Abdur Chowdhury: The hype and the reality of the Foxconn deal
Is this a good investment for Wisconsin? Will it help the working population of the state? In both cases, we see a number of downside risks that need to be dealt with upfront if we want a positive outcome from this investment.
Al Christianson: The real Flambeau Mine story
It is refreshing to learn that legislation is being introduced to lift Wisconsin’s long-standing moratorium on metallic mineral mining. We here in northern Wisconsin can potentially share in the economic gains that our neighbors in northern Minnesota and Michigan are looking forward to with current mining projects under development.
Alan Borsuk: Milwaukee voucher schools are improving, but challenges remain
The voucher sector in Milwaukee is growing stronger and better. Quality overall is improving. Many of the private schools are doing more to get their act together.
Andrew Kitslaar: ‘Dark store’ loophole a big problem for taxpayers
Big box stores receive city services — emergency services, road construction and maintenance, etc., and they are not just vacant buildings. They should be taxed accordingly.
April Barker: Wisconsin Supreme Court openness rulings a mixed bag
As befits a year in which anything, it seems, can happen, the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s public records docket this term was marked by atypical cases.
Arthur Cyr: Sanctions and international pressure are isolating North Korea
Preparation for war is essential regarding North Korea, but there is still no need to assume war will happen. This remains true despite the latest extreme statements from Pyongyang, and now the White House. The Korean War armistice has held for 64 years.
Arthur Cyr: The history of Confederate monuments matters
Symbols of the Confederate States of America have emerged as contemporary political targets, and the word “target” in this case has at least two meanings — a topic of intense debate, and the focus of despicable violence.
Bill Kaplan: GOP leadership
Kasich, Romney and Gallagher demonstrate leadership in the Republican Party.
Bill Kaplan: Johnson-Trump, loose cannons
Johnson and Trump have much in common.
Bill Kaplan: Rep. Gallagher, bipartisanship
Gallagher and 42 other Democratic and GOP representatives have released “a bipartisan fix for health care” that would restrain Trump’s effort to sabotage the Affordable Care Act.
Bill Kraus: Early handicapping on the governor’s race: Walker assumed favorite, but …
Gov. Scott Walker's deal for 13,000 jobs may have the Dems feeling "Foxconned," but the 2018 governor's race in Wisconsin still has a ways to go.
Bonnie Martin: Congress, stop the double-talk on tax reform
This fall, the focus will finally be on taxes, which is great news. However, I find it unsettling that talk of leveling the playing field for small business owners seems to have fallen by the wayside.
Brandon Savage: Another Democratic disconnect with Foxconn
It’s stunning to hear Democrats putting a value on any job, across any sector. With the gubernatorial election around the corner, it’s time to stand up for working people. Not attack the thousands who will inevitably work for Foxconn in southeastern Wisconsin.
Brett Healy: Federal energy tax would hurt Wisconsin families
As Congress pivots to tax reform, some lawmakers have considered raising taxes on energy developers to pay for tax cuts elsewhere. Such tax hikes would slam Wisconsin's natural gas industry, leading to higher utility costs and fewer jobs.
Bruce Murphy: Diane Hendricks, savior of Beloit
New York Times leaves out some of the story. Where’s that liberal media bias?
Bruce Murphy: Haribo candy deal shows Foxconn flaws
Foxconn will cost 11 times more per job than Walker’s deal with Haribo.
Bruce Murphy: Paper peddles bogus Foxconn report
Puffed-up report by Walker crony swallowed whole by Journal Sentinel.
Bruce Murphy: Richard Uihlein, GOP kingmaker
Should Illinois billionaire dictate Republican choice for U.S. Senate?
Bruce Murphy: Right-wing TV news kingdom rising
Sinclair Broadcasting would become dominant player in state’s key media markets.
Bruce Murphy: Walker’s desperate deal with Foxconn
No governor in state history would have offered such a massive giveaway.
Bruce Murphy: Wisconsin a key state for Russian hacking
Ryan, Johnson, Duffy may have many questions to answer.
Bruce Thompson: Foxconn, Wisconsin’s manufacturing future?
Deal will cost $500 for every person in the state.
Bruce Thompson: Judges consider a Democratic gerrymander
Maryland uses same technique as Wisconsin, but to benefit Democrats.
Bruce Thompson: Right wing seeks to end democracy?
Their support for Wisconsin gerrymander part of a disturbing international trend.
Bruce Thompson: Walker’s health care gamble exposes state
Walker bet on health care exchanges and against expanding Medicaid, which could hurt Wisconsin.
Bruce Thompson: Will Foxconn deal fight poverty?
