http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/gb-police-s5.jpgBill would help Green Bay Police Department hire local DACA resident as a police officer.

College graduates had a reasonable expectation of employment, but even before the pandemic, that expectation was on the decline, as the economy changed. We need workers who can think and adapt.

Brookfield, WI – Americans value hard work and take pride in a job well done.  As automation and artificial intelligence move ever forward, and as Americans lose their jobs, what jobs will replace them? Democrat Tom Palzewicz knows this will be an issue for Wisconsin's Fifth Congressional District.

"That's the ultimate question," Palzewicz said. "Milwaukee used to be the tool and die making capital of the country.  Now all of those jobs are gone. Allis Chalmers is gone. A.O. Smith is gone, American Motors folded, our Chrysler plants closed.  Jobs in the future might be more about thinking than doing.  After working in risk management for banks, I transitioned to teaching.  Now I teach managers how to manage people."

"As globalization expands, there will be a tremendous shift.  It will not be about what I produce, but what I think about and the creation of ideas.  The biggest shift in the future will be in getting value out of doing work. It's almost an existential crisis, on the same level as climate. If we don't handle it correctly we will pay a dear price. If we let capitalism decide this one, we're going to be in huge trouble because the playing field is far too skewed toward capital versus labor."

People need to earn a living wage, where universal basic income comes into play, as jobs diminish.  But there are problems in advancing that idea.

"My conservative friends might be thinking when you're talking about universal, basic income,' If you don't work, you don't eat, and I don't owe you a living.'  That's one of the significant hurdles we're going to have to get over.  But it's happening. We've already begun that process. We're producing more people with college degrees, but that doesn't translate into the workforce's needs.  How do you take what you learned and put it into something that resembles work?"

"A liberal arts education is often overlooked in favor of specialized areas of learning.  However, it develops a well-rounded, thinking individual.  In so many industries there are hiring freezes.  I went into banking and risk management.  My degree was in accounting, but I had to make the adjustment to meet the needs of the industry.  Later on, I created my own business."

In years past, college graduates had a reasonable expectation of employment, but even before the pandemic, that expectation was on the decline, as the economy changed.

"It's not like people will have a job. People will do things in exchange for money and add value where they can, but it might be several things," said Palzewicz. "And it might be dozens of things over somebody's lifetime that they move in and out of and provide value to. But this whole idea of chasing a job that has benefits and a retirement plan is absolutely gone at this point."

Palzewicz wants to level the playing field and bring capital and labor closer together, to share in the American dream.

Massive change in the nature of work will require many to learn new skills.

Brookfield, WI – We live in an age of technology, with automation and artificial intelligence no longer being things of science fiction, but the reality of today's life.  Robotic surgery has forever changed healthcare, and assembly lines in factories no longer require workers.  The massive change requires us to look at what work will be in the years and decades ahead.  Democrat Tom Palzewicz, running for the Fifth Congressional District seat, believes America needs to plan now for the future and make the necessary adjustments.

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-19th Century, America has been transformed from a largely agrarian society into an industrial power and then into a technological leader as the world economy has become global. Where do people fit into the new equation? What will work look like?  Will there be any need for people?  More importantly, for Palzewicz, will the ever-expanding divide between rich and poor and the elimination of the middle class spell the end of the American dream?

"We need to start thinking about what work really means, and what's the value that people play in society?" Palzewicz asks. "In America, people have always been our greatest asset, people from all countries and cultures.  We are the great melting pot of the world.  As automation takes more and more jobs away, we need to think about workers and what becomes of them.  As we move forward, we need to look at what work will look like and examine the value of work."

Most people agree that if you do not work, you don't eat. It's a familiar phrase.  If there is no job, or automation replaces a vast majority of the workforce, we lessen the opportunity to earn a living wage considerably.

