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Scott Walker: Cracker Barrel steps in it
The American heartland, not corporate elite, is the customer base.

Brian Reisinger: Antitrust pushes by JD Vance and AOC, Cracker Barrel outrage signal big change
There’s a political realignment going on around big companies, and it will reshape our economy. The question is how.

Jamie Stiehm: Just when you think Trump can’t get worse, he gets worse
Now he threatens to send soldiers and federal agents to Baltimore and Chicago next.

Michael Lucas: What’s the issue with the BLS jobs data?
BLS’s initial “preliminary” figures have overstated the number of jobs every single month this year by a combined 461,000 jobs! In other words, in just 6 months they’ve managed to create––from thin air!––78% of the jobs they created in 2024.

Bruce Thompson: The surprising views of Justice Hagedorn
Elected as a conservative, he actually sides at least as much with liberals.

Bill Barth: Wisconsin wants voting alternatives
It’s a miracle this country managed to conduct free and fair elections both the people and politicians accepted for well over 200 years. Then, somehow, a substantial portion of the electorate just stopped.

James E. Causey: Milwaukee’s teens need more financial literacy. Here’s how they can get it
Milwaukee has one of the largest wealth gaps between Black and white residents in the nation, so teaching youth financial literacy helps to close this gap.

William Osmulski: Wisconsin’s addiction to deficit spending must end
Wisconsin has a long history of deficit spending in its budgets, betting that the economy will grow fast enough to cover the gap. Over the past few years, that bet has turned into a reckless gamble, and just a slight economic slowdown could be enough to throw the state over the edge.

David Couper: Memo to police officers: You are at a crossroads
Without judicial warrants, ICE detainers are illegal. If you obey them, you betray your oath of office and destroy the community trust you need.

Mitchell A. Sobieski: Cost of bacon: Once essential workers in meatpacking during COVID pandemic now face forced deportation
These workers were deemed essential only to ensure that white America could continue its routines uninterrupted during a crisis. Now, stripped of that temporary necessity, they are recast as expendable. That is not just political opportunism, it is a reflection of a deeper rot in the national character.

Gregory Humphrey: Removing expertise and institutional memory in federal workforce harms nation
Political loyalty must never supersede competence.

Emily Mills: Wisconsin needs a candidate for governor who will defend LGBTQ people
While there’s more I wish he’d been able to do throughout his time as governor, Evers was at least always a reliable bulwark against the worst excesses of the right-wing’s anti-LGBTQ crusade.

Michael Lucas: Zoning reform: Eau Claire leads the way
Eau Claire’s new zoning code will enhance housing flexibility and affordability by reducing restrictions and allowing diverse dwelling types. Hopefully, the rest of Wisconsin will follow suit and liberalize the land market.

Carolyn Kott Washburne: Flood response presented real-world opportunity to ‘help thy neighbor’
My neighbors and I found community among carnage.

Emily K. Sterk: Milwaukee police use facial recognition technology we know is flawed
Facial recognition technology is developing faster than we can study and understand it. We cannot turn to it simply because it is a free tool available to the Milwaukee Police Department.

LaKeshia Myers: Parent power: A literacy playbook for Wisconsin Parents
Maya Payne Smart, a renowned literacy advocate and author of “Reading for Our Lives,” challenges us to move beyond the traditional “bedtime story” approach to literacy.

Mark Belling: Trump is right about our America-hating museums
The new Milwaukee museum is likely to be miserable.

Dave Zweifel: Why do we have to be so mean?
Every day we learn of new heartless attacks on immigrants. Federal agents frequently grab people who are in the U.S. legally. Families are torn about. Children, legal residents of the U.S., are left without parents.

Steven Walters: Primaries let voters pick governor candidates
How many candidates will run? The list looks long.

John Nichols: Sarah Godlewski’s smart bid for lieutenant governor
Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski could easily have run for the Democratic nomination to replace retiring Gov. Tony Evers. Instead, she’s opted to run for lieutenant governor, which is a smart move for her and good news for Wisconsin Democrats as they prepare for the definitive elections of 2026.

WisOpinion.com: ‘The Insiders’ discuss a judge’s ruling striking down portions of Act 10
The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, look at a lawsuit challenging Act 10 after a Dane County judge overturned portions of the law that ended collective bargaining for most public employees. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

Rewind: Your Week in Review for Nov. 8
On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and CBS 58’s Emilee Fannon analyze results in top Wisconsin races, leadership changes in the state Legislature and more.