I’ve knocked on thousands of doors in rural Outagamie County over the past year, and I’ve heard it all — from farmers struggling with crumbling roads to volunteer fire chiefs struggling to recruit and retain volunteers to parents desperate for child care to stressed-out caregivers trying to navigate our healthcare system to educators and administrators in Hortonville, Freedom, and Shiocton scraping together every dime to support students.

These are real Wisconsinites doing their best to care for their families and keep their communities strong. But the people elected to represent them? They’re playing political games while the rest of us pay the price.

Last week, I attended a listening session in Black Creek, a small town in the heart of State Rep. Dave Murphy’s and State Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara’s districts. We talked through issues that were important to those gathered — public school funding, expanding (or at least protecting) Medicaid, supporting small businesses, and more — and some offered solutions to explore.

When a few of us proposed freezing increases for the wealthiest school districts so that underfunded rural schools could catch up, our local legislators squirmed. Not because they disagreed — but because they didn’t want to explain it to rich suburban districts.

Then, when asked about Governor Evers’ proposal to tax income over $1 million at a fairer rate of 9.8%, and is projected to generate $1.3 billion over the biennium, Murphy actually laughed. “All the rich people would leave,” they said.

Let that sink in.

They won’t ask millionaires to pay a dime more. They won’t stand up to wealthier districts or private schools receiving taxpayer money via vouchers in order to give struggling schools a fighting chance. Instead, they laugh off solutions — and make it crystal clear who they’re really working for.

This isn’t just neglect. It’s betrayal.

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Republican leaders gutted more than 600 provisions from Governor Evers’ budget — many of them wildly popular with voters across party lines. Expanding Medicaid. Investing in child care. Supporting mental health. Fixing rural roads. Increasing funding for our public schools. They slashed it all — not because they had better ideas, but because they didn’t want the governor to get credit.

That’s not governing. That’s sabotage.

Take the Agricultural Road Improvement Program, for example. Townships across our area applied for these grants to repair the roads that farmers, milk haulers, and emergency services rely on every day. The need is obvious. The funding was there, and Evers included it in his budget proposal. But Republicans cut it anyway.

Now they’re saying policy doesn’t belong in the budget. That it’ll be introduced later, as separate bills. Maybe. If it suits them. And maybe they’ll take credit for some of it.

But this is no way to run a state. We’ve got to get back to putting people before political wins. Period.

Because while GOP leaders are obsessing over who gets the headline, real people are struggling. Rural EMS teams can’t keep enough volunteers. Town governments are falling behind on road repairs. Families are one surprise bill away from a crisis. And school districts are being forced to ask taxpayers for more — just to keep the lights on.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin is sitting on a record-breaking budget surplus.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about not having the money. It’s about priorities. It’s about choosing tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy instead of investing in families, farms, roads, schools, and small towns.

Too many lawmakers are more afraid of losing favor with millionaires than failing the voters who sent them to Madison. And when we call them on it? They laugh. They dodge. They deflect.

This isn’t representation. It’s all a game, and they’ve rigged it in their favor.

Wisconsinites deserve better. We deserve leaders who listen, not just to donors or political consultants — but to parents, teachers, nurses, retirees, and farmers. We deserve budgets that reflect our values, not just reward the powerful. We deserve a government that works — not just for a few, but for all of us.

We know what needs to be done and we see clearly now who’s standing in the way. If we keep letting politicians prioritize donors and party power over real people, nothing will change. But if we organize, speak up, and hold them accountable, we can build a Wisconsin that works for everyone — not just the wealthiest few. Our communities are worth fighting for.

Contact your representatives. Demand they do what’s right for their constituents — not just what’s safe for their political careers. And always, always demand accountability for the votes they take — or the ones they refuse to. Wisconsin deserves better, and it’s up to us to make sure we get it.

Emily Tseffos is the chair of the Democratic Party of Outagamie County in northeastern Wisconsin, 2024 State Assembly candidate, and former statewide organizer for Indivisible. She is dedicated to electing progressive candidates locally and prioritizes building sustainable, genuine grassroots capacity in larger cities and rural communities through strategic, consistent development.

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Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer and at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social.

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