"I had gone through periods in my life when it was difficult to make ends meet, as have so many others," said Palzewicz. "It was a challenge sometimes to keep a roof over your head or even keep fed. I had periods when health insurance wasn't available to me, and I didn't necessarily have the money to pay out-of-pocket.  I was going to school, and the potential was there, but the reality was I didn't have the employment that would offer me the opportunity to own a home and raise a family.  My wife, Terri, and I had challenges.

"We need to look seriously at universal basic income.  Healthcare, food and shelter are your starting points.  With the advent of automation, jobs will disappear and incomes with that.  We can agree that people need to earn their keep."

Where people will fit into the system is the key question to be answered.

"The question then becomes, as a society, what do we consider to be the value of a person?", Palzewicz asks. "Who gets the benefit of automation and what's going to be the disparity between capital and labor.  That is the ultimate question. At this point, workers will build automation machines that will put them out of work."

Palzewicz sees the need to restructure education and workforce training to meet the new economic challenges ahead.

Award honors talented women in state government dedicated to serving the people of Wisconsin and who go above and beyond to help others.

MADISON – Gov. Tony Evers announced today he is seeking nominations for the 37^th annual Virginia Hart Special Recognition Award recognizing the contribution and achievements of women in Wisconsin state government.

“The Virginia Hart Award has always emphasized celebrating women in state government dedicated to serving the people of Wisconsin and who go above and beyond to help others,” said Gov. Evers. “There is no doubt that Ms. Hart’s leadership and tremendous legacy live on through this award.”

Virginia Hart was Wisconsin’s first woman to hold the position of cabinet secretary, serving as Secretary of the Department of Regulation and Licensing, chairperson of the Department of Industry, Labor and Human Relations, and chairperson of the Labor and Industry Review Commission.  Following her retirement, Ms. Hart’s friends and colleagues established a fund in 1983 to annually recognize the contributions of a woman in state government.

The Virginia Hart Award recognizes “unsung heroines” in state service who share the following qualities: esteem from peers; acceptance of responsibility beyond the limits of the nominee’s job description; sustained, extraordinary achievement of assigned tasks; performance recognition from clients; community service; self-improvement; and overcoming handicaps to performance.

Nominations may be made by anyone and are accepted through October 2, 2020. All women employed in state government are eligible. The winner will receive $250 and will be honored via a pre-recorded, virtual award ceremony that will debut online on October 30, 2020. 

The Virginia Hart Award is administered by the Department of Administration (DOA). The nomination form and additional eligibility requirements are available here. Please submit all nominations by October 2, 2020 to: Hart Recognition Committee, Attn: Nicole Guardiola, by email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/domestic-violence2-s5.jpgReport includes 2019 Homicides and a Review of 20 Years of Data.

Funding will go for 42 public infrastructure and facility projects across Wisconsin.

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, with Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) Secretary Joel Brennan, today announced more than $36 million in funding for 42 public infrastructure and facility projects across Wisconsin. The funding is awarded to local units of government as part of a competitive grant process for the 2020 Community Development Block Grants for Public Facilities (CDBG-PF) program.

“This funding is not only critical to public safety, but to improving Wisconsin communities across our state where folks enjoy living, working, learning, and recreating,” said Gov. Evers. “These 42 projects will benefit Wisconsinites from Antigo to Whitehall and will bolster our communities.”

“Investing in core infrastructure services ensures Wisconsinites can remain proud of the communities in which they live, work and raise families, as well as maintain a positive and healthy quality of life,” said DOA Secretary Brennan.

The grants will be used by local governments to assist with infrastructure and facility projects totaling more than $72 million. The projects include but are not limited to water, stormwater, and sanitary sewer improvements and replacement activities, as well as sidewalk and surface street projects, and blight elimination activities. 

