H 84°, L 66° | Tomorrow: 
H 85°, L 69°It has been succinctly said that the U.S. Senate is where ideas and legislation go to die. Although the Senate has been criticized for filibustering and slowing down the legislative process (a sentiment I have concurred with in the past and still do to a certain extent in the present),… Read more »
Opinion
Recently by Aaron Loudenslager
CISPA oversteps privacy bounds, endangers liberties
City should have let block party fizzle
To paraphrase Bob Dylan, it looks like the times are changing. Even though the Mifflin Street Block Party has been around for more than 40 years, the Madison Police Department wrote in a recent letter to Madison residents, “There will be no Mifflin Street Block Party” this year and it… Read more »
‘Free market fundamentalists’ wrong on minimum wage
Some debates are perpetual in nature. The never-ending debate about whether or not the minimum wage is good economic policy is one of them. Regardless, it is a debate I find intriguing and one I feel obligated to enter. Contrary to the assertions of free market economists, writers and pundits,… Read more »
Predatory prepaid cards prey on vulnerable young adults
I have no views on the musical abilities of Canadian-born pop star Justin Bieber. But I do have strong views about the new prepaid debit card he has recently endorsed, called the SpendSmart Prepaid Mastercard. Although Justin Bieber says this prepaid card will help teenagers learn how to manage their… Read more »
State-owned bank would spur job growth
In 2010, Gov. Scott Walker campaigned for his office on a platform of creating private sector jobs. In fact, he promised Wisconsin voters that under his administration the state would create 250,000 new private sector jobs by the end of his first term. So far, under Walker’s administration, Wisconsin has… Read more »
Tax break money better spent on legal help for poor
Just a little more than 50 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the landmark case of Gideon v. Wainwright. In this case, the Supreme Court brought to fruition the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of a criminal defendant’s right to counsel in state court, even if the defendant has limited financial… Read more »
Time to end ‘get out jail free’ for big bankers
The negative effects of the 2008 financial collapse are still lingering in the U.S. economy, making it harder for people to find long-term employment and also impeding the efforts of college graduates to keep up with their student loan payments. Yet the biggest Wall Street financial institutions seem to be… Read more »
Time for Wisconsin to crack down on OWIs
Wisconsin is not just known for making world class dairy products or for being the home of the historic Green Bay Packers. Unfortunately, we are known for something else: our pervasive drinking culture. Drinking in and of itself is not a bad thing. Yet, when our state laws permit people’s… Read more »
Consumers deserve fair trials
It seems to follow you nearly everywhere you go. Whether it’s banking, student loans, credit card, cell phone or online entertainment agreements, each has essentially the same controversial contract provision: mandatory binding arbitration. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is currently studying the effects of this type of contract provision and… Read more »
DNA collection subverts privacy
Gov. Scott Walker unveiled his budget proposals last week in a speech before the Legislature. Many of his proposals have received criticism throughout the state, including those on tax cuts, Medicaid coverage and school vouchers. Although his budget proposal to collect DNA from people arrested on felony and certain misdemeanor… Read more »
Elections undermine judicial system
Wisconsin residents have the opportunity to vote in the state primary election today. Voters will decide which candidates move forward to the spring general election, including candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. I encourage you all to make your voice heard today by voting. Even so, I think the state… Read more »
School vouchers foolishly privatize public education
In recent weeks, Gov. Scott Walker has been pushing for renewed efforts to expand Wisconsin’s school voucher program, without exactly specifying what this program would entail. Walker’s renewed effort to expand the program coincides with the efforts of three former Republican state representatives who are now lobbying for an expanded… Read more »
U.S. not ready for ‘misguided’ austerity
In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama should unequivocally state he will not adopt the economic austerity policies congressional Republicans have been advocating for the past few years. In addition, he should demonstrate his full commitment to embracing Keynesian economic programs during his second term, at least… Read more »
Privacy law needs updating for twenty-first century
Society is in a constant state of flux. As society and technology change, the law must change along with them. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act does not reflect the evolution of technology that has occurred since its passage in 1986 and is now outdated. It is time for Congress to… Read more »
Two-state solution: now or never for Israel and Palestine
Israel has been increasingly isolating itself from other countries through many policies, including its continued program of building Israeli settlements in the West Bank. With these continued settlements, a peaceful agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for a two-state solution seems quite remote. But the recent Israeli parliamentary election —… Read more »
Legalization could boost state economy
It should be self-evident that the $1 trillion war on drugs has failed to accomplish its goals. Although the creators and enforcers of American drug policy may have had good intentions, the consequences of this policy have not been so good. It is past time that the U.S. government reforms… Read more »
GOP filibuster abuse necessitates reform
The filibuster invokes images of a courageous lawmaker taking the floor of the U.S. Senate and talking for as long as he or she can to delay or block legislation that, in the senator’s view, is a detriment to the American people. Contemporary filibusters rarely require a U.S. senator to… Read more »
Congress must compromise on taxes to avoid looming fiscal cliff
Unless Congress and President Barack Obama can reach a compromise before Jan. 1 to avoid the fiscal cliff of $560 billion in mandatory tax increases and spending cuts, the economy will likely be sent into another avoidable and unnecessary recession. It is time for our political leaders to make tough… Read more »
Single payer health care should be no-brainer
Republican governors across the United States, including Gov. Scott Walker, have decided not to implement a state health insurance exchange. Two of their common arguments for not implementing a state health insurance exchange are that it denies individual states the right to adequately regulate their own health insurance exchanges and… Read more »
Obama must start prioritizing poverty
President Barack Obama was re-elected with a resounding victory over former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., in which he earned a total of 332 Electoral College votes. This victory demonstrates the American people have rejected the laissez-faire economic policies Romney advocated for during his 2012 presidential campaign. It is a mandate… Read more »
Democracy: no spectator sport
Voting is something everyone who is of voting age should do. It’s a chance to participate in democracy — to influence the future actions of our governmental institutions. As Cicero said, “Freedom is participation in power.” When more people vote, there is more participation in power, there is more democracy… Read more »
Baldwin better on social issues
The economy has been considered by many as the most important issue in this election, and in some ways it is, but social issues are just as important, especially considering their effects on everyday Americans. Tammy Baldwin would make sure, as her record demonstrates, that both economic and social issues… Read more »
Student vote crucial to repeal repressive voter ID law
>Voter ID laws swept across the U.S. after the Republican Party took political control of most state legislatures in 2010. Wisconsin was no exception. These laws were introduced by legislators who are members of the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council. During the 2011-2012 state legislative sessions, 62 photo ID laws… Read more »
Growing loan bubble presents serious problem
The student loan bubble is growing bigger and bigger, and there will come a point when it bursts just like the housing bubble did in 2008. The result will be economic chaos and turmoil for millions of Americans. To stop this economic bubble from bursting and to give every American… Read more »
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