Opinion

Electing Tony Evers is critical to future redistricting and a representative state Legislature.

Farmers and other rural Wisconsinites need to “raise hell” and vote Democratic to save their farms and health.

All signs point to voters across America, including Wisconsin, voting for change in November.

Many Republicans are falling over themselves to show that they care.

It’s so easy in Wisconsin. Though it's not very democratic.

In his recent book "The Fall of Wisconsin," Dan Kaufman does a thorough job of itemizing all the wonderful things the people of the state and the people they elected did for Wisconsin and the country. The fall that Wisconsin took from its historical highs was large enough to be worth a book.

Open government is not the only standard by which public officials should be judged. But it is among the most important.

Biggest takeaway is that while Republicans should not panic, many need to adapt and overcome.

They picked the wrong candidate. That could hand election to Baldwin.

They want a new venture fund and UW-Madison fund -- all subsidized by our taxes

DOJ gag order on his employees shows the impact of ending civil service protections.

Just about every Walker policy was bought by special interests.

Two separate groups working on voter turnout could have big impact.

Evers would scrap tax break passed by Walker and Republicans. Will that help or hurt?

Schimel and Walker support changes in Affordable Care Act most voters oppose. Why?

It relies on supply side economics. So how well is that working?

Jobs grew 33 percent less under him compared to other states, the data shows.

The importance of this November's election will require voters truly concerned about the health of our nation's democracy to put the current state of hyper-partisanship, and too often single issue voting, aside and do some broader candidate analysis.

The contest Walker faces in November against his Democratic opponent is expected to be his hardest battle yet, and one not everyone is convinced he’ll win.

Why will they take until 2050? To make more profits and thereby cause more health problems.

Former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who once presided over the largest expansion of Wisconsin’s prison system, said one of the biggest regrets of his political career was his role in building so many prisons in Wisconsin and getting “caught up in the hysteria of lockin’ ‘em up.”

Thompson, former Republican governor, regrets increase in incarceration, could team with Democratic reformers.

Walker's plainly got some work to do if he wants to continue demolishing Wisconsin's legacy of progressive government.

On the Daily Standard Podcast host Charlie Sykes and The Weekly Standard senior writer Michael Warren discuss McCain's memorial service, Kavanaugh's nomination hearings and the 2020 election.

On the Daily Standard Podcast, Sykes talks with Weekly Standard chief elections analyst David Byler about the GOP's chances of retaining the Senate this fall.

Each and every one of our kids deserve a school and a state that values them.

Wisconsinites hunting for back-to-school deals are out of luck for yet another year thanks to the state’s minimum markup law, which outlaws sale prices that are too low.

I think I’ll go buy a new pair of shoes this week. And they’ll be Nikes. That’s because Nike has launched a new ad campaign that employs Colin Kaepernick, a quality pro quarterback that the NFL refuses to employ because it doesn’t like his political views.

If Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed he will split the U.S. Supreme Court right down the middle. A Yale lawyer, he’ll even the score. Four justices will be Yale-educated while four will have been churned out by Harvard Law School. The Notorious RBG went to Columbia Law School, but Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a Harvard undergrad, so I guess advantage Crimson.

I bought a boat from a crusty engaged business owner who gave me a break on the price. He was also a proud Trump voter.

Since Gov. Scott Walker’s initial announcement of the Foxconn deal he has been promising it will create 13,000 jobs. But anyone who remembers his promise back in 2010 to create 250,000 jobs during his first term in office knows to take such promises with a large grain of salt.

It seems that nothing this administration does is enough to simply stand on its own. It has to be embellished with a tall story at the minimum or with an outright lie at the worst.

Perhaps it's time for the sports world to tone down all the militarism and our seeming need to deify everything about war.

As Donald Trump's White House wallows in chaos, it's time to take another look at how well he's doing in making America great again.

The 17th annual Fighting Bob Fest, the political Chautauqua modeled after those spearheaded by the most famous progressive of all, "Fighting Bob" La Follette, will kick off Friday night, Sept. 14, at Madison's Barrymore Theatre.

