Dustin Beilke
Beilke: It's Blaska vs. Kozol in Meadowood
Teenagers in Maple Bluff and Shorewood Hills have the same droopy drawers, use the same gangster slang and have the same penchant for creative and uncreative cursing as the kids in Meadowood. But we don't assume this is helping them become National Merit Scholars or get admitted to Ivy League colleges -- both of which they do with amazing frequency. more
Beilke: Wisconsin plays tuneless trumpet with public defender fees
It turns out that Wisconsin's $40 per hour reimbursement for public defense attorneys is now among the lowest in the nation. The rate had been $35 an hour since 1978 before it was increased to $50 in 1993. It was cut back to $40 two years later, when the momentary success of Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America" was destroying sensible public policy everywhere. more
Wisconsin judges bow to pay-cut frenzy
I think it is beyond silly for Wisconsin's Supreme Court justices, circuit court judges and Court of Appeals judges to take pay cuts 'to help balance the budget," but apparently I stand alone. more
Beilke: Madison Peace Park facelift is 'scum park' redux
The very first article I wrote for "Isthmus" was about the city's plans to get rid of Link Park and turn it into a mini mall and parking garage. That was almost "20" years ago, in the summer of 1990. more
Beilke: State budget cuts don't measure up
The small handful of commentators who still track state government mostly praised the governor and the Joint Finance Committee for making these "tough choices." I disagree. more
Beilke: Why newspapers don't deserve to die
Joining a cause on Facebook is a matter of clicking "yes" and hitting send, but as soon as I joined Don't Let Newspapers Die another friend sent me a message asking me why on earth I would do such an idiotic thing. He is a friend who knows me well enough to know how often I complain about my newspapers' contents. more
Beilke: Steve Chapman columns fail to enhance "Wisconsin State Journal"
Anyone who read Steve Chapman's column in Sunday's "Wisconsin State Journal" opinion section has a new understanding of the term "willful ignorance." Still, the "Chicago Tribune" syndicated columnist Chapman -- whose offerings the "State Journal" uses every Sunday even though its space is increasingly scarce and much better fare is readily available -- outdid himself in "Empty symbolism on hate crimes." more
Beilke: Fond feelings for Madison, from ped-hostile Mobile, Ala.
I'm not suggesting that cities should be designed and governed for marathon runners' comfort and convenience. But when it is hard to walk from place to place, that is often a sign that developers and advertisers have undue sway over the decision making process. Also: Beer tax, curious accolades and newspapers. more
Beilke: So Mayor Dave is pro-business. Who isn't?
I attended UW-Madison back when there were actually still a few Marxists around, but I have yet to meet anyone who is not "pro-business." Everyone understands that businesses employ people and that jobs are important. more
Madison's Dean Health uses coach-speak in layoffs
I started to understand the concept of pre-emptive dishonesty during Mike Holmgren's tenure as head coach of the Green Bay Packers. more
Eric Tadsen
Midge Miller, trailblazer
In life, Midge Miller was among that vanguard of Wisconsin women who could claim the moral lineage of Belle Case La Follette. In death, she is enshrined in that sisterhood's pantheon. more
The A.I.G. hurt comes to Wisconsin
When it comes to comprehending the global economic crisis, Kenosha has a leg up on much of the rest of the world. The Kenosha Unified School District is one of five in southeastern Wisconsin that have lost a lot of money by investing in something called synthetic collateralized debt obligations, the same absurd financial maneuver that has brought A.I.G. to the brink of collapse and made it a symbol for excess and corporate welfare. more
Beilke: Let's get rational about taxes
That the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance is a partisan outfit with a fixed point of view is beyond dispute. But the real focus of state Rep. Mark Pocan's attack was the state's news reporters, not the alliance. more
Lying by numbers
In last week's post I made brief mention of the "Wisconsin State Journal" opinion page's latest lame crusade: harassing legislators into giving back their automatic 5.3% pay raises. more
Wisconsin Republicans: Hypocrites or fools?
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker says the state should put all of its stimulus money -- $3.7 billion or so -- into sales tax cuts, even though he knows full well these funds can't be used this way. more
More partisanship in Madison and Washington, please
The hand-wringing taking place in Washington over the twin myths of bi-partisanship and non-partisanship should be familiar to political observers in Wisconsin. When it comes to dumb political analysis, we often seem to be ahead of the curve. more
Why we have government
While Democrats elsewhere are cannibalizing each other and betraying the voters who gave them their new majorities, state Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts is holding strong to the notion that government exists for reasons other than waging wars, keeping people in prison and enriching large corporations. more
The "Wisconsin State Journal"'s editorial page con job
In a column last Sunday introducing the redesigned section, "State Journal" editorial page editor Scott Milfred vowed to feature the syndicated columns of self-described "independent, libertarian" Chicago Tribune columnist Chapman. (Warning: Anyone claiming to be independent and libertarian is a Republican.) more
Not just chick lit
'I'm trying to carve out a niche for myself as a writer of love poems to nonhumans,' the fictional Emily Ross explains. Similarly, Fox's novel, her first, gets a lot of laughs while it zeroes in on a niche that seems rather narrow at first glance. more
