Home » Opinion » GOP lawmakers need to get to work

GOP lawmakers need to get to work

Republican legislature passed no bills for 10 months

In the Feb. 18 issue of the Waupaca County Post, there was a Letter to the Editor was by state Sen. Balweg.

It was a quaint letter about if only Gov. Evers would cooperate with Republicans. It seems that this letter was more self-serving then informative.

She didn’t mention that while thousands of Wisconsinites were sick and dying from Covid, she and the Republican Legislature did not pass a single bill for more than 10 months. Republicans did file a lawsuit to repeal the governor’s mask mandate on the guise he exceeded his authority. The Center for Disease Control says masks are front line to controlling Covid. She and state Rep. Peterson did collect their paychecks for 10 months while doing nothing to help Wisconsinites in dire need.

When the Legislature did meet, they voted to repeal the governor’s mask mandate just for spite. In doing so, they potentially cost Wisconsin $49 million in federal food assistance which requires a state mask mandate.

They also schemed to get the food aid with the mask repeal and to play political football and favorites with how the food aid was distributed.

Now Balweg, Peterson and their cohorts want to force schools to in-person learning by punishing school districts that choose virtual learning as determined by local school boards, school staff and community in-put. They want to withhold badly needed funds to cope with Covid if schools don’t do what Balweg, Peterson and others want because they know better than local government.

After two years, the Wisconsin Senate hasn’t even had the courtesy of holding hearings to confirm some of the governor’s Cabinet appointees. While Wisconsin citizens continue to struggle with both Covid, keeping food on the table and facing evictions, Balweg, Peterson and Republicans won’t even consider raising Wisconsin’s minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, one of the lowest in the nation.

But what can you expect, when at the Feb. 19 in-person Senate session over half of Balweg’s Republican colleagues in the Senate couldn’t be bothered to wear masks. My 5-year-old granddaughter in kindergarten has more common sense to wear a mask, social distance and wash her hands then the grown-ups.

It’s time after being deemed the laziest legislature in the nation, Balweg and Peterson quite playing the politics of settling scores, retribution and punishment on Wisconsin citizens and go to work for the benefit of everyone.

John Bobbe
Scandinavia

Scroll to Top