Paul Rozeski
The WPT Midweek Moment is a weekly editorial run-down of the latest Wisconsin state government news, hosted and distributed by Wisconsin Property Taxpayers, the state's largest taxpayer advocacy organization. Each season runs the length of the current legislative session.
This week, we look at headlines about the kids: the kids being up to no good the well meaning adults that might be doing them a dis-service a success story about the school that is avoiding the status quo, succeeding in spite of its circumstances Then, we bring it home with a quote from POTUS 13 and we do it all in less time than it takes to launch a boat at a public launch. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week, we rapid fire through five or six headlines: a story from the You Can't Make This Stuff Up file the polls weren't as wrong as I told you they were a university takes a step to coddle students and their grades even more a study on childhood reading that a child could have predicted Then, we bring it home with a quote from the layer that defended the British soldiers charged after the Boston Massacre and went on to serve as President of the United States, and we do it all in less time than it takes for your icecream cone to start quickly dripping. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week, we are LOADED UP with exposing some of the irony and chaos that resulted in a wild primary. We dissect multiple: wild election results massive piles of campaign money wildly inaccurate polls endorsements that make less sense the longer you stare at them After all that, we bring it home with one of the most iconic founding father quotes ever, and do it all in less time than it takes for Milwaukee come up with yet another way to look incompetent at counting votes. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week, we look at what Wisconsin's future might look like now that Francesca Hong is the presumptive favorite to win her primary: what fact check did Francesca fail when talking about education spending? when asked to define "fully funded", what was her answer? what is her roadmap to improve the education in Wisconsin? what does she plan to do with schools that show significant results? After all that, we have an example of what kids are taught in schools compared to what they learn, and do it all in less time than it takes for ants to find your picnic. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week, with the sound of fireworks still ringing in our ears, we look at: what if Target and Kwik Trip had a love child? We're about to find out. how crazy does a random Wednesday morning look like in state government? we review a pile of healthcare headlines I give you the highlights of the latest Marquette Law School Poll. After all that, we have a quote dedicated to voters, especially the standouts from the Marquette Poll, and all in less time than it takes to rethink being outside in this humid heat. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week, with the sound of fireworks still ringing in our ears, we look at: farmers had to win a lawsuit to act like farmers and fix their own equipment. we have some good news from the streets of Milwaukee (for a change) another candidate for governor cries uncle. a class action lawsuit from the neighbors of Microsoft's new data center. yet another story from the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up File". After all that, we have a founding father quote from James Madison's Federalist #62 and we do it all in less time than the weather delay at the national 4th of July festivities. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week we hustle through info to try and fit 20 minutes in a 10 minute bag... We piece together the story of data centers and clarify some conflicting reports of job creation. Next, we discover that when data centers get treated like any other government contractor, they don't like it and actually sue for special treatment. After that, we look at the newly announced federal relief package coming to Wisconsin for flood damage and wrap it all up with a quick look at a very interesting question from the Marquette Law School Poll. Next, we have a founding father quote from Thomas Jefferson that I dedicate directly to someone in one of our news stories, and we do it all in less time than it takes for the morning temperature to jump back up above 80 degrees. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week might be the craziest "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" story yet. We also look at someone under the radar that you don't want to sleep on in the Governor’s race. Then, we wrap it all up with a quote from Federalist Paper #51 that gives timeless wisdom about power and politics, and all in less time than it takes to jump on the Team USA World Cup bandwagon. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week, we look at how the governor's race is keeping it weird, how some dairy farmers are sticking up for themselves, and a story from the "you can't make this stuff up file". Then, we wrap it all up with a quote from a founding father with no middle name about what our leaders need to do differently, and all in less time than it takes to go from sunny skies to tornado sirens in Wisconsin …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week, we are still gawking at the slow motion car crash that has been the surplus tax rebate bill. You know Governor Evers is angry when he starts throwing around words like "untenable". Next, we look at what state government is consistently good at (but wish they weren't). Then, a quick update on the UW System stepping into some future drama. Then, we wrap it all up with a quote for all my loyal farm listeners on what is killing the soul of rural America, and all in less time than it takes to pack up the tailgate before heading in to a Brewers game. …and as always, thanks for listening.
