Badger InstituteBadger Institute
  • Home
  • Issues
    • Taxes
    • Education
    • Crime & Justice
    • Spending & Accountability
    • Economy & Infrastructure
    • Federalism
    • Licensing
    • Healthcare
    • Civil Society
  • Mandate for Madison
  • Research
  • Magazines
    • Diggings
    • Wisconsin Interest
  • Events
  • Media
    • Podcast
    • Fact Sheets
    • Viewpoints
    • Press Releases
    • Badger in the News
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Testimony
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Board of Directors
    • Team
    • Visiting Fellows
    • America’s Future
    • Careers
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Subscribe for Updates

Get the latest news and updates from Badger Institute.

What's New

State landlords hit hard by eviction moratorium

May 25, 2023

At home with politically incorrect language

May 25, 2023

Licensing reform gains momentum in Wisconsin Legislature

May 22, 2023
Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Instagram
TRENDING:
  • State landlords hit hard by eviction moratorium
  • At home with politically incorrect language
  • Licensing reform gains momentum in Wisconsin Legislature
  • When parents choose a public school with more options for their children, the state provides less money. Why?
  • Legislature protects Milwaukeeans from $15-per-rider fare-free trolley folly
  • Latest crime figures show a Milwaukee in trouble
  • Wisconsin lawmakers in the dark on broadband
  • Foreseeing the Future of Wisconsin’s Flat Tax
  • Donate
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Instagram
Badger InstituteBadger Institute
SUPPORT OUR MISSION
  • Issues
    • Taxes
    • Education
    • Crime & Justice
    • Spending & Accountability
    • Economy & Infrastructure
    • Federalism
    • Licensing
    • Healthcare
    • Civil Society
  • Mandate for Madison
  • Research
  • Magazines
    • Diggings
    • Wisconsin Interest
  • Events
  • Media
    • Podcast
    • Fact Sheets
    • Viewpoints
    • Press Releases
    • Badger in the News
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Testimony
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Board of Directors
    • Team
    • Visiting Fellows
    • America’s Future
    • Careers
Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
DONATE
Badger InstituteBadger Institute
Home » Featured » July 2009
Economy and Infastructure

July 2009

By Badger InstituteJuly 5, 2009
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest

Big ideas … and the epic disconnect

The job-killing tax and fee increases in the new state budget were bad enough. But even worse was the epic disconnect between what was happening in Madison and the economy in the rest of the state.

The $3 billion tax hike will hit an economy that has already shed more than 133,000 jobs (almost all of them in the private sector) in the last year. The state’s job loss was the biggest in more than a half a century, but Gov. Doyle prepared to sign a budget that raised taxes on virtually every aspect of the state’s economy, especially business.

This head-banging disconnect between our political culture and our economy is especially striking in light of the analysis in this issue of Wisconsin Interest by veteran business executive Thomas Hefty and journalist and entrepreneur John Torinus Jr.: “Wisconsin Flunks Its Economics Test.”

Even before the current budget, they report, Wisconsin had been falling behind the rest of the country, to the point where Wisconsin now risks becoming “the Alabama of the North.” Despite the administration’s attempts to obscure the extent of job loss by using “rosy or smoky” counting methodology, they note that during the Doyle years Wisconsin has “managed to slide to below-average wages and below-average job growth…the worst of both worlds.”

Their study comes too late to affect the passage of the current budget, but the data they assemble could set the terms of the debate over Wisconsin’s direction, especially going into the 2010 elections.

Also in this issue, an investigative report by Mike Nichols paints a provocative portrait of the unelected and unresponsive board that runs the Milwaukee Area Technical College. Nichols details the tech school’s super-sized staff salaries and benefits and the insider nature of the school’s dysfunctional governance system.

