Category Archives: Government Spending
Forward Wisconsin: Not just tax cuts in 2023
It’s music to the ears of a broad swath of Wisconsin voters that Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Gov. Tony Evers, Republican and Democratic leaders of our state, are saying they are ready to reach pragmatic compromises in the New … Read the rest
Let’s have strategic fun with huge surplus.
There are countless ways to spend the $6.6 billion surplus accumulated by the state of Wisconsin. I have several ideas for the best ways to move the state forward with that unprecedented pile of cash; you have yours, and each … Read the rest
Why did JFC derail spectacular bluffs project?
It’s starting to look like the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee (JFC) of the legislature is the place where conservation projects of high value go to die. The JFC of 16 legislators (currently 12 Republicans and four Democrats) has the final … Read the rest
Upstream flood control pays off in Milwaukee watershed
This year’s heart-breaking floods in central Europe and big swaths of the United States point to how far-sighted conservationists have been in their work along the Milwaukee River and its three tributaries in Washington and Ozaukee Counties. For decades they … Read the rest
Unexpected state surplus could fix budget myopia
For Wisconsin politicians, August was Christmas. The Legislative Reference Bureau has just released a new budget projection for 2021-23, and it showed an astounding $1.7 billion in new surplus dollars. Thanks to a booming economic recovery, tax revenues rolled in … Read the rest
State leaders weak on growth initiatives
If you have been in business for a while, you will have learned that you can’t cut your way to success. Layoffs, cutbacks in new equipment, deferring maintenance, shelving R&D, may be necessary to get through some tough patches, but … Read the rest
Fast on downside; pols slow on upside
It made sense to throw government money around in 2020 when many distraught businesses and families faced bankruptcy. Trillions of federal and state monies were rushed to the front lines of the COVID depression-level collapse. The Trump Administration moved lightning … Read the rest
State, local budgets a mystery for all
Three extraordinary factors are muddying the waters for budget-making at all levels of government in Wisconsin. Citizens don’t have a clue of how they will be affected. The first unknown is how state and local leaders will use the gobs … Read the rest
