The morning after: Yep, I'm still better than you.

31 March 2011

Dear Scott Walker,

I'll admit that the letter I wrote last night was pretty glib. I actually went to bed pretty sure I'd wake up regretting I took that perspective, because it might make me look bad (and by bad, I mean arrogant, not wrong). I wrote it in the wee hours of the night, after working a really long day and getting pretty riled up thinking about two things: (1) the juvenile and asinine attempt at a sarcastic "press release" by the GOP yesterday attacking Judge Sumi for her "leftist lifestyle" because she insists upon upholding the law and (2) how entirely true the brilliant column, "Americans Got What They Deserved" by Ray Buursma was in the Holland Sentinel of all places on the 23rd. 

So when I woke up this morning, I reread that thing, and realized, to my delight, that I don't feel bad about saying any of that. In fact, I feel great about saying all of it, especially the part about how humble I am compared to you!  You are the kind of person who is incompetent, willfully ignorant, manipulative, self-righteous, power-hungry, greedy and vain, and I am not, and there is absolutely no reason on earth that I should not spend a little bit of my time trying to explain that to you. It's just facts! And there's nothing wrong with sharing facts, even though, as Stephen Colbert says, you might not like that "reality has a well-known liberal bias."

So I just wanted to let you know that I'm really excited to continue thinking of ways that I can help you understand how inferior you are, and not just to me - I should make that clear. This isn't really about "us."  It's about how you're actually inferior to anyone who is capable of true empathy.  I say "true" empathy because I know you consider yourself to be a religious person, and probably think you come to the table with empathy in spades.  But you're wrong on both counts.  Because your hypocrisy negates your conviction in your own moral superiority and your arrogance negates your phony desire to "help people help themselves" by giving them "tools" which actually, and very transparently, are only tools which help you, and harm the people now forced to dig their own graves with very expensive shovels.

So, here's looking forward to thinking up more ways to describe your many existing and future shortcomings, character flaws, stupidities, and sins.  I think it's a really productive exercise for both of us -  and I'm confident that this sort of self-reflection is a tool you'll find really useful.

Until you resign,

Heather DuBois Bourenane
Decent, hard-working, responsible Wisconsin citizen

Your inferiority - it's not that complex

30 March 2011

Dear Scott Walker,

You know how people watch Cops, or The Real World, or Charlie Sheen or Sarah Palin because it secretly makes them feel better about themselves to witness the miserable and more pathetic reality of others? Since I'm the best kind of lefty, I've always hated that trainwreck mentality;  I feel sorry for the people who are being exploited, and I feel even worse for the fools who find it entertaining, completely blind to the fact that the joke is on them. And I really, really hate the manipulative bastards who create those shows, and/or those absurdly narcissistic public personae, and keep feeding them to us.  

But as I was thinking about this tonight, the words "miserable" and "pathetic" and "narcissistic" of course triggered thoughts of you, and I thought, "Hey! Maybe I secretly love to hate Scott Walker because it makes me feel better about myself."  Because that might be true. The more I despise you, the more assured I am that I am in the right and you are in the wrong, which does make me feel good, I guess, in the moral vindication department if not the social justice department.  But then I thought to myself, "Hey, again. This is an unfair comparison. Scott Walker is not a reality star. He is a bona fide public figure, whose actions have actual and serious consequences in my life. So my sick desire to watch his evil plans unfold fills a real need, not just a psychological one."  And that's true.  But it doesn't explain the puzzle at hand: my realization that my incalcuably sanctimonious attitude toward (and, let's just say it, hatred of) you, is predicated on the simple fact of my moral, ethical and intellectual superiority to you. Which doesn't sound very nice, when I type it out like that, but I might as well admit to it, since it has rather become the elephant in the room.

So I began, slowly, to realize that I have to change my position on this.  Maybe it's not always all wrong to take some pleasure in feeling better than someone else. Because it's not simply a matter, I don't think, of feeling superior to you, or thinking I am superior to you.  Because when you put it to the empirical test, I actually am superior to you, in many and significant ways.  If you have a minute, I think it's worth our time to list a few of them.

