Wisconsin employers are struggling to find qualified workers. At the same time, the state’s labor force participation rate is well below the peak reached during the last two economic expansions. What can employers and policy-makers do to get workers off the sidelines? Ike Brannon and Andrew Hanson - September 6, 2018
A whole lot more Wisconsinites are about to feel the sting of high state and local taxes (SALT) in ways they never have before — a fact that will lead either to a whole lot more dissatisfaction with elected officials or to substantive tax reform in Madison. Jay Miller - July 26, 2018
An empowered treasurer could be an independent voice for fiscal sanity. If state lawmakers heed the voters’ unmistakable message, the Legislature can take meaningful steps toward fiscal responsibility. Todd A. Berry - July 11, 2018
Broad-based Wisconsin tax reform should be the goal, not short-term targeted breaks that benefit only a narrow class of taxpayers. Jay Miller - May 7, 2018
It would seem a simple question to ask of any public agency: How much money do you spend and on what? But when the Badger Institute wanted to know about federal funding of school districts around the state, getting answers was more difficult than we imagined.Dan Benson - March 16, 2018
Governors can nominate up to 25 percent of low-income areas in their respective states to be OZs, subject to Treasury approval. Jay Miller - March 14, 2018
Special needs students are left behind because of inequitable allocation of federal resources, administrators say in Badger Institute survey. Julie Grace - March 13, 2018
Residents in high-tax states like ours are stung harder by cap on state/local tax deduction. There has never been a more opportune moment for tax reform in Wisconsin. Jay Miller - February 20, 2018
Wisconsin's arbitrary licensing rules prevent a graduating chiropractor who passed the national board exam with flying colors from practicing in the state where four generations of her family have served as chiropractors for nearly a century. Betsy Thatcher - February 19, 2018
Wisconsin ranks 38th in the latest state highway systems report. Revenue from gas taxes will slowly disappear in the years to come. More debt is not the answer, either. Robert W. Poole Jr. and Mike Nichols - February 13, 2018
Federal requirements in special ed are especially burdensome, educators tell Badger Institute in survey. Dan Benson and Julie Grace - January 25, 2018
"I have to do a lot of paperwork and spend time testing my kids instead of teaching my kids." Dan Benson and Julie Grace - January 25, 2018
Badger State requires higher score on national exam than most other states. Michael Jahr - January 23, 2018
Priorities should include tax reform, corrections, professional licensure and tolling. Mike Nichols and Michael Jahr - January 9, 2018
Funding regulations hamper districts and don’t improve education, local officials say in Badger Institute survey. Dan Benson and Julie Grace - December 12, 2017
Several regulations removed from the books, freeing professionals from onerous and unneeded requirements. November 27, 2017
Hordes of Wisconsin government workers are employed to "check boxes" for the feds. Dave Daley - November 13, 2017
Paperwork takes staff away from daily responsibilities and educating kids, officials say. Julie Grace - November 13, 2017
Many taxpayers in the Badger State could take a hit under changes proposed in House Republican tax bill. Jay Miller - November 8, 2017
Effort to scrap popular Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is a case study in how difficult it is to reduce spending. Dave Daley - November 1, 2017
U.S. education secretary also plans to give them more say over federal school dollars. Dan Benson - October 4, 2017
School officials make decisions they wouldn’t make otherwise to comply with funding requirements. Julie Grace and Dan Benson - September 12, 2017
ESSA could offer opportunities for state to involve districts in decision-making. Julie Grace and Dan Benson - September 12, 2017
Deal raises questions about everything from job creation to how free markets and economies work best. Mike Nichols - August 16, 2017
The deal is filled with too much uncertainty to be good for residents of Wisconsin. Andrew Hanson - August 16, 2017
Foxconn has the potential to generate broad gains that go beyond job estimates and revenue costs. Noah Williams - August 16, 2017
Governments aren’t very good at figuring out which businesses are likely to grow and which are likely to fail. Ike Brannon - August 16, 2017
