Gov. Scott Walker delivered a passionate defense of Wisconsin’s reforms at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday night. The embattled Republican governor used his keynote speech at CPAC to outline what’s at stake in Wisconsin and other states if his budget reforms are rolled back. “Our most powerful tool is the truth,” Walker told an excited crowd of conservatives, who gave him two standing ovations. He defended his actions as courageous with labor unions mounting a recall campaign to remove him from office. Unions have already financed recall efforts …
One year ago Republican Gov. Scott Walker took office in Wisconsin with an ambitious budget plan to set his state on a new course. Democrats revolted in protest, even fleeing the state to prevent a vote on the measure. Walker was ultimately able to make reforms to government unions, but now faces the prospect of a recall election that might cost him his job. In a new video from The Daily Caller, Ginni Thomas interviews Walker about out-of-control labor costs and their threat to economic prosperity. He discussed the situation …
Indiana lawmakers are bracing for another high-profile fight over a right-to-work bill when the legislative session opens Wednesday. Last year Democrats fled the state in protest, preventing the legislature from conducting business for five weeks. The right-to-work bill would end forced unionization for private-sector workers in Indiana. Its supporters say the bill would increase jobs and choices in the Midwestern state with a 9 percent unemployment rate. Unions complain it threatens their existence. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) is speaking out in favor of the bill, even recording a 60-second …
College campuses would seem to be ripe environments for intellectual diversity to flourish. But rather than celebrate free speech, academic institutions across America routinely censor student publications and individuals. Such was the case recently at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Professor James Miller came under attack from the campus administration when he posted a picture and quote from the science-fiction show “Firefly” outside his office door. It was removed by campus police because it was perceived to be a threat to others. When Miller fought back by posting another sign condemning …
Names such as Adolf Hitler and Mickey Mouse will be allowed on petitions to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), as long as they include a valid date and Wisconsin mailing address on the petition forms, a state election board ruled on Tuesday. “We will flag them,” Government Accountability Board elections specialist David Buerger said, “but we will not strike them without challenge.” The board unanimously approved the proposed standard. The petition drive against Walker and his lieutenant governor had gathered about 300,000 signatures by the end of November. Organizers …
Doublethink, the official magazine of America’s Future Foundation, carries my report on the role of nonprofit journalism outfits, specifically those based at think tanks. It’s a concept we’ve embraced at Heritage’s Center for Media and Public Policy, working with our policy experts to report on stories that are often ignored by other media outlets. My piece focuses on several shining examples of think-tank journalism, beginning with the solid work of the MacIver Institute and Wisconsin Reporter in the Badger State: Bill Osmulski stepped outside his office into a boisterous crowd …
Last week, the state of Wisconsin released a report summarizing the effects of Obamacare on the Badger State’s health care system. The study, which was conducted by Gorman Actuarial and MIT Economist Jonathan Gruber—an Obamacare supporter—and commissioned by former Governor Jim Doyle (D), provides further proof that Obamacare is on track to break the promises President Obama made to the American people regarding his plan for health care reform: “It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance. It will provide insurance for those who don’t.” …
The voters weighed in on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s (R) agenda on Tuesday. Government unions organized recall elections against state senators who voted to limit collective bargaining in government contracts. But Wisconsin voters re-elected a majority of the law’s supporters who were on the ballot. The government union agenda is not as popular as many pundits thought. This should not come as a surprise. Government unions organize against voters and taxpayers. They use collective bargaining to pressure government to serve their purposes, not the common good. Collective bargaining in government …
The liberal political machine was in full throttle. Millions of dollars in campaign ads streamed on TV. An army of union workers descended on the state in a massive grassroots voter mobilization effort. But when the dust settled, the smoke cleared, and the votes were counted, the conservative majority that swept into Wisconsin last November remained intact last night despite an unprecedented recall effort designed to bring an end to Governor Scott Walker’s reforms. Yesterday in Wisconsin, Democrats tried to recall six GOP senators in an attempt to gain a …
