With Aaron Rodgers out for a game because of COVID-19, progressive activist Laura Kiefert speaks out on the community responsibility to get vaccinated.

GREEN BAY, WI - I’m sick and tired of the vaccination debate and just as tired of keeping my frustration on the subject to myself. So here goes. I think that as a society, we have an obligation to safeguard one another. Yes, you get vaccinated to protect yourself – but you also get vaccinated to protect those around you. And we do this in order to control or eradicate diseases that ravage our population.

I believe everybody who is eligible should be required to get vaccinated if they want to engage with others in public spaces. In the interest of public health, vaccines or a recent negative test should be required to enter virtually all public spaces. If you want to go to a restaurant, bar, train station or concert, for example, you need to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.

If a person chooses not to get vaccinated, they should stay home because no one has the right to infect others with a potentially deadly illness. I believe it is the ultimate act of selfishness to decide that your individual decision must take precedence over the literal life and death of the people around you.

We are talking here about someone choosing an unhealthy diet – something you could argue only affects an individual. We're talking about a very contagious disease that is so easily transmissible it's killed more than 750,000 Americans and millions of people around the world have died. And, it isn’t over yet.

Vaccination is not only a matter of individual choice because there are immunosuppressed Americans who do not have full immunity from the vaccine and there are many people, including our young children, who aren’t vaccinated, yet. How is it right that someone can opt to not be vaccinated and then spread the illness to vulnerable groups who did not make the choice to be so vulnerable?

So vaccination cannot be perceived as an individual choice. Instead, we need to equate it much more so to drunk driving. You can drink in private – that's your choice – but you can't just decide to get behind the wheel because you feel like it and don't think you'll get hurt. We have laws against drunk driving, since individual choice to undertake a dangerous public activity cannot override the need to protect the public from deadly harm.

We all want want our kids to go to school without being sent home constantly due to positive cases and the need to quarantine. We want workplaces to come back without the need for masks and distancing. We want our economy to thrive and travel to return to pre-pandemic normal. If we want those things to happen, then it's necessary for all people who are eligible in those environments to be vaccinated.

Baseless attacks on the Wisconsin Election Commission would be laughable, if they weren't so destructive to Democracy, says Senate Minority Leader.

MADISON – Yesterday, Republicans from Racine to Madison and beyond made baseless claims that the Wisconsin Elections Commission broke election law in nursing homes, called for resignations and threatened legal action.  In response Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley released the following statement:

“First and foremost, members and staff of the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) acted appropriately under difficult circumstances during a pandemic; they did nothing illegal.  Second, WEC, in promulgating the guidance on Special Voting Deputies, was following the laws that the Republicans created - WI Statute 5.05 - "the elections commission shall have the responsibility for the administration of ... laws relating to elections and election campaign."  Third, this issue has been widely discussed and reported on for over a year.  Fourth, just six months ago, the Republicans re-appointed one of the very members they are now claiming must resign.

“The disingenuous display of outrage we saw yesterday borders on farce, except for the very real damage that baseless allegations of fraud and illegal activity are having on the public’s confidence in our elections.  The people of this state are not well served when their elected leaders start behaving like Chicken Little.  Their treatment of Megan Wolfe, who was confirmed unanimously by the State Senate in 2019, is especially troubling.  She is a non-partisan administrator who followed the guidance approved by all of three of the Republican appointed members of the Election Commission.  What message does throwing her under the bus send to the thousands of other non-partisan officials across the state?  The people of Wisconsin deserve better.”

At hearing, he admitted they tried to make the maps more favorable to Republicans in 2011. Now they may be able to draw maps that help them stay in power simply by moving lines.

MADISON - I spent five hours in the State Capitol yesterday for the hearing on the newly gerrymandered maps.

I was a little late getting into the hearing room because there was such a huge and amazing crowd of citizen activists who were also trying to get in. That was great to see!

When I got in, Speaker Robin Vos was in the middle of his testimony as the co-author of the bills (SB621/AB624). A few minutes later, while he was being questioned by the Democrats on the joint committee, he made a killer confession: He admitted that they tried to make the maps more favorable to the Republicans. “Was partisanship used? Yes,” he said.

That’s the whole ball game! We don’t want Republicans – or Democrats, for that matter – to be able to draw maps that help them stay in power simply by moving lines here or there on a map.

Three and a half hours later, I was able to give my testimony, which you can read here:

Reject Gerrymandered Maps

You can view a slightly improvised version on WisconsinEye's recording of the hearing starting at 12:59 p.m.

