Wisconsin
Government Spending, Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s Projected Biennial Budget Deficit
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s much debate — more than there should be — about the size of the projected Wisconsin state budget deficit. In late November, the Doyle Administration announced a projected deficit of only about 1.5 billion dollars. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel‘s PolitiFact Wisconsin observes, the projected deficit is closer to 3 billion dollars: An independent…
Politics, Wisconsin
Capital Times: Scott Fitzgerald, Senate’s new top dog, says GOP rule will shake things up
by JOHN ADAMS •
In the liberal Capital TImes, there’s an interview with the Scott Fitzgerald, who will be the Wisconsin Senate’s new majority leader. (His brother Jeff will be Assembly Speaker.) I’m not sure what to make of it — there’s certainly not a lot of humility on display: SF: Well first, I think we are the right…
Government Spending, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Dem lawmaker says Walker should sell or lease mansion – JSOnline
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s a fine idea — our governor does not need a mansion. A Democratic Wisconsin state senator says Republican Gov.-elect Scott Walker should sell or lease the governor’s mansion to send a message to voters that he’s serious about cutting waste. Sen. Bob Wirch of Pleasant Prairie made the same request eight years ago after…
Wisconsin
Lions, tigers and budgets, oh my! – JSOnline
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s not a program we want to drop,” said Dale Bjorling, professor and chairman of the school’s department of surgical sciences. “When we think about our mission here – we’re a school, but we provide a service here to the people of Wisconsin.” During fiscal year 2010, the UW veterinary school, which offers both residency…
Wisconsin
Secret Places: Your luggage takes a trip at the airport
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Wisconsin State Journal has a periodic feature called “Secret Places’ that takes readers behind the scenes of Wisconsin buildings to reveal how they work. The latest is about luggage handling at the Dane County Airport. Truth be told, a piece of luggage can probably get on an airplane more efficiently at Dane County Regional…
City, Wisconsin
Slashdot News Story: Researchers Race To Recover Radioactive Rabbits
by JOHN ADAMS •
The rabbits are from Washington State, near the decommissioned Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Admittedly, this may suggest a drawback to my longstanding proposal to build a nuclear reactor at 312 W. Whitewater Street, in Whitewater, Wisconsin. (See, Go Nuclear!) There’s no reason residents, and animals, of the Whippet City couldn’t be issued protective apparel. For more…
Wisconsin
Table: The Best States For Business And Careers – Forbes.com
by JOHN ADAMS •
Politics, Wisconsin
John Nichols: Oshkosh recognizes the ‘plastic packaging of Ron Johnson’
by JOHN ADAMS •
If you don’t know much about Ron Johnson, you’re not alone: No Wisconsin candidate in modern times has been so inaccessible to the press or to the voters of Wisconsin. Who says? Johnson’s hometown paper. In a column published Sunday, the Northwestern’s managing editor, Jim Fitzhenry, wrote: “Despite the millions spent on these precision strikes…
Science/Nature, Wisconsin
Video Shows 13 Wolves Near Rhinelander – JSOnline.com
by JOHN ADAMS •
Here’s a video of thirteen wolves — four adults and nine pups — from a pack near Pelican Lake, in Pelican, Wisconsin. Paul Smith of the Journal Sentinel reports that According to Ron Eckstein, Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist in Rhinelander, the video was taken Oct. 11 in the Town of Pelican, about 6 miles…
Libertarians, Politics, Wisconsin
Libertarian Terry Virgil Runs for Lt. Governor (and Governor!) of Wisconsin
by JOHN ADAMS •
Wisconsin
Secret Places: Wisconsin Historical Society’s Treasure Trove
by JOHN ADAMS •
Gena Kittner writes about the collection of the Wisconsin Historical Society: Deep in a basement on the UW-Madison campus lies the story of our entire state: The cheesehead hat signed last year by President Barack Obama on his visit to Wright Middle School in Madison. The 1 millionth aluminum wheel cover cast at the Reynolds…
Government Spending, Taxes/Taxation, Wisconsin
Cato Institute’s 2010 Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Cato Institute has released its 2010 Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors, and Wisconsin fares poorly in the report. I’ve be a sometime critic of the outgoing Doyle Administration’s policies, but candidly, his Republican predecessors (Thompson, McCallum) left the state’s finances in poor condition, too. The return of a Republican to the governor’s…
Politics, Wisconsin
WI Republican Candidate Ron Johnson’s Testimony Against Child Abuse Bill
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a video now available on YouTube of Republican senate candidate Ron Johnson’s testimony against a Wisconsin bill that would have made it easier for victims of child abuse to sue their abusers. (The bill was defeated.) The video (h/t to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) is revealing for more than one reason. Superficially, it shows…