Will LCD display technology still be relevant in 2020? Robert S. Anthony - August 16, 2017
Wisconsin law requires lifeguards to be at least 16, which may be compounding a shortage that forced a Wisconsin Dells resort to delay the opening of part of its outdoor waterpark this year. Janet Weyandt - July 20, 2017
Right now, three major sources of revenue — the state gas tax, the federal government and bonding — are problematic and unsustainable. Mike Nichols - July 19, 2017
At issue is a legislative proposal aimed at tightening up and making more uniform the so-called “three-tier” alcohol distribution system. Ken Wysocky - July 18, 2017
Badger State residents still pay a mother lode of taxes — way more, given how little the average Wisconsinite makes, than almost anyone else in America. Mike Nichols - July 5, 2017
Claiming to have a workforce strategy without a real strategy to attract and retain people makes little sense. Tom Hefty - June 28, 2017
UW students Samuel Haack and James Rohde can’t launch their Uber-like haircut business in Wisconsin without action from the Legislature. Betsy Thatcher - June 7, 2017
Albert Walker, whose clients include many Packers players, has years of experience but can’t run his own shop. Betsy Thatcher - May 17, 2017
Grants-in-aid represent more than 1,100 federal aid programs, each with its own rules and regulations. Dan Benson - May 11, 2017
Lawmakers in Wisconsin have a unique opportunity to erase an injustice, without eroding the rights of the accused or burdening our legal system. It’s called Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin. Brian Reisinger - May 10, 2017
Beyond the lives lost and countless other tragedies related to addiction, the opioid epidemic imposes a heavy monetary cost in Wisconsin. Ike Brannon and Devorah Goldman - May 4, 2017
Wisconsin needs to solve its highway funding shortfall, and toll-financed Interstate modernization is a powerful tool for doing so. Robert W. Poole Jr. - April 12, 2017
As the labor market for teachers evolves, we need more competition and less regulation. Scott Niederjohn and Mark Schug - April 2017
Wisconsin currently licenses hundreds of professions. Some of those are unobjectionable, but other licenses are problematic. Ike Brannon - April 7, 2017
"How often do ethics change in massage therapy?" she wonders. Jan Uebelherr - March 28, 2017
"We’re not playing with people’s lives. We’re playing with people’s hair," Krissy Hudack says. Jan Uebelherr - March 20, 2017
Beauty school graduate just wants to work but has been thwarted for over a year. Jan Uebelherr - March 16, 2017
“Federal agencies have over time adopted a culture of contempt for the public’s right to know,” says Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council. Dave Daley - March 14, 2017
More than it used to be, but Mayor Tom Barrett fails to count all the state’s funding to the city or how much other communities give. Dan Benson - March 8, 2017
St. Croix Chippewa agree to fix grants review process. Dave Daley - March 7, 2017
Admitting students with little chance to graduate helps no one; tying UW System funding to graduation rates would force change. Ike Brannon and Mike Nichols - March 1, 2017
The EITC promotes the expansion of the labor market by increasing the reward to work, while at the same time making it more attractive for businesses to hire. Andrew Hanson - February 16, 2017
Managing federal education dollars is costing Wisconsin taxpayers millions and benefiting children hardly at all. Dan Benson and Dave Daley - February 15, 2017
Washington’s grip on state schools continues to grow. Dan Benson and Dave Daley - January 24, 2017
Many Wisconsin high school graduates arrive at college unprepared and end up in remedial math and writing classes, which makes completing a degree unlikely. Betsy Thatcher - January 19, 2017
We need to rethink how we use the faculty at the non-Ph.D.-granting schools in Wisconsin to improve the lot of the state’s students. Ike Brannon - November 22, 2016
Data show people of all political persuasions also favor a govern local approach to solving many of our problems. Dan Benson - November 15, 2016
The questions we should be asking, however, are: Why aren’t our problems getting better? What value does the Washington bureaucracy add? Dan Benson - October 25, 2016
Hundreds of districts in Wisconsin and thousands more nationwide are saddled with the Single Audit of federal funds that feeds a bloated bureaucracy in Washington while adding little or no value to educational efforts. Dan Benson - October 11, 2016
