Letter: Divided government would bring balance

As a nation, and a state, we seem to be getting more and more polarized on both sides.

In the latest survey I read, even the central moderates are getting more polarized, and so the chance of any meaningful discussion of issues seems to be disappearing.

For me this has come into focus most clearly by seeing the change taking place in our state over the past four months.

We started the year with a completely one sided state administration and elected officials with no desire to even listen to what other people had to say. Now with recall elections looming, there is a new openness to discussion on both sides.

At the recent budget hearings in La Crosse, both Democrat and Republican legislators really listened and were open to new ideas.

I really hope that this continues, but I think we will need a divided government for that to happen.

A Democratic majority in the Senate would force an open discussion of alternatives and would give us a much better chance of taking a balanced approach to solving our state’s budget problems — balance by including tax increases on the rich as well as spending cuts.

So, I would like to thank all the folk who worked so hard to make these recalls happen. I truly believe that they are our best shot at getting some rational thought back into our state budget process.

Tags: town of river falls, opinion, letters, politics