We had a real opportunity to help struggling Wisconsinites today and turn our state from dismal to prosperous. But we didn’t. Democrats offered over 50 amendments, many of which multiple Republican colleagues have vocally supported in the past, but refused to vote for today because they were from the other side of the aisle. Instead of providing or listening to good ideas for our state, Republicans were petulant and engaged in a blame game that doesn’t help anyone. Wisconsinites have made it clear that they are tired of bickering and want us to work together to find real solutions for the very serious problems in our state. Turns out, it is very hard to talk to people who can’t hear you because they are too busy sticking their thumbs in their ears and waving their fingers at you. People in Wisconsin want to be self-reliant. They’ve been waiting for three years for 250,000 promised jobs to be able to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. But instead of supporting sensible ideas that will help create good paying jobs, this budget punishes the very families that have been pushed out of the middle class. Does anyone really think that requiring twice as many job searches for people who are on unemployment will help them find a job twice as fast? When there aren’t any jobs available and we focus on making the unemployed read a skimpy ‘want ads’ section over and over again, our priorities are backwards. Wouldn’t it make more sense to invest in workforce growth programs and incentivize buying from in-state businesses? For the last two years, Wisconsin public schools have been reeling from the impact of losing $1.6 billion. Though the Republicans are talking a big game about how this budget invests in public education, they refused to take the real and necessary steps to improve our schools. There is nothing in this budget that is going to turn the lights back on in the darkened nurses’ offices and art classrooms. There is nothing in this budget that is going to allow neighborhood schools to buy current textbooks or update their libraries. Our children were talked about today like they were commodities instead of human beings who all deserve quality and accountable education. Wisconsinites are driving less and relying on public transit more. But instead of making our budget meet our needs and investing in modern transportation systems, we will be borrowing half a billion dollars to build highways we don’t need. An eliminated bus route is a lost job for many people in urban areas. Cutting public transit means forcing people to apply for W2 and FoodShares. In Wisconsin, the road to poverty is now literally paved with Republican priorities. This budget is a shameful misrepresentation of our state’s values. Wisconsin families deserve better and I’m sorry that we failed to spend $70 billion of taxpayer money in a way that mirrors our true priorities.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 05:37:19 +0000
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