Steven Helmer Publications

 As a moderate independent, I tend to take the middle ground when it comes to legislation. In other words, it's rarely as good as one party says it is and usually not as bad as the other claims. That said, there are a lot of red flags about the "Big Beautiful Bill" that was just passed by Congress today and only needs Trump's signature to become law. It starts with the number of Republicans who needed to be strong-armed and/or bribed with incentives for it to pass by a very small margin. It includes the very deliberate effort to pass the bill in the middle of the night, when most people were asleep. And the biggest red flag of all is the world's richest man, Elon Musk, who stands to benefit from the tax cuts more than anyone else, effectively ending his friendship with President Donald Trump because he thinks it is bad for the country. As a result, while there are things I am OK with (for example, I personally don't see an issue with a reasonable 80-hour per m...

I'm not going to discuss who I will or will not vote for during the Wisconsin Supreme Court election on April 1. I will, however, discuss the election itself. To give a brief recap. Wisconsin Supreme Court judges serve a 10-year term with no more than one judge running for office in any election. While judges are supposed to be non-partisan, the court currently has a liberal majority but with Justice Ann Walsh Bradley retiring, the outcome of this election can either keep it liberal with Susan Crawford winning or tilt it to the right if Brad Schimel wins. This in turn could determine the outcome of a number of state-related things ranging from abortion rights to election districts. The main problem is it has stopped being just a race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and has become a de facto measuring stick for President Donald Trump and his agenda, with nearly $100 million being spent, including a large portion from groups and individuals (like Elon Musk) from outside the state. Pe...

Everyone makes mistakes, especially when starting a new job. And, along those lines, I do try to remind myself government officials like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz have only been in their current jobs for about two months. The same for Vice President J. D. Vance. So, while discussing potentially classified military plans via a text messaging app is not the best decision and accidentally adding a civilian (who also happens to be the editor of the Atlantic) to that group chat only made that questionable decision worse, I normally would be willing to be OK with no harm being done and lessons learned. Unfortunately, this is the Donald Trump administration and that's not what's happening. Here's my word of advice to Hegseth, Waltz, Vance, etc. as an independent voter - own up to your mistake and apologize. Period. This Trump-like systematic denial, spin and even blame shifting is unprofessional and honestly embarrassing. It's c...

I’ve mentioned in the past how my wife and I will occasionally spend our date night performing karaoke. And, not to brag, I have occasionally ended a song (usually Poison’s “Every Rose Has its Thorn”) to thunderous applause from the drunk people at the bar. However, even on those good nights, I have never once been under the delusion I could sell out a stadium like Bon Jovi or Taylor Swift. In fact, I am convinced it would be very similar to Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency – an embarrassing failure. OK, I am going to take the high road a bit and say, while I’ve never been a personal fan of Musk, I do respect the success he has had in the private sector, making him the wealthiest person in the world by a large margin. In fact, I’ll take the even higher road and pay President Donald Trump a similar compliment as far as his business successes are concerned. Here’s the thing with that though. Much like how karaoke doesn’t guarantee a singing career, success in t...

I haven't quite crossed into the Libertarian category (though that is my party of choice when I don't like either of the main candidates) but do believe less is more when it comes to government. As a result of this, I am in full agreement an occasional audit is needed to make sure we aren't spending tax dollars unnecessarily. While this may lead many to think I'm a fan of the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), they would be surprised to learn I am both not a fan and think Americans, regardless of who they voted for in November, should be concerned. The United States' system of government was founded on one very clear fundamental belief - the checks and balances of power. The President of the United States is arguably the most powerful leader in the world, but Congress is supposed to be there to keep him/her on a leash with the judicial system in place to be the tie breaker. And this is why DOGE is such a dangerous concept. The Department of Go...

We are days away from the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump as they try to convince voters they deserve to be President of the United States. I have already weighed in on who I plan to vote for but even though I have a candidate I favor; I do feel this year's election has been a bit sparse as far as issues are concerned. The campaigns have focused on specific topics ranging from immigration to who will better protect democracy, but other, just as important issues haven't been discussed at all or at least haven't gotten the media coverage. Image courtesy of Pixabay Here are three questions I myself would be asking: What are your plans to fight the growing national debt? As of my writing this, America's national debt is $35.29 trillion dollars, or roughly $104,000 per person. Meanwhile both candidates are proposing things (tax cuts, more border patrols, etc.) that are much more likely to increase that debt than reduce it. With one-third of that debt held by ...

I usually try to avoid discussing politics. I have my political beliefs but choose to them to myself. So, my decision to post this should speak volumes. For the record, I consider myself an independent who, for the most part, leans a bit to the right. In fact, I have cast a ballot in all seven presidential elections since my 18th birthday and only voted Democrat once. In comparison, I voted for the third-party Libertarian candidate in two of the elections.  The thing is, I don’t really dislike the Democrats. On paper, I support most things they support. It’s just when they talk about taxing the rich, I always somehow seem to be lumped into that category even though I’m living paycheck to paycheck like most people.  That’s why I am as surprised as anyone that I plan on voting for Kamala Harris in November. Image courtesy of Pixabay I don’t agree with everything Harris talks about in her platform. I’m also not completely convinced the excitement over her isn’t anything more tha...