I seem to recall some Constitutional questions on the 'Winner Take All' v. 'Apportioned' Electoral Votes rules. Anyone here a 'student' of the Electoral College?

@CowDung...It makes sense given the fact that the Republican legislature drew the new legislative districts to optimize Republican power and permanency. Only two of the 10 electoral votes would be winner take all. With the way the congressional districts are laid out the Republicans can expect to have a permanent 4 or 5 electoral votes for every presidential election. It essentially takes Wisconsin out of play in close presidential elections. We will become a backwater state and won't receive attention during presidential elections.

@CowDung...The move for privatization will increase and a number of traditional state services will be contracted out. Some major issues with privatization is loss of immediate control and the system attracts fraud. Also, a reduction in service level is almost certain. The states in the south are notorious for contracting irregularities and fraud.

I am not opposed to cyber school where it is appropriate. What I am essentially opposed to is the statewide voucher system and unlimited charter school system. It will drain too much money from the public system and in general weaken the state's education system. Tests are not the answer and one only needs to look to Texas to see how the test based system has failed.

Lyle:

If the 'public system' is failing, then I see nothing wrong with having a statewide voucher program. We need to start thinking outside of the usual 'public school' model and embrace a 'public education' system. We want to educate the public effectively. If we cannot do that with the public schools, then we should make the private schools available to those students and offer them as the alternative.

Not sure why privatization will necessarily result in reduction of services or fraud. If it makes sense, we should look to privatize. Where it doesn't make sense, the government can provide.

@CowDung...Regarding education, although it matters who is providing the teaching and educational services; what is broken is the structure of education. As we have discussed before, we need to restructure the entire institution and probably adopt more of the European model. We have done a deplorable job of preparing our youth for the "real world". When I graduated from high school in the early 1960s, graduates were prepared to go into industry or onto college. We spend billions every year simply warehousing students. Before going onto service providers, I think, we need to reform education from top to bottom, revising the curriculum and mission of state supported education.

I am opposed to state funds going to religious schools. I don't think that a non-secular model is appropriate. Religious education should be kept separate, perhaps adapting a system like they have in the state of Utah.

@JRH...Rob Vos came out today that he wants to take on tax reform during the next general session. He is taking about abandoning the progressive tax system enacted in 1911. He wants to go for a more flat tax system. It will be no surprise that I am not in favor of leaving a progressive tax system.

@JRH...It may be too early to take on tax reform legislation. Until we can stabilize and know for certain what government services are going to cost, then we can't determine what the revenue requirement needs will be. As I see it, it is a two step process and service cost must be determined first. One of the problems of the past was to grow service and then decide how it would be funded. Services must be rationalized before addressing funding. Our governor decided to cut funding first and then rationalize services.

Right now the Child Protective Services in Milwaukee County is attempting to perform their services at a 75% staffing level. Because of budget restrictions, the state recently decided that they would reduce salary for entry level social workers and now, because of the nature of the job, they can't keep social workers. They are continually asking for higher production and service delivery with too few and not fully trained bodies. I know that Vos wants to continue to cut revenues and it will have similar results that has already occurred in CPS in Milwaukee.

@Lyle -

I disagree as to your assessment of Walker's approach in this regard. He demanded efficiencies in government, which are fully attainable with the right leadership being present at every level. As you're already familiar with my proposed federal tax code, I'll just say that I'd like to see the state adopt something similar, wherein everyone has some skin in the game but no one demo is made to shoulder a majority of the burden.

As to Milwaukee County - they created many of their own problems by perpetually voting in a board beholden to special interests which have lead to highly inefficient government - you can't blame the state for that. Start cleaning house on the local level if you don't like the way they're managing their local revenue collections and spending budgets.

If the rest of the state is going to be expected to jump in and save localities from their own poor management decisions, then I'm also going to have to start advocating for a Governor Snyder like 'Emergency Manager Law' being enacted here.

@JRH...I think I need to clarify something. CPS in Milwaukee County was taken away from the county in 1996. The state took over direct management and control of CPS with state CPS social workers providing child protection services in 1997. This has been a direct service under the name of The Milwaukee Bureau of Child Welfare and has provided CPS to Milwaukee County every since. This action was taken as a means to comply with a federal lawsuit settlement. Of the original 99 social workers hired in 1997, only 10 remain. With the reduction in starting pay has created conditions where all that can be attracted to join the agency are new BSWs and they burnout in short order. Child Protection Services is one of the most difficult fields in all of child welfare and requires highly trained and dedicated CPS social workers. This is one of those areas that needs to be rationalized and actions taken to staff up CPS services to meet the documented need. This agency receives around 50,000 referrals per year, somewhere around 5,000 to 6,000 investigated for neglect or abuse and 2,500 substantiated. Continue cutting of the funding will eventually push this agency's effectiveness back to where it was in 1996, when through a lawsuit, the county lost the service provision.

@Bob McBride...I have been doing my research on RTW and I have worked in both environments. I agree with you that if the Midwest economies are to be revived, then we must become active in finding solutions. I am not sure, at this point, that RTW is the be all and do all to provide the solution needed. I do know that Iowa picked up a lot of manufacturing based on their RTW status. Another thing that I have picked up is that the explosive growth in RTW states is a bit misleading. Most of them began so far down that any movement upward appeared to be phenomenal. Other data indicates that RTW state wages are lower, but that is also in areas where the cost of living is also lower. However, in RTW states they have other tremendous challenges especially in public education, poverty and healthcare. This is one of those issues that needs to be fully vetted and approached rationally.

I also agree that there are probably many service functions that could be successfully privatized. However, rather than a rush to privatize everything; I think, that we should approach the process with deliberation and careful action. Moