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Joan Downs: Wisconsin Historical Society on the wrong side of history
While the decision of the Wisconsin Historical Society to not fly the pride flag at its Madison location may seem unimportant to some, I would like to offer a different perspective, including the wider implications of this decision.

Mark Lisheron: Taxpayers getting jobbed
Northern Wisconsin Job Corps center spent $290,000 per graduate on ineffective training.

Dave Zweifel: Plan to enjoy our national treasures this year? Good luck!
Visitors to our national parks are being met with impossibly long lines, overflowing trash cans, closed toilets, crumbling trails and fewer park workers to help them understand the majesty of what they’re visiting.

John Nichols: Thom Tillis figured out how to tell the truth in Trump’s GOP cult: quit
The Republican senator dropped his reelection bid rather than lie about the devastating damage Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will do to Medicaid.

Bill Lueders: When transparency is disregarded
Recent weeks have brought forth two of the most egregious violations of the public’s right to know that I have seen in more than three decades of tracking openness issues on the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council.

James N. Fitzhenry: Brenda Cassellius says MPS must right-size to help deal with $100 million deficit
Cassellius: ‘I think I was placed here to kind of bring the community along and have these hard conversations.’

Liam Sigaud: Will Wisconsin expand access to health care?
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” as the saying goes. Yet high-quality preventive care is out of reach for many residents of Wisconsin, leading to late detection of diseases and poor management of chronic conditions.

Patrick Testin: Wisconsin businesses are bearing the brunt of IRS overreach
Our state is powered by entrepreneurs who do things the right way. We work hard, follow the rules and support our communities. But the federal government doesn’t always seem to play by the same rulebook.

Charles Moore: School choice is working in Wisconsin
Taxpayers are currently getting a better outcome for students educated at private choice schools at a much lower cost.

Gregg Hoffmann: Mid-America Alliance provides new leadership
As the Trump Administration and others try to contract the federal government support for environmental and climate change efforts, new leadership is needed. MidAmerica Clean Future Alliance has been developing ideas and programs and recruiting those new leaders.

Ron Johnson: Close the SALT ‘loophole’? Not on my watch
A legitimate concern is how some professionals are using their pass-through entities to turn what should be salary or wage income into pass-through income to obtain the SALT and 20% deductions. That could easily be resolved without the new provisions in both the House and Senate bills that make other pass-throughs less competitive with C-Corps.

Austin Ramirez, Kurt Bauer and Jay Timmons: Manufacturers urge budget bill passage to support industry
The Senate can make targeted changes to certain provisions in the House bill in order to ensure the final package is maximally effective at supporting manufacturing investment here in the U.S. These changes include protecting manufacturers’ ability to deduct interest on business loans.

John Nichols: Bill Moyers might have been the best president we never had
Bill kept his ego in check and laughed off our presidential speculation. He knew his way around the White House as well, or better, than anyone in American media, and he was much more interested in checking and balancing our commanders in chief than in trying to become one himself.

Rob Hutton: Budget delay is an opportunity for reform
Our constituents expect those they elect to be good managers of tax dollars, not just spend slightly less than those on the other side of the aisle. Lawmakers have an opportunity to get it right and we should take it.

Will Flanders: End minimum mark-up
Rather than fostering fair competition, minimum markup laws artificially inflate prices on everyday necessities like gasoline and groceries, burdening working families and undermining consumer choice. In a modern economy defined by efficiency, transparency, and innovation, government should not be in the business of telling retailers what they must charge.

Dave Palmer: Statistics don’t support UW-Milwaukee shuttering materials engineering program
Materials engineers are essential but since we work behind the scenes, many people are unaware of the critical role we play. Our work goes into every single manufactured item you see around you.

Michael Lucas: The Wisconsin Supreme Court just defended property rights?
It is incredibly worthwhile to celebrate the Appellate court’s reversal, and the Supreme Court’s upholding, of a decision that delivered a decisive blow to the centralizing and feudalistic institution of zoning.

Bill Kaplan: Tax dodges for the super-rich
The “Big Beautiful Act” will pay for tax dodges by slashing health care coverage, food assistance and increasing the national debt. GOP hypocrisy.

Gregory Humphrey: No U.S. workforce for Trump’s fascination with manufacturing revival
Trump’s manufacturing revival is a solution in search of a workforce.

Michelle Bryant: New York mayoral race raises questions for Black voters
For Black voters in New York, the race presents a particularly complex and emotional challenge. Their loyalties are being pulled in multiple directions, leaving many questioning which candidate truly represents their best interests.

WisOpinion: ‘The Insiders’ consider potential ’26 GOP candidates for Wisconsin governor
The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, look at potential GOP gubernatorial candidates to run in 2026 as Gov. Tony Evers considers whether to seek a third term. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

Rewind: Your Week in Review for June 20
On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” Wisconsin Public Radio’s Anya van Wagtendonk and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jessie Opoien discuss state budget negotiations breaking down, the Minnesota lawmaker shootings, the state Supreme Court ruling on legislative oversight of Department of Justice settlements and more.