GOP Failures

GOP Legislators Fail Again

Tend to the People’s Business

 

Our Republican controlled legislature outdid itself once again, proving just how anti-life they really are. They rejected once again, Gov. Evers’ call for them to accept federal Medicaid expansion money which would have pumped $1 Billion federal dollars into Wisconsin coffers and provided much needed health insurance coverage to 91,000 more Wisconsin citizens. 

 

Our legislators first stripped the proposal to take the federal money out of Gov. Evers’ proposed state budget for the next biennium and then, this past week, gaveled in and out of the special legislative session Evers called to take up the proposal in record time.

 

The people most impacted are poor people without access to employer health insurance plans who made too much under earlier guidelines to qualify for insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Medicaid expansion would have changed the rules to lower those standards, making the insurance more affordable. Without access to more affordable insurance, many Wisconsinites will become ill and die due to their inability to access needed health care services. 

 

The $1 billion federal incentive, which comes out of federal taxpayer dollars, was earmarked by Gov. Evers to provide $200 million to expand broadband internet services to more in rural areas, $100 million to replace ageing and dangerous lead water pipes, $100 million for bridge and road projects and over a dozen local construction projects. 

 

In addition, Evers proposed using the Federal funds for increased mental health services, veterans housing programs, increasing tourism, more DNR Stewardship programs and better opioid data systems. On the local level, Evers wants to use the funds for a community health center in Racine, paper mill assistance in Wisconsin Rapids and Park Falls, mental health facilities in Eau Claire and Wausau, manufacturing apprenticeship programs, support for rural emergency medical services.

 

Gov. Evers condemned the GOP leaders’ failure to take up the proposal. "I think we should be doing everything we can to make sure our economy bounces back from this pandemic, and this special session was about finding common ground and getting bipartisan support for our efforts," Evers said in a prepared statement. "Clearly, it’s disappointing Republicans don’t seem to take that responsibility seriously, and they’ll have to explain to Wisconsinites why they made the decision they did today."

 

GOP legislators have opposed the expansion ever since it was introduced by the Federal government in 2014, claiming it is unnecessary welfare and that it might cause additional burdens on Wisconsin taxpayers in the future should the benefits decrease. They also take issue with Evers’ authority to spend the federal dollars, claiming it should rest with the Legislature instead.

 

So far, 38 states have accepted Medicaid expansion benefits without any substantial issues. Those state that took the funds show decreased mortality rates when compared with states that rejected the funds. They have used the funds creatively to help combat the pandemic and increase services for their citizens with no adverse impacts. 

 

It is clear that the real opposition is rooted in fears that Democratic governments will actually take care of working people and their families and win the policy wars in our divided America. They fear actual debate in open sessions of our legislative bodies on the merits of the proposals and the actual impacts their decisions will have on the rest of us. It is much easier to just say no to what ever Democrats propose. 

 

On the other side of the same coin, Assembly Leader Robin Vos (R-Mount Pleasant) just approved spending $100,000 in taxpayer dollars to hire retired police officers to investigate the last statewide election to see if there were irregularities that warrant new election laws. It does not matter that GOP presidential minions already floated their conspiracy theories in Wisconsin and Federal Courts after the election only to see each and every one shot down because they could produce no facts to support their outlandish claims. Vos is wasting precious tax dollars chasing ghosts of long dead conspiracies. 

 

The Republicans in our Legislature have wasted our time and money doing nothing but trying to undo what made Wisconsin the progressive leader in America and opposing anything proposed by Democrats. We elect our Representatives and Senators to look out for the common good and address real problems affecting significant parts of the populace. It is time we hold them accountable and elect those willing to tend to the people’s business. 

Supply and Demand

Supply and Demand

Workers Have Power

 

Conventional wisdom has it that markets are balanced by supply of what people want and demand from others for those same things. That maxim applies to current employment opportunities. 

 

As pandemic restrictions on public gatherings are eased, many businesses are gearing up to put their wares back on the market. Nowhere is this more obvious than in restaurants and other places where wages are low yet demand for service is increasing rapidly. “We’re Hiring” signs are popping up everywhere.

 

Places where employees were laid off due to pandemic restrictions are looking to bring those employees back into service and are finding it hard to make that happen. Even with demand at a high level, many are finding it hard to find people willing to work for what they earned before the pandemic sent them home. 

 

Several trends are emerging. Some employers are griping that the current unemployment benefit levels are keeping people at home. Some republican controlled states are buying into this notion and moving to cut unemployment benefits or reduce the amounts paid. Current benefit levels finally approach basic cost of living levels and pay more than many pre-pandemic employment packages offered. I doubt that this is the main driver of the difficulty employers face finding people to fill open positions. After all, people are social beings and want to interact with others and not just sit at home in front of the TV.

 

Recent polling suggests there are other factors at play. One is childcare. Low wage jobs no longer cover the cost of childcare much less provide cost of living wages. People who do not have childcare for pre-school age kids cannot go to work if they cannot cover that cost plus bring home money for food, housing, and other necessities. One of the provisions of President Biden’s rescue plan is to beef up childcare subsidies making it possible for parents of preschoolers and even school age children to re-enter the workforce.

