The MacIver Report: Wisconsin This Week

Two weeks ago, we warned about the so-called "deal" the lame duck leaders of the legislature and lame duck Gov. Evers were trying to fast track into law.It would have spent down a PROJECTED surplus -- not money the state actually has on hand -- by sending one-time checks to taxpayers and adding millions of long-term recurring spending.By now, you're probably aware that deal went down in flames. Still, some of the deal's supporters want to bring it back for another vote.Some people are pointing to a recent poll that showed support for the deal as a reason to pass it. Don't be fooled. It was a flawed poll for more reasons than we have time for in this one minute.The bottom line is this: it was a bad deal. It is a bad deal. And it will always be a bad deal.At MacIver, we will always stay true to our principles. That means standing up for taxpayers and reining in big government. 

What is Memorial Day?Between the extra-long weekend, the cookouts, warmer weather, parades, and the Indy 500, it's easy to lose sight of why we take pause this time of year.But as fun as that all is, it comes with a cost. The lives of our nation’s heroes who gave it their all for our freedom. We owe our gratitude to those brave men and women who stepped up and swore their allegiance to America and gave their lives in service to our great nation.We wouldn't have made it 250 years without people from every walk of life stepping forward to serve their country -- Some whose families had been Americans for generations. Others who had been Americans for just a short time.They all made the ultimate sacrifice. So, on this and every Memorial holiday, remember those who aren't here for the cookout or the trip to the lake. And thank God for their bravery, service, and sacrifice. Now and always, God Bless the USA.

Breaking news occurred just minutes before Cong. Bryan Steil joined MacIver last weekend to discuss election reforms he has diligently been working on:Act Blue’s CEO will testify in a public hearing before his Committee on June 10, over whether she misled Congress regarding foreign donations on its payment processing portal. Grassroots activists have long advocated for legislators to pay attention to elections.Brian Steil has been paying attention.  He has been diligent.  Through his leadership on the Committee on House Administration, he has gone to work on comprehensive election reforms.  And he has been successful.Abraham Lincoln once said, “The leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of every calling, is diligence."  Freedom prevails when we are diligent in our work to protect those freedoms.   Every legal citizen deserves the respect to know their vote matters, and that no one else is canceling it out from the shadows.Thank you, Congressman Steil.  

By now, most of you have heard about the negotiated so-called "deal" announced Monday. A lame duck speaker of the assembly and the lame duck senate majority leader teamed up with the lame duck governor to negotiate away $2.5 billion dollars of taxpayer money. About $900 million of that will supposedly go to education spending. It’s a ruse!Guess where a big chunk of that money will actually end up? In the pockets of the teachers' unions, who will turn around and spend like crazy to defeat Act 10 and soak the taxpayers even more. The special interests win, and the taxpayers lose.Again.At the MacIver Institute, we are a policy think tank. We don't worry about the politics of things. We are simply looking for the not so lame ducks to stand up today, so taxpayers don’t end up paying in the future. On any measure, this is a bad deal for taxpayers, agreed to by people who will never stand for election again. Voters will not be able to hold them accountable. And that should outrage everyone.

The May Day protesters pushed values and mottos of No Work, No School, and No Shopping.  This is a far cry from our history to achieve the American Dream.   Their mottos easily convert to realities of No Business, No Economy, No Learning, No Future, No Path Forward. No Hope! America’s founding was built on values that moved us forward. It’s our state’s motto! As we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, we need to look at where we are today from where we started. Our founding fathers dreamed big of private property ownershipone thing that sets America apart from other countries. Wisconsin’s founding in 1848 was driven by rich land resources. Lumber, mining, and agriculture led Wisconsin to be rich by growing and building things. As we consider how to vote for a better future, remember this - a republican form of government is a system where sovereignty rests with the people.   

Butler, Pennsylvania. Charlie Kirk. Now this:Another attempted assassination happened this past weekend, this time at the White House Correspondents' dinner.Thankfully, the Secret Service intervened before the gunman could make it into the room where President Trump was about to give a speech. Since then, we have seen and heard countless examples of hate-filled speech.There is a segment of people in our society who want to take our system of government in a wildly different direction. Instead of freedom and opportunity, they believe in victimhood and forced collectivism.And when those ideas don't get adopted, their rhetoric sometimes turns violent.This trend cannot continue.It's not working, Wisconsin, and at MacIver, we demonstrate the failures of the administrative state and propose solutions to help you secure a brighter future. At the MacIver Institute, we'll always fight bad ideas with better and brighter ones. 