1. I'm willing to compromise, under most circumstances, even though I hate doing so as much as the next guy.  I like thinking things through, correcting myself when I'm wrong, and learning through everything I do.  I don't like making my mind up before I start something, and I never make my mind up until I look at the evidence from both sides.  [Aside to my children: please note that this fact about my regular self does not extend to my mother-self and most certainly is not part of my parenting philosophy. As I have explained many times, I am not an elected official and our family is not so much a "democracy" as a "my way or the highwayocracy." So stop getting your hopes up until you can pay some bills around here. Then you can vote. I think the age for that is 18. And don't forget to bring valid id to the polls.]
2. I'm honest and you're a liar. I don't really feel, at this point, that the burden of proof is on me to demonstrate this, as the record clearly shows that you are incapable of speaking honestly to your constituents or upholding the oath you made to this state when you were sworn in as governor. I will leave that burden to you, and challenge you to demonstrate an instance of public honesty in your short and repulsive reign of terror.
3. I am educated.  Yeah, this sounds snobby, too, and I don't really like to say it, but it's true. I have an advanced degree and you are a college dropout. But I'm not just talking about my formal schooling: I'm talking about the fact that I am a reader and a thinking and a listener and I am motivated to do most of the  things I do by the desire to learn more and not by the conviction that I am smart enough, or worse, as in your case, by the moronic conviction that you have "real world smarts" and "know things they can't teach in school."
4. I am humble.  I know, you're thinking "That's not true at all! She is showing now that she is also a liar like me!" But let me explain: I can be confident in my superiority to you while I simultaneously acknowledge my many, many flaws and the fact that I really don't know the half of it about most of it.  But I do know that I do not live my life blindly driven by the desire to preserve my own well-being and achieve material success (what you call "making real money"), but by the desire to make some small effort to have lived a life worth living.  This is probably the biggest difference between us: I do not feel entitled to a "piece of the pie." I don't even really like pie. My humility rests in my conviction that there is nothing I can do, or say, or be that could lead to a situation in which I "deserve" more or less pie than the next person. And you believe that people who have "earned" the lion's share are "entitled" to it by virtue of having "worked" for it. Which leads me to my next point
5. I am smarter than you are.  Because I understand, having studied history and done the research, that those who have controlling interests in this country have not "earned" the right to exploit the rest of us. They have not worked themselves up by their bootstraps to achieve the American Dream of Being Filthy Rich. They have, as a matter of fact, simply stolen the share of those of us who actually did all of the work to earn that money and are now doing everything within their substantial amount of power to try to cover up their blatant theft of our dignity.  You, on the other hand, believe that people who are poor just need to work harder, tighten their belts, save up, and shut up. Which is stupid, and offensive.
6. I'm capable of restraint.  I could go on all day.  But I think I'll save  the rest for another day, and another letter, while you let these things sink in and think of ways you might improve your behavior, and change your personality, so that you're more like me.  Good luck with that!

In the meantime, maybe I'll watch a little tv. Maybe Sarah Palin's Alaska is on. I haven't seen that yet, but I think I might finally be ready to give it a chance, now that I know it's ok to embrace your own strengths, and not feel guilty for acknowledging the other's weaknesses.

Until you resign,

Heather DuBois Bourenane

Letter from Cindy Melendy in opposition to SB 22

a powerful letter against the "charter school bill" by a smart, active, informed Wisconsin parent

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Dear Senators Darling, Olsen, Lazich, Vukmir, Kapanke and Galloway; and Representatives Vos, Kestell, Marklein, Van  Roy, Kleefisch,Pridemore, Bies, Nass, Honadel, Ballweg, Knodl and Mursau,

I am writing in opposition of SB 22. I am a citizen of Wisconsin and a concerned parent. 

It's bad enough that Wisconsin's K-12 public education program is being stripped of funding by our government. Now we have SB 22 threatening the well being of our public schools!

