Priorities

With less than two weeks before the Republicans take the reins of governance here in WI, one might think that they would be working day and night to hit the ground running to solve the major problems facing the state. I mean gov-elect Walker has said that his first days in office would be dedicated to generating jobs. (We'll forget for the moment that before he has become governor he has already squelched all the jobs tied to the now doomed high speed rail) The economic news is not good. Right there, on page three of Tuesday's Wi State Journal is the the headline:  Poverty Rates Up Around The State. South central Wisconsin counties show a 7.5% to 12.3% increase 2005 to 2009. The need for jobs is critical.

This having been said, one merely has to glance below the fold of the same page to get a true idea of  the priorities of incoming Republicans: Nass: Let's Repeal Law On Race-Based Mascot Names. Yup, Rep. Steve Nass's first priority is to allow WI schools to rename their sports teams The Indians or The Warriors or perhaps even The Redskins. On a week when ground breaking legislation is signed opening up the military to gays and lesbians, Nass wants to take Wisconsin back forty years in race relations. Never mind that families are sliding deeper and deeper into poverty with some kids pulled out of school because their homes are being foreclosed and others going to school hungry, we damn sure need to make it possible for their school mascot to be able to run around with a feather headdress doing fake war whoops.

Oh well, I guess there will be jobs out there making Indian headdresses.