| Vol. 7 No. 11 MAY 31, 2012 |
The Capital City Hues (608) 241-2000 gramling@capitalcityhues.com Subscription Information: The Capital City Hues PO Box 259712 Madison, WI 53725 ($45 a year) Contact Number: (608) 241-2000 Advertising: Claire G. Mendoza sales@capitalcityhues.com |
EDITORIAL STAFF Jonathan Gramling Publisher & Editor Clarita G. Mendoza Sales Manager Contributing Writers Rita Adair, Ike Anyanike, Paul Barrows, Alfonso Zepeda Capistran, Theola Carter, Fabu, Andrew Gramling, Lang Kenneth Haynes, Eileen Cecille Hocker, Heidi Pascual, & Martinez White |
Reflections/Jonathan Gramling
Vote to make History
Vote to make History
Before I get into this issue’s column, let me first of all say thank you to all of the staff at the schools, colleges
and universities who cooperated with The Hues to make this Graduation issue possible. This is truly a
collaborative effort to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates and to reflect on what could be
possible for all students of color in the Madison area. I thank you for your invaluable assistance.
I also congratulate the graduates. Education is one of the values that unite all of our communities. And you
have fulfilled the dreams that we, as the community, have for you. We wish you well in your future
endeavors and hope that you are able to make your dreams come true.
***
It is due to the enormous task of getting this 36-page paper, our largest ever, prepared and printed, that we
are coming out on a Monday instead of Friday. If you pick this paper up on June 4th or 5th, I then urge you to
vote in the June 5th election. If you pick this paper up later than that, well I hope that you did vote.
The June 5th recall election is significant in so many ways. It is our first intensely-fought election since the U.
S. Supreme Court issued that dreadful ruling in the Citizens United case that opened up the floodgates to
allow unlimited corporate and individual spending on elections. In our gubernatorial election alone, over $60
million has been spent on political advertising that dulls the senses with statements that stretch the truth or tell
outright lies.
But not everyone gets this “free” speech. You have to be wealthy to exercise it and right now, the wealthy
are spending 20:1 against Democrat Tom Barrett and Mahlon Mitchell in this election, 20 to 1. It is amazing that
this election is neck and neck given the vast sums that have been spent by the forces supporting Governor
Scott Walker.
While I hope that Barrett and Mitchell win for several reasons, as one of the little guys in this world, I hope the
folks who are spending all of this money lose, that their money can’t buy them everything including love and a
gubernatorial election in Wisconsin. If the big money wins, I can just imagine the new round of tax breaks that
will be given with the resulting tax savings once again being funneled into even more elections until the day
when one must have the approval of wealthy people to run for office and serve the people of Wisconsin. It
just turns my stomach.
But one of the other reasons that I am going to vote for Barrett and Mitchell is because I really like Mahlon
Mitchell for lieutenant governor — not to take away anything from Tom Barrett. I’ve known Mahlon for years
through the annual Sable Flames fundraisers, but first saw him give a public speech was back in the early
days of February 2011 when he spoke to one of the initial Capitol protests in his role as president of the
Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin. Mitchell really energized the crowd with his earnest speech about
what was going on with the elimination of public sector collective bargaining rights.
I was happy to see Mahlon jump into the lieutenant governor’s race because he had the oratory skills,
intelligence and passion for working people which I think has been missing from the State Capitol for many,
many years. When he is elected, he will be a fine advocate for working people and disenfranchised people, a
conscience for state government to work in the best interests of all of its citizens.
The other day, Mahlon spoke in Fitchburg at the beginning of his final campaign tour through Wisconsin. He
talked about the issues that Wisconsin is facing.
“We have seven days to have a new governor and a new lieutenant governor who will look out for all people
in our state, for all citizens, not like the current administration we have where you take necessities from the
many to give luxuries to the few, like the current administration where you brag about saving $154 million,
which is not verified yet, but we know the cuts that are hurting common citizens of last year,” Mahlon said.
“There was $1.6 billion taken from public education. I just dropped our kids off at school, $1.6 billion taken
from public education, a 30 percent cut in tech college programs. We’ve spent a lot of time in Milwaukee lately.
Just because someone doesn’t have a job doesn’t mean they don’t want one. There are 40,000 jobs out there
right now that don’t need to be created, but they are there. We need to work hard at getting the citizens of
this state back on the right track. Government can provide it and we can accomplish it.”
