Critics of Scott Walker have been claiming the Milwaukee County Budget that passed was unbalanced – even illegal – because it called for concessions from county employees. This week at the MacIver Institute, I point out that Milwaukee County is hardly the only government entity to budget that way.

Yes, the budget was passed with [...]

Publication: Waukesha Freeman (Conley); Date: Mar 4, 2010; Section: Opinion; Page: 8A
Ryan rising
Health ideas, fiscal plan put Wisconsin congressman in national spotlight
(James Wigderson is a blogger publishing at http://www.wigderson.com and a Waukesha resident. His column runs Thursdays in The Freeman.)
Is this the Ryan moment, the defining moment of his political career? Congressman Paul Ryan is [...]

Block said there were two issues especially where Kramer has had an impact. Kramer has made strides in repealing the state’s minimum markup law, including recent passage by the Assembly of repealing the minimum markup for prescription drugs. The other issue is financial transparency for the state, an issue AFP is going to be making a big push for this year.

Kramer said it was great to win the award. “I was a member of AFP from the beginning. I go to as many of their events as I can. I was an activist before I was a legislator.”

Kramer said his acceptance speech will give credit to the organization and people in the room.

“Holding legislators’ feet to the fire is more critical than they know. I want them to know I am with them and that I take their work seriously.”

The unions representing Milwaukee County employees and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker are locked in a struggle, and at stake is the financial well-being of Milwaukee County. The county budget for 2010 called for a number of concessions by the union. Since the union isn’t cooperating, extra furlough days have been added and the layoffs [...]

Publication: Waukesha Freeman (Conley); Date: Feb 25, 2010; Section: Opinion; Page: 8A
Newcomer’s flip-flop
Rep. co-sponsors but now against bill on electoral votes
(James Wigderson is a blogger publishing at http://www.wigderson.com and a Waukesha resident. His column runs Thursdays in The Freeman.)
If it seems silly to be talking about the 2012 presidential elections now, normally I would agree [...]

The Legislative Audit Bureau has completed their study of Wisconsin’s public charter online schools, and the results are in: these schools are successful. As I wrote for the MacIver Institute this week, it’s time to celebrate their success by lifting the caps:
Students enrolled in virtual schools exceeded their brick and mortar counterparts in [...]

Publication: Waukesha Freeman (Conley);
Date: Feb 18, 2010;
Section: Opinion;
Page: 8A

Election results send message to City Hall
But is Scrima a good alternative to Nelson?
(James Wigderson is a blogger publishing at http://www.wigderson.com and a Waukesha resident. His column runs Thursdays in The Freeman.)

If nothing else, the columnists at The Freeman will have plenty to write [...]

The state pension fund is borrowing to bet more at the blackjack table, but can they cover the vig?
We may be only looking at the beginning of the SWIB’s buying on margin. The SWIB had considered borrowing up to 200% for investing, but chose for now this smaller amount.
Steven J. Foresti, managing director and head [...]

Publication:Waukesha Freeman (Conley); Date:Feb 11, 2010; Section:Opinion; Page Number:8A
Assessing Nelson’s chances
Enriquez is strongest challenger

When it comes to city government, the question I have been asked the most often is whether Mayor Larry Nelson can be beat. Of course, I tell them, anybody can be beat. It just takes the right circumstances.
I should preface this by saying I like [...]

Does Milwaukee really believe in regional cooperation? Will they try to use water to dictate Waukesha’s housing and transportation policies? Or will Milwaukee try to stop Waukesha from securing a long-term solution to its water needs in some misguided belief in zero-sum economics for Southeastern Wisconsin? These are the questions raised in this week’s [...]