“Our philosophy used to be procure (funding) and then figure out how to use (the money),” Director of Business Services Andy Chromy said. Dan Benson - October 11, 2016
Dozens of families have at times languished on waiting lists for housing assistance, and in 2014 and 2015 federal audits show tribal housing officials loaned themselves housing money without proper oversight. Dave Daley - September 15, 2016
In recent years, more than a dozen Indian tribes from North Carolina to Wisconsin to California have come under fire for using federal housing funds to treat tribal officials to lavish vacations, gifts and cash advances for personal expenses, a WPRI review has found. Dave Daley - September 15, 2016
As sovereign nations, tribes are not subject to state open records and open meetings laws as are Wisconsin’s municipal governments, school boards and other boards. Dave Daley - September 15, 2016
An important step in working toward solutions for situations like Milwaukee’s would be to look honestly at the source of the unrest and rioting in the Sherman Park neighborhood. Not all of those participating have been doing it for the same reason. Robert L. Woodson Sr. - August 17, 2016
For better or worse, the tax laws are designed not just to collect revenue. They also aim to encourage certain types of behavior, such as being charitable or investing in risky enterprises that, if successful, lead to job creation. Jay Miller - August 9, 2016
The predicament in which the city finds itself is the result of letting the prospect of “free” federal money determine local policy. Dan Benson - August 9, 2016
Everyone making a donation was thanking me, if for nothing else, as a representative of veterans who had served his country. I can’t tell you how good that made me feel. Dave Daley - July 21, 2016
College tuition continues to rise at a rate that greatly exceeds inflation and student loans are becoming more and more onerous. Jay Miller - June 23, 2016
Milwaukee JobsWork pursues a multi-level business strategy based on the conviction that sustainable employment leads to self-sufficiency and local business growth is necessary for expanded opportunities. Michael Jahr - June 2, 2016
There is evidence that some inebriated Wisconsinites are starting to make better decisions due to the increasing availability of ridesharing. Zack Vrana - May 12, 2016
The Joseph Project addresses regional employment challenges with a free-market approach. Michael Jahr - May 4, 2016
It’s almost impossible to find a legislator willing to defend the markup law on policy grounds; it’s also impossible to find a legislator willing to even hold a public hearing and risk rankling special interests. Mike Nichols - February 10, 2016
About one-third of all state spending today originates in Washington, D.C., dramatically increasing the influence of the federal government on state spending priorities. Dan Benson - February 3, 2016
New findings trumpeted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel fail to break down Wisconsin’s tax burden by income categories or on a regional basis. Jay Miller - December 15, 2015
“My family wanted private schools because private schools take education seriously. They offer a more rich education and prepare me for my future,” said Sahara Aden, of Milwaukee. But her family couldn’t afford the steep tuition. Liz Tolsma - December 2, 2015
We need to know why nearly half of liberal arts graduates from our state’s top university regret the way they spent their money. Emily Jashinsky - November 19, 2015
Why are Madison and Dane County always the default for locating new state government facilities? John Paulus - November 4, 2015
The proliferation of grants-in-aid has driven up federal and state spending and taxes, hampered the prosperity and independence of Wisconsin’s citizens and ultimately moved America dangerously closer to centrally controlled governance. Mike Nichols - October 1, 2015
Many of LakeView Technology Academy’s graduates are leaving high school with half of an associate’s degree in their pockets. Others are entering four-year universities as second-semester freshmen. Betsy Thatcher - September 24, 2015
“I get why the law is in place, but I’m not a threat to monopolize anything,” says restaurateur Justin Aprahamian. Ken Wysocky - September 17, 2015