People's Action reported they have learned voters in economically distressed rural communities want populist reforms like health care for all, fair wages, free access to education, clean water and a government that isn't corrupted by the free flow of money from the wealthy.

There comes a time when the taxpayers have to say enough is enough to corporate greed. This is one of them.

Within a decade, a story in The New York Times outlined, more than $900 billion in interest payments will be due annually, dwarfing spending on a host of other programs.

Gov. Scott Walker and Attorney General Brad Schimel know full well that if the lawsuit they've joined to declare Obamacare unconstitutional is successful, people with pre-existing medical conditions will not be covered by their insurance plans.

The McCain hatred from the Always Trump crowd goes beyond hyperbole to outright paranoia. Their McCain hatefest speaks volumes about their hero.

Turns out U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, is attached at the rib cage to the lawyers fronting for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser, Christine Blasey Ford.

In separate interviews and comments at Milwaukee suburban meet and greets Sept. 9, Baldwin and her special guest, Emily’s List president Stephanie Schriock, were thinking independently but were natural allies sharing what they’ve learned on the trail.

In November around the state, virtually all the established GOP incumbents in the legislature are being seriously challenged and not just on anti-Trump grounds or anti-GOP state machinery grounds, though those factors are weaved in.

Republicans hoped this was their safe domain when they encouraged state Sen. Leah Vukmir to take on Tammy Baldwin for U.S. Senate.

The first congressional district in Wisconsin was so badly gerrymandered that the largely unknown Republican, a Paul Ryan clone opposing Democrat Randy Brice, is hanging on only a point behind Bryce in the polls.

A recently released DOT report’s general theme is that Wisconsin is borrowing less and spending prudently to meet transportation needs.

Schimel decided his friend should head the Division of Criminal Investigation, circumventing the law and transforming the long-established nonpartisan position into a political appointee subject to the AG's influence.

For years we have heard that Republicans are the party of fiscal responsibility, but recent actions in both Wisconsin and America at large shows this to be a farce.

Former Governor Tommy Thompson regrets his role in implementing a 1991 plan to expand state prisons. While I don’t regret writing that plan, I do wish the state actually had implemented it.

The work of elected or appointed officials need not be at odds with reporters. But when they are at odds, the needs of the citizens to be aware of how their government operates must always prevail.

Instead of the usual invective and low-balls that normally get slung about in the name of campaigning for Wisconsin governor, what would happen if the discourse was elevated to the place where issues that mattered for the well-being of citizens, and the long-term interests of the state took place?

From what this nation has witnessed only one conclusion can be reached. Christine Blasey Ford should be believed.

After a day of public hearings, one thing is clear: there is no evidence that Judge Brett Kavanaugh has committed the crimes of which he has been accused.

Wisconsin’s “justice system” has become more of a “vengeance system” than a justice system in recent decades.

This is a tale of two Wisconsin nature preserves battling for preservation. One was damaged from the skies, with little warning and no mechanism to stop it. The other could soon take place, enabled by multiple public agency approvals and officials' signatures.

Things are not going well for the governor.

There has been a stunning disclosure by Great Lakes water expert author Peter Annin; the Wisconsin DNR during the Doyle years administratively gave Pleasant Prairie permission to boost its development-friendly Lake Michigan diversion water - - a plan which already been approved relatively quietly during the Thompson years.

If Brett Kavanaugh is made a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, we'll all be living with the Mitch McConnell court--not the Trump court or the John Roberts court, or anyone else's court.

Muddy water may soon stop running off the rain-soaked Foxconn site - - video here - - but the flow of red ink the project will spill onto transportation programs and budgets looks to be long-term.

The 7 biggest financial failures by a not-so-fiscally conservative governor.

Walker's effort to maneuver a $100 million taxpayer subsidy to the profitable, hardly-a-fledgling-start up Kimberly-Clark Corp. has nothing to do with helping workers in Wisconsin.

Wigderson and Scaffidi talk about accusations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh, Evers' taxes and what to do to motivate Republicans.

Wigderson and Scaffidi discuss the Kavanaugh nomination and Evers' proposed education budget.

The state legislature could consider a bill that would require a liquor license for serving alcohol at many private events if the Tavern League and its allies in the legislature have their way.