If you haven’t already, please contact your legislators, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to register your opposition to these bills.

We’re also concerned about the ongoing smearing of the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the endless smoke machine about last November’s elections. Here’s what I wrote about the recent Legislative Audit Bureau report:

LAB Hatchet Job on Wisconsin Elections Commission

Thanks for your concern for our democracy!

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
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***

P.S. Please support our urgent work with a tax-deductible donation today. Just click here.

MILWAUKEE - Our panel discusses President Biden’s push this week for a deal with Congressional Democrats on Build Back Better, while Sens. Sinema and Manchin continue to oppose popular policies on behalf of their corporate bosses. We review the devastating cuts to Biden's new plan demanded by Manchin and Sinema and whether the Progressive Caucus will support the deal or push for more negotiations. We interview Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes on his campaign for the U.S. Senate, in our continuing series of discussions with Democratic candidates.

RSVP to the Citizen Action’s 2022 U.S. Senate Candidate Online Forum with top candidates on Tuesday, November 16th, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm.

Listen Now - Episode #516
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MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered the Democratic Radio Address highlighting investments to expand access to mental and behavioral health support services and substance use treatment through a new pilot program using the hub-and-spoke model of care.

Audio File of Radio Address.

Hey there, folks. Governor Tony Evers here.

This past year presented uncertainty, isolation, and other significant changes to our daily lives.

We’ve seen the consequences of this pandemic play out with so many people experiencing increased stress, anxiety, depression, and challenges keeping up with their mental health. Additionally, and unfortunately, we’ve also seen a concerning increase in substance misuse and opioid-related tragedies in our state.

Even one life lost to opioid misuse is one too many, but in 2020 alone, opioid-related deaths took the lives of more than 1,000 of our friends, neighbors, and loved ones. 

I'm proud we’re tackling this issue head-on with a new, evidence-based pilot program for something called a“hub-and-spoke” model of care here in Wisconsin which will help people have access to comprehensive healthcare resources while focusing on ongoing, long-term, and integrated treatment and support. 

We also know that when it comes to substance misuse, early intervention is key. This week, we also announced a $2 million investment aimed at increasing mental health services for underserved communities through the Wisconsin United Coalition of Mutual Assistance Association.

We've invested $47 million of our ARPA funds to increase community-level support for people dealing with mental health challenges and working to overcome substance use disorder—with $22 million of these funds going towards Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Block grants. 

These grants will assist counties and tribal communities in addressing their unique needs, such as expanding access to NARCAN, supporting medication-assisted treatment, and expanding recovery and peer-support services. 

These are important steps forward towards ensuring everyone has access to quality, affordable healthcare, including mental and behavioral health services and treatment.

Thank you.

MADISON - If you’re concerned about the rigging of our voting district maps yet again by the Legislature, then I urge you to come to the State Capitol on Thursday, Oct. 28.

We’re having a press conference on the first floor (not ground floor) of the Capitol Rotunda at 8:30 a.m., and then the joint committee public hearing starts at 9:00 a.m. in Room 412E.

We hope you can attend the press conference and the hearing.

You can testify yourself if you’d like, but plan to keep testimony to 2-3 minutes. We ask that you RSVP here so the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition can plan for and track testimony--we are already gearing up for an overflow room. Whether or not you choose to testify, you should fill out a hearing slip when you get there and register as opposed. Volunteers will be available to assist.

The bills are SB621/AB624 for the Legislature’s two maps (Senate and Assembly).

And the bills for the Congressional maps are SB622/AB625.

All three maps would essentially cement in place the hyper-partisan, uncompetitive maps that we’ve been suffering under since 2011 for another decade! You can view the maps here.

If you cannot make the press conference or the hearing, please email your legislators and urge them to vote no on these bills. View an email directory for Assembly representatives and Senators here.

You can watch yesterday's Fair Maps Briefing video on Facebook to learn more about preparations for the hearing, including COVID protocols at the State Capitol. The hearing will be live streamed and recorded on WisconsinEye.com.

Thanks for your activism in favor of fair maps and in defense of our democracy!

