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Dear Editor:
"Some of the farmers are doing well...We're over the hump...We're really doing well" Trump said recently at a big fund raising rally in Milwaukee where he raised over $3 million from rich supporters. (Capital Times Opinion and Commentary, 9/25/2019, page 36) Trump's disconnect from rural Wisconsin is clear by the real world human and economic disaster of his regressive policies as well as his distant proximity to urban Milwaukee for his latest fest of lies.
The truth of the matter is that Trump's thoughtless trade wars and corporate agricultural policies have created another emergency situation in America, Wisconsin and especially the 3rd Congressional District for farmers evidenced by recent Farm Aid concerts and campaigns in Wisconsin and these key facts as reported by Wisconsin US. House Members: (Capital Times)
*An emergency level of three farms closed a day in Wisconsin!
*Wisconsin agricultural exports to China fell by 25 percent in the first four months of 2019!
*Wisconsin had a record high number of dairy farm closings in 2018 with the state leading the nation in family farm bankruptcies for the 2nd year in a row!
The rural southwest Wisconsin 3rd Congressional District has been one of the hardest hit for family farmers by the bankrupt Trump policies. Regional US. Labor data also reported in Bloomberg that "Wisconsin has lost more than 5,000 factory jobs in the last 12 months, second worst in the country." (Capital Times)
The blatant lies and public policy malfeasance of this chaotic administration, with a besieged president now under impeachment investigation has clearly left working people and small farmers in Wisconsin behind. It is time for a change in our country where we the people work for solidarity with workers and farmers based on moral and effective economic, trade and agricultural policies, based on our democratic principles of government "of, by and for the people!" The bully attack by Trump on our service institutions, government, workers and farmers will not stand! The facts do matter and the fight is now underway in earnest to help our grassroots rural communities. In the words of Darin Von Ruden, Wisconsin Farmers Union President, a third generation farmer from the Westby area, "if he's saying farmers are over the hump, he would be badly mistaken...In order to get over the hump we need to stop losing dairy farms." (Capital Times)

Terry Testolin
Richand Center