
Bill Barth: Higher standards for the public trust
Power to pardon should be used sparingly, and respect juries and judges.
Visit WisPolitics-State Affairs for premium content,
keyword notifications, bill tracking and more
Submit columns for consideration to wisopinion@wispolitics.com

Power to pardon should be used sparingly, and respect juries and judges.

Wisconsin taxpayers will see an increase of 5.7% over last December’s gross property tax bills in part due to the school referendums that passed this year.

Legislative Republicans should push Evers on the issue.

If affirmed on appeal, this ruling has the potential to transform Wisconsin’s workforce. It eliminates artificial, anti-democratic obstacles to recognition for public-sector unions and restores the ability of such unions to bargain collectively, giving their members a seat at the table to advocate for fair pay, improved benefits, and safer workplaces.

Affordable health care programs like Medicare Advantage need to be protected, ensuring Wisconsinites’ access to quality care, especially when it comes to our Black community here in Milwaukee (and statewide).

he Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees Act introduced in Congress would make assaulting a hospital employee a federal crime punishable by a fine, jail time or both. This protection is already provided to airline and airport workers. We look forward to these and similar initiatives moving forward.

Milwaukee’s archbishop was determined to be heard … While many religious leaders drown in their own pomposity, Listecki is the ultimate regular guy.

As we approach the end of 2024, can we collectively prioritize the safety of our children as they attend school and commit to taking all necessary measures to ensure that they return home safely?

Despite what will surely be our continued inaction on guns, we can’t just throw up our hands and do nothing.

Even though the events happened in our city and we feel it in some ways very personally, collectively we will turn a page as gun violence is so prevalent that we are now immune to the full emotional force of such violence. That social outcome should alert us as much as this episode itself does, that we are different as a nation due to the number of guns on the streets and the daily killings and bloodshed.

Liberal groups are weaponizing our court system in Dane County to undo these reforms and take us backward to when your elected representatives didn’t control budgets, taxpayer funded unions did. Conservatives can not sit on our hands and allow this to happen. We must fight back, and help Brad Schimel flip the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

There was a time when homelessness was considered a “big city” problem. These days, small and medium-sized cities across the state and nation have inherited their own homeless populations. And communities are struggling to find answers to a problem that defies simple solutions.

Anyone who has managed a large organization to success knows that job one is getting the right people on the leadership team. That means people with deep knowledge of the business sector, extensive experience, good judgement, high energy and a strong track record at running previous organizations. Donald Trump’s picks for cabinet posts and other high-level positions mostly lack those qualities.

What will “Trump 2” tariffs mean for Wisconsin, a state that produces a range of manufactured goods and many farm commodities? Effects can vary by industry type.

Two things are often overlooked in this important history: first, that there is a Preamble to the Bill of Rights which clearly explains the document’s purpose to restrain federal power, not the states; and second, that today’s Bill of Rights is not what was originally proposed to Congress.

A reversal by the State Historic Preservation Review Board on the significance of the 35-year-old “postmodern” 100 East building in downtown Milwaukee could mean tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks if the building is fully renovated.

When the state recently released student testing results and updated district and school accountability report cards, it came as no surprise that some were quick to politicize this process.

Infrastructure is so far reaching throughout our lives and its impact is just as vast. We need to put a spotlight on Wisconsin’s infrastructure and urge our lawmakers to keep it as a priority throughout the length of their next legislative session.

America’s drinking water utilities are highly fragmented, with tens of thousands of independent community water systems across the country; there are more than 570 water utilities in Wisconsin alone.

The labor reform, threatened by court ruling, let teachers talk to bosses — but no longer dictate.

Power to pardon should be used sparingly, and respect juries and judges.

Wisconsin taxpayers will see an increase of 5.7% over last December’s gross property tax bills in part due to the school referendums that passed this year.

Legislative Republicans should push Evers on the issue.

If affirmed on appeal, this ruling has the potential to transform Wisconsin’s workforce. It eliminates artificial, anti-democratic obstacles to recognition for public-sector unions and restores the ability of such unions to bargain collectively, giving their members a seat at the table to advocate for fair pay, improved benefits, and safer workplaces.

Affordable health care programs like Medicare Advantage need to be protected, ensuring Wisconsinites’ access to quality care, especially when it comes to our Black community here in Milwaukee (and statewide).

he Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees Act introduced in Congress would make assaulting a hospital employee a federal crime punishable by a fine, jail time or both. This protection is already provided to airline and airport workers. We look forward to these and similar initiatives moving forward.

Milwaukee’s archbishop was determined to be heard … While many religious leaders drown in their own pomposity, Listecki is the ultimate regular guy.

As we approach the end of 2024, can we collectively prioritize the safety of our children as they attend school and commit to taking all necessary measures to ensure that they return home safely?

Despite what will surely be our continued inaction on guns, we can’t just throw up our hands and do nothing.

Even though the events happened in our city and we feel it in some ways very personally, collectively we will turn a page as gun violence is so prevalent that we are now immune to the full emotional force of such violence. That social outcome should alert us as much as this episode itself does, that we are different as a nation due to the number of guns on the streets and the daily killings and bloodshed.

Liberal groups are weaponizing our court system in Dane County to undo these reforms and take us backward to when your elected representatives didn’t control budgets, taxpayer funded unions did. Conservatives can not sit on our hands and allow this to happen. We must fight back, and help Brad Schimel flip the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

There was a time when homelessness was considered a “big city” problem. These days, small and medium-sized cities across the state and nation have inherited their own homeless populations. And communities are struggling to find answers to a problem that defies simple solutions.

Anyone who has managed a large organization to success knows that job one is getting the right people on the leadership team. That means people with deep knowledge of the business sector, extensive experience, good judgement, high energy and a strong track record at running previous organizations. Donald Trump’s picks for cabinet posts and other high-level positions mostly lack those qualities.

What will “Trump 2” tariffs mean for Wisconsin, a state that produces a range of manufactured goods and many farm commodities? Effects can vary by industry type.

Two things are often overlooked in this important history: first, that there is a Preamble to the Bill of Rights which clearly explains the document’s purpose to restrain federal power, not the states; and second, that today’s Bill of Rights is not what was originally proposed to Congress.

A reversal by the State Historic Preservation Review Board on the significance of the 35-year-old “postmodern” 100 East building in downtown Milwaukee could mean tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks if the building is fully renovated.

When the state recently released student testing results and updated district and school accountability report cards, it came as no surprise that some were quick to politicize this process.

Infrastructure is so far reaching throughout our lives and its impact is just as vast. We need to put a spotlight on Wisconsin’s infrastructure and urge our lawmakers to keep it as a priority throughout the length of their next legislative session.

America’s drinking water utilities are highly fragmented, with tens of thousands of independent community water systems across the country; there are more than 570 water utilities in Wisconsin alone.

The labor reform, threatened by court ruling, let teachers talk to bosses — but no longer dictate.