DECEMBER 11, 2013 - WASHBURN COUNTY REGISTER - PAGE 3
Gubernatorial candidate shares views
Burke makes a swing through NW Wisconsin as she seeks the Democratic nod to run against Walker
Danielle Moe | Staff writer NORTHWEST WISCONSIN - On Oct. 7, Mary Burke, Madison school board member, former Wisconsin Commerce Department secretary and former Trek Bicycle executive, announced that she would seek the Democratic nomination for governor in the fall 2014 election against incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Burke, 53, is currently the only declared Democratic gubernatorial candidate, and with the exception of being elected to the Madison Metropolitan School District School Board, has never held a political office. On Sunday, Dec. 1, she attended the Washburn County Democrats holiday party held at Foxxy’s in Spooner. “It was a great opportunity to see a lot of people, get to understand the issues that are important to them,” Burke said in a phone interview. Of the numerous problems in today’s headlines, Burke said that the issues around jobs and access to affordable health care are the most important to people across Wisconsin. In 2007, she resigned as Wisconsin commerce secretary but, before doing so, criticized the commerce department for their lack of initiative to create jobs. Today, Burke feels the same passion and said, “I think that we do need to make sure we are being as aggressive as possible in terms of job creation ... the state needs to be more supportive in terms of helping companies find the capital that they (small businesses) need to expand.”
Mary Burke, Democratic nominee for Wisconsin’s 2014 governor election, meets citizens in Hudson on Sunday, Dec. 1, during a tour through Northwest Wisconsin - Photo courtesy Burke for Wisconsin Burke thinks that by focusing on help“Yes, there was legislation proposed ing entrepreneurs, small businesses and that was bipartisan legislation proposed new businesses get started, it will help by Sens. Jauch, Cullen and Schultz, which to encourage Wisconsin’s struggling job had the environment protections that market. would have safeguarded our air and our Burke stood by her opposition to leg- water and now it is pushed aside for this islation passed in March of this year that other legislation that did not, in fact, do lessened the powers of the Wisconsin that, and so I would definitely want to see Department of Natural Resources, alle- that legislation repealed,” she said. viating pressure on the $1.5 billion open With a recently updated website, Burke pit mine project planned for the Penokee Hills in northern Wisconsin. According to the Wisconsin Legislative documents, the 2013 Wisconsin Act 1 is written to repeal, amend, recreate and create numer- ment process. The phone number is 715ous statutes within existing regulations 468-7833. related to ferrous metallic mining includ• Northlakes Community Clinic, Miing procedures for obtaining approvals nong - Hilary Neste, resource coodinator, from the DNR for the construction of util- is a certified application counselor. Reach ity facilities, making an appropriation and her at 715-466-2201. providing penalties. There is no guide at Spooner Health System or within the Washburn County Government Center. Washburn County Health and Human Services Department does have a computer set up for people to enroll, but no counselor to help with enrollment. In addition to certified application coordinators, individuals looking for help with the healthcare.gov website can also contact certified insurance agents with the Affordable Care Act. If you don’t like the Obamacare website, you may purchase insurance other ways. The source of many late-night TV country during the Vietnam War. talk-show jokes, the federal health-care A total of 738 photos of the casualties website has been the source of a lot of from Wisconsin have already been sub- frustration and anger. It seems, however, mitted. More than 400 are still missing, some of the glitches have been ironed out including those of two from this area, and, despite some delays, the website is John M. Bronkema of Shell Lake and now working, despite stalling during Gregg M. Goslin of Spooner. heavy traffic times during the day. The The list is based on the Department website has a 24-hour call center at 800of Defense’s count of 1,161 names of 318-2596 and for the hearing impaired, Wisconsin casualties engraved on The 855-889-4325. Wall in Washington, D.C. The advocacy group Families USA and The goal is to help honor and preserve USA TODAY reported that three-quarters the memory of Wisconsin servicemen and of people buying insurance in the indiwomen. The photographs will become vidual market are eligible for tax credits part of the Wall of Faces - a lasting tribute or subsidies because of their income levplanned for the education center at The els. That includes individuals earning less than $46,000 and families of four earning Wall and an online memorial. “Our goal is to be sensitive to those who less than $95,000. In order for individulost family and friends and honor those als to receive such tax credits, they must who gave their lives in Vietnam,” WPR purchase insurance through the Exchange or the federal health-care website, healthstated in their news release this week. For more, go to wcregisteronline.com care.gov. However, if your income is on and click on Editor’s post: A face for every the higher scale, health-care insurance can be purchased outside of the federal webname. site.