In the past 30 years, metro Madison grew 45%; metro Milwaukee grew just 11%. What caused the difference in outcomes for two cities separated by only 75 miles? The answer lies in Wisconsin politics. Tom Hefty - September 9, 2015
The fact that SSDI is now a year closer to a mandatory 19% benefit cut once reserves are depleted doesn’t mean there is much more urgency in Congress for reforming disability benefits. Steve Prestegard - August 19, 2015
Lori A. Weyers, president of Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, says the IT worker shortage is reaching a “crisis” stage. Mike Nichols - August 13, 2015
A new model of care has quietly emerged that changes primary care as we know it - perfectly aligning the priorities and best interests of doctors and patients. Kathryn Nix - July 31, 2015
Only now are businesses realizing that traditional college curriculums are not meeting the growing demand of companies such as Epic and are turning to technical colleges to fill the gap. Dave Daley - July 15, 2015
The Dane County Child Support Agency will be rolling out a pilot program called the Forgiveness of Arrears for Completion of Education. Shannon Whitworth - July 13, 2015
Some folks in Wisconsin believe that we are simply another part of the federal government and should march in lockstep. Mike Nichols - July 8, 2015
The number of Minnesotans migrating east for Wisconsin universities is now nearly double the number of Wisconsinites traveling west for Minnesota schools. Michael Flaherty - June 24, 2015
Building new facilities often do little to alleviate the scourge of crime-ridden neighborhoods, which just get pushed to the background — until they explode. Jay Miller - June 10, 2015
Poor blacks have been the victims of a cruel bait-and-switch game, where the demographics of all blacks were used as the bait; when resources arrived, the bulk of them went to middle-class providers. Robert L. Woodson Sr. - May 28, 2015
The special education voucher program will help a small but deserving group of kids who repeatedly have been denied the opportunities available to their non-disabled peers. Mike Nichols - May 20, 2015
There’s ample evidence that Wisconsin’s prevailing wage law is harming taxpayers and contractors, frustrating good government servants and diverting resources away from those in need. Mike Nichols - May 2015
The harder we make it for young people to get on the first rung of the job ladder, the harder it will be to move up. Ike Brannon - April 8, 2015
Twenty-two states provide for election of the chief justice by the court, and none seem to have faced the divisiveness that Wisconsin has experienced. Richard Esenberg - April 1, 2015
The funding disparity between UWM and UW-Madison reflects that the two institutions have sharply different histories and are in many ways two different animals. Tom Tolan - March 31, 2015
There is strong public support for special needs vouchers: 62% of Wisconsin residents support such a program, according to a WPRI poll. Liz Tolsma - March 25, 2015
Come hear author Charles C.W. Cooke explain. Mike Nichols - March 24, 2015
Federal grants-in-aid, in truth, are anything but free. Many serve a valid purpose. But they also can drive up federal and state spending, taxes and debt. Mike Nichols - March 11, 2015
What seemed like an improbable goal of becoming a top 10 state is already true on some measures. It is within reach on others. Tom Hefty - March 10, 2015
The Wisconsin Special Needs Scholarship initiative would give parents the opportunity to do what they believe is best for their child, much like parents who seek the best medical treatment for their child’s illness. Craig Peterson - March 4, 2015
Rather than being portrayed as the enemy of low-income blacks, police should be seen instead as the community’s strongest allies against recurring violence. Robert L. Woodson Sr. - March 2, 2015
Even Democrats favor a right-to-work law that would end compulsory union dues from unwilling workers. Mike Nichols - February 20, 2015
“The idea that if they lose union dues that will impact training is nonsense,” says Scott Manley of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce. Mike Nichols - February 20, 2015
The system is performing so poorly that major changes, not just tweaks, are needed. Shannon Whitworth - February 18, 2015
Good policing is a highly localized issue. There is general agreement that an outstanding officer in one municipality might struggle if placed in another. John Paulus - February 10, 2015
