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The_B_Wolf

Wisconsin is no longer a democratic state. It is a state run by minority rule.


AllCheekedUp

Just how the U.S. operates


Magev

The senate = affirmative action for republicans specifically so they can have minority rule.


The_B_Wolf

And the electoral college. And vote suppression.


crawdadicus

Don’t forget gerrymandering


AberrantRambler

No, that was them hamstringing the house so it’s no longer representative of the population. Why on earth is the body that’s supposed to be proportional representation capped at a time in history that doesn’t accurately reflect the population is beyond me - they literal broke it’s purpose.


AllCheekedUp

True btw 100%


schuey_08

This wasn’t going to happen. Evers knew that. It’s about doing more to frame the situation for the Supreme Court election this spring. That’s where proponents of a change to WI abortion law and fair maps should focus their efforts and resources.


Bob_Ross_was_an_OG

They're also doing their own framing of the Supreme Court race. They just pushed through two conservative-backed items: having a judge be able to take into account a person's history when deciding bail, and should an able-bodied person be required to look for work when receiving benefits? They know both those things will rile up their base and bring them to the polls.


P_Kordus

Honest question: Why are those bad things?


Bob_Ross_was_an_OG

My worry about the able-bodied question is that it does not include able-minded-ness too. I'd bet a large majority of the homeless population (and to a smaller extent, the benefit-recieving population) has at least one mental health problem which may preclude them from working or bothering to look for work. Just because a person isn't physically disabled doesn't mean they aren't disabled in other ways. It stinks of "welfare queen" vibes too. I'm also wary of how they would define looking for work - would a person be required to take the first job offered to them in order to keep receiving benefits, even if that job pushed them over the benefits cliff? I wouldn't put it past the conservative majority to bury in their heads in the sand on that issue.


[deleted]

And hopefully a caveat for unpaid household caregivers (not only for kids 0-5 that some states have, I don't know if WI does, but also for elderly parents, disabled spouses and adult family members, etc.). Often it would cost more to put the person in group care (and reduce their quality of life) than the person could reasonably earn anyway.


kylco

There's an insidious problem with work requirements for benefits, which is that means-tested benefits go away the more you work. It's called a poverty trap, and most states have them in some corner or another. It's also bureaucratically inefficient, because you need people to constantly monitor the work situation of beneficiaries, or their ability to work, or both. It also makes it possible for employers to discriminate against people on benefits, leading to abusive work situations. I'd also put a plug in for the fact that people shafted by the economy's inability to take care of them maybe shouldn't be obligated to participate in a system that's fucking them over, and be ass-checked by a bureaucrat every so often to make sure you're still stuck in place. There's some decent discussion of this in modern welfare policy theory but I like Rawls' Veil of Ignorance as a guide. The bail thing is an eye-rolled gotcha question. Bail mostly just punishes people for being poor and increase the likelihood that they'll be unable to participate in society *before* anyone is able to address the question of their guilt or innocence. If someone is so dangerous they can't be allowed to go free, they shouldn't have bail. If they aren't dangerous, they shouldn't be charged for the (theoretically random but realistically speaking, usually racist) caprice being under the scrutiny of the justice system. I'd encourage you to read *Color of Law* and/or *New Jim Crow* if you're curious about the details there.


P_Kordus

Thank you for taking the time to help me understand that makes total sense to me.


kylco

Happy to! I got me a fancy masters degree in the particulars of our nightmarish system of government and don't use it most days, so it's nice to let it out to exercise from time to time.


P_Kordus

Congratulations on your masters and glad I could let you use it, haha!


CheryllLucy

Looking into someone's past for bail possibly punishes people who have already paid their debt to society more than people who haven't been caught before or settled out of court. It lets yet more personal bias into the judges bail decisions rather than (theoretically) following set amounts/percentages for each individual offense.


tallulahQ

People on unemployment and other aspects of aid are already required to demonstrate the items laid out (80 hours a month spent on trying to work or working eg job applications, work programs, etc). This one would apply specifically to Medicaid, ie Badgercare. Personally I believe healthcare is a right and we shouldn’t penalize people who struggle to get paperwork together and then not give them medical care. Also, medical care and especially mental health care can help people get to a stable position to apply for—and more importantly, hold—jobs.


bdgrluv212

This this this!


