2025 will be a year of transition

The Oxford English Dictionary defines transition as “the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another. For example, ‘students in transition from one program to another.’” Our lives, families and communities are constantly in a state of transition. From toddlers taking their first steps, to people getting married, to starting new jobs or retiring, transitions are a part of the world we live in. All things go through the cycle of growth, maturity and then passing on.

Life is a perpetual relay race where one generation passes the baton to another, moving ever forward.

2025 marks the one quarter milestone of the 21st century. This is significant in that those born in the year 2000 will now be constitutionally eligible to run for the House of Representatives and have a direct voice in national government. In the coming years the voices of those born in this century will grow ever-stronger as they take their places as leaders in our communities, our states and the world we live in.

As we look ahead to the coming year there is transition at play in all things. In an ideal world, these transitions would be seamless, the perfect hand-off from the old to the new. The reality is often far different with fumbled handoffs leading to rocky starts for those going forward. As always, outside factors will have an impact, creating challenges that must be overcome.

It is important to try and look ahead to be prepared for what will come in the new year to impact our communities.

County Emergency services

On the local level, Taylor County is once again looking at potential changes in how emergency medical services are being provided. The options run from the expensive to the very expensive to the prohibitively expensive with legitimate concerns about level of service and equity in not only coverage, but in who is ultimately paying the bills.

The issues facing local ambulance services have been simmering for a long time and have been a worry for anyone with a calendar and a calculator. There has been a long-term concern about the number of new volunteers going into the service at a lower rate than long-time veterans leaving.

This is not unique to Taylor County, nor is it unique to the ambulance service. Nationally there has been a dramatic decline in the number of younger people going into these volunteer emergency provider positions in rural communities. There are many causes for this. Foremost among them is the changing demographics of rural areas with communities getting older with comparatively fewer younger people.

Other factors include changes in the relationships between employers and employees, with policy and decision makers for companies often hundreds or even thousands of miles away. This can greatly impact the ability of people to even go on calls during work hours.

The answer has been to switch from volunteer-based services to hybrid fulltime and on-call services to those entirely staffed by full-time, career personnel.

With each step comes additional costs. Despite what some politicians may believe, the pockets of residents and businesses are not bottomless. There are only so many resources to go around and there is a fiscal responsibility to ensure that resources in equipment and staffing are being utilized to their fullest level. The challenge is in balancing this with providing equitable levels of coverage and response times between rural and more urban areas that does not diminish the coverage levels in the more densely populated portions of the county.

State Budget and Political Gamesmanship

In odd numbered years, the state of Wisconsin passes a new two-year budget. Former state senator and joint finance committee chairman Russ Decker once described the budget process as being a “dog and pony show.”

The state budget has long passed out of being a simple listing of costs and expenses into being a document that is tied up with politics, influence, and ambition. Special interest groups have been making budget requests, repeating well-rehearsed talking points. Lobbyists have been working overtime to promote their organizations’ interests. And those with political ambitions have been paying close attention to the way the winds are blowing to build or add to their existing power base. In a very real way, the state budget process brings out the worst in state politics.

It would be easy to disregard all of this as just being Madison politicians looking to score points in the same old political games. The state of Wisconsin has its fingers in just about every pot when it comes to budgetary impacts at the municipal, county, school and regional governments and services.

Wisconsin is lucky in that it is going into the coming budget year with a healthy surplus. Rather than fighting over crumbs or facing steep cuts, there are calls to increase spending. Every special interest has a proposal to use to empty the state’s coffers and improve their particular area.

Into the mix the state is seeing Speaker Robin Vos and his cronies calling for using tax dollars to create groups to examine spending at the state and local levels patterned off one proposed by presidentelect Donald Trump for the federal government.

With Wisconsin dropping steadily in the rankings of states as far as the tax burden on individual residents, it is questionable if such a taxpayer funded effort would do anything more than provide another round of Milwaukeebashing headlines. 69th District Rep. Karen Hurd has been appointed to the joint finance committee which will have the Herculean task of hammering out the budget. This gives the area at least a voice at the table and an opportunity to ensure that the needs of rural portions of the state are addressed.

State, National and Local Economy

The past year has been one of heightened nervousness when it comes to the economy.

Much of this nervousness was centered around the presidential election. This is nothing new. Any time there are changes in national leadership there are questions raised and concerns about what it will mean for all areas of the economy. Time will tell if any of these concerns bear fruit or if they will be pushed to the background.

This trepidation has been evidenced in the bottom line of consumer spending at the local level as evidenced by county and state sales taxes showing a slowdown in spending. This has many causes, from the increasing use of online retailers who don’t pay into county sales taxes — a loophole in the state law that needs to be addressed — to families tightening their belts in the reality of inflation.

Consumer spending drives the economy. Those on social media taking part in a viral trend for a “no spending new year” need to study a primer on economics 101 before they derail years of economic growth. While income disparity in America is a legitimate concern as the nation seeks to repeat its “Gilded Age,” the economic reality is stores need to sell things in order to keep their lights on and their workers employed. Likewise, without people buying things the factories that make things will shut down leaving families without income. While this is an overly simplistic example of cause and effect, people need to think about the destination before they jump on a bandwagon.

As America transitions into a new presidency, a major concern facing Wisconsin is the impact proposed tariffs will bring. About 20% of the state’s economic output comes from manufacturing. Manufacturing relies on access to raw materials as well as markets for finished products. Wisconsin’s economic health would suffer if the proposed tariffs come to reality. Hopefully the comments made about potential trade wars are no more than hyperbolic bluster to create bargaining chips.

To the unprepared, transitions can be scary things. There is always the underlying fear of the unknown and the unexpected.

By looking ahead to what could happen in the coming year and taking steps now, individuals can relieve those fears and be prepared for making the hard choices when they arise.

As we as a community and nation brace for the proverbial shoe to fall, it is important to continue to have hope. Change can be scary, but it is necessary and with any change there is a hope for a brighter tomorrow.