Equal Time

A couple weeks back I praised the Howard Dean-like spine of Bryan Kennedy, a combatant in the Wisconsin fifth congressional district Democratic primary, one of two Dems looking for the privilege of beating Jim Sensenbrenner in November. This week's spineful action comes from the other candidate, Oconomowoc Mayor Gary Kohlenberg, combining puns, digs at Wisconsin's Republican state legislature, and a strong slam of Sensenbrenner:

Congressman Sensenbrenner votes to decapitate Head Start

Mayor Gary Kohlenberg criticized Congressman Sensenbrenner for advancing politics before people by voting to move funding and administration from the federal government to the states. "This encourages insolvent states to eliminate pre-school program funding, not supplement it," Kohlenberg said. "Voting for the modified Head Start program is like pushing a man down the stairs to help him get to the bottom quicker."

The federal Head Start program started in 1965 provides underprivileged children with basic medical, educational, nutritional and emotional assistance to strengthen their future academic achievement. Research shows Head Start children are more likely to enter kindergarten ready to learn, attain higher levels of achievement, and increase self-esteem.

"Congressman Sensenbrenner’s view of the Head Start program is, 'If it ain’t broke, let’s kill it.' His vote to bounce administration and funding for Head Start from the federal government to cash-strapped states is a sure way to dismantle a successful program. State legislatures can resist everything except temptation. Case in point: Wisconsin voted to send our cigarette settlement money up in smoke to shore up their budget. Predictably, the Head Start program will be robbed of the funding our children depend on," said Kohlenberg.

Kohlenberg reads your humble folkbum's blog, as it turns out. Neither candidate has his own blog yet, though, so I'm still undecided on an endorsement. (Milwaukee county executive candidate David Riemer has a blog of sorts, though--check it out, and then throw him some coin!)