Wisconsin dairy farmers were treading water in 2020, kept afloat by direct payments from the federal government. The aid resulted in a sharp decrease in herd exits: 360 dairy farms went out of business in Wisconsin last year compared to 818 closures in 2019. When I read the latest statistic, my first reaction was relief. It’s a sad state of affairs when the average loss of one dairy farm a day in Wisconsin feels like good news.

For the 15th consecutive year, the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council is presenting its Openness in Government Awards, or Opees, recognizing outstanding achievement in the cause of transparency. Several of this years’ awards are related to the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced wholesale changes in how government officials conduct the public’s business. All are predicated on upholding the public’s right to know.

Tom Lyon, former long-time Shawano resident, died on March 8 from a rare form of leukemia at his home in Cambridge, Wisconsin. He was 80 — and he was my best friend. Over the past few months, I was fortunate to talk to Tom several times on the phone. During one of those visits, he said, “Jim, I don’t think I’m going to win this one. So, do me a favor. Remember all the great times we had, okay?” I said I would.

To keep each other safe, we’ve been asked to add barriers — distance and masks — to our face-to-face interaction. We also have videoconferencing to help overcome those barriers. Yet to this day, Republican leaders in the state Assembly are holding meetings without requiring attendees to wear masks or offering a video option for those who don’t feel safe attending. The Assembly Committee on Sporting Heritage is an example.

In a democracy, the people hold the political power. Every citizen controls that power through their vote. We can hire the people who we think will be best for maintaining our democracy, or we can fire those who don’t have our best interests in mind. Democracy requires the people to exercise their right to vote. Throughout our nation’s history, there have been struggles for voter access.

Days after it became clear that Joe Biden had won the 2020 election, Sen. Ron Johnson was asked by a reporter if he was congratulating Biden on his win. “Nothing to congratulate him for,” was Johnson’s snarky reply. A month later, Johnson used his platform as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee to broadcast conspiracy theories about the election.