In our “Frontline” report, Sunny Schubert talks with the idiosyncratic Bob Ziegelbauer, a legislator from Manitowoc who “finds himself shunned by fellow Democrats and treated like a freak of nature by Republicans.” Schubert notes that this is a shame because the conservative Ziegelbauer, who is also Manitowoc county executive, is “one of the smartest and most innovative public servants in the state.”
This issue also debuts a new column on the politics of culture by Marquette Law Professor Rick Esenberg; along with a guest column by The Weekly Standard’s Stephen Hayes, who assesses the political prospects of wunderkind Paul Ryan.

Finally, our cover story features the first joint interview of the two men most likely to challenge Gov. Doyle for re-election next year (assuming that he seeks re-election). Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former Congressman Mark Neumann sat down with former Isthmus editor Marc Eisen and me at the WPRI offices in Hartland in late May to discuss the state of the state and conservative politics.

Near the end of our interview, I asked them: “What does an organization like WPRI bring to the conservative movement in Wisconsin?”

Neumann: A lot. For anything to become a reality, you first need a vision. Which you all are doing by bringing ideas forth for people to talk about. Those visions have to be verbalized first and gotten into people’s minds to the point where you can start enacting them.

Walker: What happens here [at WPRI] is the combination of the big vision, the big idea, but also putting the meat on the bone, to give specifics to not just elected officials but to advocates and others in the community. That plays an incredibly important role.

That, at least, was something we could all agree on.

— Charles J. Sykes

“Diversity” Takes an Odd Turn

Vietnam-born alder targets crime, gets blasted from the left. By David Blaska

Read More…

Party of One

Conservative Democrat Bob Ziegelbauer scores a breakthrough on health care, but finds few allies. By Sunny Schubert

Read More…

Bring on the Stats Nerds

Government needs a good dose of sabermetrics. By Christian Schneider

Read More…

Railroaded!

Commuter train boosters pull a fast one on the public. By Deb Jordahl

Read More…

GenNextGOP

Dubbed a future leader, Paul Ryan already shapes the Washington debate. By Stephen F. Hayes

Read More…

Summit Meeting

GOP hopefuls meet for first time, critique Jim Doyle’s tenure, make their cases to be governor. By Charles J. Sykes and Marc Eisen

Read More…

Letters to the Editor

Read More…

Under Fire

How Should Conservatives Respond to a Hostile Liberal Takeover? By Richard Esenberg

Read More…

MATC’s Reality Moment

Last fall, the tech board happily endorsed super-sized staff salaries and benefits. Will the recession end the party? By Mike Nichols

Read More…

Wisconsin Flunks its Economics Test

During the Doyle years, the state failed to create new jobs while descending to Alabama-level wages. By Thomas Hefty and John Torinus, Jr.

Read More…

Featured
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Telegram Email
Badger Institute

Related Posts

State landlords hit hard by eviction moratorium

May 25, 2023

Legislature protects Milwaukeeans from $15-per-rider fare-free trolley folly

May 11, 2023

Economics of the fist: Unions favor telling to asking with Wisconsin’s right to work

April 6, 2023
Subscribe

Sign Up for Top Picks

Our weekly e-Newsletter with the latest items and updates

Connect with Badger Institute
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
About Us
About Us

The Badger Institute is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institute established in 1987 working to engage and energize Wisconsinites and others in discussions and timely action on key public policy issues critical to the state’s future, growth and prosperity.

Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn

Sign Up for Top Picks

Our weekly e-Newsletter with the latest items and updates

What’s New

State landlords hit hard by eviction moratorium

May 25, 2023

At home with politically incorrect language

May 25, 2023

Licensing reform gains momentum in Wisconsin Legislature

May 22, 2023

When parents choose a public school with more options for their children, the state provides less money. Why?

May 18, 2023
© 2023 Badger Institute | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Sitemap

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience.

Privacy settings

Privacy Settings

This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. Which cookies and scripts are used and how they impact your visit is specified on the left. You may change your settings at any time. Your choices will not impact your visit.

NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using.

CRM Software

Customer Relationship Management Software

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Service. This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.

You can opt-out of having made your activity on the Service available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity.

For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en

Powered by Cookie Information