OPINION & EDITORIAL
New course for Madison in 2006
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Also by Darryn Beckstrom:
- Ignorance, irresponsibility doom broken segregated fee system (November 15, 2005)
- State should endorse monotheism (November 22, 2005)
- Neutrality violations rampant in SSFC (December 14, 2005)
- Acidic justice (June 30, 2005)
- New course for Madison in 2006 (January 15, 2006)
Related Stories:
- Following U.N. resolutions is a dangerous route (September 19, 2002)
- How to win against Saddam (October 11, 2002)
- Kumar discovers sensible politics (April 11, 2007)
- Letters - March 1, 2002 (March 1, 2002)
- ASM must work for respect of students, university (April 27, 2005)
by Darryn Beckstrom
Sunday, January 15, 2006
It is that time of the year again when everyone from Dr. Phil to Jenny Craig helps us make and keep resolutions.
Soon after the New Year, I began to ponder the ancient Roman tradition of making resolutions at the commencement of a new year. And while many would benefit from making a few resolutions, one entity in particular would benefit significantly — the City of Madison.
Here are some resolutions for a municipality that is 85 square miles surrounded by reality:
1) Abolish the city's Halloween party.
Last year, the city of Madison spent more than a quarter of a million dollars supervising a party that served a colossal gathering of inebriated temporary transplants, while the taxpayers of Madison were left with the bill. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said it best in his comments to the Wisconsin State Journal last fall: "It's the world's largest collection of obnoxious drunks. I see no value in it." This resolution would serve city leaders, Madisonians and financially responsible individuals alike.
2) Focus on building a stronger local economy.
Mr. Cieslewicz remarked in a column on the progressive website FightingBob.com, "I want Madison to be the most progressive city in America." Such a goal is not without negative consequences, though. Recently, this city's progressive positions have left the city heavily entangled in regulations — harming Madison's businesses, both large and small, in the process.
3) Find strong candidates to run against Alds. Brenda Konkel and Austin King in the next election.
Representing Districts 2 and 8, respectively, these two individuals epitomize Progressive Dane on the Madison City Council. Instead of taking a cue from Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations," these alders prefer to idolize and worship the lingering spirit of Karl Marx in this town.
Once considered the poster child of Progressive Dane, Ms. Konkel — responsible for the city's cumbersome lobbying law — has finally gone too far. As many before me have noticed, her party members are becoming increasingly frustrated with her antics on the council, which often halt true progress in this city.
While Ms. Konkel is preoccupied stalling meaningful debate on the council or blogging, Mr. King is forgetting the small businesses in his district. Last fall, he proposed a law that would require all employers to give their employees paid sick leave. Like Ms. Konkel, Mr. King has also strongly supported anti-business measures such as the city-wide smoking ban, inclusionary zoning law and increasing the minimum wage.
4) Keep the frivolous protesting to a minimum.
Last year, Madison saw its share of protests, ranging from anti-war protests across the city to the "Falk-Lewicz-Ville" protest of the city's lack of funding for a wet shelter — complete with obnoxious drumming. And how could we forget ASM's hypocritical hunger strike for lower tuition at the state Capitol?
We have the right to protest in this nation. But the protests in this city often attempt to silence an opposing view or carry a misleading message.
5) Allow people in this city to freely practice their religions.
Last year, the Madison-based Freedom from Religion Foundation continued its assault against religion, both in Madison and across the nation. In December, the organization found itself in the news with the annual display of its "Winter Solstice" sign in the state Capitol Rotunda, which denounced organized religion.
The foundation has also helped eradicate Christmas songs at holiday concerts in the Madison Metropolitan School District. Unfortunately, this city often sides with the FFRF, incorrectly believing that the Constitution states that we should have freedom from religion, not freedom of religion.
6) Finally, the city needs to sober up.
The University of Wisconsin should be known as an institution of quality higher education and research. Regrettably, UW is better known for its prevalence of abhorrent beer bongs than its exceptional academic programs. And the recent garnering of the title of top party school in the nation has not helped this institution's relationship with the state Legislature. The city needs to be more vigilant of the vices UW students choose to engage in.
Consider these resolutions an early birthday gift to a city gearing up for its sesquicentennial celebration this year. I have no doubt the next 150 years will be as unique as the last century and a half.
Darryn Beckstrom (beckstrom@badgerherald.com) is a doctoral student in the Department of Political Science and a second-year MPA candidate in the La Follette School of Public Affairs.
Anonymous (January 16, 2006 @ 1:37am):
Re: #3, if you are so opposed to them, why don't you stand for election?
Re: #5, that's a blatant mischaracterization of FFR and what they were trying to do. They don't care what you do on your own time -- that's none of their business. They just don't want tax dollars spent on celebrations of religious holidays. And no matter what you think about Christmas, it is fundamentally a Christian holiday. The government has lots of things it should be spending money on, and spending more money at that, but religious holidays don't fit the bill.
Anonymous (January 16, 2006 @ 10:01am):
You want to ban Halloween and un-elect Austin King? I'll tell you this: 80% of the student body wants to SAVE Halloween and RE-ELECT Austin King. You're a minority of the minority. But you like being anti-Halloween, because it makes you feel persecuted, right? Lame.
Oh, and how does this Adam Smith quote suit you: "It is but equitable that those who feed, clothe, and lodge the whole body of the people should have such a share of the produce of their own labor to be themselves adequately fed, clothed, and lodged." What a COMMUNIST!
Anonymous (January 16, 2006 @ 11:23am):
I don't see why you mention Brenda Konkel and Austin King, but not Mike Verveer and Robbie Webber. They all have essentially similar philosophies and voting records, and are all very popular, and will all easily crush a CR candidate.
Anonymous (January 16, 2006 @ 6:29pm):
I like how the uber-conservative presumably wants a city-wide 6pm curfew for Halloween weekend. Limited government except for when your opinions need to be enforced, eh Darryn?
Anonymous (January 16, 2006 @ 7:27pm):
on#6 go to college in utah, you prude!
Anonymous (January 16, 2006 @ 7:48pm):
Ah you gotta love the neo-cons. Big government is horrible when it takes away your taxes to give them to unwed crack whores, but they are all for big brother when it comes to regulating drinking and being in groups. How exactly does it feel to be a walking hypercrite Darryn?
Anonymous (January 16, 2006 @ 11:34pm):
I'm not sure I agree with #1 either, as more regulation seems to only encourage the bad behavior on Halloween.
That being said, Darryn's overall point is right. Many students in Madison need to grow up and out of the bubble they live in. Seriously. You'll see how ridiculous you look when you get out into the real world and come back a couple of years later to visit for a weekend. Especially those of you who like to scream at 4 a.m. after you're totally tanked. What's the thought process anyway? "Wow! I can get drunk! I should be so proud of myself and scream in everyone's ear!"
It's one thing to find the right balance between having fun and working hard. It's another to act completely uncivilized like so many do in Madison.
Anonymous (January 17, 2006 @ 1:21am):
Darryn thank you. That is a dose of reality that Madison needs to realize.
Anonymous (January 17, 2006 @ 9:41am):
"Darryn thank you. That is a dose of reality that Madison needs to realize."
Posted anonymously by Darryn???
Anonymous (January 17, 2006 @ 10:34am):
I am SO sick of people belittling Madison by saying we will realize how different it is in "reality". Well I have been all over the country in my two years since graduating and Madison is startingly similar to cities all across the country. Seattle, WA, Austin, TX, San Fran, Boston, ect ect all have hints of Madison and any UW Freshman could move to any of these cities (and scores more) and be very comfortable. The "Real World" that these so called conservatives urn for only exists in such urban metropolises as Omaha, NE and Witchita Falls, TX. Maybe YOU GUYS will learn how diverse the real world really is and Madison isn't so much a bubble as it is a more concentrated version of a big city.
Anonymous (January 17, 2006 @ 2:32pm):
Brenda Konkel and Austin King are the best advocates for tenants' rights we've ever had! I say we not only re-elect them, but add more like them. Especially in the Milton Street area, where Isadore Knox has been a big disappointment. He didn't even return my calls when my landlord was trying to rip me off! Maybe he doesn't care about students?
Anonymous (January 18, 2006 @ 9:35am):
Sweet! A new year and new bat-sh!t insane comments from Darryn. Thanks BH for coming back strong. Keep it up - it makes my days at work all the more enjoyable.
Anonymous (January 18, 2006 @ 7:30pm):
Wow... it's amazing how insane this girl is. But anyways, answers one by one.
1) Uh huh. So you want to abolish Halloween? Hate to break it to you, but you have a major issues. See, some schools, where everyone lives in student housing, can very simply just make everyone go home. The vast majority of upper classmen live in apartments that they rent. And in case you didn't notice from Mifflin last year, when the student bpody says it is going to throw a party, the city doesn't have much of a choice in it.
2) That is such a vague statement. Everyone should focus on building a stronger local economy. Stronger economies are good, everyone knows this. Even stating this is borderline moronic.
3) Don't care, I don't live there anymore.
4) The protesting is annoying, yes. But it's part of Madison's history, and part of its charm. So live with it. I did for 4 years.
5) If I hear one more person say that Christians are persecuted in this country, I swear I will write a book on how ridiculous that statement is. And there is no War on Christmas either.
6) If Madison was just a great academic experience, I, and many others, would not have paid out of state tuition to go there. You are, very simply, trying to make this like every other state university in the nation, with a whole lot of Alumni who feel no real connection to their alma mater. Madison's special. Just because you don't like what makes it special (and yes, it is that #1 party school reputation). And maybe beer bongs feel the same way about you that you do about them.
Anonymous (January 18, 2006 @ 7:58pm):
re 5
Get serious. Christmas is a straight rip-off of the "Winter Solstice" celebrations of the northern hemisphere sun worshipers.
It is the Christians who should be chastised for perverting the true meaning of the Winter Solstice!
***
It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25 December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and revelries the Christians also took part. Accordingly when the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnised on that day.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus
***
The whining about calling it a Holiday Tree instead of a Christmas Tree is REALLY bizarre given the history!
The Christmas tree is often explained as a Christianization of the ancient pagan idea that the evergreen tree represents a celebration of the renewal of life. In Roman mosaics from what is today Tunisia, showing the mythic triumphant return from India of the Greek god of wine and male fertility, Dionysus (dubbed by some modern scholars as a life-death-rebirth deity), the god carries a tapering coniferous tree. Medieval legends, nevertheless, tended to concentrate more on the miraculous "flowering" of trees at Christmas time. A branch of flowering Glastonbury thorn is still sent annually for the Queen's Christmas table in the United Kingdom. Taiwanese aboriginals, tutored by Christian missionaries, celebrate with trees (Cunninghamia lanceolata) outside their homes. Enlarge Taiwanese aboriginals, tutored by Christian missionaries, celebrate with trees (Cunninghamia lanceolata) outside their homes.
Among early Germanic tribes the Yule tradition was celebrated by sacrificing male animals, and slaves, by suspending them on the branches of trees. According to Adam of Bremen, in Scandinavia the pagan kings sacrificed nine males of each species at the sacred groves every ninth year. According to one legend, Saint Boniface attempted to introduce the idea of trinity to the pagan tribes using the cone-shaped evergreen trees because of their triangular appearance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree
