Mills: The real ‘state of the state’

In his recent state of the state speech, Scott Walker touted what he claimed were the vast improvements to Wisconsin’s economy over the last several years of his administration. He even pitched a tuition cut for in-state University of Wisconsin students (good!), though he has given no details about how that will be paid for (less good).

Walker seems upbeat, claiming that Wisconsinites are better off now than we were six years ago.

For some, I imagine that might be true. But I imagine he’d get vehement disagreement from all the public servants who lost their collective bargaining rights and retirement plans; from the folks who still can’t find work at all or any jobs that pay more than minimum wage and/or are part-time; from veterans trying to get a fair shake; from young people caught up in our scandal-plagued juvenile detention system; from women who desire autonomy over their bodies and access to equal and affordable care, and from others.

I’m not here to run down a list of Walker’s failings, though each point of his speech was contradicted by actual economic data. Instead, I’d like to lay out what I would rather have heard from our governor, with a focus on the very pressing issues faced by Wisconsin and how we might better go about addressing them so that more of us have more opportunity, more equality, more hope.

Any progressive plan for improvement must begin with access to quality and comprehensive health care and education. National efforts to undo the Affordable Care Act mean we’ll need state-run assistance to step in to help the millions who will lose coverage and face life-ordeath consequences. We need a system that doesn’t tie access to good health care to your specific job, isn’t taken away for preexisting conditions, and isn’t based on whether you’re rich or poor.

For education, good teachers deserve good salaries, and all schools deserve proper funding. We must stop diverting money to unaccountable, private voucher schools and instead find ways to make our public facilities work for all students.

We must also ensure that the curriculum being taught is evidence-and science-based, and inclusive of diverse backgrounds, cultures and identities. Our schools should be places where kids feel safe and supported, no matter their background or home environment, and encouraged to succeed on whatever path they’re drawn to. We also need to ensure that kids get healthy, free meals when they’re unable to get them at home. You can’t learn on an empty or sugar-rushed stomach.

If there are no good jobs for students once they’re ready to move into the workforce, all of this is for nothing, of course. Wisconsin’s private-sector job growth has been minimal, ranking at 36th nationally in 2015 and dead last among Midwest states over the past five years. Median household income is going down, too, which means that people who are working are being paid less for it.

How do you turn that around? It’s no easy feat, to be sure, but if we aim to improve the baseline health and education of our citizens, it will go a long way toward building something better. After all, if regular folks can make ends meet and not constantly struggle to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads, we’re far more equipped to contribute to the economy, take risks, innovate and help improve the environment for everyone.

When the system heavily favors a small, privileged segment of society, there is only stagnation. The state of the state is precarious — but it also has vast, untapped potential for greatness.