Two hundred fifty-one years ago, Paul Revere rode through the Massachusetts night on horseback, yelling: "The Redcoats are coming." The Declaration of Independence was signed a year later. This year, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country, we need to remember its core principles of liberty, freedom, equality - and socialism??!? Oh, definitely not socialism, but you if you look around the country, you might be fooled. In 2026, it's not the Redcoats that are coming. The socialists are. New York City elected the openly socialist Mamdani Mayor last year, and already his big tax and spend plans are facing a $5 billion budget shortfall.  And the free buses and city-run grocery store are not a reality.  It’s Not Working! In Los Angeles, a Democratic Socialist is running for mayor. Even here in Wisconsin, there are candidates running for offices pledging their allegiance to the socialist cause. Remember, America is the beacon of hope for Liberty, Freedom, and the American Dream.  That’s how it works

Buckle up, Wisconsin. The election results in last Tuesday's Supreme Court election means one thing: reforms will be on the chopping block. Act 10 reforms that have saved taxpayers more than $35 billion over the last 15 years is in danger of repeal.  A new redistricting lawsuit may find its way to the Supreme Court, upending congressional district boundaries. School choice, now in its fourth decade of providing families options for their children's education, will be in jeopardy. If the Supreme Court acts as a super legislature that overrides the will of the people, it is an attack on representative government. Voter Turnout was way down this spring. That can't happen again – for any reason. The lesson is this: you get what you vote for -- or, more precisely, you get what you get  - when you don't vote. Every action by the emboldened liberal Supreme Court should serve as an important reminder: Democracy is on the ballot every time there's an election. We should vote like it is. 

If you thought that politics as usual couldn’t get lower, then hold on. It's not working, Wisconsin!This past Friday, Good Friday, when you were not paying attention to politics, Governor Evers showed just how much he does not respect the citizens of Wisconsin. In a jazzy social media post, Governor Evers told all taxpayers to deal with it and vetoed the bill attempting to nullify his 400-year-long public school funding increase. We Energies announced they need another 14% rate hike. 14% more than the $2 billion in utility rate hikes that have already been rubber-stamped by Gov. Evers’ PSC.The Wisconsin Elections Commission says it's impossible to meet the constitutional requirements of the Only Citizens Vote amendment that passed by nearly 71%. So in theory, only citizens vote. In practice, anyone can.And Attorney General Josh Kaul has filed yet one more lawsuit against the Trump Administration and the will of the people.If you love individual freedom and responsible government. Then follow MacIver, find your voice in government, and we can all succeed because good policy begets good government.

The legislative session ended with a lot of controversy, and the top leaders in both houses are exiting. Governor Evers, who is also exiting, is deciding which bills passed are worthy of being signed or vetoed based on liberal ideology of what is good for Wisconsin. Attorney General Josh Kaul has once again signed onto a lawsuit against the Trump Administration. And it doesn’t appear that the Wisconsin Elections Commission has prepared for the Only Citizens Vote constitutional amendment that passed with 71% voter approval. If you think Its Not Working, then please pay attention to the April 7 elections.   The third branch of government will be decided again by you in another very important state Supreme Court election.  And local election decisions need to be made by you. If you are worried about the future, seize this opportunity!  Register to vote and then vote.    When all eligible citizens educate themselves and then exercise the precious right to vote, citizens can put accountability back into their government.

It might not make the headlines, but lawfare is alive and well in Wisconsin.Last week, Attorney General Josh Kaul joined yet another lawsuit against the Trump administration. That makes more than 40 multi-state coalitions to advance the far left’s agenda. That's not all that’s happening at the Department of Justice. Retired Judge Jim Troupis has been in AG Kaul's crosshairs for years because of his legal work for President Trump. Despite a federal pardon, AG Kaul continues to single Judge Troupis out for a heavy dose of lawfare. At the MacIver Institute, we are tired of it. We recently filed an amicus brief with the State Supreme Court on Judge Troupis' behalf. We believe a fair review of the facts will result in AG Kaul learning – it’s not working – your case against Judge Troupis will be ruled what it is.  Extreme lawfare!   Equal treatment under the law should not be optional. Justice should prevail.

