Opinion

Since 2013, I have had the honor of voting for legislation to cut taxes by millions for hardworking Wisconsin residents and businesses. These tax cuts are a major reason why Wisconsin has a 2.9 percent unemployment rate and our labor force is at an all-time of more than 3.1 million.

Contributions to the Wisconsin Idea across generations.

Only a Democratic-led Congress will stand up for regular folks, as well as provide checks and balances.

Some House Republicans and almost all Democrats have signed a “discharge petition” to bypass obstruction and force a vote on multiple immigration bills.

Like Nixon, the White House is seeking to distract voters and change the narrative.  As Watergate was reaching a crescendo, Nixon flew to the Soviet Union to toast the regime’s leaders and discuss arms control. Nixon achieved no arms control breakthrough.  Moreover, the dark cloud over Nixon did not dissipate, nor will it for Trump. Still, “Trump seizes chance to alter image” (Washington Post).

Governor Walker’s cruel, inconsistent health policies show that he is trying to surpass Trump’s punitive lead.

Weak disclosure requirements could allow foreign powers to set up PACs or corporations to influence U.S. elections.

Vindictive GOP lawmakers have made sure that campaign violations will be ignored

Now a fixture on national news programs, including MSNBC, Sykes reflects on his first year away from his Milwaukee radio talk show and reacts to his numerous, and vocal, critics in an interview with Edge Messaging's Brian Fraley.

Debt was Ron Johnson’s obsession -- until he helped Trump create the biggest deficit in 75 years.

In the age of Gov. Scott Walker, as Wisconsin has become one of the most politically polarized states in America, Democrats have no chance in statewide elections without a big turnout in Milwaukee and Madison. And the turnout has been far better in Madison and Dane County in recent years.

Study finds local companies Manpower and Kohl's near the top of obscene U.S. pay gap.

Democratic state senator's press conference was a declaration of war — against everybody.

Cops confrontation with Buck’s player gets national headlines, raises troubling questions.

Black/white homeownership gap is a dismal 40.7%. It’s even worse in 8 other cities.

EPA head overrules his staff to deliver victory for Walker, Trump and deadly pollution for Racine.

If you’re a disenchanted GOP supporter of Gov. Scott Walker looking to take some shots at him, the liberal Cap Times in Madison is the perfect venue. And so former transportation secretary Mark Gottlieb talked to reporter Katelyn Ferral and the Cap Times gave Gottlieb plenty of space to air his complaints.

Johnson hasn’t offered a word of criticism of the president who created the nation’s worst long-term deficit situation in 75 years. But how can he, when Johnson is a co-creator of the problem?

America’s leading deficit scold goes mute under Trump.

Seven men who run Ascension Health and make $40 million want to save money by slashing services at hospital.

The data about California may have political and economic lessons for Wisconsin.

Less people leaving state, more getting health insurance in Minnesota.

The Great Recession’s huge impact on employment shows why trickle down doesn’t work.

Its economic problems stem from political gridlock over how to pay for its commitments.

But is its better economic performance due to more liberal policies?

Pollution from coal used at two Oak Creek power plants has long-term health consequences.

The disturbing notion of blaming lawyers for the sins of their clients or whom the lawyers represent must end. To do so is a fundamentally un-American notion that runs contrary to our system of justice, fairness and due process.

AG condemns award for rehabilitated lawyer and State Bar caves in to Schimel’s complaint.

Important information was left out of the guest column “UW loses big when it tries to keep secrets,” by USA Today Network-Wisconsin reporter Jonathan Anderson and UW-Milwaukee journalism professor David Pritchard.

Ever since the two states parted ways sharply by their respective choices of governors in the 2010 elections, partisans have been claiming that Wisconsin lags progressive utopia Minnesota. But a deeper look at the data shows that Wisconsin does not trail Minnesota miserably as some would have you believe.

GOP candidate for Senate smears Sen. Baldwin, branding her a “terrorist.”

It’s disconcerting to hear Secretary of State Doug La Follette, politically speaking the highest-ranking genetic heir of Wisconsin’s greatest governor, call a primary challenge against him a “nuisance.”

Serving in the military isn’t “conservative” or “liberal” at all. Both Democrats and Republicans serve bravely and honorably, and neither ideology has a monopoly on claiming patriotism and bravery on the battlefield.

Democrats would be wise to heed the lesson Republicans have learned — with unrealistic promises come unpredictable results.

Obviously, there are plenty of decent Trump supporters who merely oppose liberalism’s excesses and the urge to destroy ideological opponents is strong on the left as well. But there are some Trump supporters who will go to the mattresses to defend his dishonesty and narcissism.

In the 9th circuit, animals are free to bring lawsuits.

It is true that in the fall of 2018, it will be voters who pick their new senators and representatives. But it is also true that the candidates they have to choose from will be the byproduct of a primary process distorted by large donors who bet too big, too soon.

The Supreme Court kept the traditional firewall between the Arbitration Act and the NLRA, allowing businesses like Epic to grow their workforces and the economy. It’s a decision even a liberal should love.

Hint: His name is Scott Walker.

But now, promising to end school choice in Wisconsin has become to state Democrats what Donald’s Trump’s Mexican border wall became to Republicans — an impossible task that nonetheless allows a candidate to signal false bravado in order to pacify the party’s base.

One of the more surreal aspects of Wisconsin's governor’s race is Madison Mayor Paul Soglin’s declaration that he’s going to run by visiting supper clubs around the state. Imagining Soglin in a supper club is like trying to conjure up Donald Trump in a library.

In an election year, the governor has called for things he should have been doing since he took office.

It took them awhile, but the national media have finally noticed the Scott Walker-engineered $100 per-kid tax rebates that will be sent to about 671,000 families at a cost of $120 million a few weeks before the upcoming gubernatorial and legislative elections.

Pruitt and Walker, of course, are on the same page when it comes to environmental protections. Both of these Republican politicians believe that regulations to protect air, water and land are too strict and inhibit business development. The fewer regulations the better, is their mantra.

While Scott Walker and his Republican legislative colleagues are touting Wisconsin's economy in their bids for re-election this coming November, they were hit with yet another study that doesn't speak all that well for their tutelage these past eight years.

Our state government has no interest in making Wisconsin a leader any longer. Racing toward the bottom is just fine.

Perhaps instead of agonizing over how Environmental Protection Agency Director Scott Pruitt is milking taxpayers to live high off the hog in luxury condos, use fancy limos and buy expensive office furniture, we ought to be paying more attention to how he's really abusing our country.

The Department of Homeland Security reluctantly admitted following a recent New York Times story that it has separated mothers and children in about 700 refugee families.

Vice President Mike Pence was in Wisconsin last week, raising money for Scott Walker and peddling snake oil about the new Republican tax law, which is on track to add $1.9 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.

Congress is once again toying with the idea of opening the Interstate system to even longer and heavier tractor-trailer combinations.

Taking over Milwaukee’s public schools would galvanize Republican and independent voters.

Can the University of Wisconsin-Madison discover innovative ways to boost the incomes of 10,000 people in Dane County over the next two years? It's a mighty big challenge, but it could pay off for both the people of Dane County and the university. And, possibly, for the rest of Wisconsin, too.

An educator friend has the best idea of how to turn the tables on Walker. Families should take the $100 per child and give the money to their favorite local Democratic candidate to help turn the state’s education slump around and defeat Walker in the bargain.

Democrats should brim with sensibility when they discuss these issues – not assume that all Democrats of all generations are simpatico. When you want all to push together on the final road, you have to make roadblocks temporary and openness to variety essential.

Memorial Day is much more than a three-day weekend or the start of the summer season. The holiday gives people a chance to reflect and show gratitude. Please take a moment to remember the men and women who served their country in the armed forces and gave their life in defending the ideals we cherish.

How do you say good bye? It isn’t easy, but after ten years as your state representative, I’ve decided to step aside to focus my efforts on dealing with cancer, which has unfortunately returned after a period of remission. While I may be headed out to pasture (sorry, the farmer in me couldn’t resist), I do so knowing that Wisconsin is moving in the right direction, and that we’ve come a long way over the past decade.

Ryan is popular within the GOP caucus. No one could defeat him if a vote was held today. The tally wouldn’t even be close.

