Legislative street cred
Everybody had a little chuckle Tuesday when members of the state Assembly Committee on Workforce Development learned they would have an opportunity to revise the administrative rules governing “minors...
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Oh Darling, flattery gets Senators nowhere
It’s always funny to see lawmakers awkwardly trading jabs or even compliments while trying to keep things polite. At a meeting of the Senate Committee on Workforce Development, Forestry, Mining and...
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The statehouse: A place paved with the best intentions?
Until 5:05 p.m. Wednesday night, state Rep. Gary Hebl thought there would be an amendment to a bill requiring the installation of devices that prevent someone convicted more than once of drunken...
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State construction projects: Made in China?
Why is it that whenever U.S. lawmakers say they don’t want to enter into a race to the bottom with China, the evil they wish to avoid is low wages and never government interference in markets? Amid the...
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Better to go with strip clubs than strip mines
Jon Ferraro, president and CEO of Silk Exotic, has been trying to open a strip club in downtown Milwaukee since 2010. (File photo by Kevin Harnack) Never mind sand mines. Never mind cement factories,...
View ArticleDiscord in the court
At least two justices on the state’s Supreme Court have lobbied Senators in favor of a bill that would change the way the title of chief justice is bestowed in Wisconsin. Still, the question remains:...
View ArticleWho’s keeping an Eye on lawmakers?
Tuesday’s Assembly Veterans Committee opened with a declaration I’ve heard more than a few times since I started covering the Capitol about a year ago. “Wisconsin Eye isn’t here, so we can all relax,”...
View ArticleWell, at least we’re not a judicial hellhole
It’s too bad for the Republicans who control the statehouse that tort reform seems to be far less of an issue of public concern than the economy. Otherwise, they would have something to distract the...
View ArticleRemember that push for workers’ comp change?
For the policy advisors entrusted with proposing changes to Wisconsin’s workers’ comp system, the past few weeks must have been like the seconds that immediately follow a person’s dropping a penny into...
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Giving credit where it’s not due
Fred Risser Politicians are often faulted for taking credit for things they cannot possibly control. Every time the unemployment rate goes down by a smidge or a factory hires a few workers, they can be...
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