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Owen Robinson: Tweaking the Wisconsin Retirement System

The Wisconsin Retirement System is a great example of government working well. Thanks to decades of prudent management by both Democrats and Republicans, it has provided an ample retirement income to generations of Wisconsin’s public employees and remains one of the only fully funded public pension systems in the nation.

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Chris Rickert: Smart labor reform undermined by years of GOP labor ‘reform’

Sen. Duey Stroebel and Rep. Tyler August would expand from three to five the number of highest-earning years used in calculating monthly pension benefits for retired public-sector workers, and raise the minimum retirement ages from 50 to 52 for public safety workers such as cops and firefighters and from 55 to 60 for everyone else. The changes would apply only to future public-sector hires.

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Chris Taylor: Fight over U.S. Constitution is coming to Wisconsin

ALEC’s drive to amend our Constitution has nothing to do with actual people and everything to do with their big corporate backers. They want to stop the federal government from protecting our environment, giving workers a voice at the table, paying fair wages, and giving the economy a boost during recessions.

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Rick Chandler: Expanded Earned Income Tax Credit will encourage work

People who haven’t been working notice that when they take a job, they start paying taxes and they also lose public benefits they’ve been receiving. The combination of new taxes and lower benefits can make it economically unattractive to take a job. The solution to this problem is the EITC, which offsets some of the taxes imposed and benefits lost when people start working.

Read More »

Owen Robinson: Tweaking the Wisconsin Retirement System

The Wisconsin Retirement System is a great example of government working well. Thanks to decades of prudent management by both Democrats and Republicans, it has provided an ample retirement income to generations of Wisconsin’s public employees and remains one of the only fully funded public pension systems in the nation.

Read More »

Chris Rickert: Smart labor reform undermined by years of GOP labor ‘reform’

Sen. Duey Stroebel and Rep. Tyler August would expand from three to five the number of highest-earning years used in calculating monthly pension benefits for retired public-sector workers, and raise the minimum retirement ages from 50 to 52 for public safety workers such as cops and firefighters and from 55 to 60 for everyone else. The changes would apply only to future public-sector hires.

Read More »

Chris Taylor: Fight over U.S. Constitution is coming to Wisconsin

ALEC’s drive to amend our Constitution has nothing to do with actual people and everything to do with their big corporate backers. They want to stop the federal government from protecting our environment, giving workers a voice at the table, paying fair wages, and giving the economy a boost during recessions.

Read More »

Rick Chandler: Expanded Earned Income Tax Credit will encourage work

People who haven’t been working notice that when they take a job, they start paying taxes and they also lose public benefits they’ve been receiving. The combination of new taxes and lower benefits can make it economically unattractive to take a job. The solution to this problem is the EITC, which offsets some of the taxes imposed and benefits lost when people start working.

Read More »

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