Yesterday I did a 3 hour shift at the Brown County Democrats booth at the county fair. Someone had this great idea to ask all people stopping by the booth what their two top issues were. Blue dots were affixed to the board to reflect those chosen issues. Obviously not a scientific poll, but I’d make a few inferences from this.
One, don’t waste your time running on middle class tax cuts (which Gov Evers is doing). My middle class friends and neighbors don’t complain about their taxes. The taxes are reasonable. My friends and neighbors have a deep cynicism regarding tax cuts for the rich and major corporations. The 15% minimum tax for billion dollar corporations should be emphasized.
Inflation isn’t that great an issue. Gas prices in Green Bay are now running about $3.40 to $3.50 a gallon. Over the past 20 years when oil is at $100 a barrel, gas prices ranged from $3.40 to $3.60. No one is talking about gas prices. Hamburger and dairy are a bit higher than normal, but the blue dot count on the board shows this issue to be losing steam.
In Wisconsin, I’d be hammering on voting rights and the right to reproductive freedom. With the Dobbs decision, Wisconsin reverted to an 1849 law completely outlawing abortion. With the state legislature gerrymandered for complete Republican control, Dems should back an effort for a state referendum. Every Dem should be stressing the importance of keep the governorship and the state Attorney General posts in Democratic hands to stave off more draconian cuts to women’s rights.
On the voting end, I’d be harping that the drop boxes have been removed to inconvenience voters and I’d talk about the need to expand voting access.
Finally, fair notes. As I walked through the livestock barns, I was amazed by the variety of the roosters and hens, in both size and feather patterns. So may beautiful birds! The high note for me stood in the last stall in the last row of the horse barn: a massive draft horse, a magnificent animal. A deep brown color, his back was above my 5’10” head. His owners told me the horse tipped the scales at 2000 pounds! I easily believed that. Friendly, too. While nearly all the horses were shied back in their stalls, this giant had his head out in the aisle letting people pet and rub his noggin.
All in all, a fair day!