Bob Chernow

I have a friend who has built a business that employs more than 300 workers. She is Polish-Russian. She's been here 16 years, is married and has two children.

Bankers have little sense of history. For most, their view of the future is myopic.

A few weeks back I dropped into a grocery store to buy gelato for a friend who had a stroke. Irish Stout was the flavor of the day.

Some of us want you to succeed, Mr. Abele. So here is some advice, unsolicited, but sincere.

“Free, fair and accessible elections are sacrosanct, and the right of every legal voter to cast their vote must be unassailable”
- Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Menomonee Falls)

Often legislation is dull and boring. Or it seems so. The gobblygook that gets through Madison is ponderous and details the detail. We as business men and women don’t think it affects us.

In general, politicians don’t know how to generate jobs. Most don’t understand how businesses operate. Some mean well, but they make decisions based on their beliefs of what business want. Often they put the public’s capital to work in weak industries or use these funds to reward supporters.

Sheriff David Clarke faces a problem. He is irrelevant.

When the economy is good, banks are flush with money and are willing lenders. Competitors make less than prudent short term decisions and bankers feel they must follow suit in the lemming- like pursuit of profits.

There is a covenant between those who serve in war and the nation they serve.

When is a political contribution really a bribe? That is a question that needs to be addressed.

We are in the midst of change. Change that is dominated by the certainty of demographics and by the manner in which our economy – and those of others – is transitioning.