The legislative session is ending in Madison, and there are plenty of Issues that need to be addressed.

Democrats still want more spending on education, even though DPI spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a lavish conference, and they are failing to teach our students at proficient levels. 

Gov. Evers and Speaker Vos -- both of whom are leaving office -- are talking about spending down a state surplus that may or may not exist. 

A bill to expand gambling in the state continues to move forward -- even though polling shows most Wisconsinites oppose the move.

As we close out the legislative session and enter another campaign season, these issues will have a huge impact on Wisconsin. 

One problem, though: Voters are not paying attention.

A recent poll from Marquette University shows that two-thirds of both Republicans 

AND Democrats have not decided on a candidate in the state supreme court, nor in the Governor's race.

Follow us in the coming months to help you stay informed on these issues and more. 

MacIver Institute's own policy analyst, Michael Lucas, is joined by two current UW-Students and our brilliant MacIver interns, Courtney Graves and Rebecca Draeger, who discuss a myriad of topics such as China, unrest in Iran, Gov. Tony Evers, the economy, education, sports betting, and go over some of our most recent projects and articles.

www.maciverinstitute.com

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Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’ final State of the State Address was delivered last Tuesday, marking the beginning of the end of the Evers’ Era.
This last State of the State hit the usual notes for Evers: take credit, blame republicans in the legislature, then propose more spending with bipartisan support.

He did NOT accept accountability for his failing policies, however.

He blamed Republicans for HIS 400-year property tax increase. HIS Congressional Map and for not spending more money on education.  

Governor Evers can say whatever he wants, but the truth is this: It's Not Working. Our students are falling behind, our workers are falling behind and because of that our state is falling behind. 

At the end of the day, Wisconsin deserves a better leader and Governor Evers can't defend his agenda because it's not working. 
Contrast that to President Trump's State of the Union. 
Under President Trump, the border is closed, inflation is under control, and the federal bureaucracy is shrinking.

15 years ago, Governor Scott Walker and conservatives in the state legislature faced a dilemma. Years of overspending left Wisconsin broke.
Walker announced the budget repair bill.  Badly needed reforms that would eventually become Act 10 that has now saved Wisconsin taxpayers more than 35 billion dollars.
Tens of thousands of union members, professional protestors, and anti-establishment liberals from around the country stormed the capitol to block the reforms.

14 Democrat Senators left the state, so they didn’t have to take a vote.  

Governor Walker and republican leaders stood firm and Act 10 became law.  MacIver ran a campaign called "It's Working" to highlight the success of these badly needed reforms.
It's a different time now. 

It's NOT Working.  Liberal ideology runs the state, and the Supreme Court may have Act 10 in their crosshairs. 
If you want affordability, we can’t afford to roll back Act 10.

"Just give us more money," the public education establishment says. "That will solve all the problems in our schools."

We've known for a long time: this isn’t true. Per-pupil spending keeps going up, while test scores are flat or falling. 
We released a report last week with the American Experiment. We found that lack of knowledge and skills is partly to blame for Wisconsin's economy falling behind the rest of the country.
Then there is the scandal of the Department of Public Instruction leadership failing to address child groomers in classrooms across the state. 
Don’t forget the news that broke last week about DPI spending nearly $400,000 on a four-day conference in the Dells.
It's not working, and the Legislature was right to freeze a million dollars in additional DPI spending. 
Last year was the Year of the Kid, and leadership from DPI and our "education governor" is failing.

Wisconsin's education problems aren't about money. It's about priority. 

After a long break, MacIver's policy analyst, Michael Lucas, and resident healthcare expert, Courtney Graves, are back to discuss a litany of topics: the WI Supreme Court race, the WI gubernatorial race, the recent reclassification of marijuana, recent research and perspectives at MacIver, and even touch on national issues such as unrest in Minnesota and recent developments regarding the Epstein files.

www.maciverinstitute.com

Three cheers for Wisconsin Congressman Bryan Steil.
Last week, Steil introduced the Make Elections Great Again -- or MEGA -- Act. The bill would bring straightforward and commonsense reforms to elections nationwide.
Some of these reforms, like requiring photo ID and ensuring only citizens can vote, are already in effect here in Wisconsin.
Others, like ranked choice voting, universal vote by mail, ballot harvesting, and improving voter list maintenance, will make elections in our state more fair.
All in all, Congressman Steil's bill is a serious and important step toward election integrity.
Fair and verifiable elections are the bedrock of our democracy. At the MacIver Institute, we've led the way to enact reforms to bring accountability and transparency to our elections. It is great to see one of our own leading the fight in Washington.
Rest assured, this is an issue we will be tracking very closely.

Whatever happened to Minnesota Nice?
While tensions between federal law enforcement and local liberal activists have spiked in recent weeks, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have been making news for all the wrong reasons. 

They are encouraging activists to obstruct legal ICE actions, of apprehending dangerous criminal illegal aliens. 

The consequences have been disastrous. 

Sanctuary policies and open borders put Innocent lives at risk and cities end up in turmoil. Community safety takes a back seat to scoring left-wing political points.

Wisconsin, we can't let this happen here. Our bedrock principles of limited government, law and order, and free markets have kept our state relatively sane and citizens safe.  But we can't take it for granted.

We do not want Wisconsin to become the next Minnesota.

Right next door in Minnesota, a major scandal is unraveling.
Welfare and childcare fraud have rocked the state. Seemingly empty daycare centers are accused of receiving millions and maybe billions in federal funds through fake claims.
A signal that it may get worse -- Governor Tim Walz dropped his re-election campaign instead of fighting the allegations.
Closer to home, a former Milwaukee Police Department employee has been charged with felony voter fraud for illegally casting ballots in city elections.

This is just the latest example of election fraud that has caused public distrust and demands more scrutiny.
Cases like these, remind us that any type of fraud wastes taxpayer dollars and undermines confidence in our systems.

Lawmakers in both states need to work smarter to reform government —better audits for state and federal programs and tougher voter verification.

Here we are, another year in the books. The holiday season is usually a time for celebration, with all sorts of excitement about the presents under the tree.

But, an unwanted arrival in the mailbox is causing heartburn for many Wisconsinites. Wisconsin taxpayers are finding out just how much their property taxes are going up. For many people, it's a lot.

In no small part because of the 402-year tax increase created entirely by Governor Tony Evers. It's an expensive reminder that under Governor Evers, it's just not working.

From all of us at The MacIver Institute, have a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.