GREEN BAY - The Wisconsin Dept. of Health Services (DHS) will be hosting a public hearing today regarding a waiver request from Gov. Walker’s administration to reject available federal funding for health care and limit access in Wisconsin. Additional information on the issue can be found here.

DHS Public Hearing on Gov. Walker Health Care Waiver
Thursday, December 7, 2017
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Brown County Central Library
515 Pine St.
Green Bay, WI 54301

Several statewide health care advocacy organizations have been working to raise awareness of this hearing and encouraging members of the public to attend and share their stories. In addition to local residents, Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) will be available at the event to talk to members of the press. If you are unable to attend the event but would still like to cover this issue, you can reach Sen. Hansen’s office at 608-266-5670 or email him at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/card-skimming-gas-pump-s5.jpgGreen Bay Senator Dave Hansen says inexpensive change could prevent card skimming.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/matc-students-at-desk-s5.jpgResearch shows the need for people to work in middle skill jobs, the largest share of jobs in Wisconsin. Sen. Vinehout’s proposal will give residents the opportunity to get an education and give Wisconsin a pool of skilled workers.

After Seven Years, Career Politician Gov. Scott Walker Finally Realizes Disturbing Wisconsin Trend.

MILWAUKEE - Ads, really? After seven years of being the top executive in the state, Gov. Scott Walker finally recognized a disturbing trend that his failed policies have created in Wisconsin: young people are leaving the state in droves for good-paying jobs and lives elsewhere. The future of our state depends on attracting young people to live within our borders, something Gov. Walker thinks can be done by spending millions on advertising instead of having a comprehensive strategy and plan to recruit and retain young workers.

"You don't have to be a Ph.D in Economics to recognize that our population is aging and young people have been fleeing our state under Gov Walker," said gubernatorial candidate Andy Gronik. "It's absurd that it took Gov. Walker seven years to recognize this trend instead of dealing with the loss of our young people, proactively. And, adding insult to severe injury, Walker's assertion that he can attract young people back to Wisconsin by paying $6.8 million to run ads in other states is juvenile and doesn't address the institutional failure of his administration to create the living and work environments that young people desire.”

The bottom line is that young people want good-paying jobs; they want to live in communities that offer a 21st-century economy, and most importantly, they want respect and a seat at the table. Gov Walker’s policies haven't scratched the surface of all that’s necessary to demonstrate to young people that we want them here in our state.

"I plan to make young people the architects of our future and that’s why I’m already holding youth forums to identify the leaders of our future and the very best ideas for attracting young people back to Wisconsin,” said Gronik.

In August, Gronik proposed a plan to recruit and retain young graduates by helping them pay back student loans instead of paying state income taxes - a plan that gives every company in Wisconsin a recruiting and retention tool.

“I’ll invest in statewide in creating common spaces for work and brainstorming; recreation spaces for bike commuters and dog walkers; and the lightning-fast Internet needed to connect devices in cities spaces and remote areas. Career politicians like Gov. Scott Walker aren’t going to get the job done with gimmicks and conventional thinking," concluded Gronik. "That's why I'm already listening to young people on their terms, and not mine, and working on fresh solutions that I will make actionable on the very first day of my administration. It's time to finally stop telling millennials that 'they don't work right' and let them know that they are the key to the future of our state.”

Anti-Environmental Lawyer Now Head Legal Counsel at DNR.

MADISON – Governor Scott Walker accelerated his dismantling of the state’s Department of Natural Resources and its ability to protect the state’s environment this week by appointing as its chief lawyer longtime political operative Jake Curtis.

Curtis, a partisan ideologue who has openly advocated for policies that will destroy Wisconsin’s natural resources, now represents what was once one of the country’s finest conservation agencies.

Curtis has recently supported efforts to allow America’s most toxic industry, sulfide mining, to run roughshod over Wisconsin’s waters, and supported hiding evidence of air pollution in Sheboygan County.

He also has a long background in politics. He served U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz – who has said science doesn’t support climate change – in his failed bid for the White House. He also worked as policy director for state Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville). Stroebel is co-author of recent legislation that would allow hundreds of pollutants back into the air Wisconsin kids breathe.

Executive Director Kerry Schumann had this to say on the Curtis appointment:

“It is clear Gov. Walker won’t stop until the DNR is nothing but a political tool built for his corporate puppet masters who care nothing about Wisconsin’s environment or the health of Wisconsin families. Jake Curtis has no place in an agency that requires scientific objectivity and experience in conservation law. This is another sad chapter in the Walker era. From acid mining to air pollution to dirtier lakes and rivers, the damage Walker and his administration are perpetrating against the people of Wisconsin is brutal, morally reprehensible, and endangers generations of Wisconsinites.”

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/uwgb-students-1-s5.jpgSlick ad campaigns will not keep or lure the best and brightest to Wisconsin. Young people need a good reason to pick our area, and passing the Higher Ed/Lower Debt bill to allow them to refinance their student loans at lower interest rates would be a start.