June 8 edit

14A

VILAS COUNTY NEWS-REVIEW/THE THREE LAKES NEWS

EDITORIAL VILAS COUNTY

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2011

OPINION/COMMENTARY

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER SINCE 1985

NEWS-REVIEW Education starts, does not end, with diploma

Eagle River Vindicator Established 1886 Eagle River Review 1890 ~ Vilas County News 1892 Publisher Editor Assistant Editor Lifestyle Editor Production Manager Assistant Production Manager Photo Technician Copy Editor/Lead Typesetter Proofreader Circulation Manager Accounting Manager Advertising Consultants

KURT KRUEGER GARY RIDDERBUSCH ANTHONY DREW MARIANNE ASHTON JEAN DREW ELIZABETH BLEICHER SHARINA ADAMS JEAN DEDITZ JEAN FITZPATRICK ELIZABETH SCHMIDT TERRY POSTO MARY JO ADAMOVICH DIANE GLEASON MARCIA HEYER MADELINE MATHISEN JASON MCCREA

MEMBER

Published weekly by Eagle River Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 1929, 425 W. Mill Street at Eagle River, Wisconsin 54521 e-mail: erpub@nnex.net www.vcnewsreview.com Member of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and the National Newspaper Association

Our View Fishing Has No Boundaries shows heart of community The greater Eagle River community showed its heart last weekend by staging, for the 18th straight year, a Fishing Has No Boundaries event that gave people with disabilities a chance to enjoy the camaraderie, excitement and outdoor splendor that goes with the sport of fishing.

The special fishing weekend attracted 81 participants from across Wisconsin and as far away as Illinois. The turnout is a testament to the more than 50 volunteers who plan and run this educational and compassionate event, sharing their time, their friendship and their love of fishing.

ANOTHER SCHOOL year has drawn to a close. High school and college graduates have been showered with words of wisdom by parents, teachers and representatives from all walks of life.

In case the graduates weren’t paying attention, here are a few messages that I feel every person should heed whether they are leaving school or are well into their life’s journey.

About eight years ago, Mark Warner, then governor of Virginia, told a graduating college class, “Every person here who is graduating should find their parents in the crowd and say, ‘Thank you and I love you.’ It’ll make them feel good and it’ll make you feel good as well because,let’s face it, in this world, billions of people will never even be able to dream of going to college.

“You didn’t make it here on your own. Your family helped you get here and they won’t be around forever. So go ahead and say it. It will make you feel better and it may be the most important thing you take away from today’s celebration.”

Many people will tell you attitude is important. There are many reasons for that. Here is what Rich Wilkins has to say.

“Attitude isn’t simply a state of mind, it is a reflection of what we value. Attitude is more than just saying ‘I can,’ it is believing you can.

People Make the Difference

By Byron McNutt

“It requires believing before seeing, because seeing is based on circumstances, believing is based on faith. Attitude is so contagious, especially when we allow it to turn our doubts of the past into passions of today and set the stage for our tomorrows.

“We have total ownership of our attitudes. No one else has the power to alter our attitudes without our permission. Our attitude allows us to become more empowering than money, to rise above our failures and to accept others for who they are and what they say.

“It is more important than giftedness and is the forerunner of all skills needed for happiness and success. Our attitudes can be used to build us up or put us down — the choice is ours.

“It also gives us the wisdom to know that we can’t change events of the past. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I respond to it, and it’s with this state of mind that I remain in charge of my attitudes.”

The third message is called The Pareto Principle and it comes from the teachings of John Maxwell. He teaches peo-

ple about leadership.

“The idea is this: If you focus your attention on the activities that rank in the top 20% in terms of importance, you will have an 80% return on your effort.

“For example, if you have 10 employees, you should give 80% of your time and attention to your best two people. If you have 100 customers, the top 20 will provide you with 80% of your business.

“If your to-do list has 10 items on it, the two most important ones will give you an 80% return on your time. If you haven’t already observed this phenomenon, test it and you’ll see that it really works out.”

