A run for Rock County Board - log three
This entry was posted on 8/8/2007 2:00 AM and is filed under Tampering with Representation, Local Politics, Rock County Board Candidacy.
I saw an article the other day about State Representative Frank Lasse's bill proposal to create a task force to look at reducing the number of counties in Wisconsin (link). My eye caught the tag line because recently our neighbor county to the east (Walworth) reduced its number of county Supervisors. Lasse's bill would create a nine-member task force to look into the issue of reducing Wisconsin's number of counties from 72 to as few as 18.
I forgot the issue among so many until Paul Soglin joined in the notion (link). I responded to his blog with a comment of my own. I hope he does not mind if I repost it here on my own blog:
Smaller representation of the people is better? I thought somewhere, but now lost in my dusty Political Science 101 book was the notion that inefficient government was actually a last protection for "the people." Trimming down to a couple dozen county supervisors total for the whole state of Wisconsin will do wonders for the mantra of, "wonder why 'the peoples' don't participate or seem to give a damn about government" - let's just put up another gate keeper rule to keep more people out of their local government.
One caveat. If you give up your county representatives (Supervisors) for consolidation sake and some hope of "efficient government" (oxymoron), let me know how it goes if you try to get that representation back - ain't happ'n dudes.
Wait - one more caveat. Beware of smiling, handsome thieves anxious to take away your local representation.
Bob Keith
Cool Dadio Media
This week's Wisconsin soldier to remember is Army Specialist Justin W. Linden, 22. Specialist Linden was killed on Friday, June 4, 2004 when his convoy unit was attacked with an improvised explosive device and rocket-propelled grenades in Baghdad, Iraq. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Justin moved to Portland, Oregon, after graduating from Clinton High School in 1999. Clinton is a town of about 2000 people in Rock County, Wisconsin. Specialist Linden served with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment, Oregon Army National Guard. Specialist Linden was the 18th Wisconsin soldier to die in Iraq since Spring 2003. The Journal Sentinel went on to say Justin's mother Donna lives in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Linden moved to Portland about four years before his death. In Oregon he was married to wife Sarah on February 28, 2004 shortly before leaving for Iraq. In Oregon he had worked for Kentucky Fried Chicken were he met his future wife. The Journal Sentinel mentioned Justin is remembered in Clinton for his participation in baseball. Linden played outfield for Clinton and earned an honorable mention on the Rock Valley All-Conference baseball team in 1999.
3,679 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring 2003.
27,279 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring 2003.
78 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring 2003.
112 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring 2003.
Soldier of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; and, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
