Bom Dia!

Good morning from Evora, Portugal!

As you read this, I will be making my way home to Wisconsin after a full week of sightseeing and assisting with the wedding of a dear friend. I’m looking forward to sharing stories about exploring a new part of the world (for me).

While it’s wonderful to have hometown pride and to never forget your roots, there is truly no substitute for getting beyond your zip code from time to time. It breeds empathy for others who come from different backgrounds.  It breeds appreciation for nature’s wonders. And let’s face it, some time away from the daily grind is now more important than ever.

(Douro River Valley, Portugal – Shutterstock)

In a happy coincidence for us political nerds, today is also Election Day in Portugal. Up for grabs are all 230 seats in their Assembly of the Republic, in order to determine which party — or which alliance of about 10 different political parties — will organize a new government.

Having two major parties seems pretty confining sometimes, but is 10 too many? Let’s ask: How many credible parties would you like to see here in the US?

1 – We only need one party—and thanks to President Trump’s MAGA, we’re almost there.*

2 – Two major parties is fine. It’s not perfect, but most voters fall within two main political ideologies.

3 – We just need a moderate third-party option to take root and give us another option.

4 – If we added a Center-Left and a Center-Right party as 3rd and 4th parties, everyone would be happy.

5+ – The more the merrier. Let’s have true battles for coalition governments.

*You know we’re joking about one party, right?

To answer this week’s question or to suggest a different answer, hit reply or email me directly at pat@couriernewsroom.com, and we may share it in a future newsletter or on UpNorthNews Radio.

(FILE-Photo by Pat Kreitlow)

📰 We started UpNorthNews because we want to help more people understand that while the president and Congress get lots of attention, state and local governments play very important and underappreciated roles in your daily life. 

So even though hearing the term “state budget” has been medically proven to cause drowsiness 😴 😁, we’re going to update you on the process for this very important document that determines how your tax dollars are spent to support schools, roads, human services, business development, and more.

Step 1: The governor’s version. Gov. Tony Evers gave a budget address in February, where he introduced his model of what state government would collect, spend, and prioritize over the next two years, starting July 1. The governor’s budget plan included a $3 billion increase for public schools that have been chronically underfunded for nearly a generation. There was also $2 billion in various tax relief measures and other initiatives to help consumers, farmers, veterans, and children.

Step 2: Joint Finance Committee hearings. First, what IS this committee anyway? Rather than have a separate Assembly Budget Committee and a Senate Budget Committee, the two chambers created a Joint Committee on Finance, which everyone regularly calls the Joint Finance Committee. This powerful body of 16 lawmakers is supposed to start from the governor’s proposal and then add, subtract, and modify into a version of its own. They start their process with public hearings around the state—there were four of them during the past few weeks.

Step 3: The Legislature’s version. This is where we are now. Majority Republicans on the committee will write a bill reflecting their own priorities, which are often at odds with those of the Democratic governor. The bill is then sent to both the Assembly and Senate.

Step 4: Assembly and Senate amendments. There are 117 legislators not on the Joint Finance Committee, and they understandably want in on the action. Members will clamor for numerous amendments, but the end result has to be a single budget bill that can pass both chambers, usually with no votes from the minority party (Democrats, in this case).

Step 5: The governor’s pen. The governor can sign the bill into law or veto it in its entirety. More likely, however, is the widespread use of partial vetoes to modify the bill more to his liking. The Legislature can try to override as many of the vetoes as lawmakers want, but Republicans don’t have the two-thirds majorities needed for that so the governor’s modifications of their work will likely stick.

🔔 Remember

📻 Our radio show has grown — from two hours a day to three and heard on more stations across the Civic Media radio network. New name, too! “Mornings with Pat Kreitlow” can be heard from 6-9 a.m. and seen on our Facebook and YouTube pages. 

📱 And stay up to date all day with all of our team’s work through our social media feeds, including Instagram and TikTok.

1️⃣ – Bill would stop hedge fund home ownership – Like many places, Wisconsin is dealing with a shortage of affordable homes—and part of the reason lies with hedge funds purchasing properties and converting them to rentals. That reduces the number of single-family homes available in an area, driving up prices for the reduced stock that remains. Sen. Sarah Keyeski (D-Lodi) has introduced a bill to limit the degree to which Wall Street can be a landlord in Wisconsin. 

“Purchasing property is one of the ways to build your own wealth,” Keyeski said on our radio show. “And so if we take that away from families, we are taking away something very critical for the middle class and lower income individuals that could help them build up in a capitalistic society that then they no longer have access to. And I fundamentally feel like that is wrong.”

2️⃣ – Using paper fish to solve a real threat to lakes – The fight against Enbridge’s Line 5 oil and gas pipeline across northern Wisconsin is taking place in the courts, but there’s also an effort to increase awareness in the court of public opinion. The Wisconsin chapter of the Sierra Club is part of a visibility project that would set a world record while creating a tangible display of public opposition to the line. Along with other partners around the Great Lakes, they seek to create and collect the world’s largest display of origami fish, a record currently set at just over 18,000 paper fish. Details of the Fish for the Future campaign can be found at FishForFuture.org. 

3️⃣ – Killing the Comments Section – The online Wausau Pilot & Review news site has joined the list of media companies that are pulling the plug on their comments section, citing the toxic environment created by anonymous keyboard warriors, whose language has moved from obnoxious to personal to threatening.

According to publisher Shereen Siewert, “Moderating comments on a private media outlet’s social media page is not censorship. Like any business, [we have] the right to maintain an online environment free from intimidation, threats, and hatred. Ask yourself: if you operated a business, would you tolerate violent threats or hateful speech on your company’s social media pages? Or your personal page? We doubt it.” Siewert goes on to affirm that debates and strong disagreements can be healthy, but  only if done “with civility, respect, and consideration for others.”

🏁 Thanks for reading today’s update.

Have a great week.