From my email inbox comes a presser from Democratic State Rep. Chris Taylor.
Today, Republicans in the Assembly Labor Committee passed Assembly Bill 750, which would prohibit the City of Madison and Dane County’s 15-year-old living wage ordinances. As a member of the committee, Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison) joined all her Democratic colleagues in voting against the bill. Below is Rep. Taylor’s statement:
“Approximately 15 years ago, Madison and Dane County made a commitment to pay all those they employ or contract with a living wage. These proposals ensured that those who worked for Madison and Dane County could afford to live here, shop here, frequent restaurants and movie theaters here, and in general, contribute to supporting our local economy.
“Despite the fact that Dane County has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state and a healthy economy, supporters of this bill argues that paying public workers or contractors a living wage economically depresses a local economy. In the wake of national and state concern over the widening income gap between the wealthiest individuals and everyone else, Madison and Dane County should be applauded for addressing this issue and for understanding how important paying workers a living wages is for reducing wage disparities and for our local economy. My Republican colleagues think they know our community better than our local elected officials and the will of the people in Madison and Dane County.
“At a time when the wage gap continues to rise, Republicans should spend less time attacking communities they know little about, and more time creating policies that will put more Wisconsinites back to work.”
Is it possible that Mary Burke is DPW’s stealth candidate to siphon off Walker campaign resources until Rep Taylor jumps into the primary just before June 2. Eleventy-dimensional chess on the state level? Then we can profusely thank Team Burke for the far, far better thing that they have done in service to rational voters and average citizens in the state?
(Not meaning to start any rumors or anything, but it wouldn’t be too hard for any D candidate to re-take that Assembly seat in Madison. Or is this thinking a symptom of cabin fever?)
No.
Chris Taylor won’t be a candidate, nor will Russ Feingold or Chris Larson or Peter Barca or anyone else. Mary Burke is the presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee, like it or not.
Thanks for the reply, just day dreaming a bit, should have put a couple of smiley faces in that comment. Going OT from the minimum wage story, but that is also relevant in this comment, let’s get real about who the D candidate is, please.
This video of Russ Feingold from the DPW state convention last June, aside from him cheering about having been proud to elect Obomba and then essentially declaring complete opposition to every major platform of the presidential agenda thus far that we have experienced, (would love to have seen some audience faces as they looked perplexed about this),
at the 06:00 minute mark (paraphrasing), “lets elect progressives.” I’m all for that and for Russ’s excellent description of what being progressive means. At the 07:00 minute mark, progressive state D candidates should be about “restoring collective bargaining,” no argument there from me, either.
Around the 08:00 minute mark he says if you don’t elect a true, “progressive,” candidate like he just described you haven’t really changed a thing.
My, “encouragement,” of team Burke is to start actually being an example of Russ’s definitions of what being, “progressive,” means and what we need to demand of our candidate. It isn’t happening yet, there is still time, but Democrats refusing to discuss it, is not going to make it happen, either.
So, seriously, thank you very much for responding to my little daydream. Let’s continue the discussion to effect necessary changes in the candidate we are “stuck,” with. That or she’s most certainly toast on election day, like it or not.