The three messages Warner shared with his audience have been tested over and over by many successful people. They have withstood the test of time.

There is a reason for that.

Learn from it and you will become successful leaders in whatever field you choose. * * * I WAS TALKING to a friend who has two kids in college. We were talking about how natu-

This is truly a community effort, evidenced by widespread donations that included dozens of pontoon boats as well as radios, porta-potties and live bait. Volunteers make it happen, whether serving food, helping anglers, tending the piers, cleaning boats, filleting fish, driving a boat or making sure donated boats find their way to and from the owners. There were four EMT boats on the water to handle medical emergencies.

Some philosophical thoughts on religion

I hit the edge of the circle road around the dump and came to an abrupt halt as I discovered bears don’t necessarily wait for dark to come to their favorite restaurant. A very large bruin quickly convinced me that vegetable picking could wait.

Fortunately, he didn’t find the smell of burning tire rubber trailing back from my fast-disappearing bicycle more appetizing than the vegetables upon which he was gorging.

This spring, as usual, black bear stories abound in this neck of the woods, just as they do every spring when our furry friends wake up and start looking for food.

Most often, it seems, they figure a meal can be most easily procured from some-

ON THE DAY I write a column each week, my mind flits around looking for an idea that interests me and one I hope will interest you. I like football, the study of philosophy and anything about food. The subject of religion is of great interest to me, although I’m not religious.

I could spend my life writing about these topics, but even though football is one of my favorite subjects, I’d probably run out of things to say about it first. Football is limited intellectually and, to be good to write about, I think a topic has to have some intellectual dimension. The study of religion exceeds football in that department. For all the nonsense there is about it, religion has that.

There’s no end to theories about religion. The study of religion provokes more long and heated discussion than any other subject — certainly more than football.

When I was a freshman in college, I got my first exposure to philosophy, and I was hooked for life. When I was going to school, they didn’t teach philosophy before college. Philosophy isn’t for kids.

I don’t think many people who get deep into the study of philosophy are that religious. I don’t think the two subjects fit together well. Religion is believing. Philosophy is skeptical. It’s skeptical of religion. It’s even skeptical of philosophy. I don’t think there are many priests or ministers who’d admit to being skeptical of religion.

Those who are should find other work.

I’ve never heard whether priests and ministers get along. They’re in the same line of work but sometimes on opposite sides of the fence.

If they didn’t get along, though, they probably wouldn’t say anything about it. I’d like to hear a priest and a minister talk about the differences in their beliefs.

The good thing about writ-

To MAINES, Pg. 15A

To ROONEY, Pg. 15A

Our photographers visited a couple of boats Saturday morning on the water, and the laughter we heard would bring a smile to anyone’s face.

These anglers were having the time of their lives hauling in mostly crappies, bluegills and perch.

The camaraderie in the boats was inspiring.

The event has had special appeal since its move to the Wild Eagle Lodge property four years ago, a perfect setting with plenty of privately owned space for tents, parking, boat launching and docking. Our hats are off to this nonprofit organization and all its sponsors and volunteers, especially longtime Chairman Wil Campbell.

Jury still out on USPS plan to terminate Saturday mail

First, five-day mail would be a disaster for a lot more small businesses than the newspapers and other print media outlets that rely on Saturday delivery for its publications.

According to the Postal Regulatory Commission, (PRC), as much as 25% of first-class mail would be delayed by two days. Small businesses count on first-class mail to bring in checks so they can pay their bills, and nobody knows how many cash-strapped businesses will be hurt.

Besides, Saturday mail would then be delivered Mondays. But Monday is already the heaviest postal volume day. If they add workers to handle the extra load, would the plan still save money?

The PRC estimates that the Postal Service will lose $600 million in existing business by shifting to five-day mail — twice as much as the $300 million the Postal Service claims it will lose.

We aren’t convinced that ending Saturday mail is a good answer to Postal Service financial woes, and we know business owners need six-day mail.