Affordable Care Act/from page 1
Face for Every Name project under way
Photos sought for Vietnam Veterans Memorial effort Gary King | Editor SPOONER/SHELL LAKE - Out of a holiday season known for memories that can be joyful, melancholy and oftentimes downright sad, comes a noble effort to gather not toy donations or gifts of money … but photographs. Photos that could evoke all of the aforementioned emotions, with pride added for good measure. Wisconsin Public Radio announced recently its Face for Every Name project. Working in partnership with Wisconsin Public Television and Milwaukee Public Radio and Television, along with Wisconsin veterans organizations and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, WPR is inviting members of the public to identify, find and share photos of young men and women who gave their lives for their
Washburn County approved for $805,000 loan MADISON – The Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands approved a State Trust Fund Loan on Tuesday, Dec. 3, totaling $805,000 to Washburn County to finance a road project. The board approved loans totaling nearly $5.7 million the meeting. Local loans approved were to the city of Cumberland, Barron County, finance street improvements, $100,000; and the village of Webster, Burnett County, to purchase water and sewer monitoring system, $40,000. With income generated by State Trust Fund Loans, and not a single taxpayer dollar, the BCPL provides all of the state’s financial aid to public elementary, middle and high school libraries; $30.1 million in
offers an issues section which states her support for the rights of workers to collectively bargain. If elected governor, she would work with the Legislature to implement laws that would bring back collective bargaining. “We would have to bring people together to do that, and it certainly, with the current Legislature, will be challenging but that is what governors do, and that is what we have to focus on for the long term.” Another devisive topic is the state’s expanding school choice program, which has operated in Milwaukee for the past 20 years. The program allows low-income students in the public school system to attend private schools at $6,442 a voucher, the taxpayers expense. In 2011 the program was expanded to Racine with vouchers for 250 students, then 500 in 2012, and an unlimited number to be allowed in 2013. As an active Madison school board member, Burke feels the program should be limited to start. “Secondly, would be working with the Legislature to eliminate the provision that even allows for the 500 or 1,000 students (vouchers),” said Burke. She went on to iterate that research into the program has not proven its effectiveness, but research has not been proven conclusive to favor either side’s argument. Burke visited the communities of Hudson, Amery, Rice Lake and Spooner over the weekend.
.Gov, .gov, .gov If we’re repeating the website healthcare.gov a lot, it’s for a good reason. Don’t be fooled by similar web addresses such as healthcare.com or healthcare.net 2013 alone. A complete list of the 2013 – those are not the official federal healthlibrary aid distribution by school district care plans eligible for potential tax credits. can be found at bcpl.wisconsin.gov/ Medicaid docview.asp?docid=24671&locid=145. If you’re happy with your health-care State Trust Fund Loan monies come coverage through your job or you purfrom the principal of the state’s Common chased your own health insurance before School Fund enhanced by revenue the Affordable Care Act passed on March generated by fees, fines, forfeitures, 23, 2010, you don’t need to worry about unclaimed property and timber sales. a lot of this. Low-income individuals and Established by the state constitution, the families can also look to see if they qualify current BCPL consists of the Secretary of for Medicaid, which has been broadened State Doug La Follette, Attorney General in some states. If you don’t qualify for J.B. Van Hollen and the state treasurer, Medicaid, you can still investigate public Kurt Schuller. programs for kids at insurekidsnow.gov. To learn more about the agency, visit bcpl.wisconsin.gov. — from BCPL New for kids and women Insurers can no longer drop your coverage for arbitrary reasons or deny you
coverage if you have a medical condition. Individuals paying higher premiums based on existing conditions may want to shop for a new health-care plan with their adviser/agent. Dental and vision coverage for kids are required in the marketplaces. Insurers can no longer charge higher prices for women and must cover pregnancy and childbirth as well as counseling for new moms. (With information from the Wall Street Journal).
Living in rural Wisconsin and smoking will cost you more Unfortunately, residents in Northwest Wisconsin will pay more in premiums than folks living just across the river in Minnesota. Wisconsinites living near major cities will likely have lower premiums than rural residents. According to the New York Times, Pima County in Arizona has the best health-care rates due to a flooded marketplace of competing insurers. For smokers, if you haven’t quit yet, you’ll save money on the exchanges if you’re smoke free for six months. Obamacare obstructionists The Wall Street Journal reported that blue states, or states not run by mostly Republicans, typically have greater resources to support enrollment in the exchanges and have had less setbacks. To be fair to Republican-led states, many plans in the Marketplace limit the network of available doctors, so keeping your doctor under the new health-care laws is one of many concerns with Obamacare. Too early to tell if marketplace concept will lower costs Unfortunately, large insurers like Cigna and UnitedHealth Group have opted out of many states’ exchanges. Aetna has backed out of seven exchanges it originally applied for based on cost models. If additional insurers opt into the exchanges in future years, government officials claim health-care prices should decline. Advice is free; shop around “A lot of insurance agents have decided not to continue to work in the health insurance market,” Doug Willert of Noah Insurance said. “But I have stayed in health insurance for 14 years and we’re here, ready to help people. Agents get paid from the exchanges now, so why not sit with an agent/adviser when selecting health insurance.“ Next year – shorter open enrollment As of today, next year’s open enrollment for the exchanges runs only from Nov. 15- Dec. 7. For businesses with less than 25 employees, the Small Business Health Option Program, which features tax credits, must be purchased through a broker and the website for SHOP has been delayed.