I disagree with allowing charter schools to be pushed into our communities without approval. This is not democratic! Such a decision should be made by a school board, those elected by the members of the community, not by a committee that doesn't represent the interests of the community. 

This bill lowers the standards for our teachers in the classrooms. This is disgusting! How is having an unqualified teacher in the classroom going to benefit my child, or anyone's child for that matter? 

SB 22 also siphons away funding from public schools by allowing charter schools access to the same funds. If money is taken away from pubic schools, they will need to look for money elsewhere. It will lead to the privatization of our schools, which is beneficial for no one other than the corporations that will own them. 

All children in this state deserve an equal, quality education. SB 22 does the exact opposite of that and further creates an educational gap between the wealthy and soon to be non-existent middle class with the changes of income eligibility to charter schools.  

Please improve the quality of education in this state for all children. I ask that you PLEASE vote against SB 22 in the name of the future of Wisconsin education.

Thank you, 

Cynthia Melendy

You do not have the right to go bowling

27 March 2011

Dear Scott Walker,

Is it true that you went bowling today?

I'm not sure if that's true or not, but I read it online earlier tonight, and ever since I cannot get the image out of my mind:  all over the state, people are getting ready to go to work, getting the kids to bed, tidying up after the weekend. People are coming home from work, getting up to go to work, thinking about how they wish they could take an extra day off. People are looking at the calendar: almost the end of the month. Bills. Sigh. How am I going to make this work? Can we stretch this out another month? What date, exactly, is each bill due on? Do we really need bread and milk this week? Forget the brown bag; we don't even eat lunch! How did the end of the month get here so quickly? 

That's what I'm thinking. And I'm thinking, how long can we go on like this? Especially if my pay gets cut even more if this budget goes through? What are we going to do? Where else could we move? Where will we work? Where will we live? Can we take our leftist cats with us? And what if we move to another blue state and THAT state turns blood red on us like this one did? Then what? Should we embrace the urge to join the brain drain and get the hell out of here or should we stick it out and fight with and for the other decent people of Wisconsin? Should we just write "Walker is giving us the tools to cover this soon" on our bills this month and see what happens?

Meanwhile, you're out bowling. I imagine you're a decent bowler, given your background, and your whiteness. Maybe in another life you were on a league. I imagine you're having a couple of beers, joking around, not thinking much about what's going on elsewhere. Enjoying yourself. I don't see you bowling with your family, though. You're out with some other guys, also white. You call them "friends" but really they're just people with whom you share common hatreds and little else. You have a few beers, disparage a few minorities, talk about how much your wives suck, how much you hate Madison, liberals, Obama. You all get a few strikes, have a few laughs, feel pretty good about yourselves. You look up at the scoreboard, where they typed in your name as "GUV" and feel really, really happy. You, or one of your friends, says "Boys, it doesn't get any better than this" and you all laugh and laugh and order another round.

That's how I imagine it. People are suffering, and you are bowling. People are worrying, and you are laughing. People are agonizing, and you are giving some asshole a high-five for making a joke that would make Rush Limbaugh blush.  People are wondering what is going to happen now that we officially live in a place where the law is irrelevant to the political whims of those in power, and you are bowling.

I don't want to dwell on the comparison, because you'll probably like it, but you are so like George Bush the son. And not just because you share the unfortunate appearance of always looking like you don't quite understand what's going on around you, or because you both have a hard time remembering not to breath through your mouths when you're listening to someone else speak, giving you a perpetually idiotic expression. But because you share a certain arrogance, and an entitlement that is offensive to even those who don't have to live from hand to mouth and month to month.  I'm still angry at how he got away with not doing his job - taking unprecedented, mocking, shameless amounts of vacation while he was president. Always off playing golf, hiding out, having fun. While the rest of us worried, worked and fumed. And he laughed.

You, too, were hired to do a job that you're not doing. You began before you were even sworn in to put your own political agenda before the law, before the will of the people, and before the good of the state. You have abused the power of your office at every turn and have turned this state into something unrecognizably uncivil.

