Wisconsin lawmakers ready to call it a year

We can’t continue to fool ourselves any longer. The Wisconsin Legislature is full-time in name only. Members of the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate remain in session in Madison, tackling a number of bills Governor Scott Walker proposed, such as forcing Welfare recipients to work more. But it is members of the Legislature who aren’t working much. The Assembly hopes to wrap up its session later this week, with the Senate expected to adjourn in March. Then they are done. For the year. According to the Wisconsin legislative calendar, after they send the remaining bills to the Governor, they have nothing on their calendar for the remainder of 2018. Keep in mind, it is only February, and our lawmaker’s work for the entire year is nearly done. Yet our lawmakers continue to draw a full-time salary for what is clearly a part-time job. They earn an average of about $50,000, plus what they claim in travel and lodging expenses. That can top $100 per day per lawmaker. Why are we paying them a full-time salary when they taking the rest of the year off? Lots of states have part-time legislators, and in some cases they are putting in more time than Wisconsin’s lawmakers. It is time to put an end to this boondoggle and either demand more of our elected officials, or cut their pay to reflect the amount of work they actually accomplish.