The next time someone tells you that MPS needs more money, remind them that more money does not mean a better academic performance.

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan is accompanying Bryce to media interviews like a helicopter parent.

Kaul repeatedly told a Madison audience on Thursday he is opposed to Schimel’s lawsuits to kill the Affordable Care Act. However, when asked about a recent Obamacare victory by Schimel that netted Wisconsin $89 million, Kaul had nothing to say to reporters.

As a number of prominent conservative organizations in Wisconsin have pointed out, the bailout of a paper mill company like Kimberly-Clark, a legacy industry with an uncertain future, will just lead to more hands being stretched out to the taxpayers whenever an employer is in trouble. Why this company and not another one?

What’s been most disappointing about the reaction to my editorial is how my critics, willing to seize on a fake “gotcha” moment for their purposes, are willing to ignore the fact that nearly 25,000 students are trapped in failing MPS schools.

It's bad out there, and I don't just mean it's bad because of the mosquitoes.

Until Ford and Kavanaugh both testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democrats should back off on making a judgement.

Instead of smoking cigarettes, some teens have chosen to go smoke free by vaping, which is also often used by adults who want to quit tobacco smoking.

September 9th through September 15th is National Suicide Prevention Week where organizations around the country unite with the goal of educating the public on ways to breakdown mental health stigma, identify signs of crisis and take action to support those who are struggling.

As Republican candidates grow increasingly desperate about their chances of survival in November, the Congressional Leadership Fund, the super-PAC for which Ryan has raised $100 million, is broadcasting some of the most dishonest, hate-filled, racist attack ads in their party's shameful history of inflammatory attack ads going back to the infamous Willie Horton ad of 1988.

Phil Anderson is a factor in the governor's race — not as the potential “spoiler” that those who always try to write off third parties might suggest, but as a hardworking candidate with a sharp critique of both major parties who has gained a reasonable measure of traction.

Shocking allegations about the Supreme Court nominee's past must be reviewed--along with evidence that he has repeatedly lied to the Senate.

Wise members of Congress, including Mark Pocan, D-town of Vermont, have taken an interest in the 25th Amendment as a tool for checking and balancing errant presidents.

As Wisconsin Democrats mount their most serious challenge yet to Walker, they need to go big in their support of unions. It is not enough to tepidly suggest that they might undo the worst of Walker’s policies.

When my boys were growing up and I was trying to help them find the fine line between the hard and soft sides of life in America, I pitched this: “Be as tough as you have to be, but no tougher.” It’s this line – between warrior when necessary and lover always – that John McCain mastered.

State in slow growth mode. Two candidates have very different approaches to this.

Political leaders looking for what not to do could learn so much from Foxconn deal.

Transportation is a key public service. Wisconsin needs leaders who will balance several factors to make wise transportation decisions.

The State of Wisconsin is on the right path educating and preparing our children. Taking inventory of all the accomplishments under Gov. Scott Walker’s administration, you realize just how much is being done to help our children succeed.

The latest, and perhaps most egregious, move by the educrats in Madison is to try to make regulations by relying on the authority from the federal government – and not the people of Wisconsin.

The Higher Education Regional Alliance has a bold goal to significantly reduce skills and talent gaps in southeastern Wisconsin by increasing the employment rates and number of post-secondary graduates in the region.

In 2005 Leah Vukmir, Sheila Harsdorf and Robin Vos backed a law that prohibits the use of eminent domain to transfer a privately-owned property to a corporation. But now they are silent on Foxconn's land grab in Mount Pleasant.

In "Two Minutes with Mitch" Madison radio personality Mitch Henck says Scott Walker and Tony Evers' stances on funding Wisconsin roads could decide their contest for governor.

A representative Wisconsin family of four in Wisconsin has seen income grow by 13.1 percent in real terms, and 14.3 percent after accounting for state taxes.

The evidence is clear that while the nation’s economy is enjoying fabulous growth in jobs and wages, Wisconsin is one of the states leading the pack.

The reason that politicians conflate more government spending with improving educational outcomes is as lazy as it is stupid. It is an easy way for them to demonstrate that they are “doing something.”

