Josh's Ballot

My absentee ballot showed up in the mail a few weeks ago. Mind you, I live in Grafton, WI, which is in Ozaukee County so I will comment on some things that are unique to Ozaukee County. This post is how I voted and why.

Governor / Lt. Governor – Mark Green / Jean Hundertmark I’ve had the opportunity to meet Mark Green a number of times. Mark has a vision for our state, he’s honest and genuine and he’s not afraid of the public. Mark is the right candidate on taxes, education, crime, the economy, not to mention other issues. He will hold the line on taxes and spending. Mark Green stands with families who want the best education for their kids because he supports school choice and wants education dollars to go into the classroom instead of wasteful bureaucracies. As a stark contrast, Jim Doyle has been bad for Wisconsin on taxes with his phony freeze while property taxes have gone up over 8% in some counties. Doyle is in the pocket of the teachers’ union and casino interests, neither of which are in Wisconsin’s best interest. His high taxes have also been bad for the economy and we’ve lost jobs to other states. I am proud to cast my vote for Mark Green and Jean Hundertmark.

Attorney General – J.B. Van Hollen I supported J.B. in the primary and I support him now. He is the only criminal law enforcement candidate on the ballot. He has a proper understanding of the role of law enforcement which is to fight and prevent crime. J.B. is fiscally responsible, pro-active and aggressive. If fighting crime is important to you then join me and vote for J.B. Van Hollen.

Secretary of State – Sandy Sullivan Sandy Sullivan is a high-energy candidate. She is fired up about this race and you can’t resist her enthusiasm. She’s a fresh face in politics and will be a welcome change to the status quo. Sandy will clean out the cobwebs left by Doug La Follette. I’m looking forward to Secretary of State Sandy Sullivan.

State Treasurer – Jack Voight Jack has done a phenomenal job in this office. He has been an outstanding steward of our tax dollars and is a friend of taxpayers, families sending kids to college, and all Wisconsinites in general. Jack Voight is a champion of the EdVest program. There is no good reason not to reelect Jack Voight.

U.S. Senate – I have great hesitation to vote for Lorge for a number of unimportant reasons. Herb Kohl is almost worthless but will be re-elected. Rae Vogeler is a green party candidate. I’m tempted to vote for Ben Glatzel if for no other reason, because I like his statement of principle: Wisconsin Needs A Conservative Voice. I agree with Matt Thomas that voting against Kohl is a protest vote, but I will write in the Republican for whom I solicited signatures: Glenn Grothman.

5th Congressional District – F. James Sensenbrenner. Bryan Kennedy is a clown.

60th Assembly District – Mark Gottlieb Mark Gottlieb is a great representative and a smart man. He knows what he’s doing and he gets things done. We may have an occasional disagreement on logistics, but not on overriding principles. Mark Gottlieb is a conservative and Mark Belling can die in a fire. (Thanks Fred)

Ozaukee County Clerk – RICK NELSON The incumbent is not seeking reelection and Julie Winkelhorst, the deputy clerk, won the Republican primary in September. Julie has done nothing for other Republicans post-primary. She joined the team but doesn’t want to be a team player. I’m not happy with her attitude and very disappointed that she ran as a Republican just so she could be the county clerk. That's not cool, Julie. Not cool at all. Rick Nelson ran in the primary and has supported Republican candidates since he lost. He also didn't buy his membership so that he could run under the Republican banner.

Marriage Amendment – Yes The opposition has been throwing bombs and confusing the issue. We need to protect the definition of marriage from the State Supreme Court which could change it against the will of the people. It’s not true that nothing will change because if we do not more clearly define marriage in our constitution, it will still be vulnerable to judicial activists. The misinformation from the vote no crowd is appalling. VOTE YES FOR MARRIAGE!

Death Penalty – Yes This referendum is only advisory and it has no force of law. The death penalty is not about revenge. It is about justice. It is about deterrence. One problem with the death penalty is the appeals process: too much time goes by from the time that the death penalty is decided and when it is actually administered. One caveat: an unborn child has not committed a crime, so from that standpoint an unborn child is innocent. A convicted killer has clearly broken the law and is not innocent. I have no problems reconciling pro-life and pro-death penalty. From a Biblical perspective, I believe that a government reserves the right to use the death penalty but that the death penalty is not mandated by God in the New Testament. Because we the people are the government, it is fitting that a statewide poll is being conducted on this issue. I will be pleased if this referendum prevails, though I will not lose any sleep if it fails.

War On Terror Referendum Question – Yes I believe that referendum questions should only appear on the ballot if and when the outcome of the referendum has any legitimate consequence to that level of government. Municipal, county, and state government have little, if anything at all, to do with foreign policy. While I believe that this question is inherently inappropriate, what is worse is what the left and the media will do with it if it fails. For that reason and that reason alone I will vote yes on the WoT referendum question. NOTE: The Ozaukee War Referendum was authored and passed by the county board, not by peace activists. It is a stay and win question and not a cut and run question.