The Veto Response

Tony Evers’ decision to veto the Republican legislation that was recently put into action, was a tough decision to make, but the right one. On Wednesday, June 9,2021 Republican lawmakers passed legislation to eliminate the extra $300 to those who are on unemployment receive. Our Milwaukee governor is taking a stand to not eliminate that bonus as he feels that it is still necessary to keep it until September. Our board is here to say we stand with Evers, with some exceptions. 

We understand the need for these enhanced benefits. We also understand Wisconsin’s shortage of workers and that is a prominent issue that we are not overlooking. However, that issue is a bigger problem that will not be fixed just by taking away these benefits. 

Our board believes that those benefits should still be applicable through September, but the process of consistently looking for jobs should not be waived. There should be the emphasis on the job searching requirement. Those on unemployment should be continuously searching for jobs, and our federal workers who deal with unemployment should be checking applications to show these applied jobs are relevant to what the unemployed is qualified for. 

This, in turn, would help better solve the conspiracy theories around people “messing around with the government system.” This idea of scheming to get free money from the government, is simply just a hypothesis. There is no data to show this, and no way of knowing this. It is not fair for the government to take something away for those in need because of a theory. 

For those who are unemployed with families, that extra $300 is simply not enough to financially support themselves as well as their children. With the  desperation of searching got workers that is currently happening in the job market, those who were laid off, are struggling to get jobs because there is still no work for them to have.  

Yes, applying for restaurant jobs is an option for those unemployed with this issue, but is it fair to somebody who was making salary to go back to work making only $2.33 and tip, as a server with mouths to feed at home? Not to mention, if this person already has a car, house, and insurance payments to make, a low paying job is not going to cut it. They have a better chance staying on top of things staying on unemployment and looking for a better job. Having those on unemployment have that extra benefit until September will at the very least, keep them afoot until everything is more stabilized by fall (hopefully). 

This pandemic was traumatizing. A lot of people were scared to even leave their homes to get groceries. With the vaccines just now being free for everyone, those who are still not fully ready to emerge with the rest of society should be able to ease into it.  

Those who are in need of this extra assistance should not be punished for a systemic problem.  This issue is deeper than just any given person. The unemployment offices are understaffed, creating regulation problems as well as inflation in everything around us, except job wages. 

If we want to fix this problem, which is long overdue, we need to look deeper into the root of these issues. If people are making more money unemployed, rather than at work, there is a huge issue. Unemployment is supposed to be a safety net, not a long-term solution. This is what causes the stereotype of people being “lazy,” and scheming the system. 

Overall, more research needs to be conducted. Granted, we understand that there is an issue with our service industry needing more workers, and that is a valid point made in the article.  We just want more research done to correlate shortage of restaurant workers and the pandemic. 

Our board stands with Evers. Once September comes around, more people will be vaccinated, and America should have normalcy once again. We hope, that between now and then, there is more effort to look systematically and create a better work environment for us all.