As I See It

Way to go Mom. My mother is once again a registered voter, and despite some struggles, has already cast her absentee ballot. She realizes the importance of the election, and wanted to make sure she participated in it. She moved from Iowa to a Twin Cities suburb four years ago after my father died. She […]

After talking with friends recently, it became clear that there is some confusion about the upcoming La Crosse school district referendum. Not just how they will vote, but even just what the referendum being put to voters calls for. The district has been working for the better part of a year to plan for the […]

Political debates can be an important tool for helping voters get to know candidates for office and learn their views on the issues important to them. However, it appears such debates are largely becoming a thing of the past. Tonight, JD Vance and Tim Walz will meet in their only debate before the election. As […]

Wisconsin’s state representatives seem better at providing funding than actually spending it. We’ve seen that with our groundwater, polluted with PFAS. The legislature allocated more than $100 million to deal with the problem, but continues to refuse to release the money to places like French Island where cleanup could begin. Now we are seeing the […]

Happy Oktoberfest La Crosse! This is for many the biggest weekend of the year, and a chance to show off our fine city and welcome our visitors. Some estimate the size of the crowd for tomorrow’s parade at 100,000 people. They are here to have fun and drink beer, not necessarily in that order. So […]

Will La Crosse voters get to decide once again? The La Crosse City Council is expected to vote, perhaps as early as next week, whether to add another position at City Hall. Mayor Mitch Reynolds has proposed La Crosse hire a City Administrator, and the council could vote on that on Tuesday. The idea has […]

Wisconsin is once again a magnet for the candidates for President. Donald Trump will speak in Prairie du Chien this weekend, just weeks after a town hall meeting in La Crosse. It will be his sixth visit to Wisconsin during this campaign. Both the Kamala Harris and Trump campaigns are trying to woo the undecided […]

Here we go again. Just like clockwork, the federal government is poised to shut down in just a few weeks if Congress doesn’t come up with a new spending plan to keep the government operational. We’ve seen this too many times. Rather than analyze where our tax dollars should best be spent, Congress keeps approving […]

When Donald Trump was President, he tried several times, unsuccessfully, to overturn the Affordable Care Act. Now he may have given up the fight. Trump admitted as much during the presidential debate, saying he would only replace the ACA if he found something that provided better coverage at a cheaper rate. Until then, he said, […]

What is the best way to run the city of La Crosse? That question is up for debate again, a dozen years after voters said they like the current system best. La Crosse is run by a mayor, with a handful of department heads and 13 council members. But Mayor Mitch Reynolds is pushing for […]

It was July when, after much legal wrangling, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that ballot drop boxes are legal in the state once again. Predictably, that was not the final word on the issue. Conspiracy theorists continue to argue that placing a completed ballot in a drop box outside city hall, even while under 24/7 […]

I find it shocking more people don’t run for the Wisconsin Legislature. The job certainly has its perks. Good pay, a staff, reimbursements for food, travel and lodging, and in Wisconsin, plenty of time off. Yet it is not uncommon for some legislative elections to not even attract an opponent. Who wouldn’t want that job? […]

So, who won Tuesday’s presidential debate? It depends on who you ask of course. Both political parties declared their candidate the winner. The chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party declared Kamala Harris the winner, “hands down.” The head of the state’s Republican Party called it a “decisive victory” for Donald Trump. Of course what matters […]

Is this the way it is going to be from now on? Politics has always involved slinging mud, but it seems like candidates today are taking it to a new level. The campaigns have gotten nastier, the attacks on opponents more pointed. That has led to a growing polarization among voters and sometimes strained relations […]

Much has changed since June 27. That was the night of the first presidential debate of the campaign season. In the weeks since, Joe Biden has dropped out of the race, Kamala Harris has replaced him and has made up ground in the polls. Tonight, the two will face off in their first, and perhaps […]

 The wheels of justice sure turn slowly in the world of higher education. It was way back in December when Joe Gow was fired as chancellor of UW La Crosse for producing pornographic videos. It took until June of this year before the UWL Faculty Committee brought charges against Gow. In July, the committee recommended, […]

Two months from tomorrow, voters across the country will head to the polls to select our next President. So, then this long and bitter campaign will finally be over, right? Not if past history is any guide. When Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, and even before, he spoke of election interference and voter fraud […]

To run for President of the United States, you have to be a natural-born citizen, and at least 35 years old. But you also have to get on the ballot, and that’s where things can get tricky. In Wisconsin, the six-member Wisconsin Elections Commission is tasked with deciding which candidates will appear on the state’s […]