From my email inbox comes the latest from Democratic State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout.
The snow blows over the frozen fields. But in the farmer’s mind, the plants already appear in straight rows and the blossoms are in bud. It takes an optimist to be a farmer – one who sees the potential bounty of the land. But it also takes a realist to plan for the possibility of drought, hail and pests.
It’s with that balance of optimism and realism I look forward to 2014.
I wish you all a prosperous New Year with jobs that pay a living wage for every family, a great school for every child and affordable health care for everyone. But in this wish is the acknowledgement of the real struggle Wisconsin faces to wrestle the public good away from mismanagement and private interests seeking to influence policy.
Take jobs and economic development: in the coming year the Legislative Audit Bureau will release another audit of the Governor’s keystone jobs policy – the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. The first audit showed an agency without clear policies giving limited state cash to companies without verifying a single company had created a single job. Despite tremendous public relations efforts to cover the problems I fear the 2014 audit will show similar problems with a lack of adequate financial management and misuse of state resources.
Getting our state economic development efforts in order should be job number one if Wisconsin is going to close 2014 with a better job outlook than we see now.
Life without health is a poor life indeed. My office phones are ringing as reality hits with the recent legislative decision to not cover tens of thousands of people with health care. These people make less than $11,000 a year. Many are artists, farmers, café or other small business owners. They work hard to make important contributions to our communities. The New Year was supposed to bring the promise of health care through BadgerCare. But, the Governor and majority Republicans broke that promise.
Others call with complaints of exorbitant rates for health insurance through the federal Marketplace. Some call relatives in Minnesota and find similar families paying thousands less in the Gopher State. When neighbors in western Wisconsin see the success of Minnesota’s state-based exchange they do not understand why Wisconsin does not create a Badger Marketplace. My bill to create a Wisconsin-based exchange still languishes in committee. Job number two for the Legislature is to take a real step forward in 2014 and create our own health care Marketplace.
A strong public education system has been a cornerstone of Wisconsin’s history. How things have changed. Now, the cuts to public education funding are historic as is the expansion of private voucher and charter schools at the expense of public schools.
Taxpayers are paying more for private school vouchers than ever before with no accountability for that investment. I expect to see more evidence of the politically powerful private school interests. But we should all agree any school receiving public funding must be accountable to taxpayers. Job number three for 2014 is to bring transparency and accountability to all schools receiving state money and make sure every child has access to a great school.
Wisconsin has always been a land of bountiful resources. As we look into the New Year, we see protections of that bounty are eroding. Historically Wisconsin protected its waters under the “Public Trust Doctrine”, which holds the navigable waters in trust for the public. Now the Wisconsin Law Journal reported, “After years of expanding the public trust doctrine, the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Legislature are reversing course.”
Local officials call me worrying about the cost of new municipal wells and rural residents call concerned about damage to aquifers. Changes to state laws, political pressure and short staffing tie the hands of our Natural Resources professionals to consider all the threats to Wisconsin water. Job number four is to make 2014 the Year of Water. Let us make real changes to our water rules with an eye to the next several generations.
Let us make 2014 a landmark year. Together let’s embrace decisions based on the public good and work together to find real Wisconsin solutions to these challenges.
Wouldn’t it have been more politically feasible to just say Wisconsin needs more jobs. Kathleen is a great contrast to the average politician who reverberates buzz words and one who actually legislates based on real issues. I’ve said this often, I’ve never known a legislator in all my 75 years who works as hard and as productively as Kathleen Vinehout. She is a terror for political slackhards on both sides of the political spectrum.
Now Sen. Vinehout needs to get in the race. This whole waiting game is costing her time, because casual people think Burke is the only candidate to follow.
Especially after our Lt. Gov. is shown on video asking business oligarchs “We want to know what we can do to love you more?”, Kathleen’s grassroots, “reality over big-money” mentality is needed in this race. And Burke better start realizing that the pro-corporate, “Republican lite” approach ain’t going to cut it in 2014.
Jake, excuse me if I am wrong, but I believe Senator Vinehout said she would make a decision in January. That leaves twenty six days. Let’s allow time for her arm to heal as well as to make a life(political) altering decision.
I am not concerned about Ms. “what’s her name” getting a heads up in sub zero weather; her campaign has been “not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse” or she has been largely talking to herself.
There is still plenty of time for Senator Vinehout to join the fray; in the meantime, I invite all to join me in listening to Willie Nelson in a relaxing: “Oh, its a long long while…”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7810J78TmbU
We will have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Yes! Happy New Year, Blogging Blue!
~CAT
Duane, I get what you’re saying, but this whole waiting game with Vinehout is hurting her chances. Take a read at this article by Daily Kos’s political campaign person, which assumes that Burke is the only candidate and openly encourages people to donate to her campaign. I also flipped by Madison’s “Capitol City Sunday” show and GOP mole/ State Journal editorial guy Scott Milfred is already talking about how many debates Burke and Walker should have.
The media wants a Burke/Walker race because it means they don’t have to work hard, because they pretty much have the story written. Vinehout needs to GET IN NOW if she wants to win, because it’ll make the media have to pay attention to her, and will make Burke have to do something in public instead of this low-key insider game that isn’t helping her chances of getting elected.
It’s a win-win if Kathleen gets in, but she needs to do it in the next week, because the narrative for the Dems is being written without her needed input.
Jake, it’s unfortunate that KOS did not do a fact check with someone knowledgeable on the governor’s race in Wisconsin. It may be correct that Ms. Burke is the only “declared” Democrat, but most informed political people in Wisconsin know that Senator Vinehout is a candidate heavily engaged in a grass roots campaign and will decide in January whether she will formally enter the race.
KOS’s error is not uncommon in out of state media political “experts” telling only part of the story. I squirm in my recliner every time I hear some national commentator or so-called expert who is thousands of miles away and/or has never been to Wisconsin anc who does not provide all of the nuances or details which sometimes serves to misinform or misjudge the situation.
Jake,
I’m with you on not waiting TOO much longer for an announcement either way. What I am seeing from the Burke camp is still nothing of any consequence and a candidate without a plan, getting a few largely meaningless endorsements because there is a (D) next to her name. The campaign approach of NOT straying from the status quo, but entrenching one’s candidacy even further into appeasing the powers that be rather than representing constituents who are facing real economic and medical, education and environmental distress is appalling and disgraceful.
One also has to figure in the “MSM,” coverage here. Who do you think the state’s one-sided newspapers and broadcast stations would rather see running. A populist grassroots candidate or a potentially deep-pocketed large revenue stream candidate? The later excusing them (the MSM) from doing any homework on issues affecting the state and allowing their “reporters,” to merely repeat party platitudes and blab horse-race statistics.
From http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/01/administration-peddling-increasing-blatant-misdirection-proposed-trade-deals.html
In one of the more important “Challenges of 2014,” raising the minimum wage, Senator Vinehout states, “…(Wisconsin should take steps) to raise the minimum wage to $10.60 per hour” which is in agreement with all of Wisconsin Democrats in the House.
http://host.madison.com/news/opinion/column/john_nichols/john-nichols-federal-dems-vinehout-make-sense-on-wages/article_66fca42f-2fcd-56df-afa6-7827eaec1d65.html
It appears Ms. Burke supports a parsimonious and insulting, “…modest .35 an hour to $7.60 proposal.”
It is not difficult to determine which gubernatorial candidate is for “unfettered capitalism” and greed of the 1% enabled by Walker and who supports a just minimum wage for Wisconsin workers.