Badgering is defined as a verb that means questioning repeatedly, telling repeatedly, scolding constantly, or sharply reminding constantly. Or, simply put, it is pestering. This is what “we the people” must do for the next thirteen months leading up to the November 2026 elections for Governor, LT Governor, State Senate, and State Representative. “We the people” need to question the candidates (both incumbents and challengers) and express our questions and concerns about the current state budget!

The biannual budget was signed by the Governor on July 3rd. The Wisconsin Conservative Digest reported “almost every Republican in the legislature voted for the budget and almost every Democrat voted against it.” Further, the same page 3 article reported on a poll they did of their conservative readership with 8% saying the budget was not good and 92% saying the budget was horrible. There is something seriously wrong with this picture!

State Senator Marklein (R-17), co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee, commented “This budget is a compromise document. It is shaped by negotiation between houses, between parties, and between branches of government.” His next statement was “This compromise has secured $1.5 billion in meaningful tax relief.” Until the legislative districts changed prior to the 2022 election, he represented two townships and a village in Monroe County (part of the Coulee Region).

State Senator Testin (R-24) is the Senate vice-chair of the budget writing Joint Finance Committee and represents parts of Monroe and Jackson counties. He commented “This budget is not perfect, but no budget ever is…” His next statement was “Even so, I am particularly proud that we are providing $1.3 billion in tax relief that targets middle class families and senior citizens living on fixed incomes.” (I hope the difference between Senators is a typo, not a real $200 million difference!) Sen. Testin concluded his newsletter remarks “This budget delivers a win for all Wisconsinites.”

State Senator Kapenga (R-33) whose District covers much of Waukesha County, had a front page article in The Reality News lamenting how forlorn he was concerning the Wisconsin State Budget. He reported that he heard time and time again in the budget discussions that this is a great budget because it will allow the government to fix a problem. He went on to say that most of these problems were either caused by the government or by poor personal choices. He is most concerned because the effects of this budget will show up at the ballot box – reminding us Republicans stand for smaller government and individual freedoms! In that same paper there was a story “The Importance of Economic Literacy in a Free Society” which directly impacts citizens understanding things like taxes and government budgets!

There is a free bi-monthly paper –available in many Kwik Trips – called On Wisconsin OUTDOORS which is full of good information about Wisconsin’s great outdoors. It also routinely has one short article on Wisconsin’s civics. A recent article was “Personal Economics” with a subtitle “Wisconsin’s 2025 Budget Leaves Out Taxpayers”. The article labeled the budget as the “all of the above” budget. “Democrats wanted increased spending for their priorities. The new budget delivered.” Republicans claim a win because budget includes current tax rate cuts and certain tax exemptions that they had sought,” However, the article also points out that “the budget calls for spending from the state’s general fund that’s $3.6 billion greater than the revenue coming in.” Simply put, any talk of surplus in Madison today will become a structural deficit in late 2026 and the new Governor and Legislature will have a gigantic financial problem! Or, another way to put it “Get ready for much higher fees and taxes!”

The same Wisconsin Conservative Digest previously referenced had a front page article “We Still Need to Pave our Roads”. It was a pretty lengthy article emphasizing the problems brought forth by the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program that was started in 1989 to purchase land for outdoor recreation. This sounds like a wonderful idea but it takes this land off the tax rolls and there are now counties in northern Wisconsin that have so much land purchased in this program that they can hardly afford to (or can’t afford to) function! A good example of a good program gone astray!

Ronald Reagan said it best “We don’t have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem.” Seems I have heard US Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) make very similar statements!

Over the next thirteen months leading up to the fall 2026 elections, ask the candidates for Governor, LT Governor, and both chambers of the State Legislature – both incumbents and challengers – what they think about the current Wisconsin Budget. Ask them some tough questions. Ask them if we need a “Wisconsin DOGE”. Don’t just ask…..badger them! Then, not only listen to the answers, but evaluate their experiences and their track record. As I have often concluded, get informed and get involved!