The MacIver Institute's Michael Lucas is joined by Robert G. Natelson, a lawyer, professor, historian, and authority for the United States Supreme Court.He recently received his 41st citation from United States Supreme Court Justice Thomas during the Learning Resources v. Trump case. Rob Natelson has authored dozens of academic articles, hundreds of blog posts, several books, and is a frequent guest on all sorts of radio programs.He is a senior fellow at the Independence Institute in Colorado, and formerly a senior fellow at the Heartland Institute in Illinois.Guest's BooksThe Original Constitution📕📕📕 (Amazon): https://a.co/d/05DQ9onh 📕📕📕The Law of Article V📕📕📕 (Amazon): https://a.co/d/0ajh7isz 📕📕📕Guest's LinksRob's Personal Websitehttps://natelsonrob.com/Independence Institutehttps://i2i.org/----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------📰 Stay up-to-date on all things 🏛️Wisconsin🏛️ by visiting the MacIver Institute website.https://www.maciverinstitute.com/Be sure to subscribe to the official MacIver Institute YouTube channel. @MacIverInstituteWI ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Copyright disclaimer:🎥 Reel Intro clip ("FREE 4K Countdown Footage | Retro Film Leader | MP4 | Commercial Use"):Copyright permission is granted under the CC BY 4.0 license.Link to clip:   • FREE 4K Countdown Footage | Retro Film Lea...  Link to creator's YouTube channel:@akopakopyanchannel

The legislative session is ending in Madison, and there are plenty of Issues that need to be addressed. Democrats still want more spending on education, even though DPI spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a lavish conference, and they are failing to teach our students at proficient levels.  Gov. Evers and Speaker Vos -- both of whom are leaving office -- are talking about spending down a state surplus that may or may not exist.  A bill to expand gambling in the state continues to move forward -- even though polling shows most Wisconsinites oppose the move. As we close out the legislative session and enter another campaign season, these issues will have a huge impact on Wisconsin.  One problem, though: Voters are not paying attention. A recent poll from Marquette University shows that two-thirds of both Republicans AND Democrats have not decided on a candidate in the state supreme court, nor in the Governor's race. Follow us in the coming months to help you stay informed on these issues and more. 

MacIver Institute's own policy analyst, Michael Lucas, is joined by two current UW-Students and our brilliant MacIver interns, Courtney Graves and Rebecca Draeger, who discuss a myriad of topics such as China, unrest in Iran, Gov. Tony Evers, the economy, education, sports betting, and go over some of our most recent projects and articles. www.maciverinstitute.com#freespeech #personality #politics #wisconsin #discussion #college #important #madisonwi #clip #wisconsinpolitics #education #society #politics #news #fun #short #shorts #viral #new #episode #podcast #pod #videopodcast #video

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’ final State of the State Address was delivered last Tuesday, marking the beginning of the end of the Evers’ Era.This last State of the State hit the usual notes for Evers: take credit, blame republicans in the legislature, then propose more spending with bipartisan support.He did NOT accept accountability for his failing policies, however.He blamed Republicans for HIS 400-year property tax increase. HIS Congressional Map and for not spending more money on education.   Governor Evers can say whatever he wants, but the truth is this: It's Not Working. Our students are falling behind, our workers are falling behind and because of that our state is falling behind. At the end of the day, Wisconsin deserves a better leader and Governor Evers can't defend his agenda because it's not working. Contrast that to President Trump's State of the Union. Under President Trump, the border is closed, inflation is under control, and the federal bureaucracy is shrinking.

15 years ago, Governor Scott Walker and conservatives in the state legislature faced a dilemma. Years of overspending left Wisconsin broke.Walker announced the budget repair bill.  Badly needed reforms that would eventually become Act 10 that has now saved Wisconsin taxpayers more than 35 billion dollars.Tens of thousands of union members, professional protestors, and anti-establishment liberals from around the country stormed the capitol to block the reforms.14 Democrat Senators left the state, so they didn’t have to take a vote.   Governor Walker and republican leaders stood firm and Act 10 became law.  MacIver ran a campaign called "It's Working" to highlight the success of these badly needed reforms.It's a different time now. It's NOT Working.  Liberal ideology runs the state, and the Supreme Court may have Act 10 in their crosshairs. If you want affordability, we can’t afford to roll back Act 10.

