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Gregory Humphrey: Children’s public school lunches should be free
Growing up in a home with limited means should have no bearing on making sure the kid has a hot lunch with fellow classmates. As such, the rest of us must find a way to best educate and uplift our youth. That means fully supporting the free meals program.

Scott Walker: Jay Jones texts show folly of public figures letting loose
Messages on private text chains have driven several news stories over the past few weeks. The lesson here is a simple truth: Don’t say things privately that you would be embarrassed to say in front of the whole world.

Jamie Stiehm: Donald Trump and Diane Keaton: boomer opposites
A man and woman, each 79, are in the news this week: President Donald Trump and movie star Diane Keaton. Could they be more different?

Mark Belling: Somebody needs to find better sites for the data centers
Wisconsin has the potential to cash in in a way that is transformative. But the early backlash caused by lack of planning and a governor’s office that doesn’t seem to exist may lead the tech companies to look for friendlier states.

Gregg Hoffmann: Rights of nature
A group of Democratic state lawmakers recently unveiled “rights of nature” legislation that would give natural features like lakes and forests their own legal standing.

Dan O’Donnell: Dems just can’t bring themselves to be civil
Regardless of numerous opportunities for Democrats, a virulent resistance to call Charlie Kirk’s assassination wrong continues.

Annie Kraus, Sandy Pasch and Rachel Buff: Don’t weaponize our Jewish identity to silence free speech in Wisconsin
A proposed Wisconsin law adopting an official definition of antisemitism conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with actual antisemitism.

Louis Fortis: We need to push back
We are a democracy, and the power of our citizens still reigns supreme.

Mike McCabe: Cooling on schooling
More and more Americans are cooling on schooling despite one analysis after another showing higher education remains a good investment that pays a handsome return.

Gregory Humphrey: Detroit needs to move to EV future with haste
The U.S. is making itself into a worldwide joke regarding EV technology for one awful reason. We have allowed the lack of political leadership on the issue to reign.

Rolf Lindgren: Kelda Roys’ ticket resale bill is a bad idea
Democratic governor candidate and Wisconsin state Senator Kelda Roys is floating a ticket resale bill that bans resale more than 10% above the face value of the ticket.

Mary Beth Danielson: Is there freedom of speech in Muskego?
The arrest and trial of a retired librarian for expressing his views should chill us all.

R.J. Johnson: A republic at the edge
Our democracy feels like it’s standing at the edge of something vast and dark. Not because of abstract arguments or political theater, but because the instruments of violence that a free society keeps tightly controlled are being offered up as tools for domestic political warfare.

Bill Barth: Time for a revolution of the rational
The government shutdown is the result of disagreements between grown adults who are acting like 3-year-olds.

Michael Lucas: Unregulated podcast: Wisconsin’s counterfeiting history
The MacIver Institute’s Michael Lucas is joined by fellow Wisconsinite and historian, Andrea Nolen, to talk about her new book, “Lincoln’s Counterfeiters: The Wisconsin Gang that Funded the Union and Started the Chicago Mob”.

John Imes: Purple state, green momentum: Don’t make Wisconsinites pay more to get less
Wisconsin has the talent, the supply chains — more than 350 in-state clean-energy companies — and the tradition of stewardship to lead the clean-energy economy. If we stay focused on trust, collaboration and measurable results, Wisconsin’s green momentum will outpace politics.

Tom Still: From an unlikely source, a suggested change in immigration rules
Van Orden is pushing H.R. 4748, the Agricultural Reform Act of 2025. The bill would change the H-2A program – which applies to temporary farm workers – by creating a year-long visa for migrant farm workers not already in the United States.

Christina Lieffring: Unlearning the impulses of austerity
If we’re going to not only survive but thrive, we will have to do it together.

Josh Silver: Community Reinvestment Act helps people buy homes. Evolving will sustain that
Despite the progress made under the Community Reinvestment Act, several communities remain distressed due to widespread discrimination.

Trevor Tomesh: Working ‘tirelessly’ so that conservative thought can be heard on campus
Over the past month, I have been working tirelessly to identify opportunities for change—so that conservative thought can be heard on campus and that civil dialogue about difficult issues is given a proper platform.

WisOpinion: ‘The Insiders’ analyze the race for state schools superintendent
The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, analyze the race for state schools superintendent between incumbent Jill Underly, Sauk Prairie Superintendent Jeff Wright and Wauwatosa education consultant Brittany Kinser. The three are to face off in a Feb. 18 primary, with the general election set for April 1. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

Rewind: Your Week in Review for Jan. 3
On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and CBS 58’s Emilee Fannon discuss the Elections Commission launching an investigation into uncounted absentee ballots in Madison, the 2025 legislative session, Karen Hyun’s appointment as DNR secretary and more.