They’re spurned for not fitting the liberal mold, but they stand strong.

Though Baldwin's progressive politics might make her an ideological mismatch for the increasingly red state, the senator's campaign released an ad this month that's probably resonating with a lot of Wisconsin voters.

For Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, the blue wave is both a credible threat and an effective campaign message.

How a major Democratic donor betrayed liberal ideals in employment case.

Running in the Republican primary to serve in the seat once occupied by McCarthy, Wisconsin State Sen. Leah Vukmir recently took her campaign straight into the gutter with an attack on incumbent U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin that might have made Joe McCarthy proud.

The differences in outcomes have been stark: Minnesota has seen stronger job growth, faster wage growth, a shrinking gender wage gap, increased median household income, reductions in poverty, increased access to health insurance and stronger overall economic growth.

Leah Vukmir has proven that she has the backbone and resolve to make a real difference in Wisconsin.

Please, take a moment to practice a little patriotism this Memorial Day and remember those veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

The constant scorn and ridicule against Foxconn by the candidates runs counter to what some voters consider to be the only shining example of leadership shown by Gov. Scott Walker.

No wonder Paul Ryan decided to bail. Here he is in his final stretch as House speaker, hoping to go out in a spirit of unity, and the press is filled with stories about whether his party will dump him prematurely.

The University of Wisconsin produces some of the best engineers and most innovative research to be found. It is capable of solving major problems that have not only state and national impact, but worldwide impact as well. But it’s not enough just to come up with top technologies. The Wisconsin Idea guides us to ensure these technologies benefit the entire state.

Because we must never lose sight of our strengths, I am calling for an increase in tourism funding in the next state budget.

Oh, but the state is a leader in recent state handouts, environmental exemptions, clean air and water disregard, etc.. Quite a record for Gov. Walker’s reelection campaign.

Missouri is the "Show Me State," so, appropriately, it's demanding sunlight on allegations that dark money coordination was involved in the demise of its GOP Governor Eric Greitens.

A group of civic and environmental groups in two states want the WI DNR to defend before a judge its decision to send millions of gallons of Lake Michigan water daily outside of the Great Lakes basin principally for the Foxconn project in Mount Pleasant, Racine County.

Last week it was the DNR's rushed approvals for four air pollution permits to allow Foxconn to emit annually 796 tons of eye-watering, land-and-water contaminating smog and other airborne pollutants. Today it's the US EPA approval at Walker's request to exempt much of SE Wisconsin from clean air standards that will apply to much of the state and country.

No doubt Walker didn't urge Foxconn to study the Wisconsin Constitution before it began excavating on wetland-rich land to understand that water rights and access are so important here that they're embedded in the state constitution, according to information posed by the Walker-run DNR.

Walker is spending a lot of our money to lure workers here, and data show why: Wisconsin has landed on the 'moving-out' Top 10 list. For the record, Wisconsin was not on the 2017 list.

There is more evidence that Wisconsin's obligation to protect the natural world needs a strong, principled revival.

If the Democrats had a strong challenger to Governor Scott Walker, Barrett would never have considered entering the race to risk losing to Walker a third time.

It’s probably not a good idea for Nicholson to go negative. Not only will Nicholson’s campaign face a backlash, but Nicholson runs the risk of hurting the party’s chances of winning the Senate seat and holding on to the governor’s office. Nicholson is probably smart enough to realize that even if the out-of-town talent surrounding him doesn’t.

Former Sen. George McGovern, the great liberal candidate for president, was a B-24 Liberator pilot in World War II. When he signed the bottom line to join the military, does Nicholson think that was somehow an insult to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt?

This may shock people, but family members disagree from time to time.

Hartwig explains why he’s running despite voting against keeping the office.

Democrats have a problem. Since House Speaker Paul Ryan decided not to run for re-election, Wisconsin’s first congressional district should be something of a competitive election. However, it may not be, and that’s causing some Democrats buyer’s remorse.

The insiders are the ones who are secretly keeping you down, and the insiders are making a profit off your misery. Apparently, you can take Nicholson out of the Democratic Party, but you can't take the progressive rhetoric out of Nicholson.

