Elections brought change, attention to issues as reported in an editorial via the Appleton Post Crescent

An editorial discussing the fall elections caught my eye. The title given was “Elections brought change, attention to issues“. The article touched on being thankful the political ads are over. As a candidate for State Assembly I had several potential voters that had such a bad taste in their mouth from the political ads, it took the ice breaker of “I am trying to re-legalize hemp cannabis (marijuana) for Wisconsin and I guarantee you did not see me ad on TV”. After that, most disgruntled folks ended up wearing a Friends of Jay Selthofner button or shirt.” I am glad the ads are over also. If our campaign had the money, the ads would have been full of truth, honesty and compassion.

The article touched on the state transportation and then jumped right onto pot.

Reg P. Wydeven

The referendum was typical of many issues voted on about taxes, campaign reform and other benign matters Some states, however, decided on marijuana. The proposal, officially titled the “Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act,” would have made it legal for adults age 21 and over to possess up to one ounce of marijuana, grow it in small private plots and even consume it in nonpublic places, provided no children were present. The RCTC Act would have also allowed local governments to permit the commercial cultivation of marijuana and the sale and use of marijuana at licensed establishments.

The measure did not pass, and supporters of the proposition saw their hopes go up in smoke. California residents came out in droves to voting joints to oppose the referendum, claiming they were able to weed out the propaganda from the truth.

In an ironically comedic twist, experts believe the measure failed because of low turnout from younger voters, who were presumably slacking. Apparently these voters lost their “Yes We Can-nabis” attitude. Supporters of the proposal still say their efforts haven’t gone to pot, as they expect a similar referendum to be on the 2012 ballot.

In another ironically comedic twist, the editorial from Reg Wydeven is a partner with the Appleton-based law firm of McCarty Law LLP did not touch on the two ballot initiatives regarding medical marijuana dubbed “reeferendums” in Wisconsin, but did make several potpuns during his article. We are not sure if Reg Wydeven is a smoker or not, but he did not seem to think legalizing marijuana was a half baked idea after all. Oh yeah, almost forgot, the non-binding public ballot initiatives in Dane County and the City of River Falls passed with overwhelming support and in some areas saw more support and received a higher percentage of than most candidates.

To read the entire article in the Appleton Post Crescent or leave a comment directly on their site, here is the link: