We are writing in reference to Eric Kleefeld's surprisingly mean-spirited attack on Progressive Dane in his column \Madison Politics Radicalized by the Few."" While we are proud to merit such a vitriolic rant, we need to set the record straight on a few items contained in the article.
First, Kleefeld asserts that Progressive Dane exemplifies the old saw that Madison is ""an island of however-many-miles surrounded by reality."" If 'reality' in this country is sprawling conglomerations of big box stores posing as cities, an ever-widening gap between have's and have not's, a racist and classist system of ""justice"" fueled in large part by the failed war on drugs and wholesale destruction of the environment, Progressive Dane is happy to do our part to maintain the perception that Madison is different.
You can find the above-mentioned reality in cities all around the country, and are free to enjoy it elsewhere.
Many people are attracted to Madison because of its unique livability, which is largely a result of Madison's Progressive roots. Good urban planning is essential in maintaining Madison's good qualities, and it doesn't just happen when the only people involved in policy-making are the developers and the elected officials to whose campaigns they contribute. In fact, our signature issue, Smarter Growth, deals with comprehensive planning on a multi-disciplinary level. We do not ""oppose new development,"" as Kleefeld claims. Rather we demand that new development occur in a way that is environmentally and economically sustainable development that is to scale with its surrounding community, that includes affordable housing, that respects environmental considerations and that is not just more auto-dependent sprawl.
Kleefeld also ridicules Progressive Dane's commitment to push for a health-focused drug policy in Dane County. While state and federal laws govern a lot of drug policy, it is implemented at a local level. Our county and city legislative bodies determine what resources are put toward treatment and law enforcement. Our local police and DA choose what crimes to prioritize and whether to charge drug crimes under city, county, state or federal law.?? Progressive Dane has affected change in this area already, garnering widespread recognition of Madison's General Ordinance 23.20, which states that casual possession of marijuana on private property is ""not a crime and not subject to forfeiture."" Even conservative drug warriors tend to agree that it is a waste of taxpayer money to prosecute for possession of small quantities of marijuana.
The one area where we do agree with Kleefeld is that broader civic participation is essential--it is one of the key goals of Progressive Dane.?? We ""nutters"" succeed because we put a lot of thought and energy into our political work, and engage many people in volunteer efforts. We also have a message that resonates with a lot of people--we want Dane County to be a unique, livable place where people of diverse races, incomes and social backgrounds can afford to live and will be treated with respect. We also succeed because people come to Madison looking for a place that's different from every other city in the country, a city that is capable of being a national model. Progressive Dane seeks to help realize that potential.
