Welcome to Wisconsin Soap Box

Welcome to the launch of Wisconsin Soap Box by myself, Andrew Martin. I originally started blogging on an ever so infrequent basis in the spring of 2011 during the height of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race and budget bill battles in the legislature. Following a period of inactivity, I've opted to re-launch and refocus my efforts on spreading words of intellectual wisdom to my fellow man.

You may be asking yourself:

Okay Andrew, this is all fine and dandy, but there are plenty of wayyyy better blogs about Wisconsin politics than your little rinky-dink dog and pony show. What's the point? Why even bother? Can't you understand that you are just whole-sale ripping off them when you do nothing but post hot-links to their sites and information?

The answer is, yes... I know. But following some pretty major upheaval in my life (post later) I feel that I really should start expressing my opinions more and making an active pursuit in helping to make people more learned in our society. I went to school for education, and the natural instinct for an educator, especially a social science educator, is to provide facts and remove things that obscure our view of events. Funny thing is, change from that line of thinking is removing many of the best of us from the classroom.

Now, I know your next point:

Look dude, you've been rambling on here for a while now. I have no idea who you are and what you even stand for. The guys at Blogging Blue and Blue Cheddar tell me who they are. Who are you? What's your background? How do I know your not a troll? Oh, and can you just please not make it more complicated than it already has become? 

Wow, you're pushy fantasy person:

While living in Middleton, WI during 2010-11 to serve a year of AmeriCorps, I became engrossed in state level politics, particularly because of the nasty 2010 race for governor, and the subsequent legislative battles waged during the historic (and now infamous) spring 2011 calender. I met a ton of amazing people like Jenni Dye (@legaleagle), Steve Senski (@spenski), Chris (@StarcatChris), plus so many more that I cannot possibly name. It proved to me the value of twitter and groups like Democracy Addicts.

Following my brief brushes with local and national fame, I returned to my hometown of Fond du Lac, deep in the heart of conservative eastern Wisconsin. I have done work at a local electrical panel wiring shop and from January to June 2012, been a high school teacher at my alma matter. But, come next week, I'm back at the panel shop with little clue where to go after all that this May and June has brought to my life.


So, that's my first round on the soap box. No, it's not going to be the last, and no, I'm not going away... I'm still here. There will be times the tone is somber, but it will also be overpowering, and probably full of much hubris as well. I have some time these next few days so the posts should be many, but I want you to be too. Comment and feel free to get in contact with me too!