Conservatively Speaking
State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents parts of four counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Walworth. Her Senate District 28 includes New Berlin, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Muskego, Waterford, Big Bend, the town of Vernon and parts of Greenfield, East Troy, and Mukwonago. Senator Lazich has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. She considers herself a tireless crusader for lower taxes, reduced spending and smaller government.
Wisconsinites Continue To Oppose Government Health Care
During August 2007, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) released a poll showing 64 percent of voters supported market-based health care reform and 54 percent of voters disapproved of the government-run health care plan proposed by state Senate Democrats. Wisconsinites opposed the plan because of the potential for health care rationing, waiting lists, and higher taxes. A recent poll by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI) demonstrates opposition to a state-run government health care program remains heavy. The WPRI reports:
“There is very little support for the idea of a state-run insurance system. Wisconsin residents believe that if a government-run health insurance system were set up in Wisconsin, out-of-state people would definitely immigrate to Wisconsin to enroll in the system.
We asked a question that dealt with a proposal to replace Wisconsin’s current private health insurance system with a universal health insurance system controlled by the state government. Only 34% of the residents of the state approved that idea while 53% disapproved it. On this particular question there were some demographic differences across the state. 43% of outstate Wisconsin residents approved this idea, while 45% disapproved of it.
In the Milwaukee suburbs, only 26% approved it, while 55% disapproved it. In Madison, 36% of the residents approved it, while 46% disapproved it.
The largest gaps were the political and ideological demographics. 58% of Democrats approved of this idea, while only 13% of Republicans and 28% of residents who said they were Independent approved. Ideologically, 59% of Liberals supported this idea, while only 8% of Conservatives did.
There was also an age spread in support – 50% of residents between the ages of 18 and 24 supported this idea of a state-controlled health care system, but only 28% of our senior citizens 65 and older supported the idea, while 58% disapproved of it.
Finally we asked if Wisconsin established a government-run health care system if residents thought people would move to Wisconsin in order to enroll in this program. 58% said yes, 30% said no. 60% of our residents in Green Bay thought that there would be migration, as did 64% in Southeastern Wisconsin.
The strongest opposition to this question of potential migration came from Milwaukee suburbs where 41% said that there would not be migration and 40% in Waukesha County.Again there were some political and ideological differences. 67% of Republicans thought there would be migration, while 51% of Democrats agreed that there would be migration. Among Conservatives, 67% thought that migration would happen, while only 47% of Liberals felt the same way.”
The survey of 600 Wisconsin residents was conducted between November 9 and 10, 2008. Here are the complete survey results.
State Senate Democrats plan to reintroduce their government health care plan in the next legislative session. The same plan that was rejected in the previous session was estimated to cost an astounding $15.2 billion.
I remind everyone that the Senate Democrats’ plan was ridiculed by the Wall Street Journal and John Stossel of ABC News.
Another key reminder: Government health care isn’t free.
The Tax Foundation in Washington D.C. called the $15.2 billion tax increase, “off the charts.”
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