 

Workplace safety is another new complication employers face finding people for their open jobs. Many food and tavern jobs require servers to interact with those who are not wearing masks and may or may not be vaccinated against the coronavirus. People who have been hunkered down at home with their families, trying to stay safe from the pandemic, are understandably reluctant to go to work in places where they feel likely that they will be exposed to virus carriers. The lure of low pay and long hours are just not enough to bring them back. Employers who give incentives to vaccinated workers and discounts to masked customers may be able to overcome potential employee fears.

 

A third factor is the label, “essential worker.” Many employers seeking to reward the workers who stayed on the job during the pandemic bestowed that label on their workforce and many took it to heart. The belief that I am “essential” to my employer’s success brings with it a legitimate sense that I am worth more than I was before I earned the title. With that, it is only natural that I get paid more for my work than I received before, especially as demand for what I produce is going up. This is a natural wage increase driver.

 

Finally, many former low-wage employees are coming to realize that they no longer must take whatever is offered from an employer. People are starting to demand more than what they might have made before for the same work because they see increased competition in the marketplace for their labor. We see that pressure in the long-term care industry where care givers move from job to job, facility to facility, when hourly wages go up by a dollar or two.

 

Employers need to rethink their business model, especially when they rely on low wage workers to provide the services they sell. If the model was only workable if the cost of labor did not produce a living wage, it unlikely your business will survive in this market where wages are going up significantly past previous levels and hefty signing bonuses are becoming more common. 

 

It is just not as simple as unemployment benefits are too high. There is much more in play and employers are going to have to start providing safe working conditions, pay living wages and provide real benefits such as paid child-care if they hope to stay in business. 

 

It is supply and demand. Maybe a $15 an hour minimum wage is a foreseeable reality after all.

Rojo Must Go

Senator Johnson Care More about Freedom than Life

It has got to be hard when facts and proven scientific evidence come into conflict with one’s ideological or political beliefs. A rational person would examine that conflict and try to adjust the beliefs to come into some degree of harmony with the facts and supporting evidence. It must be even harder when one’s political and ideological beliefs lead to the suffering, illness and death of your fellow human beings. 

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson’s recent public comments questioning the need to vaccinate the population against COVID-19 and the effectiveness of wearing masks show that Johnson has made his choice. For him, ideology and political expedience win out over facts supported by the scientific evidence. Unfortunately for some of his followers and others who choose to believe what he says, Johnson’s words will lead to unnecessary suffering and maybe even their death.

Johnson is reaching the end of his current term in the United States Senate. Even though he promised to only serve two terms when first he ran, he has not told us if he plans to run for a third term or not. He has, however, openly embraced the former resident of the White House, supported false claims of fraud in the last national election, questioned whether it was really supporters of the former president who stormed the Capitol on January 6th and ventured into support for other conspiracy theories. It is not surprising then to hear him openly contradict nationally recognized experts on getting COVID vaccines into as many arms as possible and the need for wearing masks to reduce the virus spread.

It is high time that Johnson declares his intentions for the upcoming election. Three Democrats have already announced their bids to replace him. The first in the ring was Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson. Nelson has run before and has a slew of endorsements. Next, Alex Lasry, Vice President of the Milwaukee Bucks organization, threw his hat in the ring and announced endorsements from prominent Milwaukee political figures. The third candidate to enter the race was Sarah Godlewski, the newly elected Wisconsin State Treasurer, who has been preparing to run against Johnson on social media for the past year. Other Democrats will probably come in as soon as Johnson announces whether he will run again or not. 

Conservative Republicans, used to mounting primary challenges from the right, don’t know what to do. It is hard to get further to the right than Johnson is already. The former president has already endorsed him for a third term which prevents other ultra conservatives from entering the race. More moderate Republicans have not figured out a message that will resonate with enough GOP voters to win a statewide race and do not want to sign up until Johnson declares what he plans to do. 

Without a viable GOP replacement, Johnson owns the bully pulpit on the right and will unfortunately end up hurting a lot of people. We can only hope that the new national leadership will continue to let the scientists carry the load of convincing more to get their shots, practice social distancing and continue to wear masks around the unvaccinated. 

Another front is opening as well. The University of Maryland recently announced that no one will be allowed on campus next fall unless they have been vaccinated against COVID – 19. Even with Johnson openly opposing vaccination requirements or vaccination passports, the European Union is opening up visits from U.S. citizens if they have been fully vaccinated. Airlines are beginning to enforce mask wearing on flights and banning those who refuse. Socially responsible businesses are also beginning to step up with mask requirements as well. App developers are already marketing vaccination passports for your phones.

It is sad that Sen. Johnson refuses to follow the science and has lost his compassion for the health of his constituents while following the banner of false personal freedom. To see him wallow in false choices brings fears that he will follow Fox’s Tucker Carlson who now exhorts his viewers to confront masked people and asks them to call the police to report child abuse when they see kids in masks. 

We are all in this together and the sooner our elected officials take on that world view, the sooner we can get back to some semblance of normalcy.