Hard to win over Wisconsinites if your only argument is ‘shut up’
Patrick McIlheranThe American tradition of free speech runs up against rage at colleges, but there are signs of hope It was startling, but surely not surprising, when protesters disrupted an online…
Why the Badger Institute opposes SB 435 (2023)
Badger InstituteThe bill: The Wisconsin Senate now is considering a bill, SB435, that exempts a lot retirement income from the state income tax. Specifically, the bill: Exempts up to $100,000 for…
Tax cuts working for Iowa; Wisconsin left standing still
Mark LisheronTaxpayers in Iowa had themselves another pretty darned good year. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, somewhat quietly announced late last week the state government finished its fiscal year business with a…
Protesters at Madison black conservatives event expose selves and progressive desperation
Michael JahrChild and others in audience subjected to online masturbation A discussion on black conservativism that took place on the UW-Madison campus and was broadcast live on Zoom Saturday was interrupted…
What to do about progressive icon and eugenicist Charles Van Hise
Mike NicholsUW-Madison finally grappling with how to tell the real story of its odious one-time leader For years, I’ve wondered when and how the University of Wisconsin-Madison would deal with the…
Innovators stifled by current healthcare system
Daniel SemDirect care is essential for Wisconsin The one thing that can save healthcare — innovation — is stymied by the anti-market forces of the current system. And it shows. Healthcare costs…
Delay in removing ineligible Medicaid recipients costs Wisconsin taxpayers hundreds of millions
A state Department of Health Services decision to take a year to remove ineligible people from Wisconsin’s Medicaid rolls — much slower than many other states — will cost federal…
What if Wisconsin stopped making childcare pointlessly costly?
Legislative reforms mesh with recommendations in Badger Institute paper Sometimes, the most helpful thing a government can do is to stop being “helpful.” Gov. Tony Evers may not get this,…
Fraudsters scammed billions in pandemic unemployment funds
Mark Lisheron 38 Mike NicholsThe U.S. Government Accountability Office estimated this week that people who filed for unemployment insurance during the pandemic stole somewhere between $100 billion and $135 billion in benefits — just…
Overregulated Childcare: Wisconsin’s 2023-’25 Biennial Budget and the Path Ahead
Angela RachidiNote from Badger Institute President Mike Nichols: Republican reforms to maintain quality and restrain costs merit support Kids bring joy, sure. They can also bring bankruptcy — especially given the…