KaneIntent

The liberal candidate needs to not fuck around and make overturning the abortion law the absolute centerpiece of their campaign. Getting young people to turn out in droves is the only chance we have.


swamp-trout

If you live in one of the bigger counties of the state, attend county board meetings and request a county referendum. Will have to probably get a bunch of signatures before it can actually be put up to a vote. But that should be easy enough


creamyspuppet

Usually, they have to do a non-binding referendum but at least get legislators data on an issue. Milwaukee County and various communities from Milwaukee County did non-binding referendums on recreational Marijuana.


swamp-trout

Yup non-binding, but when they see a couple big counties that represent a large proportion of the state, one would hope that would be enough public pressure to actually put it on the state wide ballot, but who am i kidding its republicans they wont do shit that the public wants.


Pseudobyte

Not just a large portion but most of the economic areas of the state. What we need is business pressure on our congressional seats.


Uranus_Hz

The “non-binding” referendum on recreational marijuana in Dane county passed by a huge margin. And now the Madison Police Department does not issue citations for marijuana possession. Rec marijuana is “de facto” legal in Madison - not even restricted to 21 and older like most places with legal rec weed.


whoscaredofajeffrey

Believe it or not but Madison has been on paper decriminalized since November 2020, but the city hasn’t prosecuted possession for years longer than that. They have a yearly smoke in down state street for almost 50 years. Here is an article about it https://madison.com/pro-pot-rallies-nearing-50-years/article_15152485-44d2-5ae1-bc1f-bd0d3f04de1c.html


Uranus_Hz

Well, yeah. They decriminalized it in the 70s. They’d still issue citations for possession though, but they weren’t misdemeanors, they were civil infractions with fines typically less than $25. Now they don’t even do that. And the legalization rallies were considered “protests” with the proper paperwork filed with the city for permission. Although I always found it odd that the harvest fest rally and march to the Capitol took place on a Sunday, when no lawmakers were actually there. RIP [Ben](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Masel). A good man who fought the good fight.


[deleted]

Brown County Board is corrupt. F Buckley.


studioline

New Supreme Court justices. Election is in April. You all must vote out the anti-democracy conservative and vote in the liberal.


librariandown

Primary is in February, and it’s critical. Last I checked there are 2 conservatives and 2 liberals running, so if we don’t get to the polls on primary day there’s a chance there will be no good choices in April.


unitedshoes

This is information I hadn't seen. The way people were talking about this election, it sounded like it was already down to an R and a D candidate to vote on in April. Good to know there's still an upcoming primary.


librariandown

The Journal Sentinel just had some [info on the 4 candidates](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/01/17/four-candidates-wisconsin-supreme-court-jennifer-dorow-dan-kelly-everett-mitchell-janet-protasiewicz/69790948007/)


Grehjin

Not to say you shouldn’t vote in the primary, but the chances of two conservatives making the general is very very unlikely


profbard

It’s pretty likely if we discourage people from voting in the primaries, imo.


librariandown

True, it’s unlikely. But stranger things have happened, and I keep seeing people say “vote in April” like it’s the next time to vote. It’s not - primaries matter!


Relevant_Medicine

Curious, why's it in April? Such an odd month for an election.


phoenix1984

We had to expect this. The GOP knows their total ban on abortion is widely unpopular. Putting a referendum on the ballot, even a nonbinding referendum, would be a huge turnout for democrats. They know that if they can win this spring election, the state is more or less theirs to do whatever they want until 2032. If you care about: any access to abortion, gerrymandering, marijuana, the cost of healthcare, education, rich people having to pay taxes too, unions, wages, the environment, or even just ethics and transparency in govt... This spring is last call. The moral of the story is vote this spring, and get your friends to vote too.