"Just give us more money," the public education establishment says. "That will solve all the problems in our schools."We've known for a long time: this isn’t true. Per-pupil spending keeps going up, while test scores are flat or falling. We released a report last week with the American Experiment. We found that lack of knowledge and skills is partly to blame for Wisconsin's economy falling behind the rest of the country.Then there is the scandal of the Department of Public Instruction leadership failing to address child groomers in classrooms across the state. Don’t forget the news that broke last week about DPI spending nearly $400,000 on a four-day conference in the Dells.It's not working, and the Legislature was right to freeze a million dollars in additional DPI spending. Last year was the Year of the Kid, and leadership from DPI and our "education governor" is failing.Wisconsin's education problems aren't about money. It's about priority. 

After a long break, MacIver's policy analyst, Michael Lucas, and resident healthcare expert, Courtney Graves, are back to discuss a litany of topics: the WI Supreme Court race, the WI gubernatorial race, the recent reclassification of marijuana, recent research and perspectives at MacIver, and even touch on national issues such as unrest in Minnesota and recent developments regarding the Epstein files. www.maciverinstitute.com

Three cheers for Wisconsin Congressman Bryan Steil.Last week, Steil introduced the Make Elections Great Again -- or MEGA -- Act. The bill would bring straightforward and commonsense reforms to elections nationwide.Some of these reforms, like requiring photo ID and ensuring only citizens can vote, are already in effect here in Wisconsin.Others, like ranked choice voting, universal vote by mail, ballot harvesting, and improving voter list maintenance, will make elections in our state more fair.All in all, Congressman Steil's bill is a serious and important step toward election integrity.Fair and verifiable elections are the bedrock of our democracy. At the MacIver Institute, we've led the way to enact reforms to bring accountability and transparency to our elections. It is great to see one of our own leading the fight in Washington.Rest assured, this is an issue we will be tracking very closely.

Whatever happened to Minnesota Nice?While tensions between federal law enforcement and local liberal activists have spiked in recent weeks, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have been making news for all the wrong reasons. They are encouraging activists to obstruct legal ICE actions, of apprehending dangerous criminal illegal aliens. The consequences have been disastrous. Sanctuary policies and open borders put Innocent lives at risk and cities end up in turmoil. Community safety takes a back seat to scoring left-wing political points.Wisconsin, we can't let this happen here. Our bedrock principles of limited government, law and order, and free markets have kept our state relatively sane and citizens safe.  But we can't take it for granted.We do not want Wisconsin to become the next Minnesota.

Right next door in Minnesota, a major scandal is unraveling.Welfare and childcare fraud have rocked the state. Seemingly empty daycare centers are accused of receiving millions and maybe billions in federal funds through fake claims.A signal that it may get worse -- Governor Tim Walz dropped his re-election campaign instead of fighting the allegations.Closer to home, a former Milwaukee Police Department employee has been charged with felony voter fraud for illegally casting ballots in city elections. This is just the latest example of election fraud that has caused public distrust and demands more scrutiny.Cases like these, remind us that any type of fraud wastes taxpayer dollars and undermines confidence in our systems. Lawmakers in both states need to work smarter to reform government —better audits for state and federal programs and tougher voter verification.

Here we are, another year in the books. The holiday season is usually a time for celebration, with all sorts of excitement about the presents under the tree. But, an unwanted arrival in the mailbox is causing heartburn for many Wisconsinites. Wisconsin taxpayers are finding out just how much their property taxes are going up. For many people, it's a lot. In no small part because of the 402-year tax increase created entirely by Governor Tony Evers. It's an expensive reminder that under Governor Evers, it's just not working. From all of us at The MacIver Institute, have a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

The liberals in Madison are at it AGAIN, putting the Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex ahead of your freedom.First is Madison Democrat Lisa Subeck. She introduced a bill to take away your right opt out of vaccine requirements that violate your conscience. Another Subeck bill would let minors get vaccines without parental consent.Then there's Governor Evers. He said it was "dangerous" and "unbelievable" that the CDC would add an asterisk to a fact sheet to note that there may be a link between vaccines and autism.But it's not about the asterisk, is it? The motivation is something else: raw power over your life and your decisions.

