There are big questions on the Spring Election ballot on April 4th. Actually, there are multiple ballot questions concerning a Constitutional Amendment, an advisory referendum, and a very important election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in addition to a La Crosse County question regarding abortion. All these concerns stretch across Wisconsin’s Coulee Region and the rest of the state too. Then, there are numerous elections for city, town and village leadership. Most area school districts will be electing some members to their Boards of Education as well.

Constitutional Amendments must be passed by both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature in two consecutive sessions and then appear on the ballot for the citizens, often called “we the people”, to pass the initiative by a simple majority.

At Coulee Conservatives we are concerned with a repeat of history. Remember five years ago when a Constitutional Amendment was on the ballot to abolish the Office of State Treasurer and it was defeated? We thought then that Legislators failed to inform “we the people” sufficiently and that is why it failed. We are concerned again that the Legislators are failing to inform “we the people” and these questions will be defeated.

Question 1 is titled “State of Wisconsin Conditions of Release Before Conviction Referendum” and reads

“Shall section 8 (2) of article I of the constitution be amended to allow a court to impose on an accused person being released before conviction conditions that are designed to protect the community from serious harm?”

Question 2 is titled “State of Wisconsin Cash Bail Before Conviction Referendum” and reads

“Shall section 8 of article 1 be amended to all a court to impose cash bail on a person accused of a violent crime based on the totality of the circumstances, including the accused’s previous convictions for a violent crime, the probability that the accused will fail to appear, the need to protect the community from serious harm and prevent witness intimidation, and potential affirmative defense.?”

We have been told that this is simply to allow the judge to consider previous serious infractions of the law when considering release or bail for the suspect.

CouleeConservatives strongly recommend a YES vote on both of these Constitutional Amendment questions. Wisconsin is the only state that places restrictions on the factors judges may consider when preparing to release the accused back into their communities. Vote YES to give judges the authority to consider all relevant information so they can make decisions in the best interest of the safety of our communities.

The Advisory Question is titled “State of Wisconsin Welfare Benefits Referendum” and reads

“Shall able-bodied, childless adults be required to look for work in order to receive taxpayer-funded benefits?”

At CouleeConservatives we have questions about this question. For example, if there is a typical family unit of two able-bodied adults and one child (or children) are both adults exempt from looking for work? Nevertheless we believe in a hand up is better than a hand out and would encourage a YES vote on this question followed by communicating with your State Senator and State Representative asking “Now what?” concerning this advisory referendum.

The fourth and probably the most important of the major questions is the election for a Supreme Court Justice for a ten year term. Looking back at many pertinent articles already published in Couleeconservatives.com and it is easy to see that our writers, and hopefully our readers, overwhelmingly support Justice Daniel Kelly for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court and we certainly agree.

Much has been said about the millions of dollars pouring into Wisconsin to support the liberal candidate. Much has been written about the national implication of this race if the liberal wins thus tipping the power balance to 4-3 in favor of the liberals that have already shared how they will legislate from the bench to change our Wisconsin way of life.

“No Jail Janet” plans to put her thumb on the scale of justice and has even had an ethics complaint filed against her. She shouldn’t even be considered for judge, and certainly not for Supreme Court Justice. Now, there are reports of her elder abuse against her elderly husband during a marriage that lasted only nine months and there is her public use of the “n-word”.

We wonder if Judge “No Jail Janet” understands the Supreme Court requires lots of reading, writing, and research. It isn't just another courtroom. Justice Kelly knows this from experience both on the Supreme Court and other related professional experiences. For example, he was a senior fellow at the Institute for Reforming Government where he authored a manual on Legislative Oversight.

It is clear that Justice Kelly is a Constitutionalist that adheres to the law as it is written while his opponent has a plan to create change (and chaos) by legislating from the bench. With that said, we strongly endorse Justice Kelly for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He is by far the better qualified candidate.

Dan Kelly has the experience of already working on the court. More importantly, he has proven during his time on the court that he respects the law and the separation of powers between the legislature and the judicial branches of government. Janet has proven in deed and in rhetoric that she would be a dangerous, politically motivated activist on the court. She has clearly stated that she would strike down laws simply because she doesn’t like them and twist the meanings of laws in order to promote a political agenda. Conclusion: vote for Dan Kelly to preserve our Constitutional form of government.

For those in La Crosse County, an additional question is on the ballot:

“Should the Wisconsin legislature repeal or keep the state's 1849 abortion ban that provides no exceptions in cases of rape or incest nor to protect the health of the mother?"

CouleeConservatives Recommend voting to KEEP this law on the books: The Democrats on the La Crosse County board are deceiving voters with this question. The 1849 law is NOT the only law on the books that regulates abortion. For example, State Statute 253.10 describes the circumstances when abortion is legal and that law provides for several exceptions already. Conclusion: Democrats (including their candidate for Supreme Court) are deceiving voters and we recommend everyone vote to KEEP the law because it is well written for many circumstances that a woman might experience while also protecting the innocent American life that grows in her womb.

On Election Day, along with these three questions and the Supreme Court election, there will be various local races for municipality and school district leadership. This is where we need your assistance. Consider writing a 300 to 500 word article specifying the election contest, what the history is and /or what the issues are, and what candidate(s) you support and why. Please keep factual and if possible, positive in nature and provide references to where you are getting your information to make local decisions. Our team is interested in learning why you support your local school board and municipal candidates. Please share that information with us by sending your articles to cjmuller@couleeconservatives.com or simply drop your comments onto this page below.

Most important of all GET OUT AND VOTE! I’m planning to head down to my local clerk’s office this week to cast my absentee ballot in person and you should consider doing the same. While you are at it, pick up your friends and family on the way and take them to vote too. Our country and the future of this state are well worth a few minutes of your time to cast a ballot. Leftists from around the nation will win this election if you sit it out. Now is the time to defend our traditional American values and all it takes is your vote and the votes of your like-minded family and friends.