Steve Hanson is the founder and editor of Uppity Wisconsin. He is also a web developer in his spare time.
Assembly too busy to pass laws?
Posted January 16th, 2008 by Steve Hanson
Mike Huebsch apparently has a list. It's a list of things the assembly isn't going to get around to this year. Including:
- Health Care
- Smoking Bans
- Campaign Finance Reform
They're really too darn busy passing bills that will please Wisconsin business to be bothered with anything that might actually - um - be helpful to the rest of the state.
Of course, the assembly actually only met 20 days in 2007, so why should we expect anything more to get done this year than last? I'd like to be able to just say that it's those damn Republicans again, but frankly I think its just what Wisconsin's political system is coming down to. We used to be able to think of ourselves as somehow "different" than all those corrupt states in the Midwest, like Illinois. But at the moment it just looks more and more like money is talking, and anyone who doesn't have a big pot of cash is frankly out of luck.
Health care reform? Well, the answer to that is HSA's! Sure. Let's not look toward the root of problems, let's just find yet another way to game the system so that our buddies get richer.
Finance Reform? All for it, as long as I don't lose any of my own campaign cash in the deal. Can't everyone else reform instead?
I keep wondering why the heck we're electing and paying these folks.
But after all, I've already put in my 15 days of complaining this month, so I guess in another 5 days or so I can quit for the year. Now - where's that paycheck?
Bookmark/Search this post with:
![[]](/sites/all/modules/ecommerce/cart/images/cart_empty.png "View your cart items"){kind=spacer}
20 days?
Are you sure of that? I mean I know they don't work much but that's 4 weeks out of a year? Even though we probably save money when they don't work, I have an idea. If it takes on 20 work days to do the state's business with 99 assemblypeople well then we shoud beable to accomplish the same with 25 people thqat work 80 days, no? That still is only 16 work weeks and they could take full time jobs as teachers working another 36 weeks.
I thought their abbreviated session this year was for campaigning.
Not too busy to pass this piece of garbage
Bill Would Curb Municipal Votes On Iraq War, Other Issues Measure Passed Along Party Lines, 48-44 January 16, 2008 MADISON, Wis. -- Citizens could no longer force municipal votes on measures calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq or other issues under a measure approved by the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Assembly on Tuesday. The plan would allow cities and villages to refuse to act on citizen initiatives that don't relate to local governmental functions. Under current law, anyone who gathers enough signatures in support of a proposal can force city councils and village boards to either adopt it or put it to a vote. Activists used this tactic to force votes on several symbolic anti-war initiatives in 2006 over the opposition of some community leaders. The Assembly voted 48-44 along party lines to adopt the plan. But with opposition from Democrats who control the Senate and the governor's office, it is unlikely to become law
Post new comment