LTE – Terry Nichols – 11-20-2019
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Veterans served our country, not political parties
Now that Veteran’s Day has passed and we wait for another year to honor our vets, I think of years passed and one of the most democratic bills of the 2013 Legislature. I’m talking about Assembly Bill 177. The reason I thought that this bill was the most democratic bill of that legislative session is as follows: this bill would have let the voters across this state to vote on a binding referendum at a statewide election to keep the funding of the Wi. Tech College system as it is or move the funding to the state level like the UW System. This bill was authored by former Rep. Garey Bies from the eastern part of the state. This bill was co-sponsored by our former 67th District Rep., Tom Larson, and Rep John Nygren from Marinette, WI.
I attended and testified at the Committee on University and Colleges on October 10, 2013. Of course, I was outnumbered by all the tech college representatives standing in the wings to testify against this bill. My focus was that the antiquated funding statutes of the Tech College System which were created before the Viet Nam War was over, decades ago, have turned mean-spirited as it relates to retired seniors and others living on fixed incomes. Since that time, I have informed our elected officials representing me that this bill should be resurrected due to its democratic nature and would allow voters across this state the make the decision at the polls, that’s democracy in action in my book.
Sometime later there was a Study Committee on the Funding and Governance of the Tech College System co-chaired by Rep. Nygren and former Senator Harsdorf. The results of that study committee were “Adjourned without recommendations” Imagine that? The reason was it was near the end of the Legislative session and was time to move on. of course, I had to ask why wasn’t this committee formed allowing time to get recommendations from this committee?
Fast forward to today and my demographic, and earlier, are still paying for the tech college system through local property taxes. The 16 tech districts across this state are still appointed, and not elected. These appointed tech district boards are still borrowing millions every year with local property taxpayers getting the tab. When these antiquated tech college statutes were created, my generation was early in our careers or serving our country in Viet Nam. Today, gridlock or deadlock is prevalent in Madison, just like at the Federal level. Within the demographic of retired seniors, living on fixed incomes, are a small number of WWII vets from my father’s generation. Probably greater than 95 percent of Korean War vets, and probably greater that 90 percent of the Viet Nam War vets like myself.
Words like honor, respect, duty, loyalty, and fairness, will come up if you talk with vets. In Madison, it’s more about party loyalty than serving your constituents that elected you. What happened to the sense of fairness by both parties and representing ALL your constituents?
Terry Nichols
Colfax, WI LTE