Behind the editorial ‘we’ Members of the Vilas County News-Review editorial board include Publisher Kurt Krueger, Editor Gary Ridderbusch and Assistant Editor Anthony Drew.

* * * JUST ABOUT everyone has received a letter or an e-mail from a Nigerian with an opportunity to make a large amount of money for simply helping the Nigerian to get money out of their country.

I was thinking, why would anyone in Nigeria think of trying to scam people here in America?

Do they think we’re stupid?

Is that how they look at us?

Have they tried scamming people in China?

Do cyber-criminals in the United States or Russia try to defraud people in Nigeria?

Maybe they look at our government, the one with $1.6 trillion annual deficits, a $14.4 trillion national debt, a government that has to borrow 45 cents of every dollar to spend on unsustainable entitlement programs . . . and they see a messed-up system that begs to be scammed.

Andy Rooney

As all anglers know, a fishing trip is about seeing new places and new faces, experiencing new challenges and taking in all the frills, from evening fish fries to entertainment. Fishing Has No Boundaries offers all of that to people who might otherwise not have the opportunity.

While the financially strapped U.S. Postal Service (USPS) continues to kick around the idea of ending Saturday mail in hopes of saving an estimated $3 billion a year, the issue is more complex than government analysts would have us believe.

ral disasters seem to be coming more often and how they are more deadly and costly.

That’s when the college kids chimed in. They agreed. They said one day Facebook was down for two hours during the day and the response at school was total shock and disbelief.

Thousands of students were lost. “We just didn’t know what to do. It was such a relief when the site was back up and running.”

Volunteers important at special fishing event

The 18th annual Fishing Has No Boundaries event for people with disabilities was held on the Eagle River Chain of Lakes Friday through Sunday. More than 50 volunteers assisted on the piers at Wild Eagle Lodge and on the 23 pontoons donated by area businesses and residents.

--Staff Photo By GARY RIDDERBUSCH

Everyone has a bear story DO YOU REMEMBER your first bear story?

Chances are, the very first fairy tale was the one about Goldilocks and her three furry buddies, but how about your first real live bear story?

I don’t think I heard a bear story before my first introduction to live bears, so, in essence, my initial meeting with “Blackie,” a tryst shared with many other people parked in cars around the town dump one summer evening, would be my first bear story.

Though I don’t remember details of that first night at the dump, I do remember another when an idiot got out of his car and wandered up to hugging distance of a couple of feeding bears to try and get a picture of them with their noses inside tin cans.

Then there was the night I

Trails & Tales By Will Maines took a fair lass to the Star Lake dump in my ’63 Rambler to “watch the bears,” ah, but perhaps that’s a story better saved for another time.

Then there was the time I rode my bike up the old railroad grade from Uncle Neal’s house to the Sayner dump. It was midafternoon, and I had a gunnysack with me to fill with ripe tomatoes, cucumbers and other veggies that grew in abundance in what amounted to a gigantic compost heap in the middle of the dump.

VILAS COUNTY NEWS-REVIEW/THE THREE LAKES NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2011

15A

OP-ED/READER OPINION

Concerned about safety with ATVs on roads Letter to the Editor: Again all-terrain vehicle (ATV) routes are being requested for Vilas County. This time enthusiasts want to use public roads to get to the Upper Michigan trails. This issue was rejected in 2004 by the citizens of Vilas County.

In addition, the Department of Natural Resources board rejected ATV trails in the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest in 2008. The latest request is to appeal to town, city and county officials.

I ask these elected officials to think through this request.

Has anyone asked the landowners along the requested route how they feel? Has anyone asked landowners within a mile of the requested route? Aside from the noise, dust and enforcement issues, the safety issue should be uppermost in the minds of our elected officials. Imagine being a landowner who uses the same roads daily — to go to work, to run errands, etc. There is definitely a safety issue.

