Monthly Archives: December, 2020

A recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal sparked a heated debate over the use of the title “Dr.” by future First Lady Jill Biden, suggesting that only medical doctors should be accorded this courtesy title. Despite raising the same issue a decade ago – when the Bidens were Vice President and Second Lady – and openly ridiculing members of the Trump administration for the same practice, the media largely embraced the notion of “Dr. Jill Biden.” Yet a closer look at their own practices shows a stark gap between rhetoric and reality.

CNN published several pieces condemning the Journal’s op-ed and arguing that not calling Biden “Dr.” amounted to sexism. Yet the graph below (using data from the Internet Archive’s Television News Archive) shows the total seconds of airtime since Jan. 1, 2020, in which BBC News, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News either spoke or displayed in the onscreen text “Dr. Biden” or “Dr. Jill Biden.”

For all its outrage, CNN has consistently declined to address Biden by her chosen title. In fact, CNN displayed “Dr. Biden” onscreen for just 6 minutes this entire year, compared with 4.45 hours on Fox News.

The various networks’ coverage of Jill Biden’s DNC address ranged from usage of “Dr. Jill Biden” on BBC News and Fox News to “Jill Biden” on MSNBC and, remarkably, “Joe Biden’s Wife” on CNN (though in various airings of the address, each network cycled through different titles).

Those condemning the Wall Street Journal today might ask themselves whether their own policies need updating.

(The Center Square) – Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature are taking a victory lap after another report shows the state’s financial picture is improving.

The Legislative Audit Bureau this week released its review of the state’s financial statements from the 2019-2020 budget year. The audit states that Wisconsin has erased its general fund deficit.

“The General Fund’s total fund balance improved from a deficit of $763.1 million as of June 30, 2019, to a surplus of $1.5 million as of June 30, 2020,” auditors wrote.

Republicans in both the Assembly and Senate cheered the news.

“I first ran for office in part because, as a Certified Public Accountant, I was astonished the state was using borderline fraudulent accounting methods," Sen. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield, said. "In 2010, Wisconsin was in the company of California, Illinois, and New Jersey. Today we are fiscally solvent, we have been running budget surpluses, our pension system is nearly fully funded, and our rainy day fund is stronger than ever.”

Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, offered similar sentiments.

“Turning around a big ship like Government takes time, perseverance and patience," Kapenga said. "My fellow CPAs and I came in from the private sector to make a difference, and this is an example of how applying common sense to government budgeting can help the citizens we serve.”

Even Gov. Tony Evers chimed in to celebrate the news.

“Our diligence of investing in the issues Wisconsinites care about without running up the state’s credit card has paid off and helps us ensure Wisconsin’s future economic stability, which is as important as ever,” Evers said. “This is great news for our state and will put us in a stronger position to move our state forward and focus on the priorities of the people.”

But Republicans in Madison say it was their hard work rather than the governor’s that brought Wisconsin to this point.

“Nearly a billion dollars in tax relief this session, the books are balanced, the rainy day fund is healthy and the GAAP balance is positive for the first time in decades,” Rep. John Macco, R-Ledgeview, said. “This didn’t happen by accident and certainly not overnight. For the past ten years we have been making intentional decisions to build a strong economic foundation for future generations of Wisconsinites. It is imperative that our committee continues to build on Wisconsin’s strong position, and we are committed to doing just that.”

“[Wisconsin] has improved its financial position by over $3 billion dollars in the past nine years. It has taken steady fiscal discipline to get us to where we are today,” Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, said. “My Senate district borders Illinois. What a contrast between the financial condition of Wisconsin and Illinois!”

The audit also found that Wisconsin’s Budget Stabilization Fund, also known as the rainy day fund, increased by nearly $106 million. It is currently sitting at $762 million. That is the largest rainy day fund in Wisconsin history.

There are some concerns in the latest audit. The LAB found that Wisconsin’s unassigned fund balance had a deficit of $1.1 billion as of June 30, 2020.

“The General Fund unassigned fund balance represents that more resources were spent or obligated for other purposes than were received or anticipated to be received in the near term,” auditors wrote.

The auditors also noted several persistent problems at the state’s Department of Workforce Development in administering Wisconsin’s unemployment claims.

(The Center Square) – The $2.3 trillion omnibus bill passed by Congress includes $900 billion for additional coronavirus relief and is full of wasteful spending of taxpayer money on programs that have nothing to do with the coronavirus, numerous critics argue.

CATO Institute’s Chris Edwards points out that the bill “is an astounding 5,585 pages in length, including 544 pages for coronavirus relief, 1,915 pages for appropriations, and 3,126 pages for extensions and corrections.

“If it were printed at 11 inches per page, that’s 61,435 inches or 5,120 feet," Edwards said. "Since there are 5,280 feet in a mile, the bill is almost a mile of paper end to end.”

The nonprofit government watchdog OpenTheBooks.com said, “Christmas came early for Washington,” and listed “just a few examples of taxpayer abuse” in the bill, including:

$10 million for "gender programs" in Pakistan$40 million for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts$10 billion to loan forgiveness to the United States Post Office$14 billion for mass transit programs, $10 billion for state highways, and $1 billion for Amtrak$15 billion for live entertainment venues, cultural institutions, and independent movie theaters$82 billion to K-12 schools and $23 billion to colleges and universities.

Open the Books CEO Adam Andrzejewski asks Americans, “Are you OK with your hard-earned tax dollars being spent like this? We are not.”

Americans for Prosperity’s Brent Gardner says the bill is “packed with wasteful and unrelated spending provisions,” adding, “It may be the season of giving, but that does not mean lawmakers should be giving taxpayer money away recklessly. Americans deserve better.”

One addition tucked in the bill is the Protecting Lawful Streaming Act introduced by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., which targets “large-scale, criminal, for-profit streaming services, not good faith business disputes or noncommercial activities. Nor does it target individuals who access the pirated streams, knowingly or unknowingly, TV Technology reports.

Spike Cohen, retired Libertarian Party candidate for Vice President, tweeted that by voting for the bill, Congress “just robbed you of about $2,750 each and gave you $600 of it back, but if you watch a pirated copy of Mandalorian you could end up in prison, unable to ever get a business license, buried in fines for the rest of your life.

“If you stream copyrighted content without permission, you're now a federal felon, punishable by jail time, fines, losing your right to vote or own a firearm, etc. But they gave you $600 of your own money though.”

The National Association of Broadcasters, which supports the bill, says it was "tailored to deter large-scale copyright piracy while ensuring that legitimate licenses are not subject to potential prosecution."

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, voted against the bill, arguing there were “countless pet projects that will escape close scrutiny” because of the bill's size.

“Had this bill been solely focused on re-opening the economy, getting Americans back to work, and jump starting a recovery, it would have had my enthusiastic support," he said.

The “5,600-page spending package fails to make any meaningful spending cuts and instead advances the interests of the radical Left, special interests, and swamp lobbyists” and paves the way for implementing a radical environmental program.

(The Center Square) – Two cities in North Carolina and two in California are in the top five among the best cities in the country for celebrating Christmas, according to a new study from WalletHub.

Durham, N.C., edged out San Jose, Calif., by less than one point to take the top spot with a cumulative score of 68.16, compared to 67.99. Honolulu, Hawaii, took third with 67.92 points, followed by Oakland, Calif., (67.09) and Raleigh, N.C. (67).

WalletHub compared the 100 most populated cities to come up with the rankings using four key dimensions: safety, traditions, observance and generosity.

Each of those dimensions were then evaluated using a number of key metrics that were graded on a 100-point scale and then weighted against population to determine a final score.

Under safety, for example, researchers looked at the average weekly number of coronavirus cases and deaths per capita, with Honolulu taking the top spot.

Durham tied for first along with Miami and New York City for the most Christmas tree farms per capita in the traditions category, with Las Vegas and Raleigh rounding out the top five. This category also included metrics such as Google search interest for things like “Christmas light show” and “Christmas dinner,” along with the number of bakeries per capita and the average cost of beer and wine.

Philadelphia ranked first overall for tradition, followed by Las Vegas and two Arizona cities, Glendale and Gilbert.

For generosity, WalletHub looked at a number of metrics, including food banks per capita, share of income donated to charity and online giving per capita. Seattle ranked first, followed by Madison, Wisc., and Washington, D.C.

Seattle, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Denver all tied for first for most food banks per capita.

Under observance, cities were ranked by the percentage of residents who identify as Christian and the number of churches per capita, with Birmingham, Ala., in the top spot. Other highly ranked cities were major metropolitan areas, including New York, Chicago, Cleveland and St. Louis.

WalletHub also noted that this holiday season in particular will be stressful for many because of the coronavirus pandemic due to things like lockdowns, social distancing and loss of income. A panel of experts weighed in with advice on things like celebrating on a budget and celebrating safely.

“Ideally, your Christmas budget should be planned at the beginning of the year or at least five or six months before you begin shopping,” Jane Boyd Thomas, a marketing professor at Winthrop University in South Carolina, said. “This approach will enable you to save a little for holiday gifts and other related expenses.”

Jack Samuels, a professor of hospitality and tourism, suggested exploring outdoor recreation activities to remain safe.

“Well, the biggest one is what everyone knows, social distancing and masks. There is no substitute,” he said. “The snow sports industry has done some amazing things to keep us safe on the hills. In the warmer parts of the country, outdoor activities like hiking are safe and inexpensive.”

(The Center Square) – South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said he will not cast a veto-override vote in favor of an appropriations bill to fund military operations unless the act is amended to include a reform of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Trump vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act on Wednesday morning, citing several objections to the act, including that it lacked Section 230 reform.

Section 230 stipulates internet platforms or interactive computer services may not be treated as publishers or speakers, and, therefore, may not be held liable for information or behavior on those platforms. Under the provision, social media companies such as Twitter and Facebook may not be held responsible for exercising editorial control over what may or may not be posted on their sites.

In a memo to Congress explaining his veto, Trump called the act “a gift to China and Russia.”

“The Act fails even to make any meaningful changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, despite bipartisan calls for repealing that provision,” Trump wrote. “Section 230 facilitates the spread of foreign disinformation online, which is a serious threat to our national security and election integrity. It must be repealed.”

The NDAA passed both houses of Congress by veto-proof majorities. Graham, who did not cast a vote on the act when it passed earlier this month, said Wednesday he will not cast a veto-override vote supporting the act without including Section 230 reform.

“House’s refusal to wind down Section 230 for Big Tech shows they care more about Big Tech than working Americans,” Graham said in a tweet.

“Congress should vote to Repeal Section 230 as requested by President [Trump],” Graham added. “I will not vote to override presidential veto unless effort is made to wind down Section 230.”

(The Center Square) – Milwaukee public school students missed the entire first half of the school year, and that turned out to be deadly for some.

Milwaukee County’s medical examiner said her office handled 16 homicides involving high school aged children from September until mid-December. All of the victims were shot.

"We have seen a dramatic increase in the number of school-aged kids who have been victims of homicide this year," Sara Schreiber with the medical examiner's office told Milwaukee’s Fox affiliate.

Both the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County will set homicide records in 2020. The year is not yet over, and both governments say their death toll is nearly 200.

Community activists in Milwaukee say had the 16 young people been in school, they may still be alive.

Activist Tracey Dent said the coronavirus has more young people at home, and some of them are unsupervised.

"The first thing that comes to mind is the COVID," Dent said. "The shutdowns of the schools, the lack of resources."

Sen. Dale Kooyegna, R-Brookfield, said each one of the 16 deaths is a tragedy. He also said no one can overlook that kids in Milwaukee haven’t been in school for months, and that decision is exposing them to just as many risks as the coronavirus.

“Unfortunately, it’s just the latest evidence we have that keeping in-person education closed down and kids out of classrooms has been horribly counterproductive. The science is becoming pretty clear that all-virtual has failed many students, especially the students who were most disadvantaged to begin with,” Kooyenga told The Center Square.

Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services tracks coronavirus deaths by age group. DHS reports that just one person under 19 has died from the coronavirus since March.

Kooyenga said lawmakers and local school leaders need to consider the real threat as they plan to welcome students back to class after the holidays.

“Policymakers need to realize that public health and public safety are intertwined. Both are important to strong, healthy communities. It’s time for schools to take Dr. Fauci’s advice, follow the science, and open up to in-person learning again,” Kooyenga added.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s newest tool to track the coronavirus is now online.

The state’s Department of Health Services on Wednesday launched the Wisconsin Exposure Notification App.

The app, which is already installed on iPhones, uses Bluetooth technology to anonymously ping nearby smartphones, which then alerts people when someone tests positive.

“This is another tool in our toolbox for helping stop the spread across Wisconsin,” Gov. Tony Evers said. “This app is completely voluntary, but the more people who use it, the more effective it will be. Now that we have a vaccine, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, folks, but we’re not in the clear just yet – we still need everyone to do their part to help fight this virus.”

Android phone users will need to download the app, and everyone who wants to use it will have to opt in.

DHS and the Evers administration are stressing that while the app will help track the spread of the coronavirus, it will not track people.

“Wisconsin Exposure Notification does not use, collect, or store any GPS data or personal details,” the governor’s office said in a statement. “Instead, it uses Bluetooth technology to anonymously share Bluetooth signals with other smartphones using the app nearby. Wisconsinites who use the app will receive a text message if they test positive for COVID-19 asking if they want to notify other people who were in their close proximity for at least 15 minutes (as tracked by their phone) that they have been exposed to COVID-19.”

DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm said, just like the coronavirus vaccine, the more people who use the app, the better.

“By downloading or enabling the app, and entering your code if you test positive, you can help notify people of exposure, which can help stop the spread,” Palm said.

The Supreme Court of the United States granted review in the consolidated cases National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) v. Alston and American Athletic Conference v. Alston for a total of one hour of oral argument during its 2020-2021 October Term. The cases originated from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and have not yet been scheduled for argument before SCOTUS.

The cases: In 2014, a class of Division 1 (“D1″) student-athletes, collectively referred to as “Alston” and as “student-athletes,” filed several antitrust complaints against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) and 11 D1 conferences in federal district court, challenging the NCAA’s compensation rules for student-athletes. The NCAA claimed that the challenge was settled in a previous case, O’Bannon v. NCAA. The Northern District of California ordered the NCAA to make its compensation rules less restrictive for student-athletes and ruled that the compensation rules in their iteration at that time were unlawful restraints of trade under the Sherman Antitrust Act (“Sherman Act”). On appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit affirmed the district court’s conclusion, order, and its assessment of liability. The NCAA appealed to the Supreme Court.

The issue (NCAA v. Alston): Whether the 9th Circuit’s holding that the NCAA eligibility rules regarding student-athletes’ compensation violate federal antitrust law was in error.

The issue (American Athletic Conference v. Alston): “Whether the Sherman Act authorizes a court to subject the product-defining rules of a joint venture to full Rule of Reason review, and to hold those rules unlawful if, in the court’s view, they are not the least restrictive means that could have been used to accomplish their procompetitive goal.”

The outcome: The appeals are pending adjudication before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court began hearing cases for the term on October 5, 2020. As of December 21, the court had agreed to hear 49 cases during its 2020-2021 term. Of those, 12 were originally scheduled for the 2019-2020 term but were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The court had issued opinions in 10 cases this term. Four cases were decided without argument.

It’s just a few days before Christmas and millions of Americans are still waiting for their deliveries to arrive. Washington Post contributor Abha Bhattarai notes, “Retailers and shippers are rushing to move an estimated 3 billion packages this holiday season, a nearly 30 percent jump from last year.” More than 2 million packages are falling behind schedule every day, with some packages arriving a week late. The beleaguered United States Postal Service (USPS) is struggling to deliver reliable service, but this is difficult given historic volumes and 14,000 sidelined employees. Fortunately, the USPS has a system in place to hand off mail to private shippers who are currently delivering faster than the agency can. With some help from the private sector, the USPS can take the heat off Santa this Christmas.

Across the country, post offices are so backed up with packages that employees are having a tough time keeping track of them and scanning them into the system. According to USPS workers interviewed by Indianapolis-based 13News, the system simply cannot work when postal facilities “are sending out eight semi-trucks of packages a night … [but] … are getting 16 trucks a night…” And as usual, the USPS has proven utterly incapable of communicating its problems with the public. One Indiana postal employee notes, “All priority mail is now running one-to-two weeks behind, but the post office won't admit that. They won't tell anybody anything.”

This problem is exacerbated by the USPS’ traditional position as the last-mile deliverer of mail and packages. Even private shippers such as UPS, FedEx, and Amazon have relied on America’s mail carrier to get packages to consumers’ doorsteps (though that is changing). So, when there is a bottleneck in USPS deliveries, consumers often pay the price regardless of who originally shipped out their package.

Fortunately, the USPS does have a program in place to contract out last-mile deliveries to private individuals and shippers. The agency sometimes uses its Contract Delivery Service (CDS) to compensate private parties to get mail from Point A to Point B, helping the USPS fulfill its universal service obligation. But these contractor services only account for a small portion of overall postal deliveries. CDS contractors deliver mail to about 3 million delivery points per year, compared to about 160 million delivery points overall across the country. These agreements with private companies and individual contractors cost the agency approximately $400 million annually, compared to more than $80 billion in total yearly USPS operating expenses.

It’s long past time to expand these fledgling services. Currently, USPS’ private counterparts such as UPS and FedEx are outpacing the agency in delivery times. According to shipping data analytics firm ShipMatrix, “For December 6 thru 12, FedEx was at 93.9%, UPS at 96.1 percent, and USPS at 87.5% [for on-time delivery performance]. This means over 3.5 million parcels now are experiencing a delay of one or more days in coming days due to a decline in their performance compared to the period of Nov 22 thru Dec 5 when FedEx was at 94.9%, UPS at 96.3% and USPS at 92.8%.”

Part of this discrepancy is because private shippers have more flexibility in choosing their consumers. But, these private shippers also have greater hiring flexibility to offset any COVID-related staffing shortages and appear to offer better virus-related protections to its workers. Companies, after all, have far more of an incentive to keep their employees healthy and working than government agencies.

The USPS expanding their CDS program would mean being able to offload historically large package volume onto companies and contractors with a proven track-record. And, because the agency has about $14 billion in cash on hand, expanding its contractor compensation program is feasible. The agency should, however, be vigilant about monitoring fraud in the program. A 2019 report by the Inspector General found, “that the Postal Service paid about $12.5 million above annual contract costs to CDS suppliers in fiscal year (FY) 2018.”

With increased monitoring over the program and expanded competition, the USPS should be able to deliver substantial cost savings while alleviating their shipping burden. It’s time to empty those trucks and fill Americans’ stockings.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s governor says he wants lawmakers to vote on his coronavirus relief package by the end of the year, but no one is expecting that to happen.

Gov. Tony Evers on Monday unveiled a $100 million package that he is calling a "compromise."

“It is time to move forward on provisions where there is agreement,” Evers wrote in a letter to the top Republicans in the state legislature. “As I have repeatedly indicated, the goal was to have a bill passed by mid-December, but was willing to give you additional time to speak to your caucuses to find a united, bipartisan approach. However, we now face the end of the year, and a bill has not yet been passed.”

Evers’ plan contains mostly technical changes, but would guarantee government covers the cost of the coronavirus vaccine through the state’s SeniorCare and BadgerCare programs, as well as shift state workers to cover the unemployment backlog that has thousands of people in Wisconsin still waiting to get their jobless benefits.

“To be clear, this list is not perfect,” Evers said in his letter. “I would certainly hope for more support to our state’s continued response to the pandemic, and it is unfortunate there seemed to be no appetite from your caucuses on other items such as ensuring those impacted by COVID-19 aren't evicted from their homes, requiring insurers to cover all telehealth services, easing work search requirements for those who have lost their jobs and can’t find new work, and making it easier for healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19 to claim workers compensation.”

Evers then put the legislature on the clock.

“Wisconsinites are demanding and deserve the legislature to reconvene and pass legislation that addresses the continuing needs of our response to COVID-19. I agree, and I hope at the very least this first compromise bill will be sent to my desk quickly and without delay, even if it means meeting during the next two weeks,” the governor wrote.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, on Monday said the governor is once again demanding that lawmakers take his proposal or leave it.

“I would hope he’d reconsider his decision to walk away from the table," Vos said.

Vos has said he is willing to work with the governor on a coronavirus package he says would help businesses and workers in the state. Gov. Evers was silent on the Republican ideas.

(The Center Square) – The U.S. House and Senate late Monday approved a $900 billion stimulus bill that, if signed by President Donald Trump, will provide more aid to struggling small businesses and send a second round of direct payments to Americans.

The measure includes $600 in direct payments to qualifying Americans, half of the $1,200 approved in the CARES Act in late March, more than $280 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses through a renewed Paycheck Protection Program, and $300 a week in extended federal unemployment benefits on top of state benefits.

Both chambers of Congress passed the measure, which was attached to a $1.4 trillion spending bill to keep the federal government operating.

The vote was 91-7 in the U.S. Senate, and 359-53 in the House.

"I expect we'll get the money out by the beginning of next week – $2,400 for a family of four," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC of the $600 in payments to individuals before the votes occurred.

The legislation also includes about $25 billion in rental assistance and an extension of an eviction moratorium put in place earlier this year, which is was set to expire this month. An additional $82 billion would be set aside for schools and colleges to prepare to safely reopen classrooms.

"Millions of families are on the verge of eviction and this legislation addresses the rental needs and a short term moratorium," U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before a vote. "We can accept the short term because we'll have a new president during the length of that moratorium to extend it further when necessary."

The bill also would help pay for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Moderna's vaccine was approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Friday, a week after Pfizer's vaccine also received emergency use authorization.

Not in the bill was about $160 billion in funding for state and local governments, a bailout sought by Democrats but opposed by most Republicans.

Trump is expected to sign the relief bill.

(The Center Square) – The U.S. House is debating details of a $900 billion stimulus bill that, if approved, will provide more aid to struggling small businesses and send a second round of direct payments to Americans.

The measure includes $600 in direct payments to adults and children from qualifying households, more than $280 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses through a renewed Paycheck Protection Program, and $300 a week in federal unemployment benefits on top of state benefits.

"I expect we'll get the money out by the beginning of next week – $2,400 for a family of four," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC of the $600 in payments tp individuals.

The proposed legislation also includes about $25 billion in rental assistance and an extension of an eviction moratorium put in place earlier this year, which is was set to expire this month. An additional $82 billion would be set aside for schools and colleges to prepare to safely reopen classrooms.

"Millions of families are on the verge of eviction and this legislation addresses the rental needs and a short term moratorium," U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before a vote. "We can accept the short term because we'll have a new president during the length of that moratorium to extend it further when necessary."

The bill also would help pay for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Moderna's vaccine was approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Friday, a week after Pfizer's vaccine also received emergency use authorization.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin's Department of Health Services on Monday said 10,358 total doses of the coronavirus vaccine were administered to frontline health care workers as of the end of the day Sunday. All of those doses are the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Wisconsin’s total allotment of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine comes to 84,825 doses.

Gov. Tony Evers announced on Monday that Wisconsin will be receiving thousands of doses of the Moderna vaccine in the coming days and weeks.

“Wisconsin is expecting shipments of the Moderna vaccine to begin arriving at hospitals and clinics across the state this week. The initial shipment is expected to be 16,000 doses, with state health officials planning to receive a total of 100,000 doses in the upcoming weeks,” the governor’s office said in a statement.

“This is exciting news,” Evers said. “While we do not have control over how much vaccine the federal government allocates to our state, I can promise that we are doing everything we can to ensure that our distribution is fair and equitable.”

DHS said on Monday that it will soon start posting daily vaccination reports on its coronavirus website. That will help track the number of people in the state who get vaccinated, but it won’t answer the bigger question of who.

Dr. Ben Weston with the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management last week said local and state public health managers are working on a list of essential workers who will receive the vaccine next.

“Our essential workers have kept our kitchens stocked, our transportation running, our children educated and our communities safe and functioning over this last year,” Weston said.

The long list of essential workers includes people who work in education, agriculture, food service, transportation, and for utilities. After that are police officers, firefighters, and jail and prison guards.

Weston said he’s expecting guidance from Washington D.C. as to just who on that list will be first in line for the next round of shots.

Even casual viewers of cable news are familiar with commercials featuring actor William Devane – usually golfing or horseback riding – exhorting them to invest in precious metals. Lately, Devane has been joined in this pursuit by financial educator Robert Kiyosaki, creator of the “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” series. The prevalence of these ads should not be surprising. In these volatile times, the Trump administration has spent big and printed money. (The United States is not alone in borrowing and printing its way out of this pandemic.) There is no reason to expect different behavior under Joe Biden.

It’s no wonder that alternative stores of value are flourishing. Days ago, the cryptocurrency Bitcoin reached yet another all-time high, just as it became clear that a Biden-Harris administration was a fait accompli. But while Bitcoin is the best-known digital currency, it is only a small part of a technological shift that could satisfy our demand for safer, cheaper and faster ways of doing business in times of crisis and disruption.

Bitcoin’s underlying technology, blockchain – a sort of shared, secure ledger of transactions between networked computers – has applications ranging from supply-chain management to securing international payments. It could be “a game changer for the global economy,” according to JPMorgan Chase. In fact, the investment giant started using its own JPM Coin in October to move investor money across its global financial platforms. Consulting firm Gartner forecasts that the business value-add from blockchain will blow past $3 trillion by the end of this new decade.

The industry powering all this change, however, is finding it harder to stay in the United States due to Washington’s dysfunction. Silicon Valley start-ups are investing billions in research and development, but there is still no clear set of rules to help them bring products to market. Congress has punted on writing a regulatory framework, and the country’s oversight agencies are – as usual – fighting over turf. Experts say that this “regulatory chaos” is suppressing American innovation while other market centers like Britain and Singapore have quickly updated their rules to lure American blockchain developers away, while Beijing scrambles to establish tech dominance.

Roslyn Layton of the American Enterprise Institute sent the Senate a blunt message this month: regulators, lacking guidance, are killing innovation. China could soon overtake us, she warned, unless the Senate holds Biden to his promises of “technocratic competence” and firm economic competition with China.

At least eight regulatory agencies are fighting over who gets to play U.S. crypto cop. Without any direction, regulators “copy-paste their bureaucracy on anything that moves,” Layton observed. The Securities and Exchange Commission is applying archaic 1930s rules that “never imagined blockchain solutions,” comparing all digital assets to securities no matter how they are designed or used.

Critics like Layton point to China’s new “digital yuan” – the country’s sole legal cryptocurrency – as a disturbing signal that the Chinese are gaining on us. The People’s Bank of China formally issued it in October and has enticed 2 million Chinese to bid on U.S. $10 million worth of the official token, says Wayne Brough of the Innovation Defense Foundation. Big American companies including Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Subway have embraced China’s new currency. France, Sweden, Switzerland and Japan are developing central bank digital currencies of their own. Brough frets that through inaction, the U.S. will “blunder our way out of winning a race that we were born to win.”

George Nethercutt, former Republican congressman from Washington state, warned in The Hill that Washington’s neglect could create “a needless trainwreck.” China and Singapore are paving the way for their own blockchain industries, he wrote, “while the U.S. is struggling with a coin shortage, stimulus check complications, and an obvious dearth of understanding on Capitol Hill about what a cryptocurrency even is.” This is “embarrassing” for the most technologically developed country in the world, he lamented.

Layton and Nethercutt point the finger at outgoing SEC Chairman Jay Clayton who, Layton said, made “a deliberate lack of regulatory clarity” the “cornerstone of his crypto policy approach.” Clayton demonstrated “no understanding for the need for a regulatory framework” with his “notoriously guarded approach” to blockchain solutions, Nethercutt added, “significantly constraining American innovators.”

Clayton empowered the SEC by treating any digital asset as a “security,” justifying enforcement actions with a 1946 Supreme Court ruling. Clayton’s SEC lowered the boom on “utility tokens” – a core feature of business software using blockchain – according to Layton, even if they “had no resemblance to investment contracts.” This treatment extended to utility token XRP, the third-highest-valued cryptocurrency in the world, used by American developers like Ripple and R3 to power the kind of payment systems that JPMorgan has already rolled out. Just by putting this token under “a bewilderingly persistent enforcement threat,” the SEC hurt every developer on the XRP ledger. Clayton preserved his own agency’s power “but steadily eroded U.S. leadership as the best place to do business.”

It remains to be seen what Biden thinks of Clayton’s view of unlimited power over digital assets, or whether Biden’s promise of bipartisan cooperation will extend to ending the regulatory chaos. Republicans have spent the last four years slashing regulations and reining in the administrative state and should understand that China can’t be allowed to win the crypto race. Senate Democrats on the Banking Committee like Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown should remember that a president of their party, Bill Clinton, enacted the regulatory framework for e-commerce in 1997. It created millions of American businesses, reaching tens of millions of customers, and spawned a long list of occupations that had never existed before.

Coming together to vet Biden’s SEC pick on crypto policy and move the country closer to a clear set of rules would be a win-win for both parties and for the U.S. economy. Our competitors abroad can never beat us on innovation – unless we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot.

(The Center Square) – Congressional leaders have agreed to a new stimulus package that will provide more aid to struggling small businesses and send a second round of direct payments to Americans.

Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others confirmed the $900 billion coronavirus relief deal Sunday night.

If approved by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, the measure will include $600 in direct payments to adults and children from qualifying households, more than $280 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses through a renewed Paycheck Protection Program, and $300 a week in federal unemployment benefits on top of state benefits.

"I believe I can speak for all sides when I say I hope and expect to have a final agreement nailed down in a matter of hours," McConnell said on the Senate floor. "At this point, we're down to the last few differences that stand between struggling Americans and their major rescue package they need and deserve."

The proposed legislation also includes about $25 billion in rental assistance and an extension of an eviction moratorium put in place earlier this year, which is was set to expire this month. An additional $82 billion would be set aside for schools and colleges to prepare to safely reopen classrooms.

It also would help pay for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Moderna's vaccine was approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Friday, a week after Pfizer's vaccine also received emergency use authorization.

"We are going to crush the virus and put money in the pockets of the American people.", House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement.

(The Center Square) – The intention was for this random act of journalism to be my final contribution to the industry ahead of the holidays.

I'd plow straight through this column. Keep it tight. Make it short. Subject-predicate. State my case, make my case, and then close my case. Afterward, get on with the rest of my work.

But I wrote this in something of a rain-delay situation. I had to wait about an hour beyond my control to get rolling because the smoke alarms were going off and a sickeningly sweet cloud was hanging about 8 feet above the first floor of my home/workplace. It was difficult to concentrate on what felt like my first day at the Wonka factory.

Friday was Day One of work release from e-learning for my grade school-aged kids and everyone else in the house subjected to that nonsense.

My 8-year-old celebrated this momentous occasion by making toaster waffles. She executed that flawlessly. They were golden. True fact.

But she tried her Guy Fieri best to hot-rod it to Flavortown, concocting a syrup composed of agave juice (or nectar, or whatever it is) and pure cane sugar, mixed together in a handmade pottery mug sourced from the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Forensics haven’t come back with the report, but early indications are that this attempted syrup was cooked on high in the microwave probably three times longer than anything should ever be nuked.

The result was (is – and perhaps always will be) a black volcanic magma mass that emerged from this now-melted/molten pottery.

With no attempt at hyperbole, I am surrounded in so much sickening smoky sweetness that I suspect it will linger for days.

The house has been my office for about nine months now. I don’t get out much. We don’t have a daily crisis here, for which I am grateful. Work gets done. Days pass and projects are completed. Business is good and continues to grow.

Relative to others, all is pretty good.

But this can’t be the way that we do things in 2021. Let me recast that line: It’s not going to be the way that I do things in 2021.

Yes, there will be good days and bad days ahead. There will be the plan that is executed and the unforeseen that will be temporarily derailed.

Delayed maybe, but not canceled.

If we learned anything from 2020, it’s that we can and must carry on in the midst of the sickeningly sweet and the terribly bitter. We can’t allow the obstacles to win.

Resolutions saved for a new year are destined to fail. Now is always a good time to fix the things that we know need to be fixed. My microwave aside, I think there will be plenty of things that are revamped and revised in the year ahead that I am going to start working on right now.

Foremost of them is getting out, getting away from the fear that has prevailed and lingered like burnt agave, and living the way that I would like rather than the way that you and I have been conditioned to live over the past nine months.

Make your plan, and then work that plan.

The Center Square has amazing things to come in 2021. Can’t wait to share them with you.

Note to readers: The Sunday Read will return January 8, 2021.

* * * *

Elsewhere in America, away from the sugary smoke of my kitchen…

CALIFORNIA

With Gov. Gavin Newsom indicating that he intends to keep California in lockdown well into 2021, more counties have signed a resolution rejecting his executive orders, and a grassroots movement has gained momentum to gather enough votes needed to submit a petition to recall him as governor. The latest local government to sign the Healthy Communities Resolution is the Orange County Board of Supervisors, joining Northern California counties to grow a statewide movement to end the governor’s lockdown.

ARIZONA

The first resolution filed in the Arizona Legislature is aimed squarely at removing Gov. Doug Ducey’s COVID-19 restrictions. Senate Concurrent Resolution 1001 would immediately void the governor’s ongoing series of executive orders, including other orders that draw their authority from the emergency declaration originally enacted on March 11. The fact that it’s in resolution form is significant. Should it pass both chambers of the Legislature, Ducey would not have the ability to veto it as he would with legislation.

COLORADO

The U.S. Supreme Court sided with a Colorado church in its challenge of the state’s COVID-19 restrictions, vacating a lower court’s order and requiring the case to be revisited. High Plains Harvest Church in Ault, Colorado, argued in its legal challenge that the state’s 50-person cap on “houses of worship” was discriminatory. SCOTUS ordered a federal appeals court “to remand to the District Court for further consideration in light of Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo.” Three justices, however, dissented in the opinion, arguing the “case is moot” since the state of Colorado later vacated the restrictions after a ruling in the New York case.

TEXAS

Oracle is the latest multi-million dollar company to announce its exodus from Silicon Valley and relocate to Texas. Oracle Corporation, a multinational computer technology company that has been headquartered in Redwood Shores in California, is now headquartered in Austin. The company already had a strong presence in Texas. Less than two weeks ago, Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced that it was relocating its global headquarters from California to Spring, Texas. "We believe these moves best position Oracle for growth and provide our personnel with more flexibility about where and how they work," Oracle said in a statement. California's high taxes and business-unfriendly environment have been cited as reasons for the outmigration.

WESTERN STATES

President-elect Joe Biden’s pledged restrictions on oil and gas development on federal lands would prove costly for eight western states that rely heavily on tax revenue, a recent study funded by the state of Wyoming found. A ban on oil and gas drilling on federal lands would mean a loss of 350,000 jobs and $670.5 billion in gross domestic product in Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, California, and Alaska by 2040, according to the study.

MAINE

Opponents of a 145-mile hydropower transmission corridor that would run through Maine's North Woods have lost another round in their legal fight after a federal judge tossed out a bid by environmentalists to block the project. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lance Walker rejected the lawsuit filed by Sierra Club Maine, the Natural Resources Council of Maine and other green groups seeking to delay construction of the project, which could get underway in January. Central Maine Power’s $1 billion New England Clean Energy Connect calls for providing up to 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydropower to the New England region.

NEW YORK

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pulled no punches Wednesday in responding to reports that the COVID-19 relief package being hashed out by congressional leaders in Washington would not include funding for state and local governments. He also announced the cash-strapped state will advance $1.5 billion to help essential state agencies over the next couple months. Cuomo also admitted there will be a need for tax increases but told lawmakers that he wants any tax hike done at the same time as the budget, which would likely keep lawmakers from trying to pass last-minute increases before the end of the year. He also talked about possible new funding sources, including expanded sports betting and legalized marijuana.

Last Sunday, a former adviser to Cuomo publicly accused him of sexual harassment. Lindsey Boylan, who is a candidate for Manhattan borough president in the 2021 election, worked for Cuomo from 2015 to 2018 in an economic development role. Without offering specifics, she said on Twitter that Cuomo had taken advantage of his position supervising her during those years. “Yes, @NYGovCuomo sexually harassed me for years,” she wrote. “Many saw it, and watched. I could never anticipate what to expect: would I be grilled on my work (which was very good) or harassed about my looks. Or would it be both in the same conversation? This was the way for years.”

PENNSYLVANIA

The Keystone State saw about 30% of its businesses close for at least some period of time during the pandemic, second most in the nation, according to recent federal data. But the governmental relief for Pennsylvania's businesses lagged far behind that number, ranking outside the top 20. To at least one lawmaker, that points to poor leadership by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. “The statistics clearly show the Wolf Administration forced too many businesses to close, kept those businesses closed for far too long, and did not do enough to help the business owners and employees who were deeply affected by the Administration’s unilateral orders,” said Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Monongahela. “We all recognize that certain precautions must be taken during a pandemic, but Governor Wolf’s mismanagement of the response to this crisis over the past several months is a big reason why many Pennsylvanians have zero faith in the decisions he is making now.”

WEST VIRGINIA

Gov. Jim Justice has outlined phase two of West Virginia's COVID-19 vaccination plan, which will occur after the top priority groups have had the opportunity to receive vaccination. West Virginia began receiving the Pfizer vaccine early last week, which the state has begun to distribute to its highest priority groups in Phase 1-A: hospital workers, pharmacies and long-term care facility staff and residents. After Phase 1-A is complete, the state will move on to three other priority groups. In Phase 1-B, the vaccine will go to community infrastructure and emergency response, public health officials and first responders. In Phase 1-C, it will go to other health care workers. In Phase 1-D, it will go to teachers, education staff and workers in other sectors critical to the state, such as transportation.

ILLINOIS

While House Speaker Michael Madigan announced an “advisory group” to review Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed cuts, public finance watchdogs said what’s been revealed so far won't balance the budget. A day after Pritzker announced $711 million in budget cuts to shore up the state’s finances, Madigan and Pritzker separately attacked the Republican super-minority for a lack of a plan. Truth In Accounting Research Director Bill Bergman said there’s still more than a billion-dollar gap in the budget.

Some state lawmakers said they were left with more questions than answers after a nearly four-hour hearing focused on a COVID-19 outbreak at a state-run veteran’s home that killed at least 33 residents. Officials from the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs were on hand to answer questions Wednesday. A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health said department officials sent consultant Dr. Avery Hart, but he couldn't answer all the questions posed by committee members. State Rep. David Welter, R-Morris, told IDVA Director Linda Chapa LaVia it was unacceptable that IDPH didn’t send officials to answer questions. “They are leaving you, director, frankly to answer for their failure to show up today and the 12 days it took them to get on-site at the LaSalle home,” Welter said. “It’s a clear indication they are covering up their inaction by refusing to participate in legislative hearings and it’s shameful.”

INDIANA

Since 2015, gun-rights supporters in Indiana have been trying to pass a “constitutional carry” bill to allow everyone who can legally own a gun to carry it on them when they leave the house without having to have a license. But those bills have been stopped, unable to get a hearing or any serious consideration. A new House speaker is just stepping in – Rep. Todd Huston – and there are at least two constitutional carry bills that will be introduced in the coming weeks.

OHIO

A city employee in southwest Ohio says a union continues to collect money from his paycheck after deciding he did not want to be a part of the organization. Timothy Crane, a city of Hamilton employee, filed a federal lawsuit against both the city and the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 20, claiming compulsory fees taken from his paycheck violate his First Amendment rights.

MICHIGAN

Pandemic restrictions forced 32% of Michigan businesses to close at least temporarily, the most of all 50 states in the nation, federal data show. Only Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory where 50% of businesses closed, ranked higher.

The Michigan Senate on Thursday night approved a bill 22-16 along party lines that aims to limit the state health department's epidemic order power. SB 1253, if signed into law, would amend the Public Health Code so Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Robert Gordon’s epidemic orders would be valid for up to only 28 days unless both houses of the Legislature approves Gordon’ extension request.

MISSOURI

Two proposed 2021 bills would offer legal protections fordrivers who inadvertently hit “rioters” and “mobs” – but not “protesters” – with their vehicles during civil disturbances. House Bill 56, The Fleeing Motorist Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Adam Schnelting, R-St. Charles, was pre-filed on Dec. 1, the day pre-filing began for the 2021 legislative session, which begins Jan. 6. Under HB 56, "If a person attempts to flee in a motor vehicle from an unlawful or riotous assemblage, such person shall not be criminally or civilly liable for any deaths or injuries to any individual participating in the unlawful or riotous assemblage that may result if the person reasonably believes he or she or any occupant of the motor vehicle is in danger."

MINNESOTA

On Wednesday night, Gov. Tim Walz introduced sweeping four-week restrictions to combat COVID-19, sparking outcry from restaurant groups and Republicans warning of the inevitable economic fallout. The restrictions started at 11:59 p.m. Friday and stretch until Dec. 18. Among the restrictions are prohibitions on in-person social gatherings with anyone of another household; limiting restaurants and bars to offer take-out and delivery only; and shuttering gyms, fitness studios and event spaces. Hospitality Minnesota President and CEO Liz Rammer said the restrictions “will push many small restaurants, food service and other hospitality businesses over the cliff.”

WISCONSIN

A new state audit lays the blame for Wisconsin’s months-long unemployment backlog on the state’s Department of Workforce Development. Auditors found that workers at DWD didn’t follow up with people who’d filed claims, or didn’t process the information they had, delaying payments for up to 13 weeks or even longer.

FLORIDA

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group ranked the Florida Legislature’s tentative multibillion dollar plan to build 330 miles of toll roads across the state as a top 2020 “boondoggle” in its annual Highway Boondoggles report. Construction would begin in 2022 and end in 2030. It would be funded through license plate tag revenue; $1.1 billion over a decade to finance a bond. The Legislature authorized $90 million for the project in this year’s budget, $135 million in fiscal year 2022 and $140 million annually through fiscal year 2030.

LOUISIANA

Personal income in Louisiana fell more than the rest of the nation’s during the third quarter of the year as federal pandemic relief dwindled, according to a federal report released Thursday. State personal income fell 13.8 percent at an annual rate, compared to an average nationwide decline of 10 percent, according to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. Annualized growth rates show the rate of change that would have occurred had the pattern observed during a given three-month period been repeated over a full year. Net earnings actually went up during the third quarter, the BEA report shows. But that increase was more than offset by a larger decrease in transfer receipts, which include government release payments.

GEORGIA

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Georgia will do a signature match audit of absentee ballots in Cobb County to help reinforce election integrity. The audit, being conducted with the help of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, is expected to take two weeks to complete and will not change the outcome of the Nov. 3 presidential election. Allegations that election workers in Cobb County had not adequately conducted signature matching on absentee ballot applications before the June primary helped trigger the audit.

TENNESSEE

Lawmakers on a financial oversight committee questioned Tennessee Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey and other officials Thursday about a $26.5 million no-bid contract for COVID-19 testing supplies that turned out to be unusable. The contract, signed by state officials May 1, was with Utah-based health care startup Nomi Health. The state withdrew from the contract June 12 after the coronavirus test kits did not measure up to state standards. Tennessee remained responsible for $5.9 million to pay for some personal protective equipment, technology and a management fee.

VIRGINIA

Gov. Ralph Northam has proposed a budget amendment to fund four additional judges for the Virginia Court of Appeals, spurring state Republicans to accuse Northam of trying to pack the courts with soft-on-crime judges. The governor proposed several budget amendments he said would promote his progressive agenda. "Governor Northam’s proposal to pack the Court of Appeals politicizes Virginia’s judiciary, emulating the Democrats’ hyper-partisan scheme to expand the United States Supreme Court," Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Ryan McDougle said. "I will adamantly oppose this effort by the Governor to appease and appeal to his party’s extreme left-wing."

Chris Krug is the publisher of The Center Square. Executive Editor Dan McCaleb, and regional editors J.D. Davidson, Derek Draplin, Delphine Luneau, Brett Rowland, Jason Schaumburg and Bruce Walker contributed to the column.

In Wisconsin, households must earn a minimum of $26,319 per year to be considered middle class, with the upper earnings boundary set at $108,377, according to a new 24/7 Wall St. analysis.

The total share of household income in Wisconsin controlled by middle-class earners is 48.4%, 24/7 Wall St. reports. In comparison, the share of income in the state controlled by the top 5% of earners was 20.8%.

To determine the income requirements of the middle class in each state, 24/7 Wall St. examined family income quintiles in the 2018 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The website set the middle-class income range as between the lower limit of the second quintile and the upper limit of the fourth quintile, which covers six out of 10 Americans.

The middle class income range varies greatly by state, depending on the cost of living, the analysis found. In states where the threshold to move into the middle class is low, earnings across the board tend to be low and poverty rates higher, according to 24/7 Wall St. In addition, the distribution of income in such states is weighted toward the wealthy, the website found.

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What Households Must Earn to Be in the Middle Class

StateHousehold Income Range for Middle ClassMedian Family IncomeMiddle Class Share of State's IncomeRichest 5% Share of State's IncomeAlabama$17,807 - $91,778$66,17146.5%21.8%Alaska$35,383 - $151,683$91,97148.7%19.7%Arizona$26,486 - $116,748$74,46846.8%21.8%Arkansas$17,671 - $83,606$62,38745.6%23.1%California$36,996 - $187,706$91,37745.0%23.4%Colorado$34,860 - $150,014$95,16447.2%21.8%Connecticut$32,486 - $170,888$101,27243.8%25.3%Delaware$30,155 - $132,979$87,14847.9%21.0%Florida$26,023 - $117,719$71,34844.8%24.1%Georgia$23,948 - $114,234$74,83345.4%23.3%Hawaii$41,532 - $181,202$96,46249.0%19.9%Idaho$25,989 - $103,435$72,36548.3%20.6%Illinois$27,109 - $134,640$87,77145.7%23.1%Indiana$22,915 - $98,771$73,87646.9%22.3%Iowa$24,663 - $101,008$78,15248.1%21.1%Kansas$24,741 - $105,573$79,00647.5%21.3%Kentucky$18,602 - $90,740$66,18346.0%23.1%Louisiana$16,721 - $95,787$65,10545.1%23.2%Maine$25,701 - $111,898$76,31647.6%20.9%Maryland$39,143 - $177,970$105,67947.6%21.0%Massachusetts$32,233 - $188,259$108,34846.3%22.4%Michigan$23,816 - $107,001$75,70346.5%22.1%Minnesota$32,182 - $134,816$93,58448.0%21.0%Mississippi$15,165 - $81,480$58,50345.0%23.4%Missouri$21,672 - $99,280$73,45746.7%22.2%Montana$22,947 - $101,582$73,01446.8%22.7%Nebraska$25,928 - $105,225$80,06248.2%20.8%Nevada$26,762 - $116,795$76,12446.0%23.9%New Hampshire$36,598 - $154,617$97,11248.3%20.4%New Jersey$39,920 - $197,868$105,70545.8%22.6%New Mexico$18,986 - $96,249$61,82646.1%22.0%New York$30,797 - $176,842$89,47543.1%25.8%North Carolina$22,507 - $104,011$72,04945.7%22.9%North Dakota$25,187 - $110,509$87,05547.4%21.8%Ohio$22,023 - $100,589$74,91146.5%22.3%Oklahoma$20,466 - $94,811$68,35845.8%23.3%Oregon$29,412 - $130,639$82,54047.9%20.7%Pennsylvania$25,757 - $121,862$81,07545.8%23.0%Rhode Island$27,551 - $132,489$89,37347.3%22.0%South Carolina$21,583 - $102,365$70,53746.0%22.7%South Dakota$23,824 - $98,019$76,82648.4%20.4%Tennessee$21,573 - $98,679$69,99345.5%23.5%Texas$26,114 - $124,754$76,72745.7%22.8%Utah$34,588 - $128,053$86,15248.7%20.9%Vermont$28,151 - $123,878$83,45848.0%20.7%Virginia$32,507 - $156,063$93,49746.3%21.7%Washington$37,025 - $163,205$94,70946.9%21.6%West Virginia$17,452 - $85,516$60,92047.2%21.3%Wisconsin$26,319 - $108,377$81,82948.4%20.8%Wyoming$25,760 - $111,422$79,94649.1%20.4%

Source: 24/7 Wall St.

The percentage of households in Wisconsin that self-responded in the Census Bureau’s 2020 count of the U.S. population stood at 72.2%, the third highest rate among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., the federal agency reported.

As was the case in all the jurisdictions, 99.9% of households ultimately reported the number of residents occupying the homes, according to the Census Bureau. In Wisconsin, the bureau had to send census takers to 27.7% of the households to complete the survey due to a lack of initial response, which is conducted every 10 years, the bureau reported.

The names of the people who respond to Census Bureau questions are not made public, and the bureau by law can only use the data to generate statistical information, the agency said. The information cannot be used by either courts or public agencies against the interests of citizens.

About 500,000 census takers across the country worked on the project, with the recruitment of census workers beginning in 2018, the bureau said. The final data will be used to redistrict political boundaries within states and to help determine the allocation of federal funds for an array of programs.

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2020 Census Response Rates by State

State% CountedCounted Through Follow-up EffortsSelf-respondedRank Based on Self-responded %Minnesota99.9%24.8%75.1%1Washington99.9%27.5%72.4%2Wisconsin99.9%27.7%72.2%3Nebraska99.9%28.0%71.9%4Iowa99.9%28.4%71.5%5Virginia99.9%28.4%71.5%6Illinois99.9%28.5%71.4%7Michigan99.9%28.6%71.3%8Maryland99.9%28.7%71.2%9Utah99.9%28.9%71.0%10Connecticut99.9%29.1%70.8%11Ohio99.9%29.2%70.7%12Indiana99.9%29.6%70.3%13Colorado99.9%29.9%70.0%14Kansas99.9%30.1%69.8%15California99.9%30.3%69.6%16Pennsylvania99.9%30.3%69.6%17New Jersey99.9%30.4%69.5%18Massachusetts99.9%30.5%69.4%19Idaho99.9%30.6%69.3%20Oregon99.9%30.7%69.2%21Kentucky99.9%31.7%68.2%22South Dakota99.9%32.4%67.5%23New Hampshire99.9%32.8%67.1%24Nevada99.9%33.3%66.6%25Tennessee99.9%33.9%66.0%26Missouri99.9%34.0%65.9%27Rhode Island99.9%34.4%65.5%28North Dakota99.9%34.7%65.2%29Delaware99.9%35.0%64.9%30New York99.9%35.7%64.2%31Arizona99.9%35.8%64.1%32District of Columbia99.9%35.9%64.0%33Florida99.9%36.1%63.8%34Alabama99.9%36.3%63.6%35North Carolina99.9%36.5%63.4%36Hawaii99.9%36.8%63.1%37Georgia99.9%37.0%62.9%38Texas99.9%37.1%62.8%39Wyoming99.9%38.8%61.1%40Oklahoma99.9%38.9%61.0%41South Carolina99.9%38.9%61.0%42Arkansas99.9%39.3%60.6%43Vermont99.9%39.4%60.5%44Louisiana99.9%38.6%60.4%45Mississippi99.9%39.5%60.4%46Montana99.9%39.5%60.4%47New Mexico99.9%41.2%58.7%48Maine99.9%41.7%58.2%49West Virginia99.9%43.7%56.2%50Alaska99.9%45.2%54.7%51

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday night granted emergency use authorization to Moderna's new COVID-19 vaccine, the second approval of a coronavirus vaccine in a week.

"The emergency use authorization allows the vaccine to be distributed in the U.S. for use in individuals 18 years and older," the FDA announced on Twitter. "The FDA has determined that the #COVID19 vaccine has met the statuatory criteria for issuance of an EAU. The totality of the available data provides clear evidence it may be effective in preventing #COVID19."

About 6 million doses of the Moderna vaccine are expected to be shipped around the country next week.

Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, which it developed with BioNTech, was the first to receive emergency use authorization when the FDA approved it Dec. 11. Tens of thousands of health care workers across the country have already received their first dose of Pfizer's vaccination.

Both Moderna's and Pfizer's vaccines require two doses taken a few weeks apart.

The two vaccines proved to be about 95% effective during trials.

With Friday's approval of Moderna's vaccine, more doses will be available throughout the U.S. Health care workers, and residents and staff of long-term care facilities are first in line to receive the vaccines.

AstraZenica and Johnson & Johnson also have vaccines in the accelerated approval pipeline.