The Jones Act, protecting the American maritime industry and driving free trade champions crazy for more than 100 years, is both a boon and a bane to Wisconsin businesses, workers and consumers. 

With Lake Michigan to the east, Lake Superior to the north and the Mississippi River to the west, Jones Act protections have tangibly benefited the state’s shipbuilding cluster, those who analyze the industry say.  

Wisconsin has about 2,000 jobs in the shipbuilding industry, which indirectly support another 6,000 jobs, according to the federal Maritime Administration. The Transportation Institute estimates Wisconsin has nearly 10,000 jobs related to a more broadly defined maritime industry.  

But a 2019 study found the act protects “domestic shipbuilding and crew at the expense of economic efficiency and consumers,” with costs specific to Wisconsin that amount to millions of dollars a year.

It’s hard to rise up — especially when you’re a single mom with a newborn — but by no means impossible. 

That’s the message I take from a new study, “Dynamics of Families After a Nonmarital Birth,” written by Angela Rachidi, a senior fellow in poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute who is also a visiting fellow here at the Badger Institute.

Rachidi takes a new look at the “success sequence,” an old finding, as she puts it, “that those who graduate high school, work full-time and marry before having children are far more likely to avoid poverty in adulthood.”

That’s true — and in some ways it’s hard to alter reality.

Have you noticed your grocery bill increasing? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the federal agency that tracks inflation data, the cost of groceries in the Midwest has been on the rise since 2020 after years of holding even.  

A basket of groceries that would have cost $100 in January 2014 would now cost $127, according to the BLS’ consumer price index for “food at home” in the Midwest.

The data are $100 in January 2014 inflated by the BLS’ consumer price index (CPI-U) “food at home” component for the Midwest region, which comprises Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio and South Dakota.

It was reported this week that the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2026 will restrict what appears on states’ electronic roadway signs. Signage will be used only to “relay important information” in “direct” and “simple” ways.

So, say goodbye to punny or humorous messaging like, “Get your head out of your apps” and “Jingle bells, speeding kills, buckle up today.” At least Wisconsin has two more years to spread roadway cheer before acquiescing to its federal killjoy. We suggest commenting on the absurdity of the restriction with the following:

• Watch for falling snow — and gratuitous federal overreach.

• Dangerous conditions ahead. Please slow down. Unless you work for the federal government.

• Bridge may be icy, like the feds’ sense of whimsy.

If you have a punny or humorous message Wisconsin should consider, vote in this week’s survey and leave your suggestion as a comment.

Related reading: Legislators turn up heat on Wisconsin home bakers

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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