Regardless of how one feels about Baldwin’s record, calling her pro-terrorist is irresponsible and will cause voters to tune Vukmir out should she be the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in the November election.

Redistricting is the ultimate prize, and the Democrats will get the lines drawn the way they like by either controlling at least one chamber of the legislature or the state Supreme Court. That’s why Abrahamson’s seat is so important and that’s why Wisconsin’s Democrats want to plan for the day when Abrahamson can’t hold the seat any longer.

The sepia tone gives the photo a sense of history. Three young people, teenagers really, leaning against a World War II truck bumper. All three look happy. Happy because the war had ended less than 24 hours earlier and that meant no one would die today.

The Journal of Internal Medicine published two studies that conclude that medical marijuana laws have the potential to reduce opioid prescriptions.

The speaker was scrambling last Friday to create the impression that he forced Conroy out not for reasons of politics but because members felt their “pastoral needs” were not being met.

As Democrats gather in Oshkosh this week for a critical state party convention, the focus will be on a crowd of gubernatorial candidates who have, so far, failed to distinguish themselves. But if this convention is to matter they must expand their focus.

Neither state — yet — is beating the other hands down over the last seven years.

If you dig deep enough, it’s possible to discern some relief from the roaring inflation in health costs that is putting major hurt in the budgets of government at all levels, on businesses and on individual Americans.

The criminal charges filed by the Wisconsin attorney general’s office against the former chancellor and vice chancellor of UW–Oshkosh have the smell of prosecutorial overreach, scapegoating and missing of the mark.

Issue is critical to small businesses, who create most new jobs in the state.

Passage of the farm bill would cause an estimated 2 million Americans to lose food stamp benefits and threaten the health and well-being of Wisconsin’s children, families, and communities.

When UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee released records about sexual misconduct complaints to news organizations last month, they heavily redacted the documents and refused to identify numerous employees who were found to have committed wrongdoing. Should media outlets sue to challenge those redactions, history suggests they’ll have a good shot at prevailing.

The House version of the Farm Bill weakens payment limitations and waters down the definition of "actively engaged in farming" to allow large corporate farms, and even distant relatives of farmers, to get more subsidies. Backtracking on reasonable farm program limitations not only adds to the cost of the Farm Bill, but also dials up the antipathy that taxpayers increasingly feel toward “farm” subsidies that don’t actually go to farmers.

The Wisconsin hemp law, Act 100, clearly states processing hemp is legal. But those who buy CBD oil seem to still be in a legal gray area.

Improvement must be made to resolve problems revealed by an audit conducted by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization helping to build better lives for those affected by mental illness.

Who truly pays for a poorly regulated industry? The simple answer is: we all do.

It’s time our government curbs the excesses and greed of the pharmaceutical industry, which have gone unchecked for far too long.

Funding mechanism has become a gravy train for developers and distorts the free market, critics say.

Until it can be shown that Trump committed serious acts—such as colluding with a hostile foreign power to help him win the 2016 election—and moderate Republicans accept the evidence, impeachment and removal from office is just not going to happen. However, what will happen if people keep pushing for impeachment prematurely is that the president’s base will get more fired up and will work harder to keep the Republicans in control of Congress so they can continue to protect the president.

Republicans can take some comfort that their state legislative dominance is unlikely to evaporate in a single election cycle.

Walker donor gets $100 million Foxconn project for which his company has no experience.

The Republican Assembly speaker is unfit for office.

Thanks to increased voter registration efforts, Democrats may be able to oust Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker this fall.

Suggesting changes to fire department practices isn’t an affront to heroes

In "Two Minutes with Mitch," radio personality Mitch Henck gives his two cents after last week's deadly mass shooting at a Texas high school.

In "Two Minutes with Mitch" radio personality Mitch Henck gives his two cents on free speech after a California university professor called Barbara Bush "an amazing racist" and cheered her death.

We are closer to peace than we have been for three generations and the world has Trump to thank for that.

It’s important to enjoy the festivities, but it’s also our responsibility to set aside time for prayer or quiet contemplation to honor the brave men and women who served, but never came home.

Hardly a conversation among Wisconsin progressives about politics these days happens without someone lamenting the jam-packed field of Democrats seeking the nomination to face Gov. Scott Walker this November.

