MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered his weekly radio address highlighting September as Suicide Prevention Month in Wisconsin. Gov. Evers proclaimed September as Suicide Prevention Month and September 8 through September 14, 2024, as Suicide Prevention Week. A copy of the governor’s proclamation is available here.

Last year, in recognition of the troubling statistics seen over the past few years regarding mental health and the growing demand for mental and behavioral health services providers have seen across the state, Gov. Evers declared 2023 the Year of Mental Health, calling mental and behavioral health a “burgeoning crisis” affecting the state and Wisconsin’s kids, families, and workforce. Additional information on efforts of the Evers Administration to address mental health in Wisconsin is available here.

MILWAUKEE - Who won the Presidential debate and why? How epic was Trump’s failure on healthcare? And does any of it matter? It may but not for the reasons many pundits think. The biggest impact may be exciting the volunteer base that will get out the vote and win over swing voters. Where you jazzed up by the debate? If so, help make it happen! Sign up to volunteer with Citizen Action today.

Wisconsin now has 136 school referendums in 2024, an indictment of the state funding formula and last state budget deal. We talk about how it has become a defining issue in the state Legislative elections.

Robert previews upcoming PSC hearings to get public input on We Energies’ proposed rate increases in Racine on October 1st and Milwaukee on October 3rd. We preview our new statewide campaign to cap utility bills at 2% of the rate payer’s income.

Congressional Democrats, civil rights leaders call for changes in the Senate filibuster. Trump wants to put Sen. Ron Johnson in charge of education policy in Wisconsin and again threatens political opponents with retribution, including jail.

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http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/donald-trump-rally-milw-s5.jpgDeep-seated differences in worldview are part of why America is so divided, and Donald Trump tapped into these divisions in a way that made them even more extreme.

Oconto Falls, WI - I am a United States Air Force veteran who served during the Vietnam War as a flight medic.  In fact, I left Okinawa for home and discharge on the day Saigon fell.  I now live in retirement in the 8^th Congressional District and am active in a variety of volunteer efforts, all of which advocate for those who are suffering, hurt, marginalized, or disadvantaged.  This includes veterans who have been asked to do far too much for way too long.

MILWAUKEE - We are two months away from the November 5th election and campaigns are charging full speed ahead. Robert debriefs Tim Walz’s speech at LaborFest in Milwaukee this Monday and we discuss how Walz’s governing record in Minnesota can be a blueprint for Wisconsin Democrats, including a BadgerCare Public Option, paid family leave, a child tax credit, and affordable child care.

We encourage our listeners to make next Tuesday a Day of Democracy by joining us for a 5pm – 7:45pm phone bank for Vinnie Miresse, a progressive state legislative candidate in Stevens Point and watch the Presidential debate after the phone bank

We review the fallout from a disgusting Republican ad that falsely blames Senator Tammy Baldwin for the killing of 6 Waukesha parade goers in 2021, re-traumatizing Waukesha residents. The ad was condemned by the Waukesha mayor. President Biden announced almost $600M for Dairyland Power Cooperative clean energy projects.  It’s one of 16 rural electric cooperatives receiving a total of $7.3 billion for renewable energy projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. We talk about how the battle for the State Legislature this November is about taking on powerful private interests like CAFO operators and school privatizers.

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MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered his weekly radio address welcoming students, parents, families, educators, and school staff across Wisconsin back to school. This week, the governor began a statewide back-to-school tour, visiting schools and meeting with students, families, educators, and staff as they begin the 2024-25 school year.

This article challenges the notion that today’s political divide is simply about Democrats versus Republicans or right versus wrong. Instead, it emphasizes that the real issue is distinguishing truth from lies. It explores several key issues—such as the economy, immigration, climate change, women’s rights, COVID-19, healthcare, the 2020 election, January 6, and gun control— where some Republican beliefs diverge from the facts. The piece encourages readers to consider the consequences of discovering that what they believed to be true might not be, urging a commitment to truth for the sake of our society’s future.

MILWAUKEE - Happy Labor Day Weekend. We discuss the significance of Labor Day, the surging support for unions, particularly among young people, and the critical need to restore democracy at work by passing the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. We encourage all our listeners to attend an organized labor event near you, including Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz at Milwaukee’s Labor Fest this Monday.

We update the developing crisis in Wisconsin’s monopolistic hospital and health systems. A new Eau Claire Leader Telegram article where a local doctor declares: “I don’t think it’s an understatement to say the HSHS closure and Prevea closure caused a medical crisis in the Chippewa Valley. I certainly see that when it comes to behavioral health each week.” We decry the failure of leaders to step up and address the brewing crisis that will surely engulf the rest of the state, starting with the increasingly troubled Ascension hospitals in southeast Wisconsin, HSHS hospitals in Green Bay, and down the road Marshfield Clinics if their latest merger does not work out.

We welcome newly Citizen Action endorsed state legislative candidate Angelina Cruz to the show to discuss her campaign for a Racine-area State Assembly District 62 and how her background as an educator and union leader have prepared her for the Legislature

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Once upon a time deep divisions grew as many residents embraced misinformation, believing in a stolen election, false conspiracy theories, and denying the severity of the pandemic and climate change. Despite efforts by a few to bridge the gap, the town ultimately fell apart, a stark warning of the destructive power of unchecked falsehoods.

MILWAUKEE - Citizen Action unveils more state legislative candidate endorsements and welcomes two of the newly endorsed candidates to the show, State Representative Jodi Emerson, who is running for reelection in a new more competitive district in the Chippewa Valley and Karen Kirsch who is running in Assembly District 7, a suburban Milwaukee district. We encourage our listeners to volunteer for a statewide phone bank for Yee Leng Xiong, next Tuesday, 8/27 at 5pm.

We rip this week’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s coverage of the appointment of a new CEO of a merged Froedtert ThedaCare Health and his un-fact checked claims that the merger will reduce costs.

We comment on Tony Evers’ “jazzed as hell”’ DNC roll call speech, Trump outspending Harris on TV in swing states, and why Democrats are worlds apart from the GOP on addressing climate change.

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