Why probation?
Ryan J. Barthel got not one day in jail for threatening employees with a knife during a robbery of Domino’s Pizza in Platteville. He got enough of a break with the charge being reduced. The man is let off the hook for having a gambling problem, and needing money. Circuit Judge Day listened to his high-priced lawyer rather than protecting the community.
I feel sorry for the Grant County District Attorney’s Office, the public, and law enforcement. Your job is to provide justice and community protection, not coddle criminals again and again. Being a nice guy is not being an effective judge! Judge Day needs to return to private practice. That is what he does on the bench anyway.
Scott Martin
Lancaster
Support the library
Andrew Carnegie once said, “A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is a never failing spring in the desert.”
I appreciate that quote. Although Platteville has many outstanding resources, our library offers an endless supply of knowledge to nurture both young and old.
As a child I spent long hours at the library walking the aisles, diving into books, and learning whatever I wanted. Now as a parent myself, I intently set forth to the library to provide my children with the same opportunities that I enjoyed.
To me, our library can stir hearts to love reading and learning just as much as a school, but the best part — it’s a resource to all of us.
Soon our community will embark on raising funds for library resources, and I hope you’ll take the time to learn how you can help. Investing in the library will pay dividends for many years as people of all ages will, as Carnegie said, drink from a never failing spring.
Jessica Brogley
Platteville
The GOP and the GAB
Our nation was built with checks and balances designed to protect our democracy from the excesses of any one person, party, or institution. At the state and federal level, we have three branches of government. Each has the ability to balance and check any overreaches or missteps of the other two. This system has protected our freedoms for more than 200 years.
Unfortunately, the system that protects our freedoms is breaking down in Wisconsin. In part, this is the result of one party, one ideology ruling both houses of the legislature, the governor’s office, and our polarized Supreme Court, where some justices are ruling on cases involving special interest donors. This is not how a democracy works.
Our protections of transparency and oversight are being compromised again. The Government Accountability Board, which is charged with overseeing state elections, lobbying, and ethics, is under attack by the legislative majority. They want to change the current non-partisan Board selection to give a governor more discretion in the selection process. This is not in our best interests.
We need more transparency in our elections, not less.
Ernie Wittwer
Hillpoint
The Platteville Journal will print most letters to the editor, regardless of the opinion presented. The Journal reserves the right to edit material that is libelous or otherwise offensive to community standards and to shorten letters The Journal determines are excessively long. All letters must be signed and the signature must appear on the printed letter, along with a contact number or email for verification. Some submitted letters may not be published due to space constraints. “Thank you” letters will not be printed. All letters and columns represent the views of the writers and not necessarily the views of The Platteville Journal.
