
Ruth Conniff: Marking the 4th of July in the midst of a federal crackdown
What does it mean to celebrate freedom from tyranny and the birth of a government founded on equal rights and the consent of the governed amid the current ICE surge?
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What does it mean to celebrate freedom from tyranny and the birth of a government founded on equal rights and the consent of the governed amid the current ICE surge?

The Americans who signed that Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, were taking the first step to rid their fledgling country of authoritarian rule. Now, 250 years later, we have to wonder how to get rid of another authoritarian regime.

Trump takes different approach than Ford.

The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, consider the chances for candidates vying to win top Wisconsin primary elections in August. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

For all the buzz her campaign has attracted, Hong looks like a candidate determined to be a loser.

Amid all the talk of “electability,” a Midwestern state’s radical history points to what’s possible.

Wisconsin Supreme Court moving slowly toward a decision.

Wisconsin families go to work every day and ask for one thing from their government: Don’t make it harder. The Working Families Tax Cut is delivering, and for Wisconsin’s workers, manufacturers and seniors, this is just the beginning.

Solvency can be achieved through a balanced combination of revenue increases and structural adjustments, such as delays in eligibility to older ages and lower rates of annual cost of living increases.

When a government tells you a record is being withheld, that is not the last word. It is one person’s reading, and sometimes it is wrong. You can read the statute yourself, point to the language, and ask someone with authority to take another look. Often, that is enough.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness cannot exist when people face gun violence in their homes, schools, workplaces and neighborhoods.

As July 4th approaches, I find myself trying to better understand the link between virtue and happiness as political language. The Founders believed that a free people could be virtuous and that a virtuous people could be happy. I do not think a majority of the nation in 2026 believes we are experiencing that now.

A flag is not a fashion statement, a team jersey or a campaign logo, and it never was. You don’t show your love for something by turning it into a costume. You show it by living up to what it means.

Looking around, the mood is hardly celebratory, yet celebrate we should. Another July 4th fast approaches, another Independence Day, but this one marks an especially notable milestone, 250 years since the great experiment began.

I believe deeply in America’s greatness, but not as a slogan that looks backward. I believe in the greatness that moves us forward toward a more inclusive, just and faithful expression of our democratic ideals

As we celebrate 250 years of our democracy, we need to step back and appreciate how fortunate we are to live in such an amazing country.

While the Trump administration hopes their war on mail-in ballots will combat election fraud, in Wisconsin, this war will help Democratic candidates at the expense of Republican candidates.

We mark a milestone this week that once seemed impossible: the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.

The capacity to work together to solve problems — not reveling in some fleeting thrill of attacking others — will make or break the country’s future.

For the first time in the history of this greatest nation in the history of the world, there are massive numbers of Americans who no longer believe in the principles of the Founders.

What does it mean to celebrate freedom from tyranny and the birth of a government founded on equal rights and the consent of the governed amid the current ICE surge?

The Americans who signed that Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, were taking the first step to rid their fledgling country of authoritarian rule. Now, 250 years later, we have to wonder how to get rid of another authoritarian regime.

Trump takes different approach than Ford.

The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, consider the chances for candidates vying to win top Wisconsin primary elections in August. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

For all the buzz her campaign has attracted, Hong looks like a candidate determined to be a loser.

Amid all the talk of “electability,” a Midwestern state’s radical history points to what’s possible.

Wisconsin Supreme Court moving slowly toward a decision.

Wisconsin families go to work every day and ask for one thing from their government: Don’t make it harder. The Working Families Tax Cut is delivering, and for Wisconsin’s workers, manufacturers and seniors, this is just the beginning.

Solvency can be achieved through a balanced combination of revenue increases and structural adjustments, such as delays in eligibility to older ages and lower rates of annual cost of living increases.

When a government tells you a record is being withheld, that is not the last word. It is one person’s reading, and sometimes it is wrong. You can read the statute yourself, point to the language, and ask someone with authority to take another look. Often, that is enough.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness cannot exist when people face gun violence in their homes, schools, workplaces and neighborhoods.

As July 4th approaches, I find myself trying to better understand the link between virtue and happiness as political language. The Founders believed that a free people could be virtuous and that a virtuous people could be happy. I do not think a majority of the nation in 2026 believes we are experiencing that now.

A flag is not a fashion statement, a team jersey or a campaign logo, and it never was. You don’t show your love for something by turning it into a costume. You show it by living up to what it means.

Looking around, the mood is hardly celebratory, yet celebrate we should. Another July 4th fast approaches, another Independence Day, but this one marks an especially notable milestone, 250 years since the great experiment began.

I believe deeply in America’s greatness, but not as a slogan that looks backward. I believe in the greatness that moves us forward toward a more inclusive, just and faithful expression of our democratic ideals

As we celebrate 250 years of our democracy, we need to step back and appreciate how fortunate we are to live in such an amazing country.

While the Trump administration hopes their war on mail-in ballots will combat election fraud, in Wisconsin, this war will help Democratic candidates at the expense of Republican candidates.

We mark a milestone this week that once seemed impossible: the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.

The capacity to work together to solve problems — not reveling in some fleeting thrill of attacking others — will make or break the country’s future.

For the first time in the history of this greatest nation in the history of the world, there are massive numbers of Americans who no longer believe in the principles of the Founders.