I don't make money from this blog, and I never will. This blog is for you and me - a public resource.
The goal of the Publius No. 9 blog is to be an independent outlet for the voices of the people of Wisconsin, and a place for open, honest, fact-based debate. Everyone, especially those from Wisconsin, are encouraged to voice their opinions and to respond politely and intelligently to the opinions of others.
I'm Publius No. 9, and I started this blog to serve as a log of what I feel are the important events in politics as well as a vehicle to express my views which also allows others to share their views. I would like to have civil, intelligent conversations about the issues we face particularly in Wisconsin but also beyond. With no disrespect to people in other areas, who probably are also quite civil and intelligent, Wisconsinites tend to be quite civil and intelligent. And since I was born, grew up, and have always lived in Wisconsin, that's my focus.
Wisconsin's motto is Forward. I believe we need civil and intelligent debates about the real issues we face to move Forward. I admit that we may not always think through everything we say, and say things we don't really mean. Yet, if we correct our mistakes and put effort into thinking about what we're saying, we find out that people listen more. There tend to be a lot of grey areas in life and politics, and so I believe it's best to not worry about saying the wrong thing as long as you've thought through it and are willing to correct yourself. Because it's better to express your genuine thoughts and potentially learn from the experience as well as teach others than it is to stay silent when you believe you have something that needs to be said.
My goal when expressing my views here is to be non-partisan. I won't blindly cheer for one party or cause. However, I will not shy away from saying that I believe one idea is "better," "more correct," or "has more value" when I truly believe so. I will follow such a statement with my reasons for that belief, so that others can see how I reached that conclusion. If someone believes I'm wrong, I truly want them to express their thought, given it's constructive, and I'll genuinely give it thorough consideration, because I'm not always right. Even though I try very hard to make sure I know what I'm talking about before I say something, I make mistakes and don't know a lot about a lot of things. So there's bound to be many times that I learn something when someone points out a mistake I made or an error in judgement. That's exactly why this blog exists. So we can all discuss, debate, and learn together.
Since I want this to be a place of open discussion, it only makes sense to have more people leading the discussions than just me. The other authors in this blog, currently just my friend Bruce, have the same desire to express their ideas intelligently and respond to constructive criticism in an effort for us all to learn. That's my only requirement. I don't fit into any of the current political labels, and I don't think those labels should matter here. So the authors of this blog don't have any particular association, but we all have leanings one way or the other on varying issues.
If you would like to become an author, no required amount of posts are expected, you can email me at the address at the bottom. However, particularly because this blog is still young, I'm stringent about adding authors. So if you live in Wisconsin and have the desire to drive an intelligent conversation, do email me, and we'll go from there.
This is all a learning process for me, too. So please feel free to provide suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Check out my videos of Wisconsinites creatively voicing their opinions on YouTube.
If you wish to contact me personally, send an email to PubliusNumber9 at gmail.com. I can't promise a quick response, but I will respond if appropriate.
