Volunteers backbone of EMS, reading, equity & revolution, pot talk on radio News What happens when Wisconsin emergency responders can’t respond? By Mark Lisheron Increasingly short-handed emergency medical personnel were unable to respond to 10 different 911 calls in Wisconsin over a recent 12-month period, according to the state’s Emergency Medical Services directors. Fire and EMS officials say that’s just the tip of the iceberg. More than four in 10 of the more than 200 directors who responded to a survey by the state Office of Rural Health reported one or more days in the past 12 months when a fully-staffed ambulance crew — full staffing, by law, is seven full-time people in typical 24-hour shifts — couldn’t be mustered. More than six in 10 directors of volunteer departments reported gaps in the availability of their ambulances because of staff shortages. The survey is causing a stir, according to its author, James Small. But the facts are nothing new to those who’ve lived with them day-to-day. Volunteers are still the backbone of emergency response in this state and many communities have struggled for years to find enough of them. Read More Viewpoint DPI ‘equity’ speakers talk revolution; parents just want their kids to be able to read By Patrick McIlheran It’s plain that many of the prominent radicals in an ongoing Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction speaker series about racial “equity” have a problem less with individuals than with the whole system. Makes you wonder why they so oppose children escaping that system. The series of day-long webinars, four per school year, is an initiative of the DPI, the regulator of every Wisconsin school. The agency says it doesn’t necessarily endorse everything said by every one of the academics it invites, but since racial equity is the first quality it mentions in its mission statement, one can see why 2,500 people signed up last school year to hear what was said under the sponsorship of the agency that controls Wisconsin teachers’ licenses. One clear theme is the installing of a new definition of racism, one most Americans do not agree with, one that says racism isn’t an injustice committed by an individual who treats some people worse on account of their skin but, rather, the inescapable structure of American society. This “structural racism” idea — “Racism Without Racists,” to quote the title of a book by one of the series’ regular speakers — leads to some remarkable conclusions. Read McIlheran’s Viewpoint   Viewpoint The Journal Sentinel gets its comeuppance By Mike Nichols A recent one-sided smear by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel of the parental rights group Moms for Liberty was so egregious that even the Wall Street Journal took notice. Tunku Varadarajan, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, noted in a recent commentary in the Wall Street Journal that the first words in the Journal Sentinel’s August story were, “Moms for Liberty, a group designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an extremist antigovernment organization…” The Journal Sentinel’s odd reliance on the SPLC and its insulting bias against Moms for Liberty went on and on from there. A truly objective news story would have at least noted that much of America has another perspective of both the SPLC and Moms for Liberty. The SPLC, much of America already knows, is often described as a civil-rights group, “even though in recent decades it has shifted its focus to smearing conservative organizations as hate groups,” writes Varadarajan. Read Nichols’ Viewpoint Badger on Air Visiting Fellow Jeremiah Mosteller joins Meg Ellefson to discuss his findings on the criminal enforcement of marijuana laws in Wisconsin September 6, The Meg Ellefson Show Listen Now   Read the Report: Criminal Enforcement of Marijuana Laws Uncommon in Many Wisconsin Counties   Badger on the Road Thankfully, our research is more impressive than our photography. Last week, Badger Institute staff and contributors met in Chicago for the annual meeting of the State Policy Network (SPN), an organization that propels the freedom movement forward through its member think tanks. The Badger Institute’s Mandate for Madison was a top-three finalist for SPN’s prestigious Bob Williams Award for Outstanding Policy Achievement — in the category of “Most Influential Research.” Our sincere thanks to all who love freedom, prosperity and Wisconsin as much as we do. Your ongoing support and generosity allow us to produce the most influential and impactful policy research in the Badger State. At a Glance According to research by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, full-time staff in state schools is increasing — even as the staff share of teachers is decreasing. The findings are indicative of bureaucratic bloat that spends taxpayer dollars on administrative functions rather than the direct instruction of children.   Full Time Equivalent Staff Count   Teaching Staff as a Percentage of FTEs Badger Events Join us Thursday, October 12 (formerly October 3) for the Badger Institute Annual Dinner. Rep. Mike Gallagher will deliver keynote remarks on democracy, freedom and the threat of the Chinese Communist Party. Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts | Brookfield, WI 5:00 p.m. VIP cocktail reception with buffet-style dinner 5:30 p.m. general admission cocktail reception with buffet-style dinner 6:30 p.m. presentation and keynote remarks Sponsorship opportunities are available, along with general registration and VIP meet-and-greet tickets. RSVP Today Weekly Survey: What percentage of state fire departments rely primarily or in part on volunteer help? Answer below! 24% 52% 76% 93%   Previous Poll Results: Invest in the Badger Institute The Badger Institute, formerly known as the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI), has long been at the forefront of the fight for school choice, right to work, welfare reform, tax restructuring, limited government, civil society and so much more. If you appreciate the Institute’s legacy and want to support free markets, opportunity and prosperity, please consider donating today. Your support will help the Institute continue to advocate for conservative principles now and in generations to come. Support Freedom   The Institute never has, and never will, accept government funding. We gratefully welcome your online donation or email Angela Smith, Executive Vice President. The Badger Institute is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization funded solely by the generosity of foundations, companies and individuals. Badger Institute | 700 W Virginia St, Suite 301, Milwaukee, WI 53204 www.badgerinstitute.org Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!