Plus: School choice support, flat tax revolution, news survey Celebrating 35 years of advancing freedom in Wisconsin Viewpoint: Business dispute docket helps all Wisconsinites by Patrick McIlheran Jim Morrison, a circuit court judge in Marinette County, explains the stakes of certain cases by relating a story about a colleague, a judge in Appleton. One Fox Valley hospital sued another hospital in a January dispute concerning emergency staffing. The judge got the case on a Friday. He ignored media pressure to decide it instantly and instead used a restraining order to get the hospitals to reach a deal satisfactory to the law and to the staffers caught in the middle. The matter was resolved the following Monday. In between, Morrison got a text from the judge, who was stuck in weekend traffic jammed up by a crash. A medevac helicopter coming to the rescue of the crash victims bore the name of one of the disputing hospitals – a reminder, says Morrison, of how urgent and important such disputes can be. “I’m glad that helicopter was in the sky that day,” says Morrison, and it was in the sky in part because a colleague with sufficient background in arcane business disputes kept such a dispute from tying up two hospitals and hindering the work they do. Resolving businesses’ legal fights swiftly is clearly good for businesses themselves. But proponents of Wisconsin’s relatively new Commercial Docket Pilot Project – the state’s effort to develop swifter, better-informed resolutions of specified business-vs.-business disputes – say it is also a public good. Not everyone agrees. Continue reading the Viewpoint. New Policy Paper: Unemployment (Over)compensation The Badger Institute's latest policy report finds that extended supplemental unemployment benefits did deter people from returning to work. We now know the real impact of the governor’s decision to extend supplemental benefits in Wisconsin even when so many other states had decided enough was enough. If Wisconsin had opted out of the supplement in June of last year, the total unemployment would have dropped faster than it did. By September, the authors estimate, there would have been about 28,000 fewer unemployed. Read the full report. At a Glance 58% of Wisconsinites support extending school vouchers statewide without income limits for families Survey: Where do you get Your News? We need your feedback, and it will just take a minute. Please click here to take a very short survey about where you get your local, state and national news. Thank you! Take the one minute survey It's Badger's Anniversary! For 35 years, the Badger Institute, formerly known as the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, has 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 Badger Institute’s legacy and want to support advancing free markets, opportunity and prosperity, please consider donating $35, $350 or $3,500 today. Your support will help the Institute continue to advocate for conservative principles for the next 35 years – and beyond! New Free Exchange Podcast: Federalism and Think Tanks With Paul Teller How can local ideas lead to national impact? Paul Teller, the executive director for Advancing American Freedom, explains the role think tanks play in developing ideas that create statewide laboratories of innovation. The policies that produce the best results help to reinvigorate the vision of federalism where states and communities – not the federal government – find the best solutions to local challenges. Listen Now Weekly Survey Will the Bucks win back-to-back championships? Answer below Yes No What We're Reading Tax Foundation: States Inaugurate a Flat Tax Revolution WUWM: MU Law School poll finds inflation, education top voter concerns Foundation for Excellence in Education: Reagan’s Goal to End the Department of Education Is Finally Gaining Momentum PragerU: Fund the Children, Not the Schools AEI: A population of college students in dire need of remedial education Invest in a Free Wisconsin As the Badger Institute celebrates 35 years of advancing freedom Wisconsin, our work in promoting free markets, opportunity and prosperity in the Badger State is only made possible by generous donations from our supporters. We never have, and never will, accept government funding. Donate online or email Angela Smith, Vice President of Development. The Badger Institute is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Donate Catch up on Diggings A standard bearer of conservative thought in the Badger State, our biannual Diggings magazine takes an in-depth look at policy and cultural issues that affect Wisconsin residents. Click here to read the latest issue of Diggings. Read Diggings Top Picks is our weekly update. To receive more frequent content from the Badger Institute’s experts – or share with us your policy areas of interest – CLICK HERE 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] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!