Legislative language suggests this. What are the deal’s true aims and costs?
Casey Hoff: ‘Rule of law’ talk must be consistent
Many of those complaining about the lawless behavior of anti-fascist protesters are noticeably silent when others in far higher positions of authority flout the rule of law.
Chris Larson: Foxconn: Economic renewal or ruin?
The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.
Each of us has a stake...
Chris Rickert: Look to Madison’s Sing Along for nonviolent response to hate
When it comes to standing up to racists, somewhere between the non-engagement of a sheet-cake eating Tina Fey and the black-clad violence of the antifa is a better approach honed by Madison’s own Solidarity Sing Along.
Chris Rochester: Democrats’ ‘BadgerCare for All’ plan would reduce health care access
Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo warns the more people on BadgerCare, the fewer providers will accept it because reimbursement rates from the government are so low. That means decreased access to health care for the state's most vulnerable populations.
Chris Taylor, Melissa Sargent and Terese Berceau: Our take on Foxconn
We believe that the interests of Wisconsinites are being sacrificed to the re-election interests of Gov. Walker and the financial interests of a multinational corporation.
Chris Taylor: Inside ALEC’s war on public education
Its general is Betsy DeVos, keynote speaker at annual conference I attended.
Chris Walker: Measure the good vs. the bad with Foxconn deal, and you’ll understand...
Mitch Henck’s argument is that this deal is all about jobs, jobs and jobs, and that we should be grateful for the plans that Gov. Scott Walker has laid out for us to get those jobs. But there has to be a measured approach to the impact that the Foxconn deal will have for whatever area they locate to, as well as the rest of the state.
Christian Schneider: Credit UW-Madison for confronting its racist past
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced the creation of a study group to look at the influence of white supremacist groups on campus over the years.
Christian Schneider: Democrats walk a fine line on Foxconn
So far the most effective Democratic strategy appears to be, as the kids say, "ghosting" — hiding under your Capitol Hill desk and waiting for all the announcements to blow over. Then, whether the deal works or doesn't, you can take credit either way.
Christian Schneider: Foxconn provides an Epic opportunity
Luring the Taiwanese technology giant to southeastern Wisconsin could have ripple effects throughout the area, modernizing the state's culture and reputation in the same way Epic has done for south central Wisconsin.
Christian Schneider: Points-based immigration bill a good start
Ryan is right — legal immigration strengthens the country. But an even stronger, merit-based system would strengthen the nation even more — as long as "merit" doesn't simply become a beauty contest.
Christian Schneider: Trump sells out his own supporters on border wall
Perhaps when team #MAGA sees there's no wall, Obamacare remains unmolested, and Trump can't shepherd through meaningful tax reform, they'll realize they've been sold down the tube.
Curt Pitzen: Why the Legislature should approve the Foxconn deal
We must not let this opportunity pass. It is imperative that we ask legislative leaders to do what is best for the economic future of the state and get the incentive package done so Foxconn can get a shovel in the ground and show other global companies why they should also be investing in Wisconsin.
Dale Knapp: Foxconn project poses unasked, unanswered questions for local officials
Much has been written about state incentives to bring high-tech manufacturer FoxConn to Wisconsin. Little has been written about proposed local incentives. The local commitment will likely be significant, so what follows are a few questions that local officials may want to consider.
Dale Kooyenga: Why I voted for Foxconn
The bill paves the way for Foxconn to make an historic investment in Wisconsin – in fact, one of the largest foreign investments in U.S. history.
Daniel Riemer: Foxconn looks like a win for Bears fans
Handing over billions of dollars to a foreign corporation for a shaky pledge of jobs, as many as half of which could by taken by people from Illinois, is a bad deal for Wisconsin.
Dave Cieslewicz: Foxconn deal goes from bad to bizarre
Wisconsin taxpayers would subsidize each Foxconn job $230,000 to $1 million. These jobs would pay a third of what a family of four needs to live in the middle class.
Dave Cieslewicz: The Foxconn con
The $3 billion deal hatched for a new Wisconsin factory simply stinks.
Dave Cieslewicz: The Foxconn sucker bet
Alternative uses for $3 billion would be more fruitful.
Dave Cieslewicz: Upper Midwest should band together to fight Foxconn rip-offs
Chicago Sun-Times editorial nails why proposed deal is so terrible.
Dave Hansen: Foxconn deal is part of a larger issue looming for state: automation
Regardless of where you stand on the Foxconn deal, their stated goal of full automation is not unique to the world we are now living in. It is time for the Legislature to take the issue of automation seriously and do what needs to be done to protect the best interests of taxpayers, our families and our workforce.
Dave Zweifel: ‘Deplorables’ are emboldened by our deplorable president
Americans who fell for Donald Trump will rebel at being compared to the supremacists, but they need to face the fact. Former KKK leader David Duke and his compatriots have been emboldened by the deplorable president they decided ought to lead the greatest democracy on earth.
Dave Zweifel: 122 countries get it right on nukes — but not ours
We're just about to observe the 72nd anniversary of the use of the first atomic bomb on Japan. And the truth is that the world today is too dangerous a place for nuclear weapons.
Dave Zweifel: Army dusting off Cold War playbook sends a chill up the spine
So here we go again, dusting off the Cold War playbook. To paraphrase those Cold War balladeers, Peter, Paul and Mary, when will we ever learn?
Dave Zweifel: Big Phama’s big bucks go to profit, not R&D
A recently published paper from the Institute for New Economic Thinking reveals that the big drug companies have spent more on share buybacks and dividends during the last 10 years than they did on research and development.
Dave Zweifel: Don’t expect Trump to keep us safe on roads and rails
The administration is suspending a plan to test all American truck drivers and train engineers for sleep apnea.
Dave Zweifel: Earth Day legacy is at risk with Foxconn
Regardless of which side you take in the Foxconn saga, the willingness of the Walker administration to barter away the state's time-honored environmental protections for what could be an elusive promise of jobs from a corporation with a reputation for reneging has got to be troubling on the surface.
Dave Zweifel: GOP politicos put state on downhill slide
A quick look at some of the craziness that's been demanding so much of our attention the past couple of weeks.
Dave Zweifel: Political low road runs through Wisconsin
Republican operatives are emulating Trump's coarseness — none more so than right here in Wisconsin.
Dave Zweifel: To GOP zealots, women’s health is irrelevant
Jacque's bill to prevent the UW Medical School from training resident physicians in abortions could likely cause a shortage of OB-GYN doctors in the state.
Dave Zweifel: Trump’s a racist — don’t tell me otherwise
Anyone who was paying attention last fall could have predicted Trump's Charlottesville performance, his inability to call out racists and inclination to go easy on fearmongers.
David Blaska: 155 years after their capture, imprisonment, and deaths — Mayor Soglin vows...
No doubt feeling the heat from fair-minded citizens and national ridicule, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin today doubled down on his unilateral decision to purify and sanitize the Confederates Rest section of Forest Hill Cemetery.
David Blaska: Faced with Foxconn and 13,000 jobs, Democrats erect suicide nets around party
Let’s see those Democrats vote against Foxconn. To do so would be, dare we say it, political suicide.
David Bowen: Taxpayers shouldn’t have to bribe Foxconn to come to Wisconsin
Why are we working so hard to give away billions, which we usually say we can't find, to a foreign company with a sketchy history than our own Wisconsin companies and business owners who are already committed to our state?
David D. Haynes: On Foxconn, ‘trust, but verify’
The Foxconn deal is “transformational.” It’s a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” And if you don’t like it, you can “go suck lemons,” the governor says. I’ll pass on the lemons. But I would like an independent analysis to chew on.
David D. Haynes: The risk of believing in Foxconn
By the time we know whether we’ve bet our taxpayer dollars on a Hall of Famer or a false promise, Walker and the others may be long gone. And the rest of us may still be paying the bill.
Dominique Paul Noth: Randy Bryce has the bulldog bite of a working-class politician
As someone who has spent his life on the job, dealing with health issues, raising a family and serving his country, he is a far more believable representative of a community of hard-working people that has grown increasingly angry at Ryan’s reputation as a GOP intellectual leader.
Dominique Paul Noth: What’s wrong with the Wisconsin Foxconn deal
The promise of sustainable new jobs is dubious based on more than the track record of both Walker and Foxconn.
Dominique Paul Noth: Wrong-footed Supreme Court can be changed
No one believes the state’s top court is nonpartisan anymore.
Dustin Walsh: 3 billion reasons why Michigan shouldn’t mimic Wisconsin
It's hard to imagine how the $3 billion package is going to result in an economic win for the state of Wisconsin or its taxpayers.
Ernst-Ulrich Franzen: Foxconn, the Zoo Interchange and the cost of delay
The more delays, the higher the cost and the more annoyances.
Ernst-Ulrich Franzen: To stop Asian carp, just close the canal
Severing the century-old link between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds is the only sure way to stop the flow of invasive species from one watershed to the other.
Frank Emspak: Foxconn deal comes with risks
Before the euphoria over this unfinished deal overtakes us, there are some factors we should consider.
George Mitchell: Buyers’ remorse for voucher backers
School choice backers donated generously to Walker, but he’s vacillated on the issue.
George Mitchell: Conservatives should favor gas tax hike
Many do, but a minority of legislators are calling the shots.
George Mitchell: MacIver transportation report is junk
Alleged study asserts but never begins to prove $2 billion in waste.
George Mitchell: Paul Soglin strikes a pose
Oh-so virtuous Madison mayor takes down Confederate memorial.
George Mitchell: Supreme Court stakes crystal clear once again
As the campaign unfolds, it will be abundantly clear that the stakes this time are every bit as crucial as in the last two campaigns.
George Mitchell: The Moody’s debt upgrade — what it does (and doesn’t) mean
The upgrade by Moody’s groups Wisconsin with 18 states that are one notch below the top tier of 14 states. It remains to be seen whether the other two rating services (Standard and Poor’s and Fitch Ratings) will follow suit. Currently, S&P rates Wisconsin in a group that is below 29 other states.
Gordon Hintz: Where will Foxconn find workers?
With a significant labor shortage in Wisconsin and neighboring states, will Foxconn pay enough to recruit people from around the U.S. to move to southeastern Wisconsin as our existing working age resident population declines?
Gregory Humphrey: Good news for those who care about the process of government
It is being reported that the White House is not wed to having congressional Republicans use the budget reconciliation process to advance a tax overhaul. Excellent news for those who want a bi-partisan attempt made at crafting a bill.
Gregory Humphrey: Johnson should have met my third grade teacher
Johnson suggesting McCain's brain tumor affected his health care vote is not how one should operate when it comes to someone fighting a health problem.
Gregory Humphrey: Madison Mayor Soglin correct over Confederate monuments: Constitutional history says so
Mayor Soglin is correct in his stern and strong posture when it comes to the monuments at Forest Hill. He is not only grounded with a moral footing, but also rooted in constitutional history, too.
Gregory Humphrey: State Capitol reunion: ‘It is so much different now’
To celebrate the 100th year of the Wisconsin State Capitol a reunion of past legislators and staff who worked in the building was held last Friday.
Gregory Humphrey: Would Wisconsin Democrats have opposed Louisiana Purchase, too?
Packaging state resources into a powerful program to create jobs over a wide array of communities is the smartest thing to have emerged from our statehouse in a very long time. And my party needs to get on board this plan and provide hearty support.
Gretchen Schuldt: Reduce penalties for pot possession
Second offense possession still a felony in Wisconsin.
Howard Fuller: NAACP’s attack on charter schools hurts black students
Hamstringing charter schools through reduced autonomy, diminished authorizing options and overzealous regulation, as the NAACP’s report recommends, will cripple what truly makes charter schools work — the freedom to provide what works for the students attending their schools.
Isiah Holmes: The heroin and opioid crisis is real
Many are affected in Milwaukee. So what are government leaders doing about it?
James Rowen: Foxconn favors are basic to Walker/GOP’s sloppy playbook
The GOP-led Wisconsin Assembly is rushing the Foxconn bill forward straight through regulatory and due-diligence gaps in smart business and environmental best practices deliberately blown in Wisconsin law and legacy.
James Rowen: Hostile to climate reality, Walker will further ignore TX lessons
The horrible images broadcast from Houston, Beaumont, and other Texas communities after Hurricane Harvey dropped its historic rainfall show what can happen when government botches basic obligations and makes a bad situation even worse.
James Rowen: If Foxconn is exempted from environmental regulation, why not CAFOs?
If Foxconn's development site can be exempted from environmental rules that are supposed to ensure the clean water that is the people's constitutionally-guaranteed right, then why not draw the same kind of privileged lines around the rapidly-expanding Wisconsin industrial-scale big animal feeding factories known as CAFOs?
James Rowen: Like Walker, Texas governor avoids climate change
Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas is facing a new, post-Hurricane Harvey normal, but you don't hear him saying what GOP officials have evaded, down-played and flat-out denied for years--that climate change is part of that new normal.
James Rowen: Put Foxconn on hold until Walker explains data suppression
Every Wisconsin legislator and local official sworn to protecting honest and open government, environmental law and taxpayer money absolutely should slow down the Foxconn deal until they know know they are getting a straight story, forthcoming advice, accurate data and unfiltered facts.
James Rowen: Walker’s Foxconn giveaway bill extends his war on wetlands
Walker's proven conservation hostility is again on full display through the bill he crafted secretly to exempt the Foxconn development from an what should be a routine Environmental Impact Statement review, thus eliminating in advance the best method to catalogue and protect wetlands and connected resources the project would harm.
James Rowen: Will Stepp join U.S. EPA wrecking crew?
Her radical reshaping of state DNR may make her the perfect candidate.
James Wigderson: Baldwin ignores own past behavior when criticizing trump judicial pick
Baldwin is upset that a judicial nomination by President Trump did not receive the super-majority support of a bipartisan judicial commission set up by her and Johnson. However, Baldwin is ignoring her own history when she bypassed the process and sent eight names to President Obama.
James Wigderson: The Clinton book tour is coming to Wisconsin
Clinton’s failure to visit Wisconsin is often cited as one reason she lost our state’s electoral votes, and the election, last November. Now she’s visiting the state she snubbed in 2016.
Janet Bewley: Northwestern Wisconsin shut out of broadband grants
None of the $1.5 million awarded in the latest round of Broadband Expansion Grant will be spent in Northwestern Wisconsin.
Jerry Deschane: We’re in it together Wisconsin
The second annual State of Cities and Villages Report shows that after being shaken hard by the Great Recession and constrained by levy limits and flat state aids, cities and villages are investing in their future, preparing for new development.
Jim Clark and Vincent Lyles: Milwaukee’s, and America’s youths, are in crisis
To turn things around, we need parents, educators, employers, community representatives, law enforcement agencies and every political and social leader in the country — from the state house to the White House — to think about what kind of world we want to live in, and participate in a national dialogue about how to get there.
Jim Sensenbrenner: The Senate failed on health care
Despite ongoing reports of the breakdown of Obamacare in their states and states throughout the country, a small group of Republican Senators refused to stand up and vote for the best interests of their constituents and Americans nationwide.
Jim Stingl: We’re high on Foxconn right now, but what are the adverse effects...
I'd like to see the Foxconn deal pitched like Chantix, Lyrica and Viagra, with all the disclaimers.
JoAnne Brown: The trouble with Foxconn
Or more accurately, “The trouble with the Republican response to the Foxconn proposal.”
John Imes: Wisconsin needs to take the high road on Foxconn plan
As policymakers hammer out a historic deal for Wisconsin’s economy that will require unprecedented taxpayer funds to secure Foxconn’s proposed $10 billion dollar facility, they should reject the same-old, tired business model that exploits workers and disregards environmental standards.
John Nichols: Paul Soglin leads while Scott Walker shames himself
The governor provided zero leadership for his party, his state or his country following violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. Soglin, on the other hand, responded decisively — with words and deeds.
John Torinus: Final Foxconn contract needs tough approach
Every major business decision entails risks. The risks in the Foxconn deal are obvious. That’s why hard bargaining on the front end is called for as the final contract is drafted.
John Torinus: How about Green Tier II for Foxconn?
The Wisconsin win of the gigantic Foxconn manufacturing plant for Southeastern Wisconsin creates as opportunity to apply some new thinking about how to regulate the environmental side of its operations.
Jon Erpenbach: Looking at the Foxconn deal with a Wisconsin perspective
We cannot let the relentless pursuit of jobs take away what makes Wisconsin our home. We can do better.
Jon Peacock: The high cost of Foxconn
Each job created could cost the state anywhere from $17,273 to $54,159 per year.
Jon Peacock: The significant risk of never breaking even on Foxconn subsidies
Our calculations help drive home the point that it may be wishful thinking to believe that the huge subsidies Wisconsin is considering granting to Foxconn would be offset by increased tax revenue by 2043.
Jonathan Krause: Not another New Orleans
While the scenes of devastation after the flood waters recede will look the same, the paths that America's two latest disaster zones will take from here couldn't be any more different.
Jonathan Krause: The unwinnable wars
It sounds like President Trump is going to follow in the footsteps of all his predecessors dating back to Harry Truman in continuing to fight unwinnable wars.
Kathleen Vinehout: Thank you Wisconsin for the beautiful gift
Chicago Sun Times editorial writers summarized the Foxconn deal: 'Wisconsin would be taking all the risks, even as Illinois enjoyed a nice share of the benefits.'
Kathy Kascewicz: Fast-tracking environmental disaster
Gov. Scott Walker has proposed a fast-tracked bill that hands unprecedented autonomy to a Taiwanese corporation, Foxconn, over the waters of Wisconsin.
Katrina Shankland: Foxconn deal needs improvements to protect workers, taxpayers, and our natural resources
New jobs are exciting, but we must be prudent, measured, and responsible as we weigh this decision.