Chances are you like the idea of making able-bodied childless adults on welfare go through job training programs. It’s an easy sell for conservativesWhat you don’t realize is that the government doesn’t actually run programs like that itself. It contracts them out, and it’s always a real feeding frenzy in the Madison swamp. Hundreds of millions of dollars are up for grabs to run government programs that the government can’t run for itself.Many of those contracts go to non-profits who rely almost entirely on taxpayer funds. And they take very good care of themselves – their executive directors make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. The best part for them, there’s practically no accountability or reporting metrics to see if any of these programs actually work.So just remember that the next time someone in the government comes up with a brilliant new program to solve a problem in society, regardless of whether they’re sporting a “D” or an “R.”

Bill and Courtney tackle two topics in this episode of the MacIver Report: DPI's report cards and the latest campus free speech bill. DPI has revised its standards for the report cards twice since 2012. Bill explains how the latest standards are tougher than people realize and points out how DPI is actually masking underachievement. Check out the full story here: https://www.maciverinstitute.com/research/weighting-criteria,-not-cut-scores,-masking-underachievement-in-wisconsin-schools Courtney, as a student leader at UW-Madison, then talks about her experience testifying at a public hearing for AB501 and why she believes the bill is exactly what conservatives on campus need to prevent being silenced. Check out her testimony here: https://www.maciverinstitute.com/videos/special-presentations/maciver-intern-courtney-graves-testifies-in-favor-of-assembly-bill-501

The MacIver Institute's Michael Lucas is joined by Retired Army Sergeant Konrad R.K. Ludwig–combat veteran of Iraq War II, and author of the book "Stryker: The Siege of Sadr City."Sergeant Ludwig is a Californian by birth and now lives in Hillsdale, Michigan with his wife and newborn child where he works for the College as a software engineer. Both he and Michael attended Hillsdale College at the same time–meeting through mutual friends–and spent many an hour musing about the greatness of Ludwig von Mises.A patriot, a veteran, a finance analyst, a programmer, an armchair economist–Konrad has a wealth of knowledge and experience to rival that of many a great man. But above all, he is an incredibly good person, and a very good friend.His book has received hundreds of reviews, averaging 4.5/5 stars on Amazon, where one can also read a free sample of his incredible, and eminently human, experience of the second Iraq War.📕📕📕 (Amazon): https://a.co/d/e16YmfG 📕📕📕----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Media Mentioned:📕📕📕 Israel: Winner of the 2003 Iraq Oil War by Gary Vogler 📕📕📕(Amazon): https://a.co/d/eoqq4S1🎥🎥🎥 Warfare by A24 🎥🎥🎥(IMDB): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31434639/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------📰 Stay up-to-date on all things 🏛️Wisconsin🏛️ by visiting the MacIver Institute website.https://www.maciverinstitute.com/Be sure to subscribe to the official MacIver Institute YouTube channel. @MacIverInstituteWI ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Copyright disclaimer:🎥 Reel Intro clip ("FREE 4K Countdown Footage | Retro Film Leader | MP4 | Commercial Use"):Copyright permission is granted under the CC BY 4.0 license.Link to clip:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8-YbI98ikk&list=LL&index=7Link to creator's YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/@akopakopyanchannel

Bill and Courtney cover the latest conservative happenings at UW-Madison, the ongoing sexual grooming scandal in Wisconsin public schools, and how the federal government shutdown exposes the true problem with Obamacare. Find all the story links on the main article on MacIver's website here: https://www.maciverinstitute.com/videos/video-reports/maciver-report-(oct.-31,-2025)-exposing-obamacares-fatal-flaw

Every day, Tony Evers and Tammy Baldwin take to social media to spell out the reason for the government shutdown. Republicans won’t extend the affordable care tax credits – which means the premiums on Obamacare plans will go up. Here’s what they don’t want you to know.Those tax credits are actually massive subsidies paid directly to the insurance companies, and the insurance companies don’t even have to provide affordable plans to get them. They just can’t charge anyone more than 8.5% of their income, and the government takes care of the rest.That’s why Obamacare plans still cost hundreds of dollars a month despite the original promise of the affordable care act to provide affordable healthcare. In the years since it was passed, insurance companies have racked hundreds of billions – if not trillions of dollars in taxpayer funded subsidies. No wonder why they’re willing to hold the government, and the American people, hostage over it.

