WPT Midweek Moment

With the NFL Championship on the line this weekend, our theme is competition! What two competing (and almost identical) bills are Republicans proposing? What are the two law enforcement immigration bills? How is the education debate an example of the growing partisan divide in Madison and what does that mean for the budget and our taxes? We cover this and wrap it all up with a quote from a histori...

What does President Trump's proposed spending freeze executive order mean for Wisconsin? How much does Wisconsin rely on federal funds? What kind of a mess does this create for Governor Evers? We address all this, we define the "Curse of Government", and wrap it all up with a quote from Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, all in less time than it takes to get an Old Fashioned at a Wisconsin Supper...

Where has Governor Evers recently been critical of a member of his own party? What bipartisan tax bill is getting "fast-tracked" support? In a national poll of registered voters, how many think Trump is more ethical than most politicians? How many think Biden is more ethical than most politicians? We cover all this ground, and quote someone from the Revolutionary Communists of America and counter...

Did you know Governor Evers took a page out of the Trump playbook AND could work as a mission statement writer post-politics? We explain that and ...... We dissect some of the details about the latest Wisconsin Policy Forum report titled Wisconsin’s State and Local Tax Burden Hit Another Record Low in 2024 . We acknowledge that the title is cherry picking some good news, but also look at why all i...

It's a new year and we start the year STRONG by looking at everything new! New legislative session, already new partisan shenanigans, and most importantly, new intro music ! The fun starts with two of the most well earned legacies in Wisconsin: drinking dairy and drinking alcohol. We pull from the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up File" for a brand new example of taxpayer dollars wasted so spectacular...

This week we look at how WE Energies, the Enbridge Corp., and the City of Madison, are leaving the short end of the stick under the tree for Wisconsin taxpayers. Next, we look at how many people know what a DOGE is and once they do, how many think it's a bad idea, as well as how PPP fraud in WI only seems to get addressed when it falls in the government's lap. We wrap up with two quotes. One from...

This week we look at how shockingly bad this Wisconsin Supreme Court is at BOTH starting and finishing what they started, Next, I share how shockingly bad California is with tax dollars. They wasted tax dollars on projects and to fix the problem, they give tax money away to other states! We wrap up with an objective analysis of what Wisconsin lawmakers should and shouldn't do in the next budget. F...

This week we re-open the you can't make this stuff up file! 🎉 We look at: what is "conveniently" going on with Act 10, how the IRS really has no shame and no accountability, how some reliably red and blue counties are moving toward the middle, and whether the Waukesha County Board is tone deaf. Finally, we finish up with a separation of powers quote from Thomas Jefferson. All this and more in les...

This week explain: Why National Personal Space Day ended up in the "you can't make this stuff up file"... how Wisconsin's preparations for next year's 250th National Independence is the most bureaucratic thing you've heard of all week ... and how we are trying to give away a simple solution that gives hardship and burden to multiple other groups. Finally, we finish up with one of my favorite found...

This week we crack open the "you can't make this stuff up" file multiple times.... When is National Turkey Lover's Day? Spoiler alert: Somehow, it isn't Thanksgiving. A grocery chain is caught overcharging and mislabeling over 1200 items after getting reprimanded 63 times over the past five years, and still isn't admitting any wrongdoing. Find out if you are one of their customers. We look at how...

This week's theme looks at how government waste isn't just wasted money. It's wasted time and effort when it takes rehashing things over and over and over with no meaningful progress. What meaningful change can we expect in Wisconsin post election? Not sure, but most of the leadership positions on both sides of the aisle got re-elected. What meaningful change can we expect in education? Not sure,...

This week, let's play Two Truths and a Lie! Which of these is an actual holiday celebrated on November 6th? National I Can Go Back To Watching YouTube Day" National I Get To Reclaim My Text Message List Day International Stress Awareness Day On that note, we focus on Wisconsin and the election aftermath: What trends changed in the senate and legislature results? What trends changed in absentee vot...

