Celebrating 35 years of advancing freedom in Wisconsin

Viewpoint: Next time, listen to parents

Kids are reaping the consequences of school shutdowns

By Patrick McIlheran

Just what did the pandemic lockdowns cost us? Day by day, the tally rises.

“I remember crying every night and not knowing what was going on, and I felt so alone,” a Wisconsin student, Sophia Jimenez, told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” in a report aired this week. 

The network singled out Milwaukee because, it said, Wisconsin has the country’s fifth-highest increase in adolescent self-harm and attempted suicide. The rate of such pathology has nearly doubled since before the COVID-19 lockdowns.

When Sophia stopped eating, CBS reports, her parents took her to a hospital, where she stayed for two weeks until a bed opened up at a psychiatric facility. “What did you guys lose during the pandemic?” the reporter asked the girl. “Myself,” came the reply.

Continue reading the Viewpoint.

Government Infrastructure Spending Beset with Widespread Cost Overruns

By Ken Wysocky

With cost overruns on bridge, road and other infrastructure megaprojects in Wisconsin as certain as death, taxes and Packers’ title-run failures, budget hawks are on high alert with new federal money about to inundate the state.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is expected to spread an additional $5.4 billion out over the next five years, on top of the $1.4 billion to $2.2 billion in state and federal funding the Badger State has spent annually on highway construction alone.

“For many decades ... infrastructure projects and cost overruns have gone hand in hand,” says state Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville). “While some infrastructure projects have been far more egregious than others, we’ve historically seen cost overruns of 25 to 50 percent for transportation projects and projected benefits that often fail to fully materialize.”

Even The New York Times, often a booster of government spending, warns of “Years of Delays, Billions in Overruns: The Dismal History of Big Infrastructure.”

Read the full article.

Badger Institute in the News

• WISN/WIBA: Ike Brannon and Vicki McKenna discuss the impact of the unemployment bonuses on employment in Wisconsin
• The Center Square: Badger Institute poll shows broad support for welfare reform, parents involvement in schools, police
• Wisconsin Spotlight: Poll: Work for welfare
• KPVI: Badger Institute poll shows broad support for welfare reform, parents in schools, and police
• GMToday: Badger Institute poll shows broad support for welfare reform, parents involvement in schools, police
• APG Wisconsin: Badger Institute poll results
• Wisconsin News: Poll shows widespread support for welfare reform, parents in schools and police in Wisconsin

Weekly Survey: Have you seen evidence of the damage school shutdowns have had on young people?

Last Week's Results

It's National Charter Schools Week!

Did you know that 236 charter schools operate in Wisconsin? Here are a few other fun facts about charter schools:

• 44 states (+ DC) have charter school laws
• 3.6 million students attend charter schools across the country
• 50,000 Wisconsin students attend charter schools 
• 7,700 charter schools exist nationwide
• 206,000 teachers teach in charter schools nationwide

Sources: Wisconsin Federation for Children, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

WILL Releases new Citizen's Guide to the WI Administrative State 

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) just released The Citizen’s Guide to the Wisconsin Administrative State, which provides an overview of the constitutional and statutory underpinnings of the administrative state, an overview of the rulemaking process, how the Legislature and the public at large are empowered to hold agencies accountable to the law and what to do if an agency does not play by the rules.

What We're Reading

• Howard Fuller: Biden’s New Charter School Rules Are an Assault on the Right of Families of Color to Choose the Best Education for Their Children
• Rick Graber: Restoring civil society, one neighborhood at a time
• The Dispatch: Canceling Student Loan Debt Is a Terrible Idea
• Heartland Institute: Is Stagflation on the Horizon?
• Empower Wisconsin: Evers’ Child Care Controversy
• City Journal: Make America Make Again

Support the Badger Institute's Rich History

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The Badger Institute is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization.