MADISON - The rightwingers on the Wisconsin Supreme Court revealed again this week that they don’t care about the law or the evidence. All they care about is backing their buddies, with any shoddy rationale they can think of. Here’s my take on their decision this week on the “stay” on the lame-duck legislation:

Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Bogus Stay on Lame Duck

In another bad decision, an administrative judge ruled in favor of Foxconn’s so-called right to grab 7 million gallons of water a day from Lake Michigan. We found out something about that judge:

Foxconn Case Judge Was Former Walker Aide, Contributor to GOP Candidates

As you might recall, over the last eight years, the Republican legislature passed more than 160 laws that limited local control. Well, that hasn’t satisfied them yet, as we note here:

GOP Budget Committee Seeks to Restrict Local Control Over Quarries, Sand Mining

And in another case about pollution, we laid out the political contributions on both sides of the aisle that employees of Johnson Controls have been making. Now Johnson Controls is in trouble with the Wisconsin Department of Justice:

DOJ Reviewing Case Against Accused Polluter, Big Campaign Donor

I hope you find these stories informative.

MADISON, WI - This week Rep. Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee) talks about Healthcare in Wisconsin.

Audio File of Radio Address

Hello, this is State Representative Evan Goyke with this week’s Democratic Radio Address.

One of the leading policy research organizations on health care, Health Affairs, released a new study this week showing that expanding Medicaid in Wisconsin will substantially lower health insurance premiums on the individual market. The study compared premiums in Wisconsin to premiums in our neighboring states that expanded Medicaid.

The research found that expanding Medicaid produced insurance premiums that were 19% lower in other Midwestern states as compared to Wisconsin. There is a direct correlation between how much people pay for private health insurance and whether or not a state accepted the Medicaid expansion.

Despite this, Republicans have steadfastly refused to accept the expansion here in Wisconsin. That is real money in real people’s pockets Republicans are turning away.

This comes down to dollars and cents. Expanding Medicaid saves Wisconsin taxpayers $325 million dollars in this budget alone. It also allows us to bring in $1.6 billion dollars in federal funding. Republicans on the Joint Committee on Finance refused that deal.

Instead, they opted to charge state taxpayers an additional $300 million dollars to avoid accepting that billion dollars in federal funds. That is fiscally irresponsible.

Here in Wisconsin, families work hard. We stretch our dollars as far as they’ll go. But not legislative Republicans.

They are wasting your taxpayer dollars and causing your premiums to rise in order to score cheap, political points.

The Health Affairs study shows that Medicaid expansion isn’t just the right thing to do morally, it’s the right financial decision for Wisconsin. Democrats will continue to stand with Governor Evers, and we will continue to fight for Medicaid expansion.

How can progressives win back the industrial states lost to Donald Trump in 2016?

MILWAUKEE, WI - This week Battleground Wisconsin takes to the road to dig into the question of how progressives can win back the industrial states lost to Donald Trump in 2016. We have a series of interviews of state and national leaders recorded live at the People's Action national convention in Washington, DC. First the iconic progressive leader Heather Booth, the focus of a major documentary film, gives us a road map to progressive victory. Next we talk to Michigan State Representative Lauri Pohutsky, a strong progressive candidate who won a purple district in 2018 with the assistance of Citizen Action's fellow People's Action affiliate, Michigan United.

Finally we have an in-depth interview with one of the most respected African American organizers in the country, Ohio Organizing Collaborative Director DaMareo Cooper, who helps us dig into the need to win the industrial Midwest with a unified urban/rural/suburban strategy.

Listen Now - Episode #395
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Press Clips

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/healthcare-s5.jpgSen. Jeff Smith writes about the unique partnership between the Mayo Clinic and UW-Eau Claire that could make it “the center for rural healthcare in Wisconsin.”

Senator says moving coal piles good for Green Bay, but we need help from State Legislature.

GREEN BAY, WI - Moving the coal piles is essential to creating a healthier environment for our families and a stronger economy for downtown Green Bay. And I applaud Mayor Genrich’s leadership and vision on this important issue.

That said, it is unfortunate that the actions by Senate and Assembly Republicans to toss out Governor Evers’ budget and to ignore the majority of Wisconsin residents who voted for real change last November have seriously jeopardized the chances of getting state funding for this much-needed project.

I would encourage my Republican colleagues to stop playing political games and work with our Governor to craft a state budget that meets the needs of all our people rather than continue the failed politics and policies of the last eight years.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/uwgb-students-1-s5.jpg”It’s unfortunate that instead of working with Democrats to invest in one of the state’s strongest economic engines, Republicans are choosing to drive their own political agenda by cutting it.”

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/affordablecareact-s5.jpgHere are five reasons why Wisconsin should accept the federal funding for Medicaid expansion.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/wisc-dairy-farm-s5.jpgRepublican Politicians scrap CAFO oversight and ignore growing water crisis in Wisconsin.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/wisc-capitol-dome-s5.jpgSen. Smith writes about the people’s priorities – investments for K-12 education and our rural roads. Republicans and Democrats need to find the common ground to work together and do what people sent us to Madison to do.

MADISON - The following is Gov. Tony Evers' radio address on education:

Audio File of Radio Address

"It’s no secret: education is in my DNA. I’ve had a chance to serve the kids of this state my entire career, working my way up from a high school science teacher to the state superintendent and now governor. From seeing firsthand the impact a high-quality education has on Wisconsin’s kids, I can confidently say that what’s best for our kids is what’s best for our state.

A few weeks ago, Lt. Gov. Barnes and I wrapped up a budget listening session tour where we heard from people across our state about what The People’s Budget means for them and their families.

At every stop, I met educators and heard from parents and grandparents about how important their local schools are. We have a chance to give kids the best education possible.

That’s why The People’s Budget includes a $1.4 billion increase for our public schools, including a $600 million investment in special education. We have the chance to ensure schools have the funding they need, and that kids who need an extra lift can get that extra lift.

It’s time to recommit to investing in our kids, our educators, and in K-20 education across our state, because every kid deserves a high-quality, public education—from early childhood to our universities and technical colleges system—regardless of their ZIP code.

I hope I can count on your support as the Joint Committee on Finance takes up The People’s Budget education plan. The stakes are high here, folks. It’s time to do what’s best for our kids."