FALL 2019 PUBLISHED BY THE BADGER INSTITUTE Election reforms designed to wrest Legislators control from the in parties and to fix political lockstep dysfunction are BY MIKE NICHOLS gaining support Housing Authority competes Where dental therapy Wealth tax doomed with private developers is longer in the tooth socialist mayor Emil Seidel BY KEN WYSOCKY BY KEVYN BURGER BY MARK LISHERON EDITOR /Mike Nichols Think politicians and bureaucrats are looking out for you? Think again Publisher Badger Institute oliticians like to talk about being “public particularly troubling. Editor Pservants.” But whom are they really This was not an easy story to report. Mike Nichols serving? Politicians and government bureaucrats Our cover story suggests the answer is who control zoning and permitting have an Managing Editor Mabel Wong party leaders, who have rigged the system enormous amount of power over real estate to funnel all power to the top on both sides developers who, as a result, are pretty care- Art Direction and discourage any real discourse. As former ful with their words. The fact that they’re Helf Studios Lt. Gov. Margaret Farrow, the subject of our speaking up and wondering why the city Contributors Frontlines profile who is also quoted in the wants to undermine the free market is a tes- Dan Benson cover story, says, many of our elected of- tament both to Wysocky’s skill as a trusted Kevyn Burger ficials no longer have a voice. journalist and the real concern among busi- Dave Daley Chris Edwards Conservatives like Congressman Mike ness leaders. Richard Esenberg Gallagher and HUSCO International CEO Finally, we all know that the Democratic Janet Fee Austin Ramirez, frustrated by the calcifica- National Convention is coming to Wiscon- Marilyn Krause tion of our democracy, are joining Wiscon- sin in July, and it looks increasingly like a Mark Lisheron Jay Miller sinites from the other side of the aisle to push socialist will be the nominee. Expect a lot Mike Nichols for a solution worth exploring — and none of blather about the wonderful vision of Ken Wysocky too soon. Milwaukee’s old “Sewer Socialists” and Photography Several of our other stories this fall point promises to pick up where they left off. Richard D. Ackley Jr. to a second possible answer to the Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders Kevyn Burger question of whom our elected leaders might want to do themselves a favor, the Janet Fee are really serving: Government. thing is, and first read Mark Lisheron’s Darren Hauck Dave Daley delves into the latest example piece about the last socialist who proposed a Robert Helf Jeffrey Phelps of politicians’ utter aversion to axing ineffec- wealth tax around here. tive, wasteful programs like the Job Corps If the idea of a socialist president bothers Board of Directors center in northern Wisconsin. Richard Esen- you, by the way, you might want to skip Dan CHAIRMAN: Tom Howatt berg shows how school district officials in Benson’s story about who might end up pay- Madison want to supplant parents. And Ken ing some of the costs of the convention: David Baumgarten Ave Bie Wysocky and Jay Miller investigate the baf- Yep, you. Catherine Dellin fling inability of bureaucrats and politicians So, whom are the politicians and govern- Jon Hammes in Milwaukee and Madison to differentiate ment bureaucrats really serving? Gail L. Hanson between government and the private sector. That question, you’ll see inside, has a dif- Corey Hoze Jason Kohout Wysocky’s excellent piece on the Housing ferent answer. David Lubar Authority of the City of Milwaukee’s dream Bill Nasgovitz of building a 32-story skyscraper downtown Jim Nellen with lots of market-rate apartments to go Maureen Oster with the swimming pool and fitness center is [email protected] Ulice Payne Jr. Tim Sheehy Mike Nichols, President MISSION STATEMENT/ Contact Us ADDRESS: Badger Institute 700 W. Virginia St., Suite 301 Milwaukee, WI 53204 Founded in 1987, the Badger Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) guided by the belief that free markets, individual initiative, limited and efficient government and educational PHONE: 414.225.9940 WEBSITE: www.badgerinstitute.org opportunity are the keys to economic prosperity and human dignity. EMAIL: [email protected] Social Media Follow us on: 2 DIGGINGS FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN TWITTER: @badgerinstitute CONTENTS /Departments Badger Briefing: Here’s Frontlines: A profile what we’re hearing … of Margaret Farrow Numbers and nuggets from trends The public always comes first for we’ve observed on an array of topics — Wisconsin’s first female lieutenant from community corrections and governor and longtime legislator. revocations to migration from Illinois BY MARILYN KRAUSE ..................................