(Published Monday, September 24, 2007 11:12:03 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
To Whitewater's liaison committee. Whitewater residents and the UW-Whitewater community have had their clashes through the years. Littering, trespassing, public drunkenness and vandalism are among problems that crop up. But a 10-member campus/community liaison committee is working to resolve differences between students and residents. The committee meets monthly to build bridges and increase interaction between the intertwined communities. Students pick up downtown litter and volunteer at Bethel House and in local schools. Students will team up with community members on volunteer projects Oct. 5 during Make a Difference Day. Many students bring positive energy, and Whitewater wouldn't be the same without them and the university. City Manager Kevin Brunner explained the committee this way: "The university is such an integral part of the larger community of Whitewater that we need to be working from the same page to solve any problems we may have together." Added UW-W Interim Chancellor Richard Telfer: "When you work with people, you understand them better." Most students want to contribute to the community. We hope the committee helps inspire such efforts.
To Janesville's GM plant. As the Gazette's Jim Leute reported last Monday, management and autoworkers have worked together to help the plant greatly reduce its carbon footprint. It has reduced the inside temperature to 66 degrees, down from 72. It switched 11,000 lights to more efficient models and removed 2,700 it found unnecessary. It now recycles 35 tons of aluminum, paper, plastic, steel and rubber for each production day. It also delays the startup and speeds shutdown of equipment before and after shifts. Some people criticize the plant for continuing to build big vehicles that use too much gasoline. But as Leute reported, autoworkers there can only produce the vehicles that Detroit designs and assigns. But employees should be commended for doing what they can to reduce the plant's energy usage.
To Fort Atkinson's Jeremy Pinc. Speaking of reducing carbon footprints, this 35-year-old artist stopped driving his car after watching Al Gore's film, "An Inconvenient Truth." That was eight months ago. He uses a $15 bicycle for transportation, even if it means pedaling all the way to Janesville, Madison, Milwaukee or even Chicago. He finds a 90-mile round trip no big deal and tells columnist Anna Marie Lux, "I feel so alive." His goal is to go a year without driving. In the meantime, he's only ridden in cars three times. He says he probably will never drive as much as he used to and realizes many people must drive to work. Yet his dedication stands out as a lesson, and he could serve as a role model. Could you bike or walk to run an errand once or a few times a week? What can you do to reduce your carbon footprint?
To Gov. Jim Doyle. U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton recently returned $850,000 she received through the years from disgraced Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu. But Doyle hasn't returned the $2,000 in campaign donations he received from Hsu. Doyle also hasn't returned the $200,000 he received from convicted Kenosha businessman Dennis Troha. That includes more than $100,000 detailed in the federal grand jury indictment of Troha last March. So far, Doyle also has clung to the more than $100,000 he received from indicted Troha associate John Erickson. In contrast, Congressman Paul Ryan returned all the money he received from Troha and Erickson. As Common Cause in Wisconsin argues, Doyle should "do the right thing and get rid of it." And whether the state budget gets completed or not, Doyle should follow through on promises and call the Legislature into special session to enact campaign finance reform, such as the bipartisan and comprehensive Senate Bill 12.
To Whitewater's liaison committee. Whitewater residents and the UW-Whitewater community have had their clashes through the years. Littering, trespassing, public drunkenness and vandalism are among problems that crop up. But a 10-member campus/community liaison committee is working to resolve differences between students and residents. The committee meets monthly to build bridges and increase interaction between the intertwined communities. Students pick up downtown litter and volunteer at Bethel House and in local schools. Students will team up with community members on volunteer projects Oct. 5 during Make a Difference Day. Many students bring positive energy, and Whitewater wouldn't be the same without them and the university. City Manager Kevin Brunner explained the committee this way: "The university is such an integral part of the larger community of Whitewater that we need to be working from the same page to solve any problems we may have together." Added UW-W Interim Chancellor Richard Telfer: "When you work with people, you understand them better." Most students want to contribute to the community. We hope the committee helps inspire such efforts.
To Gov. Jim Doyle. U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton recently returned $850,000 she received through the years from disgraced Democratic fund-raiser Norman Hsu. But Doyle hasn't returned the $2,000 in campaign donations he received from Hsu. Doyle also hasn't returned the $200,000 he received from convicted Kenosha businessman Dennis Troha. That includes more than $100,000 detailed in the federal grand jury indictment of Troha last March. So far, Doyle also has clung to the more than $100,000 he received from indicted Troha associate John Erickson. In contrast, Congressman Paul Ryan returned all the money he received from Troha and Erickson. As Common Cause in Wisconsin argues, Doyle should "do the right thing and get rid of it." And whether the state budget gets completed or not, Doyle should follow through on promises and call the Legislature into special session to enact campaign finance reform, such as the bipartisan and comprehensive Senate Bill 12.