Kerry Schumann: Foxconn legislation is a dangerous giveaway of our air and water
In his frenzied courtship of Foxconn, Gov. Walker is prepared to surrender your water and air to the multinational corporation.
Kurt J. Kober: Think of Foxconn as a chance to change, not a Hail...
It feels like we’re putting down an enormous, risky bet without a statewide economic plan for growth in place, which just doesn’t feel like the Wisconsin way.
Laura Gauger: In response: Flambeau Mine proves need to preserve Wisconsin’s mining moratorium law
I was a plaintiff in a 2012 Clean Water Act lawsuit against Rio Tinto of London, owner of the Flambeau Mine near Ladysmith, Wis. My three-year legal battle was quite contrary to statements made by Ladysmith City Administrator Al Christianson in his August 15 commentary in WisPolitics.com: “The Real Flambeau Mine Story.”
Lena Taylor: Agriculture: A new urban lifeline
Urban Agriculture has the ability to propel Milwaukee forward.
Lena Taylor: Call a spade a spade
Alt-right, white supremacists, KKK, Nazi sympathizers are hate groups.
Lena Taylor: Outfoxed by Foxconn?
State should proceed with caution on promise of 13,000 jobs.
Lena Taylor: The power of the vote
If it isn’t valuable, then why so much work to take it from you?
Leon D. Young: Anything but sliced bread
Now that the intricacies of deal have become public, it begs the question: Does the Foxconn deal make sense for Wisconsin taxpayers?
Leon Young: Is the Foxconn deal good or bad for the state?
The Foxconn deal merely epitomizes more of the same: tax breaks and handouts for corporate cronies and the wealthy. Meanwhile, the financial burden of these incentives continues to be shouldered squarely on the backs of working-class and poor families.
Leon Young: No moral equivalency
In Charlottesville, evil had a name, and it was white supremacy. Trump’s repeated assertion that there was violence “on many sides” speaks volumes about the real Donald Trump and offers a unique insight into what he really thinks.
Leon Young: The (likely) $3 billion boondoggle
Forget what you have been led to believe, the Foxconn deal in not economic development. In truth, it’s nothing more than corporate welfare and a boondoggle in the making.
Margo Kirchner: Ron Johnson’s hypocrisy on federal judgeship
Johnson violates his pledge and adopts policy he once condemned to get conservative appointed judge.
Marjorie Kelly: Tired of deals like the one proposed with Foxconn? There is a...
Using our economic development dollars to support employee ownership has the potential to create and preserve millions of good jobs.
Martha Laning: Foxconn deal needs to be good for all of Wisconsin
Let's bring jobs to Wisconsin, but let's make sure the final deal is a good one for all of Wisconsin.
Matt Rothschild: Did Foxconn follow state lobby law?
Lobbying law does not require those who seek a contract or a grant with the state to register as a lobbying group unless or until they attempt to influence the development or drafting of legislation to enable the contract to be implemented. So the question is when did the development and drafting of the Foxconn deal legislation start?
Matthew Flynn: Renegotiate Foxconn
We should absolutely pursue this in a reasoned and professional way, but we should not simply turn over the keys to our treasury to a foreign company with a slippery record.
Matthew Mitchell and Tammy Winter: Foxconn deal makes the American economy less great
When governments fund what should be private projects with special tax breaks and subsidies, taxpayers bear the cost. Money that will now go to Foxconn could have instead financed a tax cut for all Wisconsinites whose effective income tax rates are the third-highest in the nation or gone toward a public good such as public safety.
Michael Lovell: At the edge of a transformational moment
We’re already on the technological stage. Now the Foxconn announcement has given us an international spotlight. It’s up to all of us to make the most of what could be a transformational opportunity for a city and region I’m proud to call home.
Mike Fischer: Civics 101 and Obamacare
Perhaps a better approach to the debate over cost-sharing subsidies would be for our government to actually make an effort to follow the rules of Civics 101.
Mike McCabe: The taproot of our many problems
The problems vary widely from place to place. But they all grow from the same taproot, a poisoned political culture that glorifies greed, dooming us to a government that works for a wealthy and well-connected few at everyone else’s expense and an economy that benefits a privileged few and leaves so many behind.
Mike McCabe: There are better ways than Foxconn for Wisconsin to spend $3B
If we're going to spend $3 billion, should it be to subsidize the expansion of one company from Taiwan, or should we spend it to empower the more than 5 million people who call Wisconsin home?
Mike Nichols: Foxconn deal: Unprecedented decision, disparate opinions
To help shed light on a complex deliberation, we’ve asked three of the smartest economists in Wisconsin (or with Wisconsin roots) to share their thoughts prior to action in Madison. Their initial takes — one skeptical, one largely sanguine and one against — are included, along with an analysis of the prospects for Taiwan-based Foxconn and LCD technology.