It would be nice to say last week was anomalous. It wasn’t. But if more of us would focus attention on news that matters, well, that would be a good step.

This week’s coverage of Michael Johnson’s new job running Cincinnati’s United Way was understandably effusive. After all, the CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County has had a huge impact here in eight years as an outspoken and entrepreneurial advocate for people of color.

As we fume about the nightmare presidency of Donald Trump from inside Madison’s liberal bubble, it’s worth noting that the president’s most pivotal supporters are only about 100 miles to the southwest, not some far-away conservative bastion in Texas or Montana. And that same nearby region may well determine the duration of the Trump era.

With more than 16,000 vacant personal care worker positions and demand for CNAs in Wisconsin projected to grow exponentially, the state has to take meaningful action to address the long-term care crisis. As this legislative session comes to a close, Democrats remain committed to supporting our nursing assistants and other personal care workers to ensure that qualified caregivers are there for you and your loved ones when you need them.

The Legislature should fix the complex process that benefits developers and politicians at the expense of taxpayers.

Beyond the Beltway, there is much for conservatives to be optimistic about. People haven’t given up on the American experiment.

We are proud to have recently created a truly integrated academic health system, UW Health. As, respectively, dean of the School of Medicine and Public Health and a state senator on the UW Health Authority Board, we navigated a lengthy process of integrating our hospitals and clinics with our physicians’ group. UW Health is now a more seamless organization caring for patients across the full continuum of community-based primary care to highly technical, state-of-the-art specialized services.

In recent days, powerful interest groups have attacked Gordon Giampietro’s nomination to be a federal judge, largely because he holds orthodox Catholic views.

Democrats were quick to jump on a report Wednesday that Foxconn was backing away from its promised financial investment in Wisconsin. Too quick, it now appears.

Matt Flynn’s proposals to “help victims see justice” do not do enough to ensure civil cases can be brought to court.

We have a plan to make Wisconsin one of the best states for millennials and for retirees and everyone in between. We call it “Wisconsin Wins the 21st Century.”

While it is important to modernize agreements, it is also important to keep our focus. Implications of negotiations and retaliation efforts impact all of us, whether we are in agriculture or just appreciate it.

Stephen F. Hayes, editor in chief of The Weekly Standard, interviews House Speaker Paul Ryan at the TWS Midwest Conservative Summit in Milwaukee.

Again, Scott Walker joins a list of governors and others who’ve proposed reforms.

Can the party revive in Wisconsin? That depends on these six questions.

The Wisconsin Idea is not that you tell people in any corner of the state what is the right policy. You ask them. And, the "it's not my job" attitude of the UW president toward the turmoil at Stevens Point probably is the end of the type of presidency envisioned when the position was created.

The survival challenge for rural Wisconsin, which includes many municipalities of 5,000 or fewer people, is one of the state’s most vexing issues.

For many who already call southeast Wisconsin home, commuting to northern Illinois for work is routine. So why not work closer to home if a comparable or better job is available?

While our state agencies, county services, schools and non-profit organizations become trauma-informed, we need to bring TIC to businesses, neighborhoods, faith communities, and local governments. This will be our work until everyone in Wisconsin has a TIC shift in perspective.

He’s suing to slash my authority as state superintendent, and forcing me to use attorney hostile to my views.

If you, my dear reader, lost your job tomorrow, who in your network would actually help? Are you investing in them now so that they may invest in you?

The Republican Party of Wisconsin's 2018 State Convention is May 11-13 in Milwaukee and the U.S. Senate primary election is August 14. If the primary election were held today, which Republican would you vote for?

As House Speaker Paul Ryan faces increased criticism from his fractious House Republican caucus, the WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, look at Ryan's political future. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, take on the promise of federal infrastructure funding, just in time for summer road construction season. Sponsored by Michael Best Strategies and the Wisconsin Counties Association

With the upcoming state Republican convention, the WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, handicap GOP U.S. Senate primary candidates Vukmir and Nicholson ahead of the party's endorsement vote. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

Now that the primaries have set the field, the WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, analyze two legislative districts set for special elections in less than a month. Sponsored by Michael Best Strategies and the Wisconsin Counties Association.