Celebrating 35 years of advancing freedom in Wisconsin

Mandate for Madison: New Report

Occupational Licensing: Get Out of the Way of Work

Wisconsin’s politicians prohibit over 1 million citizens from working unless they have government permission.

This is the root of the scandalous backlogs plaguing Wisconsin’s occupational licensing bureaucracy, which is forcing many people to sit on the sidelines after they move to our state or graduate from their training, unable to work in their chosen field.

The Badger Institute’s scholars have documented this growing problem for years. This report offers a quick tour of their findings — and presents concrete reforms that have worked in other states.

While some licensing in certain occupations makes sense, unnecessary licensing requirements negatively affect the labor supply and add to consumer costs. Reform could prove critical for Wisconsin’s future prosperity, especially given the current worker shortage.

But more than that, reform is a matter of justice. When people are qualified and willing to do a job, the state should not stand in the way.

Read the report

Poll Finds Broad Support for School Choice Programs

Polling released Thursday by School Choice Wisconsin Action shows likely Wisconsin voters favor Wisconsin’s school choice programs by a 51-23 margin.

The poll of 600 likely voters was conducted on August 22-24 by On Message Inc. (OMI). Lead OMI pollster Wes Anderson was named “Pollster of the Year” in 2019 by the American Association of Political Consultants. OMI has extensive experience in Wisconsin and is a leading national firm in the area of education public opinion.

A memorandum from OMI on the latest poll is available here.

Mandate for Madison: New Report

Increasing Minimum Wage Simply Doesn’t Help

By Ken Wysocky

Some people earn a lot of money. Some earn a little. And if those whose skills and labor are worth a low rate of pay from those willing and able to purchase them plead that they ought to earn more, many Wisconsinites find it viscerally satisfying to say the state should command it — that the state should raise its minimum wage.

This is a sentiment that has been around, perhaps, for as long as there have been minimum wages, long enough for a great deal of economic research showing it’s an idea that doesn’t work. It means that a lot of people won’t work — they won’t have a job.

Here, Ken Wysocky summarizes those findings, including research specific to Wisconsin published in recent years by the Badger Institute.

The research leads to a clear conclusion: The best way to help people earn more, especially those on the lowest rungs of the income ladder, is to not break off the rungs they’re climbing. 

Read the report

Free Exchange Podcast

Wisconsin’s transportation funding system running on fumes

Transportation projects in Wisconsin are primarily funded by per-gallon fuel taxes that are declining as fuel economy improves and more drivers opt for electric and hybrid vehicles. Transportation funding gurus Robert W. Poole Jr. and Benita Cotton-Orr, both Badger Institute visiting fellows, join us to discuss how Badger State roads should be funded in the future.

Listen to the podcast

Weekly Survey: Should lawmakers reduce the number of occupational licenses so more Wisconsinites can get to work?

Last Week’s Results

Badger Institute Annual Dinner

Join the Badger Institute on Tuesday, October 11, 2022 to celebrate 35 years of advancing freedom in Wisconsin at our Annual Dinner. The evening will feature keynote speaker Ed Feulner, co-founder and longtime president of The Heritage Foundation, one of the world's most influential think tanks.

Feulner will share remarks on vision and leadership, drawing on his experience at the helm of Heritage as the Foundation crafted many of President Reagan’s influential policies as well as those of subsequent executive administrations. He will also speak about the Institute's Mandate for Madison, our roadmap for Wisconsin citizens and leaders toward a freer and more prosperous future. 

The dinner will be hosted at the Wisconsin Club. Click here to register and sponsorships are available (email Vice President Angela Smith). 

Wisconsin Troubling Tax Facts

Wisconsin Troubling Tax Fact #7: We’re becoming less competitive. In 2021, seven states enacted laws to reduce corporate income tax rates. In 2022, three reduced their rates further, and two more joined the list of states enacting reductions.

(Watch next week’s Top Picks for more Troubling Tax Facts.)

Learn more here.

Talking Taxes

Katherine Loughead, senior policy analyst for the Tax Foundation and author of the Badger Institute report Tax Reform Options to Improve Wisconsin’s Competitiveness discusses her findings and reform recommendations with legislative staff in the Capitol earlier this week.

What We’re Reading

• State Policy Network: All of the ways the school choice movement is winning at the state level
• Manhattan Institute: The “Energy Transition” Delusion: A Reality Reset
• Chalkbeat: Math and reading scores plummet on national test, erasing 20 years of progress
• Fordham Institute: Educating young Americans for citizenship is our schools’ top job

Invest in the Badger Institute

The Institute never has, and never will, accept government funding. We gratefully welcome your online donation or email Angela Smith, Vice President of Development.

The Badger Institute is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization funded solely by the generosity of foundations, companies and individuals.