That’s why Congress and
the Obama administration should support a proposed $23 billion federal
education jobs fund, $415 million of which would come to Wisconsin for immediate fiscal relief for
school districts. This is an investment in Wisconsin’s future that will result in
better jobs and more tax revenues in the years to come. As State Superintendent
Tony Evers noted in letters to Sens. Feingold and Kohl, the deep cuts in schools
around the country come at the same time the federal government is asking our
schools to get better results. Keeping teachers and staff in the classrooms is
absolutely necessary in order to support a well-educated, 21st-century
workforce.
Hero of the Week
Loyal Mehnert
“Travelanthropy,” which
combines travel and philanthropy, may not yet appear in Scrabble’s official
dictionary, but for those who practice it, like Milwaukee’s Loyal Mehnert, this service to
others can quickly become a way of life.
Mehnert’s passion for
helping the less fortunate was sparked while working as a field media
spokesperson for Habitat for Humanity. After witnessing the effects of
Hurricane Katrina, Mehnert dedicated his life to raising money for Habitat for
Humanity and other charities by participating in fund-raising adventure travel,
both domestically and abroad. Although his efforts have taken him to more than
20 countries and five continents, Mehnert describes himself as “an ordinary guy
who wanted to make a change.”
This July, Mehnert will
be participating in the Habitat 500, a seven-day bike ride to benefit the
ongoing work of rebuilding homes along the Mississippi Gulf
Coast. A launch party and
fund-raising event will be held 9:30 p.m. May 22 at Comet Café.
Jerk of the Week
John Chianelli, Milwaukee County
Behavioral Health Division Chief
John Chianelli should not be in charge of the safety and well-being of the county’s most vulnerable population. In defense of mixed-gender wards at the county’s mental health complex—where sexual assaults have come under scrutiny by everyone except Chianelli and his boss Scott Walker, it seems—Chianelli argues that the possibility of sexual assaults of female patients is a “trade-off” for fights among male patients in gender-segregated wards. In a sense, these women are prey for aggressive men in locked wards. Even worse is Walker’s support for the policy, claiming “many experts believe this policy is good for treatment as clients prepare to return to the community.” Have they no shame?
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