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Weird politics, silent candidates and an insidious news vacuum in Waunakee
In a news void, wild conspiracies take hold, pitting neighbors against neighbors, poisoning civic dialogue and, in some cases, driving the stealth takeover of local government bodies by people with no concern for the real needs of communities. Case in point: Waunakee. Waunakee gained national notoriety a year ago after rightwing radio talk show host […]
April 4 ballot measures sow confusion, resentment
With all the attention focused on the Most Expensive State Supreme Court Race in U.S. History, Wisconsin voters have not had much of a chance to absorb the ballot measures — including two that would amend the state constitution — they are expected to ratify or reject in the April 4 election. Along with various […]
Concerned about gerrymandering in Wisconsin? Keep an eye on North Carolina.
On Tuesday, the North Carolina Supreme Court reheard arguments in a redistricting case that has been the focus of much national attention. The new conservative majority on the court is reconsidering a recent decision to throw out GOP lawmakers’ gerrymandered voting maps — a decision that had already made its way up to the U.S. […]
Politics, ‘values’ and big money in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race
Everyone knows that money and politics have overrun Wisconsin’s nominally nonpartisan election for the state Supreme Court — now the most expensive in U.S. history. One Washington, D.C.-based group is holding up our state contest as an example of how not to choose Supreme Court justices. The nonpartisan Election Reformers Network makes a compelling case […]
Enslaved workers are making your breakfast: Wisconsin confronts labor trafficking
On Friday, a coalition of advocates for migrant workers and state officials announced a $5.1 million grant to fight labor trafficking in Wisconsin. Milwaukee, where the coalition made the announcement, from the headquarters of United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS), was identified not long ago as a center for human trafficking in the U.S. “We have […]
Wisconsin should restore driver’s licenses for immigrant workers
No one could possibly favor putting thousands of unlicensed and uninsured drivers on the road. Yet the Wisconsin Legislature did just that back in 2007 when it passed a law taking away driver’s licenses from people who don’t have valid Social Security numbers. The result is that undocumented immigrant workers, people we rely on to […]
Wisconsin should stop electing justices to the state Supreme Court
It’s been weird to watch Democrats, progressives and advocates for “revitalizing democracy” in Wisconsin root for the big-money candidate in Tuesday’s primary election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Liberal candidate Janet Protasiewicz has raised a record-breaking $2.2 million — about half of it from out of state, WisPolitics reports — in a race the New […]
Restoring funding for Wisconsin public schools should be a no-brainer
Gov. Tony Evers’ proposal to use part of the record-breaking $7 billion state budget surplus to restore funding for Wisconsin public schools should not be a partisan issue. For all the Republican hand-wringing about Evers throwing money around, his education budget proposal really just gets Wisconsin’s public schools close to the level of funding they […]
Bipartisan vote tracking measure brings parties together on elections
A Republican-authored bill with bipartisan support in the Wisconsin Legislature would allow voters to track the status of their ballots through text messages sent to their cell phones. Currently, absentee voters must log into MyVote, the Wisconsin Election Commission’s information portal, to make sure their ballots have been received by a clerk. Under Senate Bill […]
Wisconsin at the tipping point between ‘normal’ and ‘crazy’
The first thing President Joe Biden did the morning after he delivered his State of the Union address was to board a plane for Wisconsin, taking his message directly to the blue-collar, swing state voters he hopes will propel his reelection in 2024. It’s not a bad calculation. Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders […]
Wisconsin budget debate: What kind of state do we want?
It was remarkable to watch Republican legislators sit on their hands and scowl as Gov. Tony Evers delivered his assessment in last week’s State of the State address that Wisconsin is in the best fiscal shape in state history, with a record-breaking budget surplus and record high employment. They actually looked mad about it. Evers […]
Waukesha County Exec becomes new Lake Country Classical Academy authorizer
Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow signed a letter of intent on Tuesday to authorize Lake Country Classical Academy, the Oconomowoc charter school affiliated with Hillsdale College that was formerly authorized by the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University (LCOOU) in northern Wisconsin. Farrow formerly served as the state chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin and […]