Last weekend when I took my kids to the Capitol, I had to wait and watch as my 4-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son were "wanded" after walking through a security scanner which did not beep. I watched a video today that showed police officers in the Capitol reprimanding a pair of adolescent boys, and issuing a citation to their parents (one of whom is an elected official), for holding up a sign of protest. For holding up a sign! Is this really what you want Wisconsin to look like?

Going bowling, Scott Walker, is a privilege, not a right.  You do not have the right to go bowling. You do not have the right to enjoy yourself. You do not have the right to live your life as if the pain and anguish of the people of this state is not your own burden to acknowledge, and deal with responsibly. The pursuit of your happiness has come at the expense of this state and you can rest assured that I am not alone in hoping that you really, truly do not enjoy a single moment of your life until your term of office is - mercifully, rightfully - over.

Resign,

Heather DuBois Bourenane
Concerned citizen of Wisconsin who cannot wait until you are recalled

You make me sick. Literally, and otherwise.

25 March 2011

Dear Scott Walker, F. Scott Fitzgerald, the automatic computer generators who sort their mail into "for" and "against" folders, and the innocent and/or deceitful passersby and/or hangers-on who may or may not read this if it's ever actually released to the press as per Open Records Law,

I am so AGAINST you and your despicable political tactics that I am beginning to wonder how it comes to pass that a perfectly reasonable and capable person like me is sitting home fuming while moronic criminals like you have actual power.  I mean, seriously! My leftist cats could govern better that you! Someone really needs to step up and seize the crap out of your days.  (And wouldn't it be great if it was Representative Barca?  I know you two would just love that.)

Between bouts of vomiting and diarrhea (for which, of course, I blame you and the vilely viral disease you are to this state and my personal health) I spent all my emotional energy this week laboring over SB-22 and trying to spread the word about what kind of damage that bill is going to do if it's passed along with the education-gutting budget bill.  I listened to almost all of the testimony at the public hearing. I watched Senator Grothman treat the public with his usual contempt, and then sneer over what harm the bill might potentially cause to PRIVATE schools - prompting him, amazingly, to author the very next day a bill proposing tax credits for private school tuition! I watched the ever-duplicitous Senator Darling chat with her colleagues as she ignored testimony after testimony against her ill-conceived and dangerous bill.  I read a few disgusting articles reiterating the sexist attacks of Judge Prosser on his colleagues. I watched the staggeringly hypocritical attack on Professor Cronon unfold after he published his right-on op-ed, and prove line-for-line his analysis of your McCarthy-esque tactics. And then, today, I finally feel well enough to get out for a few hours and come home to find out that you snakes actually illegally published the collective bargaining bill despite the court order prohibiting its publication! Is there nothing you and your party are not willing to do to prove your disrespect for the laws and the people of this state?

I have a great idea, for you and for all of us: STOP BREAKING THE LAW.  Stop showing such open and public disrespect for your constituents, the courts and the law.  I know it would be great for your team if we didn't have a judicial system, but guess what? We do. So check, and balance, yourselves.

I am not feeling particularly optimistic at the moment, but I am feeling particularly enraged. You have gone too far for too long. I will be at the Capitol tomorrow. I'm sure I won't see you there, but I'm not going anywhere. You cannot ignore the people forever.  This abuse of power will not stand, and we will not stand down.

Resign.

Until you're incarcerated,

Heather DuBois Bourenane
Wisconsin citizen, and supporter of justice, education and freedom, but not you.

Letter in opposition to SB-22, the "Charter School Bill"

 22 March 2011

Dear Senators Darling, Olsen, Lazich, Vukmir, Kapanke and Galloway; and Representatives Vos, Kestell, Marklein, Van Roy, Kleefisch, Pridemore, Bies, Nass, Honadel, Ballweg, Knodl and Mursau,

I write in opposition to SB-22.  I have been closely following the debate surround this issue, and feel it necessary to stand up as a concerned parent and citizen of Wisconsin to voice my opposition to this very dangerous measure.

