My thoughts are with those who were affected by Sunday’s storm, and I am extremely thankful that there have been no major injuries reported at this time. We have always come together in times of disasters, and I am confident the greater La Crosse area community will pull together again to help our neighbors in need.

As I have done during other natural disasters that have devastated Western Wisconsin, I will make myself available to help in any way that I can.

I am pleased to announce that Vernon County's P.L. 566 Dams will be eligible for Stewardship funds in the coming year based on a motion passed in the Joint Finance Committee hearing on the 2011-13 biennium budget.

Use of the Stewardship Funds to repair these structures, whose primary function is flood control and safety, is an appropriate use of these funds.

During these difficult financial times, it is a tremendous burden on the county to be responsible for repairing five dams. These dams are critical to the overall quality of life in Vernon County. I am thrilled to have played a role in ensuring this funding is available to the people of this area.

When is news really propaganda?
Lesson One:

The week of February 15, a press release sounded the clarion call that our oceans were being acidified by carbon dioxide emissions. I did not hear the first part, but I assume it was the work of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Check out this statement from NRDC web site:

“Ocean acidification is the quiet tsunami of environmental degradation. Within a few decades, ocean acidification may devastate some marine ecosystems and threaten the productivity of our fisheries. When we burn oil, coal, or gas, scientists have recently shown, we are transforming the fundamental chemistry of the oceans, rapidly making the water more acidic.”

George W. Bush once said of the economy, "I destroyed the free market in order to save it." Not true, as we did not have a true free market, and he did not save the elements of freedom still in it. And no, "The Annointed One" did not say the above quote, but perhaps could some day. Hopefully he will not destroy the environment in order to put forward his misguided attempts to save it.

Some strange coincidences and pertinent questions:

* Goldman Sachs dumps 4.68 million shares of BP; and
BP CEO dumps 1.4 million shares in the weeks before the spill. Why?

*The Jones act prohibits foreign ships from carrying oil in US waters. Therefore it is illegal for skimming ships, and oil tankers flagged by other nations that might be free, to come to US waters to contain the spill. WHY was not a waiver passed on this immediately? Was it more important to save union jobs than contain the spill?

This week’s United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, Demark was billed as a momentous opportunity for the world’s nations to address global warming.  Yet, talks had barely begun when some countries temporarily walked out and others started giving ultimatums.