MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin Democratic State Sen. Lena Taylor suggested that cuts to education were “raping the children of (Milwaukee Public Schools)” at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Finance Tuesday night that dealt with a host of budget items concerning education.

QUOTE: Just like you, and just like others, for years individuals who have sat on this committee and in this building have known that they have been raping the children of MPS.


(Video Clip Published With the Permission of WisconsinEye)

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Sen. Taylor doubled down on the use of rape just minutes later in the committee hearing.


(Video Clip Published With The Permission of Wisconsin Eye)

QUOTE: I just wanted to make sure that everyone hears the amount of money the Milwaukee Public Schools doesn’t get, it doesn’t go to the charters, it’s not going to the vouchers. It’s allegedly savings that the state has created, except it’s savings on the backs of the kids. So, I get it. The word rape sounds offensive. But when you consider the fact, that 15 out of 100 kids can read on grade level while $89 million have been skimmed from the education of kids, and that you don’t invest it in even the crisis areas, who are you fooling?

Interestingly enough, when Scott Bauer of the Associated Press tweeted Sen. Taylor’s comments as they occurred, the official account of Sen. Taylor made no apologies and doubled down on her point.

 

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Then there is the fact that this isn’t the first time that Sen. Taylor has used the word rape in connection to school funding and this budget proposal. At a WisPolitics forum with Sen. Dale Kooyenga in February, Sen. Taylor said:

I will also say I have not only taken it to my school district, I’ve taken it to my Republican colleagues, I’ve taken it to the Democrats. As a matter of fact, I think I recall my house being picketed because of my position that enough is enough. I won’t accept that 85 percent of our children cannot read on grade level across all of our systems, not just public schools.

But neither am I going to be dishonest with people that suggest that the funding mechanism that was put into place — that people KNEW they did – and I hate to use this word, but it’s how strongly I feel – that raped our children of dollars that were designated. And so, It takes longer to explain this, but the best way I know to explain it is that Milwaukee is seen as being more wealthy than we really are when it comes to determining our funding for equalization aid.

So here is a gut-check moment for the Wisconsin media and the Democratic Party. In media and politics, a line has been laid down that the word “rape” cannot and should not be used in any context that would trivialize the experiences and trauma of sexual assault victims. It’s not appropriate for politics and it doesn’t promote civil debate.

This was not a slip or a mistake in phrasing that came out in a heated moment. This was a deliberate use of the word rape and one that Sen. Taylor has used repeatedly.

Will it stand? Will the media give her a pass? Will the Democratic Party let this go? And what about women’s groups? Will they stand for this?

Or are we going to learn once again that there are different rules for liberal Democrats when it comes to speech and rhetoric?

Authored by Collin Roth
Originally published here

Published with permission