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In a speech to the Badger Institute Thursday night, Congressman Mike Gallagher, the Green Bay Republican who chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, issued a clarion call for America to rearm and stockpile critical munitions, issued a stark warning about authoritarian regimes and terrorist groups across the globe and said the future is still up to us here in America “but won’t be much longer.”
“Look at what’s going on. Iran-backed death squads are stalking Israeli civilians, cutting off the heads of babies and raping women. Putin’s slaughterhouse in Ukraine. Xi Jinping’s ongoing genocide in Xinjiang. There is an authoritarian axis arrayed against us, and Beijing is leading it,” he said.
“According to President Biden’s speech at the Naval Academy, Xi Jinping told him directly that in the 21st century autocracies will run the world. Well, just look at Iran. Look at Gaza. Look at Ukraine. That wasn’t an idle boast.”
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It was startling, but surely not surprising, when protesters disrupted an online discussion by a panel of black conservatives at the University of Wisconsin-Madison last month.
“This happens all the time,” said a panelist, Wilfred Reilly. “Any time you try to do a campus speech, you get crowds of people trying to fight you.” Organizers cut off the Zoom feed after one of the protesters began self-pleasuring on-camera. “He could also use some testosterone therapy,” Reilly quipped.
It was an in-the-flesh illustration, so to speak, of surveys that show a diminishing tolerance for free speech. A poll in September found that nearly half of Democrats felt free expression is permissible “only under certain circumstances.” Bad enough that half of Republican respondents felt government should restrict “hateful” words on social media; worse was that three-fourths of Democrats did.
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Recap: Badger Institute Annual Dinner | |
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Thank you to everyone who attended our Annual Dinner last night. We enjoyed Rep. Mike Gallagher’s insightful remarks and the opportunity to share more about the Badger Institute’s efforts to help move this state forward, promote prosperity and ensure opportunity for all.
For those who were unable to attend, we invite you to watch this video about the profound impact the Badger Institute is having in Wisconsin — particularly in this most recent legislative session.
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We so appreciate your investment in the Institute’s mission. Your ongoing encouragement helps us continue to advocate for conservative policies and principles now and in generations to come. | |
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The Wisconsin Senate now is considering a bill, SB435, that exempts a lot retirement income from the state income tax. Specifically, the bill:
- Exempts up to $100,000 for an individual ($150,000 for a married couple) of income from tax-sheltered retirement accounts.
- Cuts the marginal rate on the second-highest income tax bracket from 5.3% to 4.4%, making a single bracket of the second- and third-highest brackets. Other brackets are unaffected.
Why we oppose it: The Badger Institute supports substantial tax reform that would cut most Wisconsinites’ income tax by going to a single-rate system. With the Tax Foundation, we offered a set of options that would do this with no increases in any taxpayers’ liability. In other words, we favor tax cuts. But the problems with this proposal are two-fold...
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By the Numbers: Reading Proficiency | |
Wisconsin’s school regulator, the Department of Public Instruction, released results of last year’s Forward tests of students’ proficiency in reading, math and other subjects. Scores improved over the previous year, though they haven’t yet returned to the levels they were at before the pandemic lockdowns disrupted school for many children. You can read more about the results here. | |
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The underlying numbers
The Forward Exam, used since 2015-16, tests all students in grades 3 through 8 on reading and math every year, though the 2019-20 school year was skipped.
Students’ performance is ranked as “advanced,” “proficient,” “basic” or “below basic.”
Advanced and proficient essentially mean that a child is performing as well or better than should be expected for her grade level.
| The statewide reading proficiency results, graphed: | |
Proficiency levels long have been lower in Milwaukee. The percentages of students at or above proficiency in reading in both the Milwaukee Public Schools and in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program: | |
It should be noted that while the test was resumed in the 2020-21 school year, a much greater number of students didn’t take the test, which skews percentages. The no-test percentages returned to normal by the 2021-22 school year.
Patrick McIlheran
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Weekly Survey: How important to you is seeing Wisconsin’s top individual income tax bracket reformed? | |
Invest in the Badger Institute | | |
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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. | |
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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.
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