420: Wisconsin’s illusive freedom & lost $165 million a year

Happy 420 Day (the annual day of action for Marijuana legalization). Unfortunately, in Wisconsin this freedom remains elusive and is costing the state $165 million in revenue. We recap Tax Day this Tuesday where Citizen Action released a new report from Americans for Tax Fairness which shows that when billionaires and corporations dodge taxes, American families pay the price in threats to critical social supports such as Medicare, Medicaid, and food assistance. Congress needs to pass President Biden’s wealth tax and reject the House GOP’s push for making permanent the Trump tax cut. We welcome Joe Evica, the chief steward of the union at CUNA Mutual in Madison (OPEIU Local 39), to discuss a strike vote their members took on Wednesday and the media event they will have on Monday, April 24th at 6pm at the South Central Federation of Labor in Madison. If you live in Dane County, the union urges you to attend the event to show community support. The Milwaukee Common Council unanimously voted this week to demand the giant hospital chain Ascension re-open the birthing and delivery unit at St Francis Hospital in Milwaukee and called on them to stop disinvesting from the City. We discuss a Green New Deal Resolution to be reintroduced in Congress and its critical importance to dealing with the climate crisis and creating family supporting union jobs for everyone across Wisconsin. Robert also attended an event with mayors and Governor Evers to tout the opportunity of federal money for climate change from Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Law. We also received more news this week exposing the increasing Mississipification of Wisconsin by the GOP, as new data revealed the state is now in bottom 10 for public college funding. Finally, craven Republicans continue their ugly smear campaign against long time Racine criminal justice and police reformer John Tate II