Which outspoken celebrity with high bipartisan approval gives us keen insight into how government operates? We look at how his answers are good enough for me. We look at some polling numbers not related to an election, but give some interesting insight into the confidence we have for our personal success in the United States. Lastly, we take a brief look at how we need to read between the lines to...

What is the latest "solution in search of a problem" being sold as a way to reduce taxes but is more likely to raise them? What is the latest un-necessary, misguided, "scorched earth" rhetoric that DIDN'T come from campaigning? What happens to your ballot if you vote in-person absentee? In about 10 minutes we answer all these questions and end with words of wisdom about reconsidering the "aggressi...

The Wisconsin state budget surplus was how much bigger than expected? Did WIAA massively over-penalize kids for an administrative mistake at the district level? What Wisconsin voter registration deadline is here? In under eight minutes we answer all these questions and end with a quote about free speech from Fredrick Douglas. All in less time than it takes to rotate the sweaters and flannels back...

This week we look at simple interpretations of the Supreme Court arguments around Governor Evers' 400 year tax increase, the earth shifting under Jill Underly's feet. We also start and end with the Shift10 movement and the ways it can impact your life. All this in less time than it takes to procrastinate buying Halloween candy. And as always, thanks for listening. You can find us on YouTube , Spot...

This week, we look at the honest answers to some hard questions: ? Why did New York get selected from the "you can't make this stuff up" file? (Because we don't like the Mets at the moment and it's our way to show solidarity with the Brewers.) ? When the Marquette Poll asked people to chose between school funding and tax increases, what did Wisconsin voters chose? ? When asked whether Wisconsin is...

This week we make an effort to find reasons the glass is half full: Is the federal government looking to expand paths of nuclear power? Yes! Is our state government changing its pattern of major spending increases? Yes! Do we pull another story from the "you can't make this stuff up file"? Yes! We cover all this and end with a quote from Ronald Reagan's inaugural address as Governor of California,...

This week get caught up on some headlines and pressing questions: ? Who is to blame for the roads dispute between the Lac de Flambeau Ojibwe tribe and Wisconsin's state, county, and local government? Both sides. We look at what Governor Evers and the Legislature need to do to resolve this, and neither of them will like it. ? What tells me more about the state of the economy than the Federal Reserv...

This week we are able to re-open the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up File". I won't share more so I don't spoil the irony. We look at some newly spent Inflation Reduction Act money. Will it reduce inflation? Also, we take a peek at a few numbers around the UW Campuses and the Madison campus. What is one of the early ideas being floated about making the System stronger? There may also be some comment...

This week we aren't pulling any punches: We look at corporate tax rates and why the smaller you are, the more that they hurt. We look at some of the REAL indicators of where the economy is at, and it isn't pretty. We look at how you can never take anything for granted when people will validate bad ideas by simply bringing them up as options. We look at how Minnesota is an overachiever, but not in...

This week we are looking at two headlines from the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" file: Headline : The smell of cooking food is actually air pollution, study finds Headline : What is corn sweat and how is it making the Midwest’s heat wave this week worse? And since we were having so much fun, we took a headline from the "Thank you, Captain Obvious" file. Headline : Finding a qualified Milwaukee Pu...

This week's theme is unfortunate. Every once in a while, it's our duty to look at the disappointing results we get from government, in spite of its best intentions. It's a recurring theme of Jack and the Beanstalk, but always being on the side of the big clumsy ogre. We start with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum getting thrown a curveball, which even in the best case scenario, is going to keep drivi...

This week, we pick three of the many industries that Wisconsin seems to dominate: First, while Abe Frohman may have been the sausage king of Chicago, we look at who is the sausage king in the United States and when you should fire up the grill... Next we look at cranberries, and how we dominate that industry, and wise guys that came in at a surprise number three. Next we look at politics and look...

This week, we read between the lines on a few topics: First, the Wisconsin Policy Forum took a look at municipal finances and all the funding sources. We look at one of their very interesting findings about how much property taxes have gone up in the past decade. Second, we look at the DNR providing free water testing at Farm Technology Days next week. We look at some recommendations that are less...