The number of tenured faculty in the University of Wisconsin System has fallen roughly in line with the decrease in student enrollment since 2015 — the year a legislative decision to take tenure guarantees out of state statute unleashed a torrent of blowback from professors who called the move by Republican legislators “destructive” and “remarkably chilling” and like “a death in the family.”

A look back at what has happened to tenured faculty since then uncovered no deaths.

Or even much use of the replacement policy that was passed by the Board of Regents.

In Ayn Rand’s classic novel “Atlas Shrugged,” the government nationalizes industry after industry until the economy is on the brink of collapse. The story’s protagonists fight to defend their businesses from these “looters.” Meanwhile, their fellow “producers” continue to disappear from society, taking their talents with them in a move known as “Going Galt” in honor of movement leader John Galt.

Sometimes it seems that no major development project occurs in Wisconsin without the visible hand of government steering it. We seem unable to accomplish any major project without government direction and subsidies.

This trend in government central planning extends to the current mood in Washington. Industrial policy — the use of government plans to promote particular industries — is making a clear comeback as a part of Bidenomics.

Slightly more than 60% of school district requests to levy higher property taxes were approved by voters on last Tuesday’s ballots throughout the state — a lower percentage than in recent years but around the historic norm.

A total of 92 referenda were placed before voters on April 2, some asking for increases in taxes used to fund operations, some for building or maintenance projects. Approval rates in both instances were close to 60%.

A Badger Institute analysis found no simple, readily discernible pattern based on geography or amount sought or district size for referenda that were passed versus those that failed — something  that is often the case when looking at referenda that occur on the same date, according to Dale Knapp, the director of Forward Analytics.

Join Mike Nichols, Badger Institute president, for a presentation and timely discussion on the state’s most pressing policy and business issues of the day: education reform, licensing and regulation, taxation, childcare, redistricting, economic trends and more.

Host: Ruder Ware (appetizers and cocktails provided)

Cost: Free

RSVP: Contact Katie Colson ([email protected]) by April 10th

Wisconsin experienced its warmest winter ever recorded, according to a recent report by the Wisconsin State Climatology Office. The report’s authors attributed this to the unusually strong El Niño experienced this year, as well as a “long-term warming trend.”

Climate and policy responses to it have been a contentious issue for years, and the Badger Institute has done significant work on the matter.

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.

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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