Throughout the past 50 years, the established history of self-determination and entrepreneurship in the black community has been undermined. Robert L. Woodson Sr. - February 5, 2015
Tax-exempt institutions pay utility fees for their use of electricity and water. Shouldn’t a tax for their ownership of property be viewed in the same light? Jay Miller - February 3, 2015
Not long ago, printed newspapers were the gatekeepers of information. No well-informed American could go very long without picking up a paper. Clearly, that has changed. Emily Jashinsky - January 27, 2015
According to a WPRI poll, 62% of Wisconsinites somewhat or completely support a special needs voucher proposal, while 27% are somewhat or completely opposed. Mike Nichols - January 22, 2015
Climate change has become a bipartisan issue -- and one that we as conservatives can’t afford to ignore. Kevin Croswhite - January 22, 2015
The Fish and Wildlife Service didn’t delist the gray wolf on a lark. In fact, the gray wolf’s comeback is a rare example of the federal government doing something well. Eric Searing - January 22, 2015
The proposal calls into question whether we’ve granted too much discretion to our regulatory agencies. John Paulus - January 21, 2015
Wisconsin should not assume, however, that it will gain from Illinois’ predicament, unless it takes steps to improve its own income tax competitiveness. Jay Miller - January 7, 2015
The burgeoning debate over right-to-work is really over two different things: the rights that workers, either as individuals or collectively, should have in the workplace; and whether right-to-work states are more conducive or less conducive to long-term prosperity. Mike Nichols - December 15, 2014
Conservative lawmakers should visit low-income communities, develop relationships with their community leaders and use the experience to craft innovative solutions that don’t involve throwing more money at a broken system. Emily Jashinsky - December 9, 2014
Wisconsin state and local taxes are high because Wisconsin spending is high — particularly for welfare and higher education. Our public leaders need to find the right balance between taxes and programs. Tom Hefty - November 24, 2014
Wisconsinites need to get used to the idea of electronic tolls on our freeways. It’s a free-market solution to an overwhelming problem: lack of cash to pay for modestly modern highways. Mike Nichols - November 24, 2014
The most obvious way to learn how to be wealthy is to learn about wealthy people and do what they do. Imitation is the sincerest form of becoming wealthy. Shannon Whitworth - November 17, 2014
Well-educated, ambitious millennials see a lot to like in Madison — and appear increasingly likely to put down roots. Emily Jashinsky - November 6, 2014
There’s the recent bellowing about the so-called $1.8 billion “structural deficit” Wisconsin could theoretically face some three years down the road, and the absolute indifference to the real federal deficits that could well be this country’s ruin. Mike Nichols - September 11, 2014
Male students are so outnumbered on our nation’s campuses that it’s worth considering who really controls the dynamics of day-to-day life. Emily Jashinsky - August 18, 2014
To end gun violence in our inner cities, we need to stop focusing on the guns. Guns are only a symptom of a larger and more insidious disease. Shannon Whitworth - August 11, 2014
“Expanding” or “growing” or “selling in foreign markets where there are billions of customers hungry for American stuff” would be a lot more accurate descriptions than “outsourcing.” Mike Nichols - August 2014
Why are so many people wasting tens of thousands — often hundreds of thousands — of dollars on degrees they don’t end up using? Emily Jashinsky - July 22, 2014
As long as young men keep getting the message that they are unnecessary or unwanted or that the mothers can make more money if they are not in the picture, the downward spiral will continue. Shannon Whitworth - July 11, 2014
The new approach is too broad and lacking in nuance to ultimately make much of a difference in the performance of special needs pupils in Wisconsin or elsewhere. Mike Ford - July 8, 2014
Wages are rising. The unemployment rate is low. And a high percentage of Wisconsin residents have jobs. Tom Hefty - June 24, 2014
As attractive as the tribe’s offer is, the real estate market points to another profitable solution. Michael Flaherty - May 29, 2014
Democrats need a nextgen leader who understands the imperative of building a vibrant 21st century economy in a state mired in an Old World Wisconsin re-enactment of yesteryear’s political wars. Marc Eisen - May 2014
