Free Exchange

A Marine serving at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979, Oak Creek native Kevin Hermening became the youngest American hostage when militants aligned with Iran’s Islamic revolutionary government stormed the embassy.

Released after 444 days in captivity, some spent in solitary confinement, he returned to Wisconsin to build a successful financial services firm and serve as president of his local school board. He is now running for Congress in the 7th CongressionalDistrict.

The Wausau resident supports President Trump’s “decision to act to protect American lives and confront a regime that has targeted Americans, armed our enemies and destabilized the entire region for more than four decades,” according to a Facebook post.

He recounted his experience in Iran — and how it shaped his view of the world — in an  interview with Badger Institute President Mike Nichols in 2021. We run it again here today.

On the surface, Milwaukee’s latest year-over-year crime statistics show promise for the safety of the state’s largest city. Some city officials have even touted the aggregate numbers as cause for optimism.

But the numbers tell a different story when examined in context: Milwaukee is in trouble.

Researcher Sean Kennedy joins Patrick McIlheran to interpret the data and chart a path forward for Milwaukee to move from a culture of criminal coddling to one of certain justice.

Kennedy’s latest for the Badger Institute, “Latest crime figures show a Milwaukee in trouble”: https://www.badgerinstitute.org/latest-crime-figures-show-a-milwaukee-in-trouble/

A new report by Badger Institute Managing Editor Mark Lisheron reveals that calls to police from MPS high schools dramatically increased – again. Lisheron joins Badger Institute Vice President Michael Jahr to discuss the troubling numbers – and the encouraging news that the Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has signaled support for putting police back in schools.

The report: https://www.badgerinstitute.org/calls-to-police-from-mps-high-schools-up-dramatically-again/

Few people give thought to the impact of occupational licensing – until it affects them directly. But licensing requirements can fence people out of occupations, drive up costs to consumers, limit mobility, create unnecessary bureaucracy and more.

In this episode of Free Exchange, State Sen. Andre Jacque and State Rep. Shae Sortwell, both chairmen of their chamber’s licensing committees, discuss how licensing affects Wisconsinites and policy reforms that can reduce or eliminate some of the resulting burdens.

Did you know that Wisconsin has a biennium budget? Or that a powerful joint committee makes most of the budget decisions in the Legislature? Or how a projected $7.1B budget surplus might factor in?

Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) and Rep. Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee), both members of the Joint Finance Committee, join Badger Institute VP Michael Jahr for a Schoolhouse Rock look at how a budget becomes law in Wisconsin.

In Wisconsin, the vast majority of businesses are established as pass-throughs — meaning their owners pay the individual income tax rate, not the corporate tax rate.

So, no one understands the need for a lower, flatter tax in Wisconsin than Scott Manley of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), the largest and most influential business association in the state.

Manley sat down with Badger Institute President Mike Nichols to discuss how a flat tax would improve Wisconsin’s ability to keep and attract residents and businesses, address the workforce shortage, benefit workers and contribute to overall growth in the Badger State.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu has proposed a 3.25% flat income tax for Wisconsin, a reform that would simplify the code and grant tax relief to every Badger State taxpayer.

LeMahieu sat down with Badger Institute President Mike Nichols in the Capitol to explain the details of his flat tax proposal and the widespread benefits of pro-growth tax policy.

Read Badger Institute’s flat tax research for the state of Wisconsin: https://www.badgerinstitute.org/report-tax-reform-options-to-improve-wisconsins-competitiveness/

Civil society is the essential space for the growth of character, for acts of kindness, for the development of trust — for the altruism that drives Wisconsinites to help each other when they see need.

Unfortunately, the fundamental pillars of civil society have been eroding for quite some time. Eloise Anderson, one of the most thoughtful and experienced researchers on issues of civil society and the family, has witnessed this erosion firsthand. Having worked extensively in government while acknowledging the great value that happens outside it, Anderson offers direction for a new civil society — a reinvigorated space of community, care and hope.

Read Anderson’s chapter in the Mandate for Madison: https://www.badgerinstitute.org/for-a-new-civil-society/ 

Research shows that states in which individuals, businesses and entrepreneurs have greater economic freedom grow more rapidly, produce better labor market outcomes and attract more people. So, what steps can Wisconsin take to ensure that its residents enjoy the benefits of a strong, free-market economy?

Touching on issues ranging from tax reform and migration to occupational licensure, economist James Bohn outlines proven measures for keeping Wisconsin productive and prosperous in 2023 and beyond.

Read Bohn’s chapter in Badger Institute’s Mandate for Madison: https://www.badgerinstitute.org/free-market-reforms-will-make-wisconsin-thrive/

In Wisconsin courts, it now takes more than one year to resolve an armed robbery charge, 14 months to resolve a sexual assault case and more than 15 months to resolve an allegation of murder.

It’s a systemic crisis that delays justice for victims, their families and all who long to lead safe, productive lives in the Badger State.

Wisconsin is not without effective recourse, however. As Jeremiah Mosteller, attorney and criminal justice policy expert with Americans for Prosperity, outlines in this episode of Free Exchange, necessary investments in prosecutors and defenders can tackle the growing backlog of cases and restore a sense of swift justice for all Wisconsin residents.

Read the full report, “Toward Swifter Justice: Overburdened Prosecutors and Public Defenders Linked to Wisconsin Court Backlogs”