+ Badger flies to Phoenix

Who would have guessed that the greater prairie-chicken is the sort to get all NIMBY in Wisconsin’s declared war against carbon dioxide? Yet there they are, rightly flustered that a giant swath of solar panels might end up in their Portage County prairie.

A flock of hunters and bird-watchers, speaking in defense of the chickens, have complained to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission about the proposed Vista Sands Solar project just east of Wisconsin Rapids, saying it would ruin a stronghold of the now-threatened bird.

The prairie-chickens most likely would just vanish — or, as the Dane County Conservation League pointed out to the PSC, get eaten by avian predators perching on miles of new fencing around what is now unparalleled paradise for a threatened bird once common when the Midwest was mostly wild grassland.

Of the seven remaining two-year branch colleges in the Universities of Wisconsin system, three are within walking distance and the rest are within easy driving distance of technical colleges that now are offering many of the same liberal arts courses.

Marshfield is about 38 miles west of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and hosts a two-year college affiliated with it, but its residents are within walking distance of the Marshfield campus of Mid-State Technical College. Wausau is 33 miles north of UW-Stevens Point’s main campus and it also hosts a two-year college affiliated with it, but that college is just 2.4 miles south of Northcentral Technical College’s main campus.

Lakeshore Technical College has campuses in Manitowoc and Sheboygan. Even though UW-Eau Claire Barron is 57 miles north of the main campus, it’s walking distance to Northwood Technical College’s main campus.

And while Rock County is the healthiest of the UW’s remaining two-year branches, it is also just six miles north of Blackhawk Technical College, just south of Janesville.

Wisconsinites’ real incomes fell in 2022 while expenses continued to rise, figures from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show.

The BEA defines personal income as “income that people get from wages and salaries, Social Security, and other governmental benefits, dividends and interest, and other sources.”

Consumer spending is defined as the value of the goods and services purchased by people living within the state.

This week, members of the Badger Institute team flew into Phoenix, AZ for the annual meeting of the State Policy Network — an association of state-level policy organizations advancing freedom and opportunity throughout the country.

A hearty thanks to SPN and all who will be carrying on important work in the states they call home.

Learn why the Founding Fathers created the Electoral College, its protections against a national popular vote as well as how our presidential system compares to other republics around the world. With the November election just months away, you won’t want to miss this timely and insightful look into how the Electoral College affects our democracy.

Keynote delivered by Michael Maibach, a Distinguished Fellow at Save Our States, giving talks across the country in defense of the Founders’ Federalism and the Electoral College design.

Date: Tuesday, September 10 at 6:30pm

Location: Concordia University

RSVP: to Katie Colson, [email protected]

Registration open!

Registration for the Badger Institute’s Annual Dinner is now open. The Institute is honored to welcome Rich Lowry, editor-in-chief of National Review, as the keynote speaker.

Event details:

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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