has demonstrated over the years in the State Legislature, and in this campaign will enable him to best work with Republicans while always firmly grounded with his values.

Dane County is facing a future that demands solid leadership based on an open-eyed approach.  The best person to lead the way forward is someone many of us have long-known and deeply respect.

Joe Parisi is the best choice for Dane County Executive.

Sarah Palin Comments On…Um….Uprising In…Um…..Egypt

Vacuous.

“And nobody yet has, no body yet has explained to the American public what they know, and surely they know more than the rest of us know who it is who will be taking the place of Mubarak and um, no, not, not real um enthused about what it is that that’s being done on a national level and from D.C. in regards to understanding all the situation there in Egypt. And um, in these areas that are so volatile right now because obviously it’s not just Egypt but the other countries too where we are seeing uprisings, we know that now more than ever, we need strength and sound mind there in the White House.  We need to know what it is that America stands for so we know who it is that America will stand with.  And um, we do not have all that information yet.”

Pittsburgh Steelers….What Are The Odds?

Recently I was commenting on this blog about Jay Carney, the new White House Press Secretary.  At that time I mentioned that of those former press secretaries who had served a president, and then wrote a book, that  Ron Nesson produced the best read.  

This weekend I wanted something different to read so I again pulled off the shelves Nesson’s book about his time as press secretary to President Ford.  “It Sure Looks Different From The Inside” was fun the first time, and has provided a quick and enjoyable trip back in time.

But it was on page 82 that I had to smile.

“Why waiting for the changes to be typed, Ford, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Greenspan and I went up to the president’s residence on the second floor of the White House to watch the Super Bowl game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings on TV.”

What are the odds that of all the books I could have pulled off my shelves to read would be the one that talked about another Super Bowl, and the powerful Pittsburgh Steelers on this weekend when they will again tangle for top honors?

Sheldon, from  CBS’s “The Big Bang”, would do the math to find out!  Love him, and the show.

By the way, the Steelers won that game in 1975 by a score of 16-6.

For those readers who got this far and thought they were going to read something about today’s football game…….welcome to my blog as first time visitors.  I really do not write about sports here.

President Bush Cancels Switzerland Speech, War Crimes Haunt Former Leader

Poor George.

A planned trip to Switzerland this week by George W. Bush was canceled after human rights activists called for demonstrations and threatened legal action over allegations that the former president sanctioned the torture of terrorism suspects.

The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights and several European human rights groups said they were planning to file a complaint against Bush and wanted Swiss prosecutors to open a criminal case against him once he arrived in the country.

In what would have been his first European trip since leaving office, Bush was scheduled to speak in Geneva on Feb. 12 at a dinner in honor of the United Israel Appeal. A lawyer for the organization said that Bush’s appearance was canceled because of the risk of violence, and that the threat of legal action was not an issue.

A Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesman told the Associated Press that the country’s Justice Ministry had concluded that Bush would have immunity from prosecution for any alleged actions while in office. The Center for Constitutional Rights disputed that interpretation, arguing there is no such immunity under the Convention Against Torture.