Much of the e-mail I receive in response to my columns accuses me of being a conservative. Now, that’s a good thing if the e-mail is from a conservative but a bad thing if the e-mail is from a liberal.
I do not subscribe to several major planks of either of the platforms. The proper faction to belong to if you are running for office is usually the one that is currently in vogue.
Occasionally, however, you see a politician who speaks and votes his or her mind. Once again, my friend Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) has surprised me.
Moore is a dyed-in-the-wool liberal. If you knew her life history and let her explain how the government was her only safety net for feeding and housing her family when she was a young woman and how she worked her way out of poverty, you would realize that there is another side to the story of just monetizing every social program our legislators propose.
There is a human side as well, and we need to be sensitive that people need help.
However, that does not mean we should not question the efficacy or need to sunset future and current programs. Moore is questioning the timing and funding of the KRM line, the proposed commuter train from Kenosha to Racine and Milwaukee. The same questions arise in the proposed line between Milwaukee and Madison.
Moore believes that, before KRM, we must make our highly subsidized mass transit system, serviced by bus transportation, more efficient and more desirable. I agree.
Much has been written about rail. Let’s take another proposed line. On the proposed Milwaukee-Madison fast-rail line, the majority of the people are against spending $1 billion for this project. It is amazing that Gov. Jim Doyle has given the order to rush the start of the project and get us to a point of no return before he leaves office so as to at least have some legacy.
Did he rush through any tax cuts to help the citizens and businesses of Wisconsin? How about rushing through some help for the flood victims in Milwaukee?
The fact that the KRM project has raised the ire of Moore should be a red flag to anyone not opposed to any expensive, unnecessary project.
Moore sees issues from a much different lens than I do. I have never walked in her shoes, thank God.
But every time I listen to her over our enjoyable lunches, I learn something that changes the refraction of my lens. In this case, Moore is 100% correct.
James W. Lazear of Glendale is owner of local, medium-size company. E-mail jameslazear@live.com