Off the Publisher’s Desk 7-16-25

Is there any good news on the political front? 

I spent the weekend trying to think of what good news I could report on, on the national front this week.

I could talk about the things that President Trump has accomplished in his first six months in office or all the people that have rushed to help the clean up and search for the missing in the aftermath of the Texas floods.

But, one thing that kept coming back into my mind was the fellow who won the Democratic Primary for New York Mayor. His name is Zohran Mamdani. If I am reading it right the things that he stands for, is a complete reverse of what this country has lived by for the past 249 years. He has been labeled a Socialist for his political agenda. To pay for his list of free things, he is proposing, a tax on corporations and the top one percent of tax payers in New York City.

I would think that the people with high incomes now living in New York City and faced with a big boost in taxes would find shelter by moving out of the city.

Mamdani has the support of congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) a Democrat from New York City and a leading supporter of the Socialist form of government. It was reported that if Mamdani wins and with Schumer’s support AOC would have a good chance of being the Democrats candidate for president in 2028. She will be only 38 years old come election time and if she wins would be not only the first woman to be elected, but the youngest.

Word was out on Monday morning that AOC is backing Mamdani and he also has received support from New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who is the minority leader in the United States Senate.

With Schumer’s support of Mamdani, what does that mean for this country’s relationship with Israel? It’s been reported that Jewish Democrats on Capitol Hill are raising concerns about Mamdani’s victory, questioning his refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada” or recognize Israel as a Jewish State considering the current momentum of rising anti-Semitism in this country.

I might find a little relief in a news release from the Wisconsin Democratic party that was praising the work of the party in the state’s new budget. They call it, “real progress for Wisconsin families.”

Some of what the new budget has includes, $110 million in direct payments to child care providers; $68 million to fund a new “Get Kids Ready” initiative; $1.4 billion increase in spendable revenue for K-12 schools across the state; an increase in special education reimbursement rate; $30 million to continue providing comprehensive school-based mental health services; an increase of $256 million for the UW-System; $1.1 billion to support healthcare access, and $150 million to repair rural roads and bridges.

The news release did not tell how these increases are going to be funded and there was no indication about reducing the property taxes in the state.

Thanks for reading!     ~Carlton