Not worthy
I must confess that the experience of reading about the glories of our state Capitol building (“The Capitol at 100,” 6/29/2017) was somewhat bittersweet, for the obvious care and concern invested in its creation speaks to the reverence which the citizens of our state once held for their institutions of governance, as well as their abiding faith in its future greatness.
While we flatter ourselves in the belief that we live in a time of unprecedented change, the impact of devices like the cell phone and the world wide web pale in comparison with the transformative effect of early 20th century developments like the automobile, electric power, manned flight, and the wireless transmission of audio waves.
The generation that erected this magnificent structure could see the world changing before their very eyes, and they reacted to these changes by creating a monument which represents a permanent legacy to future generations, a legacy for which we remain the most unworthy of stewards.
— Warren J. Gordon
The problem with liberals
Re: “More state residents hike than hunt these days” (6/8/2017). The problem some liberals have is they wish to continuously create or increase programs funded by taxes. Sometimes that is not the best idea. And I believe the former mayor, who Isthmus stands behind, giving him a massive portion of your print so he can continue to extol his most spend-happy ideas, [offers] a bad way to approach what he considers problems.
Remember he lost his position (in part) because he emphasized how important it was that Madison give millions to a hotel developer to add another tower onto the Edgewater. The fact the hotel was built anyway, without city money, shows how off target he was.
His cover story about our cultural change away from hunting toward more nature observance, is geared to adding more fee structures onto taxpayers instead of recognizing a cultural change that should have related reduced costs. One thing special about Wisconsin is there are many outdoor experiences available on both federal and state land. The federal government does not collect user fees in Wisconsin while the state government does, even though the total land areas are not all that different.
— Elijah Carbono (via email)