Several years ago, I was visiting Iron County for possible vacation plans. While there, I became extremely uncomfort-

able sharing the roads with ATV enthusiasts. Imagine traveling in a vehicle the same direction as a group of ATVs. While the vehicle driver could go 55 mph, the ATV drivers are going 25 to 35 mph.

So you are thinking, well just pass them. Not so fast, there’s dust obscuring the way and some of the ATV riders are zigzagging in their group. You realize some of these drivers are children. You wonder if you can trust a rider not to zip out into the road a little more as you pass the group.

Now, what if from the opposite direction there’s another convoy of ATVs heading toward you? This is what I encountered. I couldn’t wait to get off that road.

Think about being a landowner who needs to use the road on a daily basis. I can’t imagine what it’s like to deal with this on a daily basis.

By the way, I have not returned to Iron County since then. I encourage you to express your concerns for the safety on our roads to your elected officials.

Lauri Gerlach Sayner

Maines FROM PAGE 14A one’s deck or garage.

We had one of those bears thinking that way last week, a little guy who greeted my wife shortly after she got home from work. He was intent on checking out the grill on my deck and paid no mind to the lady watching him through the window.

Once he decided the grill wouldn’t fill his belly, he checked out the plastic tub which holds a store of sunflower seeds for the birds all winter but which is empty now.

Disappointed with the slim pickings on the deck, he ambled back down the steps and started checking out whatever smelled interesting down below. The bags of compost and mulch held little interest for him, and when my suddenly courage-filled wife tiptoed out on the deck to check out what he was doing, he took off like a streak.

I suspect, given his size, he is in his second year, kicked out by Mama Bear somewhat recently and still without a clue as to how he will obtain his next meal.

Over the weekend, while at my brother’s vacation mansion on Mead Lake near the central Wisconsin burg of Greenwood, I stopped in to visit Mitch Eichman, a friend with whom my wife and I have shared a condo at Lakewoods Resort near Cable for the American Birkebeiner each winter for somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 years.

He and his wife, Cindy, live in a 100-plus-year-old farmhouse just south of Thorp where Mitch plays gentleman farmer to three llamas, two donkeys, a horse and four dogs.

And oh, by the way, he has his 12-year-old granddaughter, Jordan, to show him how to shoot turkeys and big bucks.

Last fall, she shot her first buck in full flight at 107 paces, a dandy 10-pointer. Grinning hunter and said buck were

posed prominently in a photo Mitch just happened to have on hand to show me.

This spring, she got her first gobbler, a 25-pounder that set the bar pretty high for Grandpa when his turn came.

But we’re getting away from the subject. While visiting with Mitch, the subject of bears came up, and I found out we in the North aren’t the only ones who get visits.

I think Mitch said it was a week ago when, while entertaining friends, they all sat in the upstairs sunroom of his home and watched a big buster of a bear run 200 yards across a field from the west, cross the highway and then run practically through the yard on the way to a wooded creek bottom a few hundred yards from the house.

Even more interesting was his story of four bears his neighbors discovered last November during the gun deer season, curled up together in a swale of tall grass, sound asleep for the winter without the faintest vestige of a den.

They left them alone, and the bears — a sow, two cubs and a yearling — maintained their slumber in the same spot all winter.

In January, several friends, along with Mitch, decided to sneak down the creek bottom to check on the bears. One guy was shaking in his boots all the way and literally crawled away on all fours at 50 per when the group got too close for his liking.

The fellow’s wife, braver by far — and worse, much more foolish — decided to walk up to the four sleeping bears and pet one of them. Not something I’d do but, in this case, after she patted it a few times, it stirred, got up and walked away.

Deciding discretion was needed, the group backed off and left the bears alone. Soon after, the sleepwalking bruin came back and rejoined its friends to sleep away the rest of the winter.

I can’t top that story, but if I were to try, did I ever tell you about the time . . .

Time to start new party Dear Editor: I have an idea. I think it’s time to start a new party. We should call it the “USA Freedom Party.”

