Letters to the Editor, March 23, 2022 Edition
To the Editor:
It is the season of colorful yard signs indicating it is community election time. Therefore, I wish to speak about our upcoming Mayoral election in Arcadia.
Please keep in mind, candidate John Kimmel was recalled and removed from the office of Mayor of Arcadia, WI on November 24, 2015. The reason for this recall was that Mayor Kimmel was according to the recall petition, misappropriating City funds and not listening to public feedback about sand mine issues.
John Kimmel responded to the accusations of misappropriating funds and not listening to the public on the fracking issue as being false. The electorate had spoken not in his favor: 69.46% of the electorate favored his recall.
Keep in mind, the sand mine issue went bust in Arcadia as well as in other communities near Arcadia. Canadian Sands, the sand mine attached to Arcadia, owes back taxes to the City of Arcadia to this day.
Keep in mind, in my opinion, the Arcadia city council meetings lead by John Kimmel were not cordial or even sometimes civil. Inappropriate outbursts by Mayor John Kimmel aimed at city council members were recorded. One of these meetings, which was on November 16, 2015, was recorded on video and aired on You Tube. Look it up (https://youtu.be/hF5LBZmU8XE) .
Other inappropriate outbursts by city council members against other city council members were not controlled by Mayor Kimmel. Meetings of the city council should be civil meetings controlled by the mayor or president of the council. John Kimmel’s ability to control a meeting was lacking.
Keep in mind, Arcadia city council meetings now have an agenda that is a reflection of the needs of the citizens of the community, written by the city administrator, the city council, individual citizens and the mayor. Agendas are not just written by the mayor as was previously done by John Kimmel.
City council members received little or no agenda information prior to many meetings under John Kimmel’s administration. Having the information ahead of the meeting would have helped in understanding and digesting agenda items to make proper decisions. We came to the meetings (Mondays, after the agenda was posted on Friday) basically blind to the agenda items. Today, the council members receive a packet of information to help make proper decisions approximately five to six days prior to a city council meeting.
Keep in mind, John Kimmel and the Arcadia Latino people’s history. The following report was recorded in the Chicago Tribune of September 2, 2006. “Mayor John Kimmel seeks to rid Arcadia, WI of illegal immigrants. He is proposing rules on language, signs, and the flying of foreign flags.”
In conclusion, people of Arcadia, John Kimmel is not a good choice for Mayor of Arcadia, WI as referenced in the above preceding discussion.
Thank you for listening,
Todd Fetsch,
D.V.M. retired,
former Arcadia city council member
To the Editor:
Good day fellow citizens.
Politics has become a dirty business, twisting the truth for campaign donations and votes. Over the coming months, we’ll hear a lot from candidates for the House of Representatives, what they’re for and what they oppose, and filled with hot air about who is qualified for office and who isn’t.
They will twist the narratives to their advantage, causing you to think, hey, now that sounds good to me and, wow, I might have to vote for him. Well, here’s the deal, people. Unless you take the time to dig in deep and learn the truth about one candidate or another, you might be swayed and regret it down the road.
I know what I’ll be looking for this November. I will be looking for someone to check the outrageous spending we see in Washington. I will be looking for someone who isn’t afraid to tell the harsh truths, stand up for Wisconsin against the Washington insiders, and someone who isn’t in politics for personal gain but to serve our state and the people they represent.
I predict we will hear a clear contrast between candidates this November, those who dance around their connections to the current White House, and those who speak from the heart and experience.
I will vote to whichever candidate categorically states that they will fight this inflation, stand up to the career politicians, and demonstrate that they are running to serve, not for personal gain.
Mr. Dana B. Auer,
Galesville
To the Editor:
God’s word has a lot to say about Heaven and Hell. Let’s take a look.
Hell-originally was made for the devil and his demons. Matthew 25:41. Total absence of God. Psalm 88:3-5, a place of outer darkness-Matthew 8:12, a furnace of fire where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:50, shut up as prisoners in a prison. Isiah 24:22, a place of weakness and mockery, Isaiah 14:9-10 maggots and worms, Isaiah 14:11, a place of eternal torment, memory, remorse and thirst. Luke 16:19-21 unquenchable fire. Mark 9:43, no rest day or night. Revelation 14:11, stench. Revelation 18:2, Lake of fire. Revelation 20:14-15, demons don’t want to go there. Luke 8:30-35, acquaintes’ into darkness-Psalm 88:18.
Now let’s look at something much more pleasant-Heaven. It is a place being prepared by Jesus. John 14:2-3. It is only a place for people who are born again. John 3:3, a place of beauty. Psalm 50:2, has a street of pure gold like transparent glass and gates of pearl. Revelation 21:21 the government will be of Christ. Isaiah 9:6-7, we will see our loved ones there. 2 Samuel 12:15-23, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, a place of Joy and pleasure forevermore from our Heavenly Father. Psalm 16:11. There will be a new Heaven and a new earth, God will wipe the tears from our eyes, there will be no more death, sorrow, crying or pain. Revelation 21:1,4, no more thirst or hunger. Revelation 7:16, we will have glorious bodies, 1 Corinthians 15:41, no more sin. Revelation 21:27, to name a few. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God”? Do not be deceived-Neither fornicators; idolaters, nor homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, adulterers or covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the Kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
There is none righteous, no not one, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Roman 3:10,23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23. But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10.
Friends, hell is no joke. If you have not already, I pray that you will sincerely say this prayer. “Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I repent of my sins and ask that you will forgive me and cleanse me of all unrighteousness. Please come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. In Jesus name, Amen.”
If you have said this prayer sincerely, welcome to God’s family.
Respectfully Written,
Dave Tranberg,
Trempealeau
To the Editor:
Wow! It looks like Wisconsin is set to be the first domino to decertify the fraudulent 2020 presidential election.
“On Wisconsin” & Forward!
Bob Howard,
Blair
To the Editor:
I’m going to be simple and blunt: First: Critical Race Theory (CRT) has not, and is not, being taught in the G-E-T district. There is no intention to teach it in the future. No one who works in our schools wants any child to feel guilty or victimized because of the color of their skin. If, somehow, an individual lesson, comment, or other interaction by anyone on staff led to anyone feeling that way, we would want to know about it and it would be dealt with. Shaming kids for being who they are just is not a thing in G-E-T.
Still, again being blunt, and writing from my heart: racism is a real thing. It has been part of our history, and we teach kids facts. We also — I hope — teach them empathy, and how to think critically. By the time they graduate, we hope that they are prepared to live in the real world, of both justice and injustice; and that they might see themselves in other people’s shoes.
Next: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is not some kind of “CRT Lite” curriculum (as I’ve heard it called). It is not curriculum at all. It is a set of guidelines and procedures that have been developed and mandated since 1999 by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to make sure that we are following federal anti-discrimination laws. A clear description of this can be found online at https://dpi.wi.gov/crc . DEI procedures help us do our best to make sure that all children (and adults) in the district have what they need to get the most out of what we offer. It is not just about race, but also gender, socio-economic status, and disabilities.
In G-E-T, one of the barriers that we have worked to lower is economic. For many families, buying school supplies each year, or paying fees to take part in school activities, was a real burden. We got rid of school supply lists for elementary schools. We are working to eliminate fees that might limit what classes/activities kids take part in. In the past, I might have said myself things like ‘Oh, five dollars is not that much.’ Or I might have heard, ‘We offer financial help to anyone who asks.’ But for lots of families, five dollars is too much, and asking for help is not easy (and why should they have to?). DEI guidelines ask us to, and help us to, look at what we do with care and criticality, to make sure our own blind spots do not get in the way of anyone’s best experience.
These two issues seem now to be the main drivers for the challenges in the upcoming election. They are not real issues.
Paul Kinzer,
Galesville
G-E-T school board member
(speaking only for myself)
To the Editor:
What causes inflation?
In Econ 101 one of the principles you learn are the effects of supply and demand. As demand goes up supply goes down. As Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman explained “Inflation is always a monetary phenomenon in the sense that it can be produced only by a more rapid increase in the quantity of money than in the quantity of output. In simpler terms, when you already have supply chain issues and you interject trillions of deficit spending you get inflation. According to President Biden, “Putin is the cause of inflation”.
Inflation was running at 7% during 2021. Inflation was 7.9% at the end of February 2022. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. This is classic victimism. Either President Biden is unable to accept personal responsibility or Putin has been running the country for the last 14 months. Steven Rattner, a former counselor to the Treasury Secretary under President Obama, called out Biden for misleading the American people. He said “This is Biden’s inflation and he needs to own it”.
Renown Economist Thomas Sowell said “Inflation is a way for government to take people’s wealth from them without having to openly raise taxes. Inflation is the universal tax”. Inflation is also the most regressive tax. It hurts the poor the most.
Thomas Schank,
Arcadia
To the people of Arcadia:
I am writing this to you as a lifelong area resident, and as someone who worked with John Kimmel for over 11 years. He and I have spoken about many issues, related to both the school and the city, to personal loss and college.
Over the course of these years, I have witnessed his successes and his heartbreaks and how he has responded to them both. Life is easy for someone when they are riding high, but the true test of a person is when life kicks them around a little (or a lot).
I am writing this with an idea. I know many issues have been raised about this mayor’s race, from sand to budgets and everything in between, and I am sure that many of you have questions you’d like to ask John. I don’t want this letter to cause any hurt feelings, I am not a constituent of the city of Arcadia, but I believe an “ask John forum” would clear the muddied waters relating to this race and John’s previous time at City Hall.
I know that I have a few questions as well. So, I propose this...let’s have a question-and-answer event so that every burning question can be front and center. Let’s ask him. Everything. Anything. Let’s take our turns on the mic and then leave after the last question has been asked.
I offer two challenges. First to the community, let’s show up and get our questions out there. And to John, I put this to you, will you stand before our community and be judged? Can we ask you and will you answer every city question we can think of? I know our high school auditorium holds 500 people; can we make this happen?
John Krett,
Arcadia
