[Madison, Wisc…] In late November, the U.S. Census Bureau released three briefs on public assistance and economic conditions in the United States for the years 2010 and 2011 using statistics from the American Community Survey. The briefs found that on a national scale, more people are living in shared households and more are relying on food stamps, though public assistance is unchanged.
Read More Wisconsin’s Rise of Entitlements
[Milwaukee, Wisc…] In addition to its “Star Teacher Survey,” which evaluates teaching candidates’ cultural sensitivity and is used by Milwaukee Public Schools, The Haberman Educational Foundation also offers a “Star Administrator Survey.” Read More Sensitivity Tests for Principals, Too
When Palermo’s announced they were going to build a new production facility in the Menomonee Valley in 2005, Tom Barrett actually made the announcement. They were to be the first major employer to locate operations in the previously blighted corridor and the move put Milwaukee, and its Mayor, in the best possible light. Read More Milwaukee’s Reluctant Mayor Fails to Surprise
[Madison, Wisc…] The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington, has given Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker a “B grade” in its 2012 “Fiscal Policy Report Card.” Read More Cato Gives Walker “B” Grade in Annual Fiscal Report Card
[Madison, Wisc…] State and local government employees in Wisconsin make considerably more in base salary and more in total compensation than their peers in the private sector according to a new study released today by the John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy. Read More MacIver Institute Study Finds Government Employees Make 19 Percent More Than Private Sector Workers
[Madison, Wisc…] When the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) unveiled their new public school report cards last week, the average Wisconsin school graded out toward the lesser end of the bell curve. A closer look at Wisconsin’s largest school district shows that Milwaukee’s Public Schools (MPS) are performing well below even modest standards. Read More Milwaukee Public Schools Earn a D- on Wisconsin’s New Report Cards
[Madison, Wisc…] There was little debate after Wisconsin eliminated straight ticket party voting this year as part of the Voter ID law, because no one could figure out which party would benefit from the change. When a Dane County Judge struck down the Voter ID component of the law, the elimination of straight ticket party voting remained. Read More A Look at the End of Straight Ticket Voting
[Madison, Wisc…] President Barack Obama handily won Wisconsin’s 10 Electoral votes Tuesday night on his way to a second term as President of the United States. Read More Election 2012 Recap: Obama, Baldwin Victorious; GOP Regains Statehouse
Charlie Cook and Amy Walter recently gave an election preview presentation at the Aspen Institute in Washington D.C. They took questions from the audience and a federal government employee asked, “Is Romney going to control the Tea party, or is the Tea Party going to control Romney?” Read More The Tea Party’s Mission
Some observers were baffled Friday by the fed’s latest jobs report. The news release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics stated 873,000 more people found jobs in September, while only 114,000 more jobs were created.
Read More National Jobs Reports Draw Scrutiny, Criticism