From the desk of Mike Nichols
Mike NicholsAn update on our legislative progress in Madison The biggest policy decisions in the Badger State are typically made during budget deliberations in the first six months of odd-numbered years…
State landlords hit hard by eviction moratorium
Ken WysockyPandemic policy led to unfair losses for local rental property owners Thousands of Wisconsin renters caught a break when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention imposed a moratorium on…
At home with politically incorrect language
I suppose I’ll be accused of being unkind, uncouth or maybe even unhinged, but why in the world does the La Crosse Tribune feel compelled to write about the “unhoused”?…
Licensing reform gains momentum in Wisconsin Legislature
Michael JahrBadger Institute backs universal licensure bill Amid a sustained outcry from frustrated occupational license seekers and a statewide worker shortage, Wisconsin lawmakers are advancing a universal recognition licensure bill and…
When parents choose a public school with more options for their children, the state provides less money. Why?
Patrick McIlheranWhen Jalisa Hawkins decided to transfer her daughter from one Beloit public school to another, the state cut the sum taxpayers spend on the child’s education by about 40% for…
Violence has progressives bringing cops back to schools
Mark LisheronMilwaukee public high schools next in line Progressive city councils across the country are being forced by violence in and near their public schools to rethink their bans on stationing…
Coalition of Free Market Healthcare Advocates includes Badger Institute
Badger InstituteLegislature encouraged to sponsor “Know Your Healthcare Costs Act” Date: May 15, 2023To: Members of the Wisconsin LegislatureFrom: Coalition of Free Market Healthcare AdvocatesRe: Co-Sponsor LRB-2922 “Know Your Healthcare Costs…
Supreme politicization: Should we appoint Wisconsin Supreme Court justices?
Robert VerBruggenThe bare-knuckle, politicized State Supreme Court race that just shattered national spending records and obliterated traditional judicial norms has raised anew the question of whether justices should be elected the…
Legislature protects Milwaukeeans from $15-per-rider fare-free trolley folly
In need of quiet solitude not long ago, I did the obvious: I got on Milwaukee’s streetcar, The Hop. It did not disappoint: In all, five people Hopped on, then…
Medicaid: Wisconsin’s budget buster
A recent history of the state’s social spending Leviathan As the state Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee begins budget deliberations, Gov. Tony Evers is pushing for a $31.6 billion budget for…