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
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MILWAUKEE - We discuss breaking deals and compromises in the historic Build Back Better negotiations in Congress. Will the Democrats be able to bring their two rogue Senators into line, or do their corporate paymasters want to sink reform? Is a smaller version of Build Back Better still worth having? Next, we discuss Wednesday’s failed U.S. Senate vote on the Freedom to Vote Act, Senator Manchin's slimmed down version of electoral reform. Does the GOP use of the filibuster to block even debating the bill mean Democrats can finally do away with the Jim Crow and slavery era relic? Back in the Badger State, Republicans release outrageously gerrymandered maps. Will Governor Evers step up and veto them? A national report ranks Wisconsin the state with the worst Black incarceration, and if things could not get even worse, the Senate GOP passes a pro-child labor bill. We close the show with a look at the GOP’s national school board strategy to bully and remove school board members who stand up for public health, and GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Rebecca Kleefisch's role.

Listen Now - Episode #515
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MADISON - Meet the new gerrymander, same as the old gerrymander.

Wednesday, Speaker Vos and Majority Leader LeMahieu unveiled their new district maps for the state, and they’re just as bad as they were last time around, as I explain here:

Stop the GOP Re-Rigging of Our Maps

The bills were introduced as SB621/AB624 for legislative maps and SB622/AB625 for congressional maps.

>> A joint committee public hearing on the new maps has been scheduled for October 28 at 9 a.m. Plan to attend the hearing as well as the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition press conference prior to the hearing at 8:30 a.m. This will most likely be the only public hearing on the bills.

>> Please contact your state legislators before the hearing on October 28 and tell them to vote against these re-rigged maps. And urge Gov. Evers to veto these bills if they arrive on his desk.

We also have got to get rid of the filibuster. The logjam in Congress just stalled the Freedom to Vote Act, which is a crucial bill for safeguarding our democracy, as I noted here:

Pass the Freedom to Vote Act

My colleague, Iuscely Flores, wrote an important story this week about a package of bills in the state legislature that would address the gross disparities in maternal and infant mortality in Wisconsin. Please check it out:

Wisconsin Needs Birth Equity

>> You can use this online tool to contact your legislators to support Birth Equity in Wisconsin.

And we also published a piece about who is behind the ludicrous idea to have an open season on Sandhill cranes:

Ag, Hunting Groups Favor GOP Sandhill Crane Hunt Proposal

Thanks for reading, and thanks for taking action.

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
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***

P.S. Please support our urgent work with a tax-deductible gift. It’s easy. Just click here. Thanks!

MADISON — On Thursday, Gov. Tony Evers delivered the Democratic Radio Address highlighting investments made to enhance broadband access and infrastructure across the state, including $100 million in Broadband Access Grants funded through the American Rescue Plan Act announced last week.

Audio files of Radio Address.

Hi, folks. Governor Tony Evers here.

Over the last 18 months, the pandemic underscored—and in many ways made worse—the digital divides that exist across our state.

As kids and educators turned their kitchens into classrooms, doctor’s appointments moved to telemedicine, and businesses worked to shift to offering online services, we saw firsthand that lack of access to reliable, high-speed internet was a challenge for so many.

That’s why I declared 2021 the Year of the Broadband Access in Wisconsin, and it’s why we’ve continued to make huge, exciting investments in broadband infrastructure.

I’m proud that in the budget I recently signed we provided $129 million for broadband expansion projects, and just last week we announced the recipients of $100 million in Broadband Access Grants that we funded through the American Rescue Plan Act.

These 83 projects will help expand broadband to more than 28,426 residential locations and 1,490 businesses that are currently unserved or underserved across 40 counties and three tribal communities.

And altogether, our 2019, 2020, and 2021 state broadband expansion grants and our federally-funded CARES Act and ARPA broadband grants have provided or are going to provide more than 300,000 homes and businesses with access to new or improved service.

Folks, that’s a heckuva big deal. Having reliable, high-speed internet access is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity for our schools, families, healthcare systems, and businesses alike.

But we can’t—and won’t—stop there. Whether it’s expanding broadband to our rural schools, hospitals, businesses, and communities or raising standards on download and upload speeds, we’re going to keep working to make sure every community in our state gets connected.

Thank you.

The level of contempt by Wisconsin Republicans for democracy and the people of our state never ceases to amaze me, says Hintz.

MADISON – Representative Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) issued the following statement:

“These new maps are nothing more than gerrymandering 2.0. What Republicans have unveiled is simply a minor retooling of maps that were already found unconstitutional by the courts, using the same corrupt and secretive methods as last time around.

“The level of contempt by Wisconsin Republicans for democracy and the people of our state never ceases to amaze me.”