From the desk of President Mike Nichols

This post originally appeared at https://www.badgerinstitute.org/from-the-desk-of-president-mike-nichols/

Do you still believe in the American Dream?

Here at the Badger Institute, we still believe in the American Dream, in America, and in Wisconsin.

Your generosity makes it possible for the Badger Institute to uphold the principles of free enterprise, liberty and limited government.

In the last year alone, our policy, journalism and our advocacy in Madison, again and again, helped spur pivotal changes that are giving Wisconsinites more freedom and greater opportunity by closing the funding gap for choice schools, fully repealing the personal property tax, passing free-market dental care for kids, derailing the diversion to The Hop, and achieving swifter justice for crime victims.

We are standing up for conservative common sense, and we need your help to advance our 2024 policy priorities:

August 13 referendum – vote YES!

The August 13 election in Wisconsin will include two statewide referendums asking voters to weigh in on constitutional amendments that would give legislators more oversight of federal spending.

Unlike many other states, our governor, no matter which party s/he is from, currently has carte blanche over huge pools of federal spending. The amendments, if approved by voters, would restore some sanity to the process and hold both our governor and legislators accountable.

The Badger Institute is launching a statewide initiative in July that will tell voters why they need to vote “yes” on both referendum questions.

What Wisconsin’s constitutional amendments means for big government spending.

We’re embarking on policy research that will improve the lives of Wisconsinites

Energy: We released common-sense research explaining the ramifications in the cold climate of Wisconsin.
Education: We’re embarking on significant research regarding the quality of teacher training and widening the pool of people entering the profession.
Read our latest research and journalism about the abject failure of the Milwaukee Public Schools and the impact it is having on the rest of the state.
Housing is costly and scarce for folks with lower or average incomes. We’ll point to market solutions that include easing needless regulation and improving zoning.
Marijuana: What are the real facts about the impact of pot legalization elsewhere in America? We’re authoring a series of papers anyone interested in the issue can read.
Welfare: We’re wondering about how the lack of work requirements in SNAP dissuades healthy adults without dependents from seeking employment.

Journalism informed by conservative principles

Our in-depth, reliable, objective analysis, policy research, and investigations are sent via our weekly Top Picks email. Top Picks is sent out every Friday morning, 52 weeks a year.

A few examples of the journalism we’ve provided to your friends and neighbors:

Reports on the destructive DEI culture in our schools and how bureaucrats are bringing in high-profile leftists to teach Wisconsin teachers about “equity.”
An analysis of the gridlock and political posturing in Madison. Why are our elected officials authoring and debating literally thousands of bills that will go nowhere?
President Biden’s quest to buy votes and “forgive” student debt incurred by high-income professionals who just need to pay back what they owe. “Forgiveness” is a canard. Debt doesn’t go away. It’s just transferred to someone else.
The disconcerting facts about chronic absenteeism in our schools.
The positive stories about small-town Wisconsin, where residents rely on each other and civil society, not government.

We believe in America and fight for the promise it provides every day.

Thank you for considering your donation toward our impactful policy research, videos, stories, quick response analysis, coalition involvement, in-Capitol advocates and investigative reports.

Donate today

With gratitude,