Misplaced Priorities

$750 Million To Replace Lead Pipes

That's the estimate for replacing lead pipes in the City of Milwaukee.

The city currently has identified 77,585 lead service lines, roughly 46 percent of all the 169,816 service lines in the city. The lateral pipes connect properties to water mains and are owned by the city until they reach the property line. The split ownership structure complicates their replacement, with the city facing substantial legal issues in using city funds to replace privately-owned pipes. 

The city stopped using lead on their portion of the lateral in 1951, with private contractors banned from doing so in the early 1960’s. Multiple studies of properties from the interim decade — 1951 to early 1960s — have found that less than five percent of those laterals contain lead.

And, after many unwanted diseases and deaths, I'm sure we'll have all the pipes replaced by around 2050 or so, maybe. Or maybe Milwaukee can be the next Flint.

Yet, we've found more than $250 million for Miller Park, $241 million for Lambeau Field and at least $250 million for the new Milwaukee Bucks arena. And there's also the hundreds of millions Wisconsin has found for corporate welfare.

But we can't find the money to replace the water infrastructure which impacts nearly 10% of the State's population?

For Further Reading:
Why Your Stadium Sucks: Miller Park
Documents show Bucks' $524M arena cost goes beyond arena, includes professional fees

Milwaukee Bucks' New Arena is a Multimillion Dollar Mistake

The City’s Real Costs for Bucks Arena
The water crisis in Flint, Michigan has had terrible consequences for residents’ health

10 Things They Won't Tell You About The Flint Water Crisis

Study Confirms How Lead Got Into Flint's Water

Further Down The Rabbit Hole

Those righteous evangelicals say it's alright for the president to have extra-marital relations.

And, Republicans, formerly law-and-order stalwarts, are now claiming there is a secret society in the FBI to overthrow Trump.

Holy fuck! This is insane! How blatantly hypocritical are the Republicans going to get? Is there anything they won't lie about or find an excuse for?

I really don't know what to say about the Republican party anymore. They've slowly been destroying the country since Reagan, yet since Donald Trump they've taken stupidity, absurdity and ineptitude to a whole new level.

What Would Jesus Do?

According to Scott Walker, Jesus would:

• require able-bodied parents of children on food stamps to work or get training to receive more than three months of benefits
• increase the existing work requirement for all able-bodied adults from 20 hours a week to 30

Walker added, "“With more people working in Wisconsin than ever before, we can’t afford to have anyone on the sidelines: we need everyone in the game. We want to remove barriers to work and make it easier to get a job, while making sure public assistance is available for those who truly need it."

Maybe instead of "training" and "removing barriers," Walker should be helping to create family-supporting jobs. Like the 250,000 he promised. Instead, he seems more interested in cutting taxes on the rich, gutting regulations for his donors, and lavishing subsidies on his cronies.

Such good Christians those Republicans. Those god-fearing, god-abiding moral pillars...as long as you're not poor.

Their blatant disregard for most humans and the environment, alongside their unwavering support for their rich campaign financiers, one has to ask Why Do Republicans Hate America?

For Further Reading:
Why Claims of Skills Shortages in Manufacturing Are Overblown

The Fake Skills Shortage

After All the Talk About a Skills Shortage in the U.S. Job Market, the Real Problem May Be an Employer Shortage

Scott Walker signs bill easing regulations on high cap wells

Wisconsin, under Scott Walker, no longer leads in conservation

Stripping wetland protections to have consequences, intended or not

Wisconsin Foxconn Deal Waives Environmental Regulations

Four disastrous pro-pollution policies from Scott Walker and Wisconsin GOP you haven't heard about

Scott Walker Cuts Higher-Ed Budget, Funds Corporate Welfare

Scott Walker’s $3 billion fraud

Walker shows his priorities with $250 million subsidy to NBA billionaires
Water Pollution Skyrockets Under Walker

You'll Get Your Medicine When You Finish Mopping The Floor

Able-bodied Adults Will Have To Work For Medicaid, Under Plan From Gov. Scott Walker, Trump

Yet ...

Work Requirements Don't Work

and

Medicaid Work Requirement Would Harm Unemployed, Not Promote Work

As usual, Republicans are rewarding their rich donors and hurting those who need it most. How Christian of them.

We All Do Better When We All Do Better