MacIver Institute

Dan O’Donnell breaks down the disingenuous smear campaign Democratic Representative Jimmy Anderson has waged against Assembly Republicans.  Read More Jimmy Anderson and the Weaponization of Public Sympathy

Access to dental care is a big concern when it comes to children, the elderly, and the disabled. It’s a real problem with real health implications. But the free market has a solution—a recent study by the MacIver Institute describes a new profession, dental therapy. Dental therapists are licensed to perform more procedures than hygienists, and allowing them here would help increase access by adding to the pool of qualified professionals.  Read More MacIver News Minute: Dental Therapy Gets Hearing in Wisconsin Legislature

Fresh off his most recent trip to the US southern border, Rep. Glenn Grothman describes the crisis, what's being done, and what he thinks needs to happen next.  Read More Podcast – On The Border With Glenn Grothman

This past week the stock market experienced some uncertainty, but more than that happened, here are some articles for the fiscal conservative in case you missed it. Including the a look into the national debt, socialists plan a grassroots takover of New York unions, and a look into what Medicaid for All would do to the U.S. health system.  Read More In Case You Missed It: ‘How Medicaid for All’ Would Affect the Health System, Grassroots Takeover of NYC Unions, and the Dangers of Debt

In his first eight months running the DOT, Thompson has approved $320 million in single-bid contracts. That’s just $12 million less than his predecessor under Governor Walker approved in two years.  Read More MacIver News Minute: DOT Returns to Wasting Money Under Lobbyist-Turned-Bureaucrat

By Dan O'Donnell - Society may like to pretend that character still counts in politics, but when it comes down to it, Mandela Barnes is living proof that it doesn’t.  Read More A Question of Character

Freedom of Information Council President Bill Lueders hit Evers hardest, saying he should be able to handle reporters from a conservative outlet if he has what it takes to be governor.  Read More MacIver News Minute: MacIver Sues Gov. Evers for Equal Access

Catch up on the important articles for the fiscal conservative you might have missed this week! This week, single-bid contracts boom under DOT Secretary-Designee Craig Thompson; the Heritage Foundation shows how the lower corporate tax rate is helping everyone; and the $15 minimum wage proves fruitless once again, this time in New York City.  Read More In Case You Missed It: Single-Bid Contracts, Corporate Tax Cut Helps Wages, Minimum Wage Increases Backfire,

Indivisible bills its plan as a way to save American democracy. But between the lines, it reads more like a manifesto for erasing the Constitution.  Read More MacIver News Minute: “Democracy” Isn’t What It Used to Be, At Least For Radical Left

MacIver News - During his first 8 months on the job, Craig Thompson approved 60 single-bid contracts worth over $320 million. That’s just $12 million shy of what Secretary Dave Ross approved during his two years in charge.  Read More Single-Bid Contracts Flourish Under Thompson

The MacIver Institute is suing Gov. Tony Evers for excluding its journalists from press briefings and refusing to provide them with press material that is shared with other news outlets.  Read More MacIver News Service Sues Gov. Evers for Equal Access 

Mass shootings always bring calls to dosomething. This time it’s background checks and red flag laws, but as Dan O’Donnell writes, these will do next to nothing.  Read More Much Ado About Something

In December, the legislature passed a law preventing "sue and settle," a business crushing tactic where the attorney general sues a company, settles out of court, and keeps the money for himself and his liberal allies. Attorney General Josh Kaul wants a piece of the action. He granted himself the power to pick and choose when to follow the new law, opening the door for him to sue private sector enemies and rake in huge settlements without giving lawmakers a seat at the table. Legislative leaders don't care much for that. Last Thursday they sued Kaul to force him to comply with the law.  Read More MacIver News Minute: Legislature Sues To Stop “Sue and Settle”

In this special edition of the MacIver Newsmakers podcast, MacIver Institute President Brett Healy sits down with Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn the day after his inauguration.  Read More MacIver Newsmakers Podcast: Brian Hagedorn, Wisconsin’s Newest Supreme Court Justice

Wisconsin legislative leaders on Thursday sued Attorney General Josh Kaul in an effort to force him to comply with state laws passed during last December’s extraordinary session.  Read More Legislature Sues to Stop “Sue and Settle”

This week, the Federal Reserve officially cut interest rates; the progressive network Indivisible came out with radical reform ideas for the U.S. government; and Bernie gave his staff a $15 minimum wage at a cost.  Read More In Case You Missed It: Fed Cuts The Interest Rate, Middle Class Gets Richer, And Bernie’s Policy Hurts His Own Campaign

Special Guest Perspective by John Mielke - It’s a common strategy these days for partisan activists to attempt to discredit supporters of policies they don’t like without actually addressing the merits of the policies in question. Such is the case with prevailing wage.  Read More Prevailing Wage Proponents Not Always Forthright

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see Governor Tony Evers’ new payroll fraud task force appears to be a gift to Big Labor. The task force, heavily slanted toward union interests, has the stated goal of cracking down on alleged payroll fraud—often just mistakes thanks to a thick web of red tape. But Labor’s outsized role has business advocates nervous it could become a cudgel to hammer employers.  Read More MacIver News Minute: Evers Payroll Fraud Task Force Is Gift To Big Labor

Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson still wants to raise the gas tax. Dan O’Donnell explains why we need only look south to see why that is a terrible idea.  Read More A Warning Sign

Ronald Reagan famously compared government to a big baby: an insatiable appetite at one end, and no sense of responsibility at the other. The ink is barely dry on the latest state budget, and DOT secretary Craig Thompson is already hungry for more. Raising the gas tax remains very much on the table, he recently said, despite an influx of new money into his bloated agency. It’s a reminder to taxpayers that government’s hunger for your money never ends.  Read More MacIver News Minute: DOT Secretary Says Gas Tax Hike Still On The Table