If Wisconsin’s voters elect Democratic candidate Tony Evers to be our next governor, he will certainly push Wisconsin back down into the depths of the tax hell we just escaped.

We are delighted to announce that Barbara Lawton, Wisconsin’s former two-term lieutenant governor, will join our keynote Friday night panel conversation on the state of American politics at this weekend’s Cap Times Idea Fest.

Cap Times Idea Fest is an annual two-day festival presenting a load of diverse and offbeat discussions and events built around the audacious foundation of reaching a better state.

Fanlund writes about a new book from Harvard researchers titled: “Network Propaganda: Manipulation, Disinformation, and Radicalization in American Politics.”

We are told we need to step outside our bubble, outside our tribe, and listen to those with whom we disagree. The future of democracy, we’re told, might depend on it. But that can be an awfully tall order.

I’ve never experienced the racial animosity or misogyny that Williams has. That’s why I’ve tried to listen to the reactions of those who viewed the entire episode through a different lens.

Could people be growing tired of the cultural wars and instead just want political leaders who focus on better schools, roads, health care and jobs, more than some minuscule tax cut?

What is needed is a new willingness to think big, go bold, and see things through. To show the largeness of spirit that this moment requires.

Though the highest office eluded him, he attained what is far more enduring: the abiding affection of his fellow citizens, and an example down the generations.

Over the last 7 years, Wisconsin has seen the devastating effect of a Governor that has declared war on workers.

One advocate calls Wisconsin the ‘darkest of dark money states’ as millions flow into races for governor, Legislature and state Supreme Court.

Gov. Scott Walker this month proclaimed September as Workforce Development Month, giving us all a reason to celebrate the economic success Wisconsin has enjoyed under his leadership. Much of this success can be attributed to the exceptional talent and dedication of Wisconsin's workforce along with the strong partnerships the state has cultivated with other private and public organizations.

While much attention has been showered on the recent collaboration we announced with Foxconn, an initiative that didn’t receive quite as much coverage was the launch of the Forward BIO collaboration, a collaborative effort to make Wisconsin a recognized center of excellence for biomanufacturing.

The people of Wisconsin should be confident about the financial health of the state. Under Republican leadership, the state budget is not only balanced but it’s also projected to, once again, have a surplus.

How state streams like the Namekagon were saved. And how state Republican policies are hurting them.

I wasn’t sent to Washington to take people’s health care away — I believe my job is to fix the system, not to blow it up and throw millions of people off their health care.

Attorney General Schimel is a judicial branch lap dog. He takes his direction from the judiciary rather than the citizens of Wisconsin who elected him.

In the current political environment, perhaps Medicare Advantage for All should be called the Bush-Sanders Plan. It is a comprehensive national program — something Sanders and liberal Democrats want — combined with a buy-in program that includes consumer and physician choice and the competitive market efficiency promoted by Bush and Republicans.

Somers is heading for financial disaster, virtually ensuring that property tax revenue from new development for the next couple decades will be locked up in TIF spending.

Recently, Democrats on the Joint Finance Committee put out a press release critical of the amount of money that is spent on vouchers annually. Like many arguments put forth by opponents of school choice, the press release contains a number of misconceptions and misleading statements that warrant refutation

Rather than under-regulation, problems in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program likely result from too many regulations being forced on private schools.

Trump and Walker plans let health insurers end coverage of pre-existing conditions, sell junk policies.

Kimberly-Clark officials have asked for a vote by month's end on a Foxconn-like incentive package aimed at keeping one of the company's two Fox Valley plants open.

The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, take on the state Senate races that might flip political control in the November general election. Sponsored by the...

The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, take on the condition of Wisconsin's highways and the solutions proposed by candidates for governor. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

The WisOpinion Insiders give their take on former Gov. Tommy Thompson's prison reform ideas. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

The WisOpinion Insiders, Jensen and Chvala, handicap the attorney general's race between incumbent Republican Brad Schimel and Dem challenger Josh Kaul. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

In last fiscal year, 73.5% of state agency’s single family home loans went to Millennials.