Treating what's ailing Wisconsin

The number from the last census show that poverty has been growing more quickly in Wisconsin than any other state. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel highlights some of the specifics in an editorial, Taking our medicine:

In the state as a whole, the number of people in poverty jumped 109,960 between 2000 and 2004. In that period, the Milwaukee metropolitan area's number jumped 43,256, or nearly 40% of the total. That's sizable but still means that 60% of poverty growth was elsewhere. Overall, metro Milwaukee accounts for only about 32.6% of the state's total poverty number for 2004.

I share my opinion of the best solution to the problem with Essie Allen, who recently told the Journal Sentinel Editorial board, "Education leads to jobs, which leads to income, which leads to stability."

The JS builds upon her thoughts:

The solution is, as Allen's prescription suggests, getting more students through high school with the skill sets to go on to college or technical training that will land them the jobs capable of supporting families. This means more heat from the public on school boards to start thinking more creatively to achieve this.

Increased poverty, of course, means beefing up, not scaling back, safety net programs and very much calls into question the efficacy of the state's W-2 program. But, ultimately, we'd much rather have a community so rich with meaningful jobs that safety nets are not as necessary.

It's my opinion that public education, both the K-12 and University systems, is the single most important investment the state can make. Highway projects, gas price regulation, property tax "freezes" (I hate that term, by the way) on any level, even medical programs, are nothing when compared with education. Education has an impact on society and the economy at every level.

Maybe if some of our state legislators paid more attention in school themselves, they might realize that providing each young person in Wisconsin with a quality education will reduce the percentage of the state budget that's now spent on the welfare programs they dislike so much.