Breaking the Legislative Log Jam
By refusing to schedule floor votes for key legislation, the Republican leadership in the state Assembly is blocking any attempt to address the most pressing issues in Wisconsin, such as reform of campaign finance and disclosure laws, health care, school financing, sustainable energy policy, or balancing our state’s budget. We badly need to replace the current Assembly leadership, where Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch and Majority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald are out of touch with Wisconsin voters. In the 42nd District, we have an excellent chance of capturing one of two seats needed to secure a Democratic majority in the Assembly.
Campaign Finance Reform
We continue to believe in the democratic principle of one person-one vote. Yet Wisconsin’s regulation of campaign financing is not up the task of protecting that promise.
The public financing system of campaigns that exists on paper is rarely used because it is under-funded and its limits have not been adjusted to keep pace with growing costs. Meanwhile, unlimited independent expenditures are being used by special interests to fund negative advertisements and heavily influence races – resulting in unfair advantages against aspiring citizen-legislators like Fred Clark.
Independent expenditures are making a mockery of our judicial elections, and our current state Supreme Court race has made national news as a result of the ugly partisanship being displayed in what is supposed to be a non-partisan election. Incumbent lawmakers have little incentive to reform a system that brought them to power – or in the words of one pundit: “Don’t expect them to shoot the horse they rode in on.” Wisconsin badly needs campaign and election reform; It is the lynch-pin of our ability to address every other major issue in Wisconsin.
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Affordable Health Care
Our system of health care in the United States is broken. Over 400,000 Wisconsin residents have no health insurance, and nearly one-fifth of households earning less than $39,000 a year are uninsured.
Furthermore, skyrocketing premiums continue to place a greater burden on those who do have insurance. In 2008, for example, over 1.2 million Wisconsinites will pay over 10% of their pre-tax income on health care and over 300,000 will spend more that 25% of their income on health care. Health care costs are projected to double by 2017.
The high cost of employer-provided health insurance is affecting our heath and the health of our economy, creating a bottleneck on our economic productivity and personal potential. Since the federal government is failing to lead in one of the most pressing issues facing our country, Wisconsin must step up to ensure that every Wisconsin citizen has access to affordable, comprehensive health care.
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Support for Public Education
Our system for financing primary schools in Wisconsin is fatally flawed, and is leading to the rapid deterioration of our public school system. Under this system, even the best-managed school districts are struggling as expenses increase faster than revenues.
Referendums to approve increased funding force terrible choices upon individual residents and divide communities. Forty-one of 423 school districts in Wisconsin are being forced to hold referendums this spring to fund basic needs such as replacing heating systems or repairing roofs. Ultimately, kids lose, as schools first cut “non-essential programs” such as sports, band, and arts; then defer maintenance; and finally cut core programs – laying off teachers and increasing class sizes.
Wisconsin needs a complete reform of our primary school financing system. We need to fund schools using methods that will allow EVERY school district to meet our state’s own standards for adequacy in education.
Find some ideas on how to remedy this situation at:
Fostering a Healthy Environment
Current and future generations depend on our continued commitment to clean air, clean water, land conservation, and outdoor recreational opportunities. These issues are too important to fall victim to partisanship and political grandstanding.
Protecting the Great Lakes, getting mercury out of our air and water, and returning the oversight of our natural resources to the citizens should be high priorities for the legislature. In addition, we need to continue to promote responsible land-use planning, sustainable agricultural practices, and wise use of the our stewardship funds to protect rural landscapes and wildlife populations.
More details on these topics can be found at:
Embracing the New Economy
Wisconsin, along with the rest of the world, is experiencing a significant economic downturn. The effects of the current economic climate include loss of jobs, especially in our building and manufacturing sectors, depletion of retirement savings, and a spike in mortgage foreclosures.
Wisconsin cannot solve all of these problems alone. However, the state can continue to support a positive business climate by maintaining our investments in education, training, and quality of life for citizens. We can also help assure that mortgage and lending businesses adhere to fair lending practices that fully disclose the costs and risks of borrowing to lenders.
Wisconsin must encourage innovation and leadership in rapidly-developing fields such as biotechnology, renewable energy, and in local, value-added agriculture.
Some great resources on economic issues include:
Tax Equity
While our state is facing a $650 million budget deficit, many Wisconsin corporations pay little or no state income tax as a result of creative tax strategies and loopholes. In 2005, 66.5% of corporations in Wisconsin paid zero dollars in income tax!
The Institute for Wisconsin’s Future estimates that collectively Wisconsin’s corporations are underpaying their fair share on income taxes to the state to the tune of $643 million dollars annually. And yet Wisconsin’s legislature and our Governor are afraid to address this issue – instead focusing their “budget balancing” efforts on cutting services, borrowing money from segregated accounts, and sticking future generations with the bill for cleaning up our mess.
We need to reform business taxation in Wisconsin to ensure that everyone pays their fair share and that the burden of taxation is no longer falling unfairly on the backs of our property owners and middle class citizens.
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