The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right of individuals to keep and bear arms. Wisconsin’s state constitution also affirms the right to bear arms for self-defense, defense of the state, hunting, and sport shooting.
While still passing in sizable numbers in the April 2023 election, local ballot referenda to allow school districts to exceed state property tax limits passed at the lowest rate since 2010. The decline comes after years in which such measures were passed in record numbers and amounts.
File this column under the category “Things that make vacations memorable.”
I have a confession to make that will not shock long time readers of this column or anyone who knows me.
A unanimous voice vote by the Wisconsin Senate on a piece of legislation is a rare occurrence. But that’s what happened on April 19, when state senators approved a bill to undo a decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court regarding public records.
While recent state budgets have increased staffing levels and pay for both assistant district attorneys and public defenders in Wisconsin, their salaries still lag those of attorneys in the private sector. Meanwhile, turnover and workloads for the positions have increased.
Two different research initiatives have documented the ways it’s now more difficult to vote in Wisconsin, from disparities in access to added barriers.
A lot of the economic stats are very, very good. Record low unemployment. Unprecedented state budget surplus. Resilient consumer spending. Easing of pandemic-era shortages, inflation, housing speculation and high gasoline prices.
After trailing the national average for five years, per-student funding at public colleges and universities in Wisconsin overtook it in 2021.
Democracy and the rule of law seem to be in retreat throughout the world: not only in Iran, Russia, and Hong Kong but also in countries such as Mexico, Poland, and Hungary.
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