…46 to dental care access. .....................................…5 Legislators in lockstep Culture Con: Parental Election reforms designed to wrest involvement usurped control from the two major parties and The Madison school district assumes it — to fix political dysfunction are gaining not the parent — knows what’s best for support. gender-transitioning children. BY MIKE NICHOLS .......................................…30 BY RICHARD ESENBERG ............................…50 CONTENTS /Features Cover illustration / Robert Helf The Milwaukee Housing Authority plans to build Government’s unfair Federal programs an upscale apartment housing foray won’t go away building downtown. The Milwaukee Housing Authority’s luxury Even failed and troubled ones like the Job apartment project downtown competes Corps training centers are nearly impossible with private developers. to shut down. BY KEN WYSOCKY ..............................................…6 BY DAVE DALEY …..............................................23 The perils of state-run Wealth tax doomed retirement plans socialist Emil Seidel State government needn’t have a hand in Milwaukee’s first socialist mayor blamed retirement-savings fix; private-sector his 1912 re-election loss on his call to tax options already proliferate. the assets of the rich. BY JAY MILLER …................................................14 BY MARK LISHERON ......................................…36 No need for state-run Tax on wealth is student loan refinancing counterproductive Over 180 credit unions and banks across The bulk of the wealth of the very rich is in Wisconsin offer student loan refinancing business assets, which benefit the economy. products and/or student loans. BY CHRIS EDWARDS ......................................…39 BY JAY MILLER ...................................................18 DNC convention: Where dental therapy Who’s gonna pay? is longer in the tooth The Democratic Party’s track record and Minnesota dentists now see, and get, the event’s unknown price tag suggest value from dental therapists, who’ve been taxpayers may be on the hook for the practicing in that state for a decade. convention in Milwaukee next July. BY KEVYN BURGER ........................................…19 BY DAN BENSON ….............................................42 KORB + ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS RENDERING GIVE THE GIFT OF A FREE WISCONSIN – free from onerous taxation, overregulation and burdensome debt The Badger Institute invites you to make the prosperity of our state part of your long-term plans through a gift in your will or estate plan. Legacy gifts permanently unite you to our mission to protect the principles of free markets, limited government, individual initiative and personal responsibility that are essential to our democratic way of life. How to give: For more information or to let us know about a will or estate gift, contact Leave a donation of a particular dollar amount Development associate or a portion of your estate by including Kirsten Golinski the appropriate language in your will. at 229-894-4496 or email (“I give and bequeath the sum of $______ [email protected] to the Badger Institute, Milwaukee, WI.”) Or designate the Badger Institute a beneficiary of a charitable trust, retirement account or life insurance policy. Badger Briefing: Here’s what we’re hearing... See more at badgerinstitute.org Wisconsin rural interstate pavement conditions rank th in44 the nation Source: Reason Foundation’s 24th Annual Highway Report 65,000 ex-offenders Net migration from Illinois to Wisconsin 2006 -‘17 are outside of prison in Wisconsin About half of the net inow of more than 116,000 residents to Wisconsin took but under the supervision of the place between 2014 to 2017. Nationally, Illinois was the top state for outbound migration in 2017, with Wisconsin being one of the top beneciaries. Department of Corrections at any In thousands given time. The state spends 16 $216 million a year on 12 Total: 116,393 community corrections. TREND 8 Alcohol and other drug abuse 4 is a leading contributor in 81% 0 of revocations for those ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 on community supervision. Source: Badger Institute’s “Leaving Illinois for Wisconsin” report Is UW-Milwaukee too easy to get into? Source: Badger Institute’s “Ex-offenders under watch” report “Over 90% of Wisconsin’s 72 counties have too few dental care providers, with over The six-year graduation That rate nationwide is 41%. rate is 21% for full-time As a so-called access school, 1.2 million Wisconsinites living African American UWM accepts more than 90% in designated shortage areas.” students at the University of applicants, and the majority of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. require math remediation. — Jason Hicks, Ph.D. candidate at the University of