Focus
On Our Nation's Legacy this Memorial Day
My father served in the Marine Corps before I was born. While we milked
cows, he would tell me about the men he served with and his experiences in
World War II. He would tell me stories of honor, heroism and camaraderie. He
imparted in me a deep sense of patriotism and service.
At the time, I didn’t realize how important these stories and lessons were. I
didn’t understand how much these ideas would form me into the man I am today.
I am grateful for his service and for his willingness to teach me about the
things that make our country great.
It is our duty to teach our children and grandchildren about heroism and
sacrifice. Too often, we allow the true stories to be forgotten. We miss
opportunities to share about the lives of the people who dedicate themselves
to our freedom and protection. We allow the next celebrity to dominate their
viewpoint, rather than highlighting the true heroes of our nation.
We have lost two heroes from the 17th Senate District within the last five
years. Army Specialist Jakob Roelli from Darlington was killed in action on
September 21, 2011 in Jawkari, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Army Staff
Sergeant Jesse J. Grindey of Hazel Green was killed in action on March 12,
2012 in the Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
I cannot fathom the loss felt by Jakob’s and Jesse’s families. I am certain
that they take time every day to remember these men who made the ultimate
sacrifice. Let us each take time this week to remember Jakob, Jesse and the
many others who have given their life for the cause of freedom around the
world, especially those of our Special Operations, FBI and CIA; the stories
of heroism that can never be told.
Each Memorial Day we must recognize the loss of men and women who have fought
for freedom. But we also have the opportunity, and duty, to focus on their
legacy.
General Patton said, “It is foolish and wrong to spend so much time mourning
the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived at all.”
The first known observance of Memorial Day was on May 5, 1866, making this
year the 150th Observance. In 1866, a shop owner in Waterloo, New York wanted
a day when all businesses would close to honor the fallen soldiers who had
lost their lives during the Civil War.
The regular observance of Memorial Day caught on throughout our nation as we
take time to reflect and appreciate the sacrifices made to protect our
freedom, secure our borders and strengthen our nation.
Regardless of our race, religion or political beliefs, we Americans continue
to collectively defend freedom generation after generation, all over the
world. We defend freedom because we know that democracy is a fragile thing.
President Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away
from its extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It
must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
Memorial Day is the perfect day to remind every generation, young and old,
about the price for our freedom. We must tell the stories of our veterans. We
must show our respect. We must live as examples for future generations who
will take our mantle of freedom and march forward.
They need to know where they come from. They need to know about the men and
women who formed our nation and gave everything to give us the chance to be
free.
It may be difficult to put our gratitude into words, but we also have
actions. We can live our lives in a way that preserves and protects the
values and freedoms for which our heroes fought and died. We must continue to
fight for fundamental liberties that are guaranteed in our constitution, and
for which our soldiers have defended.
It is up to us to preserve their memory and to make sure that future
generations realize the important sacrifice that the fallen have made to
preserve our way of life. We must focus on the legacy given to us while we
remember the loss.
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Useful
Information
School Fund Balances
The following table contains the
ending general fund balances for each school district in the 17th Senate
District. It should be noted that the fund balances are not solely cash
balances. They include non-cash items such as property taxes receivable. The
balances of June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2015 are shown along with the change
in ending balances between those years. The final column shows the 2015 fund
balances as a percentage of school’s total budget.
School District
|
June 30 2011 Ending
General Fund Balance
|
June 30 2015 Ending
General Fund Balance
|
2011 to 2015 General Fund
Balance Change ($)
|
2015 Fund Balance as a %
of General Fund Budget
|
Argyle
|
$
1,787,818
|
$
1,747,502
|
$
(40,316)
|
47%
|
Belmont
Community
|
$
1,567,013
|
$
1,346,347
|
$
(220,666)
|
33%
|
Benton
|
$
656,895
|
$
793,001
|
$
136,106
|
25%
|
Black
Hawk
|
$
1,202,817
|
$
1,117,606
|
$
(85,210)
|
23%
|
Boscobel
|
$
2,283,480
|
$
2,279,900
|
$
(3,579)
|
24%
|
Cassville
|
$
503,669
|
$
532,557
|
$
28,888
|
17%
|
Cuba
City
|
$
2,419,870
|
$
2,292,119
|
$
(127,751)
|
29%
|
Darlington
Community
|
$
2,573,050
|
$
3,248,825
|
$
675,775
|
36%
|
Dodgeville
|
$
3,349,834
|
$
2,651,684
|
$
(698,149)
|
18%
|
Fennimore
Community
|
$
2,735,858
|
$
2,184,358
|
$
(551,500)
|
26%
|
Highland
|
$
625,729
|
$
804,002
|
$
178,273
|
21%
|
Hillsboro
|
$
1,976,278
|
$
1,610,720
|
$
(365,557)
|
25%
|
Iowa-Grant
|
$
1,509,065
|
$
1,453,308
|
$
(55,758)
|
16%
|
Ithaca
|
$
2,117,816
|
$
1,476,608
|
$
(641,208)
|
30%
|
Kickapoo
Area
|
$
1,084,578
|
$
1,653,992
|
$
569,414
|
29%
|
Lancaster
Community
|
$
1,162,562
|
$
1,382,884
|
$
220,321
|
13%
|
Mauston
|
$
3,249,943
|
$
4,103,376
|
$
853,433
|
25%
|
Mineral
Point
|
$
2,523,534
|
$
1,744,459
|
$
(779,075)
|
20%
|
Monroe
|
$
7,448,868
|
$
5,439,586
|
$
(2,009,282)
|
19%
|
Necedah
Area
|
$
988,785
|
$
1,403,556
|
$
414,771
|
16%
|
New
Lisbon
|
$
996,778
|
$
1,556,931
|
$
560,153
|
21%
|
Pecatonica
Area
|
$
1,052,925
|
$
1,073,538
|
$
20,613
|
19%
|
Platteville
|
$
3,845,243
|
$
4,186,563
|
$
341,320
|
25%
|
Potosi
|
$
1,447,461
|
$
1,319,035
|
$
(128,425)
|
29%
|
Reedsburg
|
$
3,944,505
|
$
8,149,408
|
$
4,204,903
|
28%
|
Richland
|
$
1,472,624
|
$
2,074,277
|
$
601,653
|
14%
|
River
Ridge
|
$
1,444,018
|
$
1,369,377
|
$
(74,641)
|
20%
|
River
Valley
|
$
4,596,078
|
$
5,963,198
|
$
1,367,120
|
39%
|
Riverdale
|
$
2,276,971
|
$
2,372,751
|
$
95,780
|
29%
|
Royall
|
$
204,041
|
$
1,609,093
|
$
1,405,052
|
21%
|
Shullsburg
|
$
1,172,239
|
$
796,803
|
$
(375,436)
|
19%
|
Southwestern
Wisconsin
|
$
1,837,968
|
$
1,611,496
|
$
(226,472)
|
25%
|
Tomah
Area
|
$
4,284,434
|
$
4,513,311
|
$
228,877
|
14%
|
Weston
|
$
987,191
|
$
1,199,001
|
$
211,810
|
28%
|
Wisconsin
Dells
|
$
3,569,116
|
$
5,111,017
|
$
1,541,901
|
27%
|
Wonewoc-Union
Center
|
$
1,256,867
|
$
1,655,399
|
$
398,533
|
32%
|
Total
|
$
76,155,921
|
$
83,827,589
|
$
7,671,671
|
|
Data
provided by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
|