I might just change the name of this to the you just can't make this stuff up podcast. Probably not, but seriously. This week we: start with something cool in Wisconsin. see how politicians are twisting themselves into pretzels see how Governor Evers is frustrating crime victims throughout the state. Then we wrap it all up with a quote from the shortest U.S. President, and all in less time than it takes for the annual tradition of rain on Memorial Day Weekend to show up in the forecast. …and as always, thanks for listening.
In case you don't get to listen, here's a quote to summarize what happened with multiple tax rebates that weren't given to Wisconsin taxpayers: If you are a taxpayer... "No matter what side of the aisle you sit on, your lawmakers and every candidate for governor have failed you." This week we look at the political debacle that was the pro-taxpayer legislation that got killed by politics… we almost had no tax on tips and no tax on overtime. instead, we get duckie ties and turduckens in the official debate. we almost had property tax relief instead, we get half truths and outright lies about your tax dollars. we started with a constructive bipartisan accomplishment instead, it turned into alliances of mudslinging and backstabbing. After we look at Madison politics at its disfunctional worst, we wrap it all up with a quote from C.S. Lewis about what taxpayers should expect from politicians, and it isn't pulling any punches. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week we look at only ridiculous stories… a ridiculously disappointing story about the farm bill. a ridiculously cool story about a new type of police dog. a ridiculously lucky story about being in the right place at the right time. and maybe the most ridiculous "you can't make this stuff up file" story of the year. We wrap it all up with a ridiculously great quote from a Nobel prize winner about freedom, and all in less time than it takes to make Mother's Day brunch reservations. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week we look at… some cool things happening in Wisconsin this weekend. why the federal government is suing Wisconsin for suing sites for sports gambling. yet another court ruling on legislative maps in Wisconsin. why there are multiple people announcing that they are running for a state office that is two years away from an election. an article that plainly says what people want from local government. how Appleton made an international headline that landed it in the "you can't make this up file. We wrap it all up with a great quote on the legal system from French economist Frédéric Bastiat on integrity and the legal system, and all in less time than it takes for "post-tragedy bipartisanship" to give way to politics as usual. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week we look at… how much of your energy bill hikes are going directly to the company's stockholders. some of the interesting and boring press releases flying around WI. a "you can't make this up", better late than never story from the Governor's office. a funny look at how the media take your words and paint you in whatever light they want. the massive consequences the UW Board of Regents should expect. We wrap it all up with a quote from John Locke on the consent of the people, and all in less time than it takes for boats to turn around in the Straight of Hormuz. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week we look at… how Wisconsin roads compare to the rest of the nation. how the Milwaukee Public School Superintendent is starting to make everyone else look bad. how our pension fund is making most of the other states look bad, for now. We wrap it all up with a quote from Samuel Adams on the power of taxation, and all in less time than it takes for the temperature to drop 15 degrees before a thunderstorm rolls in. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week we look at… what is between the lines of the firing of the UW System President. the massive consequences the UW Board of Regents should expect. the absolutely, without a doubt, most surprising veto of the year. We wrap it all up with a quote from Alexander Hamilton on the power of the people, and in less time than it took for my NCAA Men's Basketball Bracket to bust. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week we look at… something cool in Wisconsin this week. how much the spring election is a shadow of previous years. an update on the infinite stream of jerrymandering lawsuits. since the Legislature has adjourned for the year, we do a superficial comparison Wisconsin's lawmaking body to other states. We wrap it all up with wisdom from our nation's knowledge repository, and all in less time than it takes for April showers to switch to wintery mix. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week we look at… something cool in Wisconsin this week. we get conflicting information about the health of Wisconsin's economy. we see an example of how not to do good tax reform. dive back into the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" file We wrap it all up with some very relevant wisdom from a former presidential advisor and ambassador, and all in less time than it takes to get the snow thrower back out of storage. …and as always, thanks for listening.
This week we look at… a new voter information hub from the Wisconsin Elections Commission. a new school referendum tool that tracks past spending and current requests for each school district. the MPS Superintendent makes choices that are opposed by the unions but good for taxpayers to correct their overspending problem. Wisconsin has a good surge of population growth at the end of 2025. We wrap it all up with some very relevant wisdom from a POTUS that reminds Congress that the power of the purse isn't a infinite resource, and all in less time than it takes for Wisconsin to go from 60 degrees to 6 inches. …and as always, thanks for listening.