As I See It
Disabled kids in La Crosse lose $10K grant — Trump gets a $45M military parade
I want to contrast two things that are happening this weekend.
One, right here in town, the La Crosse Community Theatre’s Penguin Project for what’s called the Big Bad Musical — or, as I like to say, the sequel to the Three Little Pigs.
The Penguin Project pairs kids with disabilities with other kids as mentors, and the two go through everything it takes to be part of this musical — from learning lines to learning to laugh at mistakes.
But the Big Bad Musical almost didn’t happen. The Trump administration pulled its $10,000 grant funding without warning. It took community donations to keep the project alive, and the shows happen Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Meanwhile, Saturday is Donald Trump’s 79th birthday and he’s throwing a military parade that could cost taxpayers up to $45 million — all under the banner of the Army’s 250th anniversary.
The priorities in this country are incredibly misplaced when our taxpayer dollars are being cut from funding a program to help disabled children, while we waste tens of millions of dollars for a parade — and both happen on the very same weekend.
I respect veterans and their amazing sacrifice for this country. But I bet they’d pick funding things like the Penguin Project for disabled kids over driving tanks through the streets of Washington DC.
As I see it, I’m Rick Solem.
Roy
June 11, 2025 at 6:55 am
When you live on grants, you die from their absence.
10 grand isn’t hard to raise for a community project if it deserves it, and it happened easily.
All this has nothing to do with celebrating the birth of the military force of men and women who guard us day and night and have for 250 years.
This is really a stretch, Solem.
The nation needs more celebratory events for our military who are today maintaining watches worldwide. And good for the world to see that we honor them.
Kevin
June 11, 2025 at 8:11 am
Roy – nailed it!
Pixie
June 11, 2025 at 10:45 am
The Trump administration turning their backs on disabled children. They’re the ones that need to be defunded.
walden
June 11, 2025 at 10:19 pm
I guess we should cancel all future parades. Consider the huge collective cost of thousands of Memorial Day parades nation-wide. And about all those Labor Day parades…best to cancel them all now and distribute the money saved to the proletariat instead.
Furthermore, any unfortunate person with a birthday falling on Memorial Day, Labor Day, the 4th of July, or the day of the Oktoberfest Maple Leaf Parade is to be beaten with a stick in order to discourage any future selfish ideas for self-aggrandizing parades.
Of course this is all in jest; as I thought fitting for such a column.
nick
June 11, 2025 at 8:44 am
The media as usual distorts this since they cannot stand the truth. The Army wanted this parade even before Trump was President. They wanted to celebrate their 250 year anniversary. The Army, along with the other branches, who provide the means for which people like Solem can twist the facts.
Eric
June 11, 2025 at 4:31 pm
last Veterans Day Andy Parish and Rick were on the air together. Andy was first to offer Thanks on the air to the Veterans, while Rick quickly jumped in cutting Andy off and said, doesn’t Canada have a similar day. Seemed awkward listening to it. Did not hear anymore mention of Veteran’s Day on the show. I thought that was
strange.
Bill
June 11, 2025 at 4:42 pm
That would have likely sounded like some of the old “Hannity and Colmes” Fox TV shows that Sean Hannity did with Alan Colmes, who’s now dead.
Colmes had an abrasive, unlikeable persona that never connected with traditional American beliefs. He was destined for minority status, rather like Solem.
walden
June 11, 2025 at 9:21 pm
As I recall, several weeks ago the City’s so-called Art Board was looking to “get rid of” $10,000 by end of year or risk loosing a grant. The proposal was to find an artist to paint another mural downtown to timely spend the grant funds.
If the above mentioned theater show is so important perhaps directing the City’s art grant to the disabled kids program would solve the matter for both the City and the theater group.
That would probably make too much sense for all involved.
Kevin
June 12, 2025 at 7:27 am
Personally I am a Dave Ramsey fan – the only true way to save money is NOT to spend it. That said, money can be saved by spending wisely and buying only what you need. When you do that long enough, eventually you get to buy what you want, sometimes.
I am not a terribly big fan of parades, they can be long and mostly boring and there are never enough marching bands, why watch semi loads of fest queens and walking advertisements for 2-4 hours of your life!
If the federal government wants to celebrate the 250 year history of our nations armed forces, I am all for it, as long as it doesn’t become a habit. I would rather that $45 million went to deporting and arresting folks that are costing, we the taxpayers, more than that. Hell when Obama lit up the Whitehouse in a rainbow flag, that probably cost $45million. What did we out of that?
Local theatre, want funding for local theatre, ask the folks that use it, that is what happens with almost all such things, boat docks, state park fees, county park fees, bike paths, etc….
Eric
June 12, 2025 at 4:10 pm
175 Billion dollars to Ukraine and from the media reports no accounting where it went . So a few million to recognize US military ! Come on man !