Mike North: Farmers play by the rules. The DNR should too.
None of us — farmers or anyone else — is above the law. That should include the Department of Natural Resources.
Mitch Henck: Donald Trump is in the bunker
In "Two Minutes with Mitch" radio personality Mitch Henck says President Donald Trump is in the political bunker after losing support left and right.
Mitch Henck: Foxconn critics are missing something
In "Two Minutes with Mitch" radio personality Mitch Henck gives his two cents about critics who question whether Wisconsin will break even in its deal with Foxconn.
Mitch Henck: Girls joining Boy Scouts? Bring it on
In "Two Minutes with Mitch" radio personality Mitch Henck gives his two cents on the dispute over the Boy Scouts possibly allowing girls to join in some events.
Mitch Henck: Hurricane response shows true America
In "Two Minutes with Mitch" radio personality Mitch Henck says the response to flooding in Texas restores faith in humanity.
Mitch Henck: Let governors do health care
In "Two Minutes with Mitch" radio personality Mitch Henck gives his two cents on an idea floated to let governors run health care in their own states.
Mitch Henck: Scouts, police cheer Vegas showman Donald Trump
In "Two Minutes with Mitch" radio personality Mitch Henck gives his two cents after President Donald Trump's recent speech to the Boy Scouts' national jamboree.
Mitch Henck: Trump politics ripping us apart
In "Two Minutes with Mitch" radio personality Mitch Henck gives his two cents on the politics of Donald Trump and how the nation is bitterly divided.
Mitch Henck: Would you prefer Foxconn not come here?
In "Two Minutes with Mitch" radio personality Mitch Henck gives his two cents on backlash against the deal for a Foxconn manufacturing operation in southeast Wisconsin.
Nick Levendofsky: A closer look at the proposed changes to Wisconsin’s cooperative laws
In today’s economy, we need our cooperatives more than ever. Let’s build on what makes our cooperatives unique, rather than diluting the cooperative difference.
Owen Robinson: Close the deal
After weeks of wrangling and a few modifications, the Wisconsin State Assembly passed a $3 billion incentive package for Foxconn to build a massive new plant in Wisconsin. Now it is up to the State Senate to follow the Assembly’s lead and bring Foxconn to Wisconsin.
Owen Robinson: Wisconn Valley is open for business
It is almost impossible to overstate how important the recently announced Foxconn deal is for Wisconsin. Economically, culturally, and politically, it is the biggest deal for Wisconsin in a generation.
Paul A. Smith: Stepp leaves a weakened reputation for protecting Wisconsin’s natural resources
Over the last six years, under DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp and the administration of Gov. Scott Walker, the agency has become a defacto arm of the Department of Commerce.
Paul Fanlund: Hey GOP, how you like him now?
Day after day, I watch in horror as President Trump and his toadies plumb depths so low that one loses any capacity for shock.
Paul Fanlund: On race, the bullhorn replaces 50 years of dog whistles for the...
Republicans have been acting to enable Charlottesville — and maybe future Charlottesvilles — for more than half a century. On race, Trump has simply dispensed with the old dog whistles and grabbed a bullhorn.
Paul Fanlund: Reflecting on Confederate images and ‘white identity’
Confederate imagery is just as indefensible as Nazi and Communist symbolism.
Ray Allen: Foxconn investment creates transformational workforce opportunities for all Wisconsinites
For populations across Wisconsin that are unemployed, underemployed, or have not previously been part of the workforce, Foxconn provides transformational opportunity.
Richard Chandler: Wherever they reside, Foxconn workers will boost Wisconsin tax collections
The vast majority of the Foxconn workers will be Wisconsin residents, but some will commute here from Illinois. It’s important to understand that Wisconsin will receive income tax payments for all the Foxconn employees, wherever they reside.
Robert Kraig: Foxconn may be biggest swindle in Wisconsin history
Once you actually dig into the actual numbers, this looks like the biggest swindle in Wisconsin history.
Roger Bybee: Will Wisconsin get Foxconned?
Caution is in order, as the Taiwan-based electronics giant is one of the world’s most brutal employers, notorious for driving workers to suicide.
Roger Utnehmer: Redistricting reform & judicial recusal
The state Legislature and Supreme Court are in danger of losing their luster.
Rohn Bishop: In defense of Paul Ryan, the most successful conservative in Washington
For all the mess and dysfunction that is the “Washington Swamp,” and for all the frustration many of us have with the Republicans inability to get things done, the problem is not Ryan.
