Health insurance tops Rep. Black's constituent survey
06 05 08 - 13:33
Health insurance for all Wisconsin residents is a key concern in the 77th Assembly District, according to the annual legislative survey conducted by state Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison.
"It's clear that my constituents believe the government should have a role in health care," Black said in a statement announcing the results of the survey. "Health care costs are skyrocketing, and more people are struggling to afford necessary, basic care."
Black represents part of Madison's west side, Shorewood Hills and part of Middleton. He's been conducting a survey of his constituents every year for the past 24 years, asking how they feel about various proposals before the Legislature.
In the survey, 76 percent of the respondents felt the government should make sure all Wisconsin residents have health insurance, either from an employer or some other source, while only 12 percent were opposed to it. Satisfaction in the health care system in Wisconsin was mixed, with 47 percent either strongly or somewhat satisfied and 44 percent somewhat or strongly dissatisfied.
Most of the respondents (88 percent) were opposed to a proposal from Rep. Frank Lasee, R-Bellevue, that would allow schoolteachers to carry guns in school to strengthen school security.
"Representative Lasee set a new record," Black said. "I've never seen a proposal by a legislator receive so little support."
On other legislative proposals, 84 percent of the respondents in the 77th district opposed allowing children to hunt as young as 10 years old, 84 percent opposed allowing residents to carry concealed weapons, 53 percent supported police being able to ticket motorists for not wearing seat belts without another traffic violation as the cause for the stop, and 63 percent supported enforcing traffic signal laws by using cameras taking pictures of license plates of drivers running red lights.
Other survey results showed 84 percent supporting the Great Lakes compact preventing water being diverted from the lakes outside the region, 85 percent supporting a proposal requiring utilities and major industries to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent by 2020, while only 20 percent supported and 44 percent opposed requiring all gasoline sold in Wisconsin to contain at least 10 percent ethanol.