It is time to get rid of the Republican, Democrat and Tea Party parties. They do not care for us. All they want is power and money. I think our goal should be a balanced budget with also drawing down the national debt. Too many foreign countries owe us.

Term limits that would break up the “good old boys” society. Maybe we then could get people in Washington who really care for this great country of ours. We should also freeze their wages, no more perks, no more pay for serving on committees.

I also believe we should end bailouts and breaks for big

companies and banks because of their stupid decisions — besides, they do not care for America; all they want is money. We should give the president line-item veto power so that we can stop pork-barrel spending, one that the Supreme Court can’t turn down.

I think we should put referendums on the ballot when we vote; that way Americans can pass them, instead of a few hundred House and Senate members who do not care for the people of this great country.

Again, people of America, it is time for change — let’s take our country back with the USA Freedom Party.

Thank you, Laurie Mugerauer Eagle River

ATVs must run 10 feet off road Dear Editor: I think Mr. Boscamp is confused. In his letter of May 25, he wrote, “If all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) want to be on the pavement of our roads and highways from May through October, why can’t we let snowmobiles do the same?”

Either he is pulling our leg again or he is unaware of Wisconsin Statute 23.33, which states that an ATV “must be 10 feet or more from the roadway surface (shoulder) of U.S. numbered highways, state or coun-

ty highways.” This can be found on page 12 of the Wisconsin ATV manual. Yes, we do have one!

I assume law 23.33 is for the protection of ATV riders and the motoring public — you and I and our children. Why the county of Vilas is trying to get around this statute is beyond me.

Please vote “no” on the ATV online survey being conducted by the town of Conover by June 30.

Ellen Zittlow Eagle River

Don’t forget the presidential election of 2000 Dear Editor: There are two items I would like to address. First, I want to thank you for your editorial of June 1. I have no problem with the concealedcarry legislation being brought forth in Madison.

But, like you, I feel very strongly that there should be a period of training required, as well as a permit, to carry a concealed weapon.

I also feel that the names of those persons who have applied for and have received a permit should be made public.

The second item refers to the letter written by Mr. Harvey Hyslop. In his letter, he

WHAT OTHERS SAY Our graduates look to the future

___________

BY TONY EVERS ___________

About 70,000 students are graduating from our state’s public high schools this spring. As they march to the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance,” their parents, families, teachers and friends share in this proud celebration. This is an accomplishment. You graduated. Look to the future.

Graduation from high school was not always the expectation. It hasn’t been that long since students as young as 16 could legally drop out before earning a high school diploma. It was a step in the right direction for legislators to change our state’s compulsory school attendance law.

The future requires education, and the vast majority of our students graduate, with many pursuing studies beyond high school.

Wisconsin has one of the highest graduation rates in the nation. This is something we can be proud of, but what does it mean to be a graduate?

Students who earn a public high school diploma in Wisconsin have studied four years of English, three years of social studies and two years each of mathematics and science.

Public high school graduates also earn one and onehalf credits in physical education and one-half credit in health. On average, our graduates earn another 10.6 credits that include additional math and science classes, art and music, world languages, career and technical education or other courses of their choosing.

Educators have developed a well-rounded curriculum so dedicated students leave high school ready for college or careers.

To further ensure that students learn what they need for the future, Wisconsin is aligning coursework with the Common Core State Standards, which reflect the real-world knowledge and skills needed for college and careers.

We also are looking at more options for dual enrollment, which allows students to earn both high school and college credits, and schools in the Wisconsin Innovation Lab Network are exploring personalized and performance-based learning to keep every student challenged and engaged.

Graduation from high school is an important milestone. It is a take-off point for further study and growth. I congratulate our 2011 graduates and wish them success.

Tony Evers is the state superintendent of public instruction.

blasts Democrats for challenging the Supreme Court election between Ms. Kloppenburg and Justice Prosser.

He states: “Why are these parties so eager to put our state in further financial and political chaos?” And later: “It seems to me that it is time to get over the past election and get on with the serious business necessary to make our great state prosperous once again.”

And finally: “Are we going to continue with a republic form of government, where the voters decide their representatives, or are we going to rely on trickery by special-interest groups?”

I can only guess that Mr. Hyslop forgot all about the

presidential election of 2000.

Was it not the Republicans who were challenging what appeared to be the election of Al Gore? Was it not the Republicans who could not accept the defeat of George W. Bush?

Was it not the Republicans who dragged the election through the courts, finally ending up before the U.S. Supreme Court? And was it not the Republicans who had their conservative court elect Mr. Bush and disregarded the will of the voters?

People should remember that when President Clinton took office, our national budget was in the red due to Mr. Reagan’s tax cuts which, by the way, did not create jobs.

When Mr. Clinton left office, there was no deficit and we could well have been on the way to reducing our national debt.

But after George W. Bush took office, he signed into law a tax-cut bill which did not create jobs and entered us into two wars that he had no idea how to pay for. When he left office, our country was already in debt for trillions of dollars.

I believe that the rightwingers are against President Obama, not for his politics but because he is a Democrat and he is black. That is plain and simple racism.

Thomas Kern Three Lakes

Rooney

going because there were girls who attended the services.

I had an aunt and uncle who were serious Baptists.

They didn’t approve of my not going to church very often, and they didn’t like it that my mother took me to a Presbyterian church. I knew many Catholics, but I never learned the difference between the Presbyterians, the Baptists and the Methodists.

I was Presbyterian, but don’t ask me why. Some of my best friends were Catholic. I was in love with Lucy Buck-

ley, and she was not only Catholic but three years older than I was.

FROM PAGE 14A ing about religion is that you never run out of material.

And no matter what, someone who will be offended by what you write.

Atheists suspect there’s no God. My grandfather was a militant atheist. My father and mother didn’t go to church, but said they were Presbyterians and sent me to Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church. I was indifferent to the religion, but I liked

Letters policy The Vilas County News-Review/The Three Lakes News welcomes letters from its readers. Letters should be written legibly, or typed, and must include the name, address and telephone number of the writer. No letters will be published without the writer’s name. Initials and/or pseudonyms will not be used. Unsigned letters will be disregarded. While the maximum limit is 700 words, writers should note that shorter letters will receive top priority.

No political letters will appear in the last issue prior to an election. They should be mailed to us at P.O. Box 1929, Eagle River, WI 54521; e-mail address: erpub@nnex.net.

The closest I came to being religious was attending Home Time on Sunday afternoons at a church near a friend’s house. I liked the name and I liked the girls who came, even though I was never sure about the religious aspect of the meetings.

(Write to Andy Rooney at Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207 or e-mail at aarooney5@yahoo.com)

16A

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2011

VILAS COUNTY NEWS-REVIEW/THE THREE LAKES NEWS

READER OPINION Vilas should market ATV-free county Dear Editor: As towns (and hopefully chamber of commerce offices) are surveying people about whether or not to allow all-terrain vehicles (ATV) access in Vilas County, I wish to express my opinions.

I am opposed to ATVs on any public lands or roadways in Vilas County. The argument that allowing ATVs will boost the local economy is a very shortsighted view.

Deep Lake Road, which is currently designated as a mountain biking trail and hunter/hiking trail, is part of the recently proposed ATV route. Right there, there are potential user conflicts. There are at least six gated and/or bermed logging roads and snowmobile trails along Deep Lake Road that would be very tempting to rogue riders.

Deep Lake itself is a fragile bog ecosystem, easily accessible from the road. Imagine ATV tracks ripping up or compact-

ing the bog mat.

People come here for the beauty and serenity of the natural world. The way to maintain or boost our economy is by letting people know what makes Vilas County unique. We have one of the highest concentrations of high-quality lakes and forests (in the world), and we care about them enough to not allow ATV access.