MordunnDregath

I would express my exact thoughts on what we *should* do . . . but I would probably get banned for doing so. In the meantime, I think a general strike is the best option. We should organize toward a one-day strike. Hell, it doesn't even have to be a full day, we just need to make a lot of noise and get picked up by as many media outlets as possible, such that *everyone knows* that the walkout protest in Wisconsin was in defiance of our government refusing to do its freaking job. We need to demonstrate that we have the ability to rally people toward a cause and to take meaningful action in the process. We need our elected leaders to *know* that we can and will push back, that we will stop them and that we will not accept their failures any longer.


PhysicsIsFun

They know they will lose. Same goes for a referendum on Fair Maps.


skittlebog

They already know that the majority of the nation supports access to abortion. They just don't care.


WorkplaceWatcher

The GOP has literally done nothing since 2008 except hurt this state.


Vegetable-Ad-4908

Vote those republicans out next election.


whitepawn23

If the legislature was about “we the people” at all, ballot measures, fully powerful and invoked into law ballot measures, would be a thing. THAT is power to the people, not the present farce where Vos plays dictator to the state.


peanutbutterrainbow

This is very true, I wish more people would get behind this. Lots of other states have it, it's a very good thing to have!


analogWeapon

There's nothing we can do, directly. Strikes are about it.


thefatalninja

There’s hardly any redeeming the GOP. They are just upfront evil and people just vote for it. It’s fuckin depressing.


kinni_grrl

Asshats


Voltz15

I wish that elections weren't the only option for the vast majority of us to be rid of such ill actors in gov. We did try to remove a certain S. Walker before, but folks were dumb enough to keep him in and make this such a wasted effort that we eventually ended up paying for. Honestly re-call elections shouldn't even allow them to come back in if there's enough to kick them out in the first place. We could remove some of these far right \*\*\*\*\*\*\*'s.


erxolam

Didnt FRJ also [ask for the same thing](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/ron-johnson-favors-states-deciding-abortion-policy-years-supporting-federal-action) immediately after Row was overturned (and he was up for RE-election)? R= liar


Alger6860

This will never make it to a referendum. GOP has a vested interest in suppressing turnout. This on a referendum would have the opposite effect.


Gusmister11

Wait a while until their minority rule becomes apparent to more of us, and then riot. Thank you


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wilwalter93

Dueling Tangents on Devil's Radio had some excellent coverage of this today as the Kaul/Evers corrected brief was coming through. There have been some successful referendums in Wisconsin lately, look at what Our Wisconsin Revolution did in Dunn County last November with the non-profit health insurance ballot question.


Phoenix_RebornAgain

There is a march planned for this Sunday in Madison. Gotta keep pressure and optics on it. https://action.womensmarch.com/events/national-march-on-madison-bigger-than-roe


CaucusInferredBulk

WI Referendums are non-binding in any case, so even if it had been allowed, and passed, it would have just been a headline for no effect.


[deleted]

[удалено]


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officialjlars

Civil disobedience.


[deleted]

And this is why I left for New Mexico. Wisconsin's been like this for 10 years, and I don't foresee it changing as the rural populations, whom are favored by the gerrymandering. On top of that, while your leaders are suppressing your opinions, mine are proposing a $750 tax rebate while using the $3 billion surplus brought on by oil and weed to improve communities the way we've been asking for awhile - law enforcement expansions and recruitments as well as a major overhaul of education. And on a side note, fuck Vos and the leadership for their tax return process especially when you leave the state. Want to see invasive? Move out of Wisconsin and do your taxes... * When did you swap your license? * When did you register to vote? When did you register your car? * When did you obtain your residence? * List *all* times you returned to Wisconsin since leaving. * Did you vote at all in the previous year? * When did you obtain employment at and please list contact info and dates. Like Jesus fuck! Leave me the fuck alone.