Affordability is not just a buzzword. And I feel that each issue I truly care about falls under the heading of "Affordability". There is little that causes a feeling of insecurity as much as not knowing if you're going to be able to afford basic needs from month to month. About one in four households face this reality in America and are one illness, major repair, or injury away from financial ruin. As your representative, I will work to help improve the standard of living for all Wisconsinites. I will fight for changes in creating affordable wages, housing, and childcare. We need to reduce the cost of groceries and energy. We need to rework our tax code. Finally, we need to reduce insurance costs.
As a pediatrician, I've had a front-row seat to the many amazing things healthcare can do, and unfortunately, the failings and frustrations within it. Some immediate steps to improving Wisconsin's healthcare system would be to assist people with new reporting requirements, work to keep rural facilities open, promote cost transparency, and reduce administrative costs by eliminating the role of health insurers as middlemen through Badgercare for all. We can also require human review instead of AI insurance denials, and we can eliminate the need for prior authorizations for chronic conditions. Wisconsin needs to lead the way in making universal coverage in Wisconsin a reality.
Wisconsin has consistently provided one of the country's outstanding K-16 public educational systems, and Wisconsin citizens have taken pride in their public elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as their exceptional UW system. But in the past 16 years, our public schools have not been a top priority and are facing insurmountable odds. I will fight for our public schools by phasing out tax-funded educational vouchers, increasing funding to past levels, and changing or getting rid of the current revenue limit. With broader support, we can help our schools improve student performance to return our public schools to the envy of the nation.
Our legislature frequently boasts about the respect they have for Wisconsin veterans. However, they have removed the governor's proposed funding, which has led to the closure of two veterans' facilities. They have failed to provide funds to the Veterans Outreach Recovery Program, which helps struggling veterans. I promise to represent all veterans in my district and in Wisconsin by fighting to keep these programs well-funded.
Wisconsinites love and appreciate our forests, lakes, and rivers. Additionally, they are a major part of our state's economy, contributing over 11 billion dollars to our state's GDP and supporting close to 100,000 jobs. Safe, clean drinking water is also essential for the well-being of Wisconsinites. The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program is a bipartisan commitment to land and water protection, and the shortsightedness of our GOP members have put this critical program in jeopardy. I will fight to protect our clean air and water, and our natural resources while lookingfor ways to safely bring industry and growth to our state.
Several changes can be made in our tax laws to increase working families' disposable income. Changing the way in which we tax families is one way to help Wisconsinites feel financially secure. We need to increase the earned income tax credit (EITC) at the state level and make it available for those without children. Also, a child tax credit should be put in place and paid out monthly. Sales tax, corporate tax for small businesses, and the school funding formula all need to be revamped to lower the tax burden on Wisconsinites.
I will fight to help farmers. Family farms are under increasing stress. Dozens of former Wisconsin Agriculture Department officials have written to Congress discussing the worsening problems facing Wisconsin farms. Our farm families are witnessing a doubling of farm bankruptcies and experiencing difficulty remaining profitable. The problems facing our farmers are related to the Trump Administration's tariffs and the resultant trade wars. Their economic insecurity is exacerbated by higher input costs and rising operational insurance costs. Additionally, many of our farmers face significantly higher health care costs due to the loss of subsidies to the ACA plans and the rising costs of health care. I will work with our farmers to reduce these burdens by finding new markets, attacking insurance costs, and making health care more affordable.
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