Ron Johnson: Washington is dysfunctional. This Senate rule change could help fix it.
The rules for nomination allow any senator to use hours — sometimes days — of precious Senate floor time to debate the confirmation of that nominee. But that rule is being abused, as evidenced by the first six months of the Obama and Trump administrations.
Ron Legro: Foxconn could be environmental disaster
Marginal jobs for enormous tax subsidies, plus air and water pollution.
Savion Castro: America must look into the mirror of Charlottesville
History shows that conveniently ignoring white supremacy will only let it fester and grow. This is an American issue that has brewed for too long, and requires all of our attention.
Scot Ross: What’s missing from Foxconn deal? A lot
If protecting workers, taxpayers and our environment isn’t in the law, it’s not going to happen.
Spencer Black: Foxconn deal would set terrible precedent on environment
Other companies will demand the same breaks and already GOP legislators are using this legislation as an excuse to repeal these environmental protections statewide.
Spencer Black: GOP must stand against Trump, stand up for rule of law
Are we watching the rule of law, essential to American democracy, being slow-cooked to death?
Spencer Black: Mining moratorium law in GOP crosshairs
The law requires companies that want to develop sulfide mines in Wisconsin to show another mine that has operated for 10 years and been closed for 10 years without polluting groundwater and surface water.
Steven Walters: 10 questions about Foxconn making lawmakers squirm
With an Assembly vote on the package—the biggest ever economic development deal between state government and a business—tentatively scheduled for Thursday, here are 10 questions that have every legislator squirming.
Steven Walters: Foxconn biggest deal in state history
Review of past deals shows its 35 times more than biggest prior state payout.
Steven Walters: Veterans of road funding battle in 1995 favor gas tax hike
Two Republican legislative leaders in 1995—when the budget for highways was separated from other state spending and finally passed on Nov. 16—say it’s time to raise the state gas tax by least 5 cents.
Steven Walters: Would Democratic governor kill Foxconn deal?
Democratic candidates for governor oppose deal. Could they kill it if elected?
Tamarine Cornelius: Economic recovery lags for minorities
Families of color are among those facing the most difficulty getting by, as they continue to feel the effect of generations of wealth-stripping policies targeting households and communities of color.
Tamarine Cornelius: State’s wealth gap keeps growing
Since 1970s income of top 1% rose 130%, other 99% grew by just 9%.
Tammy Baldwin: More choices for quality, affordable health care
As we move forward to provide more Americans with more health care choices, our Medicare at 55 Act can offer a quality option for people to get the affordable health care they need and deserve.
Todd A. Berry: Amid health care squabbles, approaching retirement, economic crises go unnoticed
While the media were preoccupied with the fate of the Affordable Care Act, important news about Social Security, Medicare, and an impending federal debt crisis went unreported.
Todd Berry: State’s per-pupil spending falls below national average as benefit costs decline
New federal data for 2015 provide a fresh look at K-12 expenditures here and elsewhere—without the “spin” in which Wisconsin politicians engage.
Tom Clementi: Lawmakers need to take a closer look at the Foxconn deal
We all want to see more jobs for our state — no one wants less employment — but the Foxconn deal has so many question marks, we’d be foolish to rush into it without getting some answers first.
Tom Still: Foxconn hearing reveals team effort – and provides a few ideas
There will still be skeptics, but lawmakers on hand Thursday heard how Wisconsin assembled a team approach to bring the Foxconn opportunity to this point. It’s a team that appears poised to finish the job.
Tom Still: In some places, the Civil War isn’t over or even called that
History must be taught to successive generations; it is not genetically transmitted. Dispelling hatred among the few requires resolve and education by the many.
Tom Still: Thinking big on Foxconn will help entrepreneurs, not squeeze them
The chance to lure Foxconn Technology Group to Wisconsin is not just about securing 13,000 direct jobs over time and twice that many indirect jobs, but changing the business landscape in a way that will spur ideas, products and companies yet to be imagined.
Van Wanggaard: No, Foxconn isn’t the answer for (insert pet cause here)
At this point, Foxconn is Wisconsin’s opportunity to lose. Foxconn decided to come to Wisconsin because of our people, our existing economic climate and the bill’s provisions — not because of these other parochial and special interest issues.
Wendy Gehlhoff: Mining could revitalize northern Wisconsin
Northern Wisconsin needs a diverse economy to grow and prosper. We don’t need to choose mining over tourism – we can have both.
Will Flanders: In defense of school choice
Vouchers aren’t about making a profit, but giving parents choices.