Mahlon believes in the ability of government to make a positive impact on people’s lives in direct opposition to
Republicans and Tea Partiers who wish to destroy government — or at least use it for their own private
interests — and supplant it with the power of the wealthy. In their future of Wisconsin, we won’t hold things
like our state parks in community trust. Eventually access will be based on ability to pay. And those that have
more money will get more and those who have less will have less as Wisconsin’s middle class shrinks even
more.
Mahlon Mitchell will be our conscience in the statehouse to ensure that will never happen. Vote for Mahlon
Mitchell — and Tom Barrett too — who would become our first African American lieutenant governor in
Wisconsin’s history.
and universities who cooperated with The Hues to make this Graduation issue possible. This is truly a
collaborative effort to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates and to reflect on what could be
possible for all students of color in the Madison area. I thank you for your invaluable assistance.
I also congratulate the graduates. Education is one of the values that unite all of our communities. And you
have fulfilled the dreams that we, as the community, have for you. We wish you well in your future
endeavors and hope that you are able to make your dreams come true.
***
It is due to the enormous task of getting this 36-page paper, our largest ever, prepared and printed, that we
are coming out on a Monday instead of Friday. If you pick this paper up on June 4th or 5th, I then urge you to
vote in the June 5th election. If you pick this paper up later than that, well I hope that you did vote.
The June 5th recall election is significant in so many ways. It is our first intensely-fought election since the U.
S. Supreme Court issued that dreadful ruling in the Citizens United case that opened up the floodgates to
allow unlimited corporate and individual spending on elections. In our gubernatorial election alone, over $60
million has been spent on political advertising that dulls the senses with statements that stretch the truth or tell
outright lies.
But not everyone gets this “free” speech. You have to be wealthy to exercise it and right now, the wealthy
are spending 20:1 against Democrat Tom Barrett and Mahlon Mitchell in this election, 20 to 1. It is amazing that
this election is neck and neck given the vast sums that have been spent by the forces supporting Governor
Scott Walker.
While I hope that Barrett and Mitchell win for several reasons, as one of the little guys in this world, I hope the
folks who are spending all of this money lose, that their money can’t buy them everything including love and a
gubernatorial election in Wisconsin. If the big money wins, I can just imagine the new round of tax breaks that
will be given with the resulting tax savings once again being funneled into even more elections until the day
when one must have the approval of wealthy people to run for office and serve the people of Wisconsin. It
just turns my stomach.
But one of the other reasons that I am going to vote for Barrett and Mitchell is because I really like Mahlon
Mitchell for lieutenant governor — not to take away anything from Tom Barrett. I’ve known Mahlon for years
through the annual Sable Flames fundraisers, but first saw him give a public speech was back in the early
days of February 2011 when he spoke to one of the initial Capitol protests in his role as president of the
Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin. Mitchell really energized the crowd with his earnest speech about
what was going on with the elimination of public sector collective bargaining rights.
I was happy to see Mahlon jump into the lieutenant governor’s race because he had the oratory skills,
intelligence and passion for working people which I think has been missing from the State Capitol for many,
many years. When he is elected, he will be a fine advocate for working people and disenfranchised people, a
conscience for state government to work in the best interests of all of its citizens.
The other day, Mahlon spoke in Fitchburg at the beginning of his final campaign tour through Wisconsin. He
talked about the issues that Wisconsin is facing.
“We have seven days to have a new governor and a new lieutenant governor who will look out for all people
in our state, for all citizens, not like the current administration we have where you take necessities from the
many to give luxuries to the few, like the current administration where you brag about saving $154 million,
which is not verified yet, but we know the cuts that are hurting common citizens of last year,” Mahlon said.
“There was $1.6 billion taken from public education. I just dropped our kids off at school, $1.6 billion taken
from public education, a 30 percent cut in tech college programs. We’ve spent a lot of time in Milwaukee lately.
Just because someone doesn’t have a job doesn’t mean they don’t want one. There are 40,000 jobs out there
right now that don’t need to be created, but they are there. We need to work hard at getting the citizens of
this state back on the right track. Government can provide it and we can accomplish it.”
Mahlon believes in the ability of government to make a positive impact on people’s lives in direct opposition to
Republicans and Tea Partiers who wish to destroy government — or at least use it for their own private
interests — and supplant it with the power of the wealthy. In their future of Wisconsin, we won’t hold things
like our state parks in community trust. Eventually access will be based on ability to pay. And those that have
more money will get more and those who have less will have less as Wisconsin’s middle class shrinks even
more.
Mahlon Mitchell will be our conscience in the statehouse to ensure that will never happen. Vote for Mahlon
Mitchell — and Tom Barrett too — who would become our first African American lieutenant governor in
Wisconsin’s history.