Dr. Trevor Tomesh, a computer science professor at UW-River Falls, made a splash online following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. He pointed out that the university was uncharacteristically silent about that traumatic event, despite having a long history of weighing in on other supposedly traumatic events (such as a Christian woman coming to campus to talk about celibacy.) Tomesh penned a comment on Facebook that received hundreds of interactions and national media coverage. He joins Bill Osmulski on this episode of the MacIver Newsmakers Podcast – Campus Report to share how the university responded.

MacIver Intern Courtney Graves shares the latest news about the University of Wisconsin’s reaction to heightened political tensions following Charlie Kirk’s assassination and how conservatives on campus are continuing to attract excitement and build momentum. Plus, she shares her research on the new state budget’s impact on Medicaid reimbursement rates.

All summer long my YouTube feed was flooded with compilations of recent American graduates and young professionals who are desperately looking for work. Stem graduates, ivy league schools, advanced degrees, even with a few years’ experience - completely out of luck. According to the White House, the unemployment rate for recent computer science majors is 6.1%. For computer engineers, it’s 7.5%. On top of that, tens of thousands of Americans are getting laid off every month from the tech industry. And yet, there are two and half million foreign workers in the us with green cards in high-tech fields. In fact, 65% of us it jobs are held by foreigners. Face it, they’re a lot cheaper than American workers. And so, knowing all that, I thought what president trump did on Friday night was brilliant. He signed an executive order to increase the application fee for h1b visas from $1,000 to $100,000 a year, every year - even for those who already had green cards. It was bold, and it seemed like the answer to countless prayers from unemployed Americans. “Voters gave President Trump a resounding mandate to put American workers first, and he has worked every day to deliver on that commitment,” according to the White House press office. Unfortunately, by Saturday, the white house was walking it back. It insisted that the higher fees only apply to new applicants. Not to the millions of foreign workers who are already here. “This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on Saturday. “This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders.” Oh well. Guess I’ll keep seeing those YouTube videos for a while.

MacIver Intern Courtney Graves describes how the assassination of Charlie Kirk has energized conservatives on UW-Madison campus and is driving record interest in groups like the College Republicans and Young America’s Foundation.

The new Wisconsin state budget has now been in effect for almost 2 months, and the MacIver institute just released its in-depth report about it. This is the 9th state budget that we’ve reviewed, and in many ways, it the worst one we’ve ever seen. We’ll be talking about this for a while, so I just highlight one thing for you today. In last budget, the state promised to give local governments a 20% cut of its sales tax revenue. But the state has yet to make room for that transfer in its budget. So instead, it’s paying the locals out of the general fund surplus - about $1.6 billion a year. You probably remember a lot of people talking about a $4.4 billion surplus earlier this year – well that’s where it’s going. And because of it, we’re expected to end this biennium with just $714 million in the account. That's definitely not enough to keep paying the locals $1.6 billion a year. That means we’ll be going into the next budget cycle with another multi-billion structural deficit, but one that the state won’t be able to cover up simply by dipping into its savings. We’ll have a lot more to say about the budget in the coming weeks, and what the state could do to get us out of this mess.

Do you ever wonder where the mainstream news media gets its news. Well, here’s a clue. On Sunday, Gov. Tony Evers tweeted that he authorized the National Guard to help with the flooding response in Milwaukee. MacIver wanted more details, especially since the governor hadn’t declared an emergency at that point. He didn’t visit the area or declare an emergency until Monday afternoon. The National Guard’s public affairs office promptly responded to MacIver’s inquiry. It explained that only the Wauwatosa Fire Department had requested help from the guard. That was the request that Gov. Evers had authorized, hence the tweet. However, only a handful of guardsmen were activated, and it turned out that Wauwatosa cancelled its request before that could get on the scene. No other communities had asked for help, and so, as of Monday morning, the guardsmen were sitting in an armory in Madison just in case. Meanwhile, most news stations across the state reported that Gov. Evers had sent in the National Guard, even though he didn’t. There had been no press releases and no executive actions. The only place anyone wouldn’t gotten that idea from, is Twitter. So now you know where the mainstream media gets it news.

