Opinion | WisCommunity

Jeff Smith - Come to the Budget Listening Session Tuesday, April 11

Articles that are opinion, or op-ed based

Jeff Smith - Save Lives, Stop Prohibition

May 31, 2023

Wisconsin is in a rapidly-shrinking minority of states that have not legalized marijuana, .

Jeff Smith - What To Do When Voters Want Something Else

May 18, 2023

Have you ever seen a child throw a fit when they are losing a game? They may argue that the rules are unfair, they may change the rules or even flip the game board over and stomp off. I’ve witnessed that behavior, and the best way to respond is to ignore it and continue to move forward with the rest of the game. The only person they hurt is themselves and they must learn to accept that you cannot always win and have your best day.

Jeff Smith - What’s On the Chopping Block?

May 12, 2023

Last week the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, made up of 12 Republicans and 4 Democrats, were supposed to begin deliberating on the Governor’s biennial budget proposal. Instead, in a 12-4 party line vote, Republicans’ first action was to remove the vast majority of Governor Evers’ proposal. No deliberation, just flat out dismissal for the third time since Governor Evers became Governor.

Matt Rothschild - Robin Vos wants to gag citizens

May 6, 2023

by Matt Rothschild, Wisconsin Examiner
May 5, 2023

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos wants to take your voice away.

The shared revenue bill that the Assembly Republicans just introduced “would ban counties, municipalities from putting advisory referendums on the ballot,” according to JR Ross of WisPolitics.

Vos and his cohorts don’t even want your advice! They don’t want to hear from you at all, it seems.

Governor Evers - “It’s not enough. The state must step up.”

Governor Tony Evers

Gov. Evers Responds to GOP Shared Revenue Bill

May 4, 2023

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers is calling on the Wisconsin State Legislature to provide more resources to local communities and remove restrictions on local control in legislation regarding shared revenue that was introduced earlier this week. Gov.

Jeff Smith - We Have Become Uncomfortably Numb

May 3, 2023

There are many issues that grab headlines. Too often the hot topics hold our attention for a day or two and then are relegated to the back pages or disappear entirely. These are the issues that typically compel us to come together to act as a community.

Jeff Smith - Life-Saving Emergency Services: Who Pays?

April 26, 2023

When you call 911, you expect with rock-solid confidence there will be someone to answer the call. You also expect help is on the way. Confidence in the midst of a catastrophe is taken for granted every day.

What many people don’t know is how it all works on the back end. It takes dedicated people and immense resources through shared revenue to local municipalities to get injured and sick individuals to a place they can be treated.

Jeff Smith - Mental Healthcare is Vital for Thriving Communities

April 19, 2023

Overcoming the stigma of mental illness has long been our single greatest challenge in meeting health needs. The brain is the busiest and most complicated organ in our bodies and certainly the least understood. There’s no way to fix this problem here in one column, but I want to emphasize the importance of combating the stigma associated with mental health struggles.

Jeff Smith - Nine Years to Get BadgerCare Expansion Done

April 12, 2023

Since January of 2014, Wisconsin has had the opportunity to receive BadgerCare expansion funds. This is the ninth year Republicans have buried their heads in the sand, rejecting the $1.6 billion from the federal government and leaving 90,000 people without the health care they need. 

Jeff Smith - Come to the Budget Listening Session Tuesday, April 11

April 5, 2023

 

It’s not fun, but we all have to budget. We budget our time and our resources because we have a limited amount – of hours in the day, of energy, of money. Every day, each one of us makes decisions on how we allocate our time and resources, and while it’s not always a zero-sum game, sometimes we have to make tough choices.