The silly season starts

The number of Republicans putting out press releases calling on their own leadership to schedule bills on issues that are important to their constituents is getting ridiculous. Every day it seems like there is a new one out calling for action on something. It must be time to go home and run for re-election.

It's hard to decide which is worse - Republicans waiting until the last week of session to pretend they want to bring up important issues, Republicans pretending their own leaders are people they never talk to and have to send out press releases in the hopes the leaders will talk to them, or the press actually falling for this like the Wisconsin State Journal did with Rep. Steve Freese's 'call for action' on campaign finance reform and writing a positive story for Freese.

And before you think Rep. Steve Freese is the only Republican in a leadership position acting like he is not part of the leadership team that failed to bring up legislation on a slew of issues important to their constituents, you should read this:

Senator Dave Zien (R-Eau Claire) in a letter today called on Republican Leadership and members of his own party to support gas- price reduction efforts. He requested a vote on his bill that reduces the minimum markup on gasoline along with a bill that requires ethanol in gasoline.

So did Senator Zien send a copy of the letter to himself? After all, if you go the Senate home webpage you will see him listed as one of the leaders. And if you look in the Blue Book, you see a big full-color photo of Senator Zien listed on the Senate officers page.

The same goes for Rep. Steve freese at the Assembly home webpage and the Blue Book page for Assembly officers. He is right next to a giant photo of Speaker Gard and yet Freese would have us believe that he has to send press release to communicate with Gard.

These press releases are nothing more than attempts at political cover for the upcoming election. If Senator Zien had spent even a fraction of the time on the issues he now claims to want action on as he did on concealed carry, he could have had real results to take home to his constituents instead of press releases of campaign posturing.