The last thing Wisconsin and the WIAA need are state lawmakers or the governor (of either party) calling the shots in high school sports. Michael Flaherty - April 2014
Throughout his journey through Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Indianapolis, New Jersey, Milwaukee and San Antonio, Paul Ryan has witnessed unforgettable transformations. Robert L Woodson Sr. - March 2014
Everybody who cares about their kids has to also start caring enough to educate the Milwaukee School Board as it looks for a new superintendent. Mike Nichols - February 20, 2014
Corporate buyers are demonstrating that making health care affordable is more about management science than political science. John Torinus - January 13, 2014
It is counterproductive to force school districts to rebrand a popular district-option while the state expands the competitive atmosphere of K-12 education. Mike Ford - December 2013
Allow local districts to count students from their districts attending independent charter schools and then transfer the state and local revenue generated by each pupil to the charter school. Mike Ford - October 18, 2013
Better to say no to all new casinos and let the free market determine Wisconsin's economic future. Mike Nichols - October 15, 2013
There is considerable evidence that the casino gambling market is generally saturated. Daniel Alesch, Ph.D. - September 2013
Transparency is a hallmark of our administrative state. It can be inconvenient, annoying and unfair. But it beats the heck out of the alternative. Mike Ford - September 2013
It was amazing, yet predictable, how easily the president was able to get congressional leadership – Democrats and Republicans – to sign on to his Syria strategy. George Lightbourn - September 2013
Taking small steps to tone down the rhetoric on both sides and demonstrate why increased trust is warranted is a much more realistic and preferable route. Mike Ford - August 2013
The new program will create an additional expense to the state. However, it is possible that the loss in GPR may be offset by the positive fiscal impact of reducing declining enrollment trends in private schools. Mike Ford - July 2013
The governor was doing his job, balancing evidence, interests and the wishes of the electorate. It is a path every governor must navigate. Mike Ford - July 2013
The most stunning action by the committee was the complete rejection of the underlying concept behind Gov. Walker’s original education budget: Tying new money to performance. Mike Ford - June 2013
As we increasingly see a single political philosophy dominate at the state or local level, we will increasingly see evidence of overreach. George Lightbourn - June 2013
In New Orleans, through the first Recovery School District in the nation, the percentage of students attending failing schools there has been reduced from 78% to 40%. Neerav Kingland - June 2013
The complaint against Milwaukee's school choice program was a thinly veiled political ploy. Mike Nichols - May 2013
For a city to tie its economic prospects to recycled public-sector dollars represents an insecurity that is not healthy. George Lightbourn - May 2013
If the governor’s budget forces some administrators to cut back on staff to the point where they don’t have time to worry about political correctness in the classroom or the lunchroom, that’s fine by me. Sunny Schubert - April 2011
“What I don’t get is what your guy Mark Miller is for. I mean, I know he don’t much like Scott Walker, but what does he stand for?” George Lightbourn - April 2011
Distortions have popped up in conversation and on Facebook in the weeks since Gov. Walker introduced his budget and the government unions took to the streets in protest. Sunny Schubert - March 2011
Steve Lightbourn weighs in on Gov. Walker. George Lightbourn - March 2011
The media fixates on what budgets reveal about the politicians who present them. Yet probably more important is what the two budgets, state and federal, reveal about us. George Lightbourn - March 2011
Here is a dictionary of many of the terms you are likely to hear as the Wisconsin union showdown continues. Christian Schneider - February 2011
Our leaders have been pandering to the here and now to the peril of what they know are serious underlying problems. George Lightbourn - January 2011
Mike Nichols - January 2011
George Lightbourn - October 2010
Mike Nichols - June 2010
Dale Kooyenga - July 2009