Uncontested Elections Do Us Disservice

We have been taught since childhood to disrespect governments that hold meaningless elections, marked by intimidation, in which officials are unopposed for “re-election”, there is only one viable political party, and the citizens, especially the youth, are fed monochromatic propaganda and are never exposed to a vigorous debate on the important issues of the day. When this situation obtains in other lands, we call it a sham of democracy and a hallmark of despots. What about when it occurs here in Ozaukee County?

I recall a cartoon in this newspaper during a recent national election campaign that implied that a member of “the other party” (the party that reputedly doesn’t exist here) might not be safe, and would certainly not be welcome if he sought to enter Ozaukee County. That person was at that time the President of the United States. If there is no public outrage when a President who happens to be a Democrat is told by our news media that he is not safe or welcome here, what does that say about the nature of our “patriotism”, and what does it say to Joe and Judy Citizen who might also have a political perspective that differs from the prevailing viewpoint?

Our political process has been corrupted by an ideology that claims legal equivalence between millions of dollars of corporate so-called “campaign contributions” and “donations” to political parties on one hand, with verbal or written petitions and opinions from citizens on the other hand. It is patently absurd to claim in grotesque distortion of our Bill of Rights and of common sense that (1) money is the same as speech, and (2) corporations are “persons”; and therefore when corporations hand millions of dollars to elected public officials and political parties it’s not bribery … it’s a constitutionally protected right to “free speech”. A Republican President from a much earlier era spoke of the lives sacrificed to preserve our “…government of the people, by the people, and for the people…”. Honest Abe figured that people are living human beings who use their mouths and pens to exercise their right to free speech and use their money to buy things, but that access to government is not one of those things for sale.

A local citizen recently traveled to Madison to keep an appointment she had made with our state assemblyman. The legislator postponed the meeting when she arrived, then later informed her through his staff that he would be unable to make it to the meeting. While she discussed her concerns with an aide, a man brusquely strode in and through the outer office, opened the door to the legislator’s private office, entered and began a conversation, and closed the door behind him. The legislator was present, after all! The local citizen had hoped to discuss groundwater protection issues in a bill then bottled up in committee. The gentleman who had just walked past her to enter the legislator’s private office unannounced was a lawyer/lobbyist for the trans-national mining conglomerate that intended to keep that bill bottled up and eventually to kill it. This is symbolic of what has happened to our government. A constituent with an appointment is brushed aside while a lobbyist for a corporation headquartered in Australia has unrestricted “access” to the lawmaker.

Much has been said in recent years about honesty and integrity, or the lack of it, in our elected officials. Yet here in Ozaukee County, State Senator Mary Panzer, who has an important leadership position, has for years falsely represented her credentials, and then when recently confronted with the falsehood, attempted to cover up and deny the lie with another that frankly insults the intelligence of all her constituents. Barring a severe form of dementia, everyone knows whether or not he or she has graduated from college. We have to face the fact that we are represented by a State Senator that lied about her qualifications for the job, and tried to mislead us when the truth came out. What kind of example does this set? What does it say about us that this Senator has not had to face a recall campaign, and is now unopposed in both the primary and the general elections in our community?

July, 2002