If you want long-term economic stability, keep Vilas County ATV free, and highlight that as a selling point as to why people would want to come here.

There will come a day, in the not-too-distant future, when people throughout the state will be looking for a place to escape from the noise, fumes, dust and scarred landscapes that go along with ATVs. Vilas County is the only county in Wisconsin that doesn’t allow ATVs. That is a valuable selling point.

Sandy Lotto Eagle River

School seeking bird eggshells HIDING OUT — While this newborn whitetailed deer thought it was protected by the leaves on the forest floor and fresh blades of

green grass, the photographer spotted it along a town road in the town of Lincoln Monday. --Staff Photo By GARY RIDDERBUSCH

Some lawmakers protect natural resources Dear Editor: Rep. Dan Meyer’s June 3 vote in the Joint Finance Committee, to roll back the phosphorus standard, would have allowed more of this fertilizing nutrient to be discharged into Wisconsin waters. Meyer’s was a vote against the economic engine of the 34th District.

Priorities in Wisconsin, and most particularly in the district Meyer represents, are to protect the things that sustain and move our economy forward. Meyer’s vote was not the vote of a steward acting to protect Wisconsin lakes, rivers

and groundwaters, to sustain our tourist economy, to protect the jobs that service Wisconsin's tourists and residents, nor to sustain waterfront property values and the enormous real estate tax base they provide for towns and counties across the state.

Any change in phosphorus standards never belonged in this bill, because it had no fiscal impact, and lower phosphorus standards violate a federal law that has served to improve water quality throughout the United States.

Vilas County alone has

1,324 lakes, miles of streams and many springs and ponds.

Private citizens, local lake and river associations, town and county governments work together to guard water quality.

Local businesses and governmental units are sustained to a large degree by tourists, who come here to recreate on lakes and rivers. Real estate taxes from properties on 29,300 miles of lake shoreline in Wisconsin support community services. Not even included in this shoreline distance are the taxed miles of shoreline properties on our rivers

It wasn’t about busting unions Dear Editor: In the June 1 edition of your paper, the Wisconsin Education Association Council claims that “Scott Walker admitted the bill was never intended to be about ‘budget repair,’ but instead, a way to bust public employee

unions.”

This is an outright lie being told by the state’s largest union of education. Is this their goal — to teach the younger generation that lying is acceptable?

I knew Walker would never make such a stupid statement,

so I called his office. I was right. He never did say he wanted to bust the unions.

What a shame that we can’t trust our educators to be truthful.

Mary Lou Hake Conover

Dear Editor: The Teaching Drum Outdoor School in Three Lakes is starting a collection of wild bird eggshells to help students identify those they find in the woods. Will you please ask your readers to give us a call at (715) 546-2944 when they find aban-

doned eggs or shells from hatched birds and we will pick them up. We hold a federal fish and wildlife permit to collect nonviable eggs and shells.

Thank you, Tamarack Song Director, Teaching Drum Three Lakes

and ponds.

Fortunately, all six Republican senators and four Joint Finance Committee Democrats voted to strike out the phosphorus rollback from the budget bill. We thank them for having the vision to protect the natural resource that drives the thirdlargest sector of our state’s economy and the courage to guard our natural resources.

When we protect Wisconsin natural resources, these features pay us back more dollars than anyone can count.

Sandy Gillum Eagle River

Recall election wasting money Letter to the Editor: No new taxes, no new taxes, big spending cuts to education, senior care, etc. This has been the theme of the Tea Party. Now all of a sudden there seems to be lots of taxpayers’ monies to spend on recall elections.

Ms. Simac, leader of the recall effort in this area, has decided to run against Sen. Holperin. What about those of us who don’t agree with this

recall? We will still have to pay for it through our taxes.

Let those people or parties who want this recall come up with the money to sponsor it.

We don’t need to spend money on this needless recall election. Those who want to run for office should bring their agenda before the voters and campaign at the proper time for the general election.

Jane O’Brien Eagle River