Administered through the DOA Division of Energy, Housing and Community Resources, CDBG-PF grants are open to all units of general and local governments that do not receive CDBG awards directly through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). CDBG-PF grants have the programmatic goals of:

• ensuring the affordability of basic services that enhance community vitality;
• supporting the revitalization of established neighborhoods, downtown business districts, and blighted sites;
• assisting with capital improvement projects that support previous planning efforts and are part of broader community development strategies;
• improving the accessibility of public facilities; and
• encouraging the use of energy-efficient design, retrofitting, and equipment, as well as projects that benefit bicyclists and pedestrians.

More information regarding CDBG-PF grants is available here. A list of 2020 CDBG-PF awardees, grant amounts, and total project costs is available here.

Pardons provide a second chance and new opportunities to better their communities for people who earn them.

MADISON – Gov. Tony Evers granted pardons this week to nine individuals. The Governor’s Pardon Advisory Board heard from applicants virtually on August 18, 2020. Applicants who the Board recommended for pardon were forwarded to Gov. Evers for final consideration. The governor has now granted pardons to 65 individuals.

“I believe in equal justice for all Wisconsinites and the positive impact pardons can have on our criminal justice system and communities,” Gov. Evers said. “During these unprecedented times, it gives me hope knowing that those receiving pardons are getting a second chance and new opportunities to better their communities.”  

Gov. Evers granted pardons to the following people:

• Patrick Dell, now 45, was 19 when he was caught selling marijuana. He now owns his own business in Wausau, where he lives with his family.

• Larry Fayerweather, now 55, was 19 when he cashed forged checks that he stole from a family friend. He is now married with children and grandchildren. He is eager to hunt with his grandkids. He now lives in Canon City, Colorado.
• Matthew Brunner, now 34, was 21 years old when he was caught dealing marijuana. He works as an electrical systems technician in the Green Bay area, where he lives with his wife and two children.
• Markeila McCarter, now 45, was 21 when she used someone else’s credit card at a department store. She now has two daughters and lives in Kankakee, Illinois, and works as a nurse health aide. She hopes to work in childcare, which was not possible previously given her conviction.
• Kimberly Schillo, now 50, wrote worthless checks over 25 years ago. She works as an administrative assistant to support her children and lives in Milwaukee.
• Tonya Miller, now 51,was a young mother when she struck her daughter as punishment nearly 26 years ago. She has since taken parenting classes and gotten an education. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.

• Jesse Gleason, now 30, was 19 when he was caught selling cocaine. He has since become a welder. He lives in Schofield with his wife and child.
• Brady Gibney, now 27, was 17 when he broke into  a gas station and stole cigarettes. He has since obtained a bachelor’s degree and works in the manufacturing sector. He lives in Delavan.
• Richard Walker, now 33, was 19 when he got into a fight with another young man. He lives in Burnett with his wife and children.

The Wisconsin Constitution grants the governor the power to pardon individuals convicted of a crime. A pardon is an official act of forgiveness that restores some of the rights that are lost when someone is convicted of a felony, including the right to serve on a jury, hold public office, and hold certain professional licenses. A pardon does not result in an expungement.

Under Executive Order #30, individuals convicted of a Wisconsin felony may apply for a pardon if they completed their sentence at least five years ago and have not committed any new crimes. Individuals currently required to register on the sex offender registry are ineligible for a pardon.  

The pardon application and instructions for applying are located on the Governor’s website: www.evers.wi.gov/Pages/pardon-information.aspx.

The Governor’s Pardon Advisory Board will continue to meet virtually monthly and will be reconvening again on September 15, 2020, at 8 a.m. live here.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/eviction-notice-s5.jpgSen. Smith writes about the resources currently available to Wisconsinites to cover mortgage or rental costs, including those recommended by the Treasurers’ Homeowners Task Force, the CDC eviction moratorium and the Wisconsin Rental Assistance Program.

Affordable healthcare is key to living a healthy life and that is no more true than during this COVID-19 pandemic.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/wakeboarding-s5.jpgGrant application period open for tourism promotion and development organizations to support tourism operations, marketing impacted by COVID-19