Opinion

A Capitol cliche, widely employed and often accurately so, goes about like this: “Tommy would not have let this happen.” It most surely applies to the current budget stalemate.

House Speaker Paul Ryan had an opportunity not merely to reassert the authority of the chamber he is supposed to lead but also to steer the United States away from the dangerous course of endless war and steady subservience to an ever-more-powerful military-industrial complex.

Seizing an individual's property without a conviction — or even an arrest — makes a shambles of due process and invites abuse by police departments.

While Ryan claims to be on the side of the working class people of his home town of Janesville, his Randian beliefs and his complete lack of interest in actually meeting with his constituents face-to-face paint a very different picture.

Wisconsin law requires lifeguards to be at least 16 — a requirement that may be compounding a shortage that forced a Wisconsin Dells resort to delay the opening of part of its outdoor waterpark this year.

Republicans should stop trying to repeal or sabotage the ACA and instead cooperate with Democrats to make the ACA better.

Certainly the governor has already begun to think about potential replacements for Brancel. Into that certainly tough and complete search process should be thrown the name of Pam Jahnke, also known as the Fabulous Farm Babe.

There is an interesting if not amusing "debate through the media" about the state's transportation funding taking place between long-time conservative George Mitchell and Sen. Duey Stroebel.

The game of chicken over the state budget continued Friday, but the sides have changed.

Over the past weeks the narrative about the agenda that Ryan now is pressing down on, following the most embarrassing flop of health care reform, shows a number of problems.