I have read article after article by public education policy analysts, experts, educators and administrators, and with the exception of those who have a personally vested interest in promoting charter schools, they all say the same thing: (1) there is no evidence whatsoever to prove that charter schools perform better than traditional public schools and (2) this bill goes too far in privatizing public education funds.  I am particularly concerned about the clearly partisan thrust of many aspects of this bill, and agree with the experts that any attempt to privatize public education comes at the expense of Wisconsin schoolchildren.  I am also disturbed by the bill's attempt to change certification requirements for teachers and fear this bill goes too far in allowing unqualified teachers and politically motivated agendas to easily take charge of potential or existing charter schools.  I am further disgusted by the changes to income eligibility requirements for charter schools, which essentially allow wealthy families in "good" districts to use taxpayer funds to send their kids to private schools.  This is duplicitous and immoral, and should not even be under consideration as the governor cuts 1.7 billion dollars from the public education system in his budget.


I do not want to send my child to the "best" charter or private school taxes can buy; I want all Wisconsin schools to be equally excellent. This is a goal we can achieve, together.

All Wisconsin children deserve the chance to attend a wonderful school. SB-22 not only reduces the likelihood of this possibility, but creates a situation in which public schools are defunded at the expense of private charter schools.  This is wrong. Please do the right thing by voting against SB-22 and for the future of Wisconsin public education.

Sincerely,
Heather DuBois Bourenane

Blognote: readers who are looking for a nice model for their own letters can find one here, or feel free to use mine. Public Schools for Public Good has an excellent website with many resources, including a suitable-for-sharing overview of SB-22.


The public hearing on SB-22 will be held Wed., March 22 at 10:00am, 411 South State Capitol. Testimony can be presented in person or in writing.

autoreply (do not respond) [2]

March 21, 2011

Dear Heather:

Thank you for contacting our office and sharing your approval about our behavior. We strive to ensure that each member of this household is represented faithfully and appreciate your feedback when we are doing the job we were elected to do. We have a plan which will provide the tools for you to help spread the word about this situation, and we look forward to working with you as we continue to serve and move this household forward.

Please do not hesitate to be in touch if we can be of any further assistance.

Sincerely,
S. and L., Leftist Cats

Editor's note:
  Letters to cats: 2
  Replies: 2
  Letters to Walker: lost count
  Replies: 0

Clarification: My cats do not support Scott Walker

20 March 2011

Dear Luna and Sitta,

Thank you for the speedy response! You are the best kittens, you really are. So thoughtful. I hope you don't take it personally that I lumped my concerns about your behavior together with my concerns about Scott Walker. After thinking about it for a while, I realized you might take that the wrong way, and I wanted to clear up that I by no means intended to imply that I associate you with Walker, or that my grievances with you are in any way comparable to my grievances with him, or that the consequences of your actions could ever cause the grand-scale damage that Walker's will cause for Wisconsin.  I did not mean to imply that at all! I love you cats. I really do.  And I think you know that, in your little cat hearts, in the same way that I think Scott Walker knows, in his own tiny heart, that he's doing the wrong thing. Because people who are doing the right thing don't have to lie so much. And they don't have to refuse to communicate with people with whom they disagree. And also they aren't publicly stealing from the poor to give to the rich, or trying as hard as they can to unlevel the playing field for children in public schools, or blaming public servants for all of society's problems, or trying to ruin the lives of cute little kittens and the people who love them.

So please don't take any of that personally, ok?! I know you cats would never, ever support Scott Walker or his plan to privatize every last sparkle in the eyes of Wisconsin's children. I'm a pretty open person, but everybody knows I would never have adopted conservative cats, just like I would never have moved, knowingly, into a red state.  I just want you to know that I love you and respect you and think you are the world's cutest cats.  I really do. And  I am going to make it up to you very soon with extra treats and maybe, just out of guilt, I'll give you your morning food before I make my coffee tomorrow.  You cute little kittens deserve it! (Just please don't make that whining sound, ok? Just once?)

Much love,

Heather

P.S. I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that Scott Walker has still not replied. He's busy not replying to thousands of letters from thousands of people, and fundraising, and having a taxpayer-funded private chef pack his bag lunch, and whatnot. I'm sure we'll hear from him eventually. Should be an interesting (auto)reply, given the unautorepliability of our correspondence.

cc: Scott Walker

autoreply (do not respond)

Dear Heather:

Thank you for contacting our office and sharing your concerns about our behavior. We strive to ensure that each member of this household is represented faithfully and appreciate your feedback when we are off-course. We have a plan which will provide the tools for you to improve this situation, and we look forward to working with you as we continue to serve and move this household forward.

Please do not hesitate to be in touch if we can be of any further assistance.

Sincerely,
S. and L., Cats

Editor's note:
  Letters to cats: 1
  Replies: 1
  Letters to Walker: lost count
  Replies: 0

An Open Letter to My Cats, and Scott Walker

19 March 2011

cc: Scott Walker

Dear Luna and Sitta,

I'm pretty sure you can't read this, given your tiny cat brains, but considering my latest passtime is writing letters to people who won't read them, I thought I'd take a few minutes to share some concerns I have that directly concern you.

First, what the hell is wrong with you guys? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love having you around, but sometimes you act like such jerks. I don't know what happened to you before you wound up at the Humane Society, but you've lived here almost a year now, and I think it's high time you get used to the two basic facts of your existence: (1) I will always feed you. Twice a day. So you don't have to pretend you haven't eaten in six weeks every morning when I wake up. I will get you your morning food as soon as I make my coffee, just like I did the other 300-some days in a row.  Get used to it. And please stop that incessant whining, because maybe if you weren't making that terrible noise it wouldn't be so important that I had my coffee first, and you might get your breakfast right away. Let's try that and see how it goes for a few weeks. (2) I am the person who cleans your litter box, and I'm never going to take it away from you, or fill it with poison litter, or pee or poop in there myself.  So you can stop running in and taking a crap right in front of my face every night like we all don't know whose "territory" that is. It's disgusting, and it's really not helping me at all in the "be a better cat person" department.  Those are the first two things.

Second, can you believe that Scott Walker? What a dog! I hold him personally responsible for the way I've been neglecting you guys lately, what with having to spend so much extra time online at night reading all the news and writing angry letters. I know you've grown accustomed to a little attention after the kids go to bed, but since Scott Walker refuses to respond to my messages, or talk honestly to anyone who disagrees with him, I'm forced to fret over it all night long. So I guess we can add DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE HAPPINESS OR WELFARE OF CATS to our list of reasons to hate Scott Walker.  But seriously, can you cats believe that guy? He still plans to sell state-owned power plants to no-bid, won't-name, private buyers (Kochs). I wonder if he'll still try to make provisions so that it's legal for them to discriminate based on sexual orientation (have fun trying that one out). Worse, though, he's already frozen enrollment in BadgerCare, leaving the working, uninsured poor who are willing to pay for insurance totally screwed once again. Meanwhile, Scott Fitzgerald wants me to be taxed without representation, and JB Van Hollen  breaks his month-long silence on all these broken laws by saying he plans to appeal the temporary restraining order issued to halt the bill's publication while its legality is assessed. I'm starting to think all of these guys hate kittens, I really am. I hope you two don't think all humans are like that.

I left you home alone again today to go downtown and do some shouting. Things seemed pretty tame after getting used to the huge crowds for a while, but there were still thousands of people out there.  I was almost glad we were here this week instead of last week at the big rally - they needed us more today.  But as long as Walker gives us a new reason to be furious everyday, I don't think our movement will lose momentum. He sure hasn't disapponted so far.  Thanks for not tearing the place up while we were gone.  It's good to know I can trust you. Wish I could say that about our governor.

Much love,

Heather

PS I will feed you first thing in the morning. Please don't come sharpen your claws on my back in the night, ok?