On the 12 days of Christmas, what we really want from Governor Doyle and the state legislature, specifically the Joint Committee on Finance, is that they...

1st day: Lower tuition for all UW students back to 2002 levels--$1400 less at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee and $1000 at all other UW schools

2nd day: Increase state funding for scholarships for students of color and working-class students (TRIO, AAP, POSSE, etc.) and demand more accountability of the Board of Regents' Plan 2008, the UW System-wide diversity initiative

3rd day: Ensure zero-cost healthcare and cost-of-living pay increases for TA's, faculty, campus workers, and all state employees

4th day: Restore the faculty and classes cut in 2002

5th day: Take a strong stand against the so-called "Taxpayer Bill of Rights" (TABOR), which would decimate the UW and all other social services, and all attempts at privatization of the UW and state institutions

6th day: Lead the struggle against the "Defense of Marriage Amendment," which would put discrimination against LGBT citizens into the Wisconsin constitution; instead, fund domestic partnership benefits for all UW and state employees

7th day: Grant in-state tuition to Wisconsin immigrant students, as was proposed under AB 95 this session

8th day: Fully fund disability services on UW campuses, including the McBurney Center at UW- Madison

9th day: Make K-12 education funding equitable across the state, so that all students - from Marshfield to Milwaukee - have an equal opportunity to get a college education

10th day: Institute a truly progressive tax system, in which corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share and the state has the resources necessary to help those who need it

11 th day: Decrease the level of state spending on prisons; show Wisconsin's youth that your priorities are education, not incarceration.

12th day: Meet with UW students and workers in person before you introduce the 2005- 2007 state budget to discuss how you will meet these urgent needs that face Wisconsin residents

The Nice List:

Rep. Therese Berceau - Nice*  
Rep. Spencer Black - Nice* 
Sen. Tim Carpenter - Nice* 
Rep. Pedro Colon - Nice 
Sen. Mike Ellis - Nice 
Sen. Bob Jauch - Nice
Sen. Julie Lassa - Nice* 
Atty. Gen. Peg Lautenschlager -Nice 
Sen. Mark Miller - Nice
U.S. Rep Gwen Moore - Nice* 
Rep. Mark Pocan - Nice*
Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts - Nice* 
Sen. Fred Risser - Nice*
Sen. Judy Robson - Nice x
Sen. Dale Schultz - Mostly Nice 
Rep. Gary Sherman - Nice
Rep. Christine Sinicki - Nice
Sen. Lena Taylor - Nice
Rep. Dave Travis - Nice
Sen. Bob Wirch - Nice x


The Naughty List:

Sen. Roger Breske - Naughty*
Sen. Alberta Darling - Naughty*
Governor Jim Doyle - Naughty
Sen. Scott Fitzgerald - Naughty*
Rep. John Gard - Naughty*
Sen. Glenn Grothman - Naughty*
Sen. Dave Hansen - Naughty*
Rep. Frank Lasee -Naughty*
Rep. Steve Nass - Naughty*
Sen. Tom Reynolds - Naughty*


The Watch List:

Sen. Ron Brown - Too Close to Call
Sen. Sheila Harsdorf - Too Close to Call
Rep. Dean Kaufert - Qualified Nice x

The Teaching Assistants' Association is a progressive labor union representing nearly 3,000 teaching and project assistants at UW-Madison and UW-Extension. For our second annual "Naughty and Nice" list, we considered elected officials' performance over the last calendar year on labor issues, civil rights and funding for all levels of education. As teachers and as state employees, we are deeply concerned with the balance between citizens' financial contributions to the state and the services they receive from it. Most specifically, we believe that quality education is a right for all Wisconsinites. To this end, we support policies that maintain and enhance access and quality at all levels of education: pre-K through PhD. We believe that the only way to ensure these values is by working for a fair and inclusive society. As a result, we are deeply concerned with equality for all Wisconsinites and oppose all measures that erode the legal recognition of our common humanity. We feel that as educators, scholars and workers, we have much to contribute to public discourse. This sense of service to the state at large motivates us to annually evaluate our elected officials. Persons whose names are marked with a star (*) have maintained their "naughty" or "nice" status in consecutive years. Those whose names are marked with an (x) have changed status in the past year.