So, Governor Evers has decided to hang it up. Don’t think for moment that it’s because he couldn’t win a third term. That’s the kind of misplaced confidence that won him a first and a second term as governor. Liberals are playing the long game here, and they haven’t exactly been secretive about their strategy. They fully expect that a democrat will be elected president in 2028. The president’s party is always at a disadvantage in the midterms, which is when Wisconsin always holds its gubernatorial election. The left wants a strong democrat incumbent in the governor’s office for that 2030 election, and there is no way that Governor Evers was going to run for a fourth term that would keep him working well into his 80s. And so, the Democrats are taking a calculated risk now for long term gains. It’s a perfect example of giving up a bird in the hand for two in the bush, leaving republicans with a golden opportunity if they can figure out how to exploit it.

Ron Johnson tells MacIver why he ultimately supported the Big Beautiful Bill, even though it doesn't go nearly far enough to correct the country's long term fiscal problems.

The new state budget is in effect. A lot of people on both sides of the aisle claim it’s a conservative budget, but the numbers tell a different story. The last budget was $100 billion. Evers wanted 120 billion this time. It wound up at $114. That’s a 15% jump in spending. The biggest increase in at least 20 years. We started this budget with a $4.4 billion surplus. We’ll end it with just $700 million. And yet, this budget still borrows $3.2 billion. That’s four-and-a-half times more than in the last budget, and the highest level of borrowing since Jim Doyle was governor. Sure, you’re getting a $1.5 billion tax cut, but your healthcare costs are going up $2 billion, your property taxes are going up 3-quarters of a billion dollars, drivers fees are going up $150 million, and even camping fees are going up 6 million bucks. If all that adds up to a conservative budget, I shudder to think what a liberal budget would look like.

Would you believe that the state legislature writes the state budget every two years without using a spreadsheet? We couldn’t believe it either. That’s why MacIver did it for them. But, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Bill and Mike explain exactly how the state assembles its budget, and why everything about it is wrong. At the end of the day, the state knows exactly where it gets its money from, but it only has a vague idea of where it goes… Bill and Mike also share the 400-year history of American tax uprisings, and why Americans don’t share their ancestors’ sense of outrage over out-of-control government. All that and more on this episode of the MacIver Report.

Governor Evers thought he’d play a game of chicken with the legislature over school funding, and last week, he lost big time. Unfortunately, Evers wagered your property taxes. When he pulled that line-item-veto stunt last session, Evers enabled school districts to increase their revenue limits by $325 per student every year for the next 400 years. That comes out to about a quarter of a billion dollars each year with the state’s current student population. School districts can get that extra money through one of two ways: more state aid or higher property taxes. Evers thought it was a safe bet that lawmakers would increase state aid, so that most taxpayers would never have a clue about his unprecedented power grab and his absurd 400-year-line-item veto. Instead, the legislature took a pass and left Evers holding the bag. So now when you get that higher property tax bill this December, be sure to thank gov. Tony Evers.

The legislature made a key decision on the state budget last night when it choose to make Gov. Evers own the real world consequences of his 400-year-veto stunt. Bill and Mike talk about what that means for your property tax bill next year and every year after that for the next 400 years. Also, don't forget the left has a big rioting plans for this weekend. We tell you where in Wisconsin they plan to make a scene on this edition of the MacIver Report.

The negotiations between republican lawmakers and governor Evers over the state budget broke down last week and it’s just as well. Republicans had nothing to gain and Evers had nothing to lose. Republicans wanted assurances from Evers that he wouldn’t veto their tax cut plan, and Evers wanted to increase total spending by 20 billion dollars (20% more than the current budget). Even if republicans got assurances from Evers, his word is worthless. He stabbed them in the back after they had assurances for the last state budget. Anyone remember the 400-year-veto stunt? As far as Evers is concerned, he doesn’t need to convince republicans to increase spending. They’re already doing it. So far, they’ve just gotten low cost, routine items on the budget, and they’ve already increased spending by $1.3 billion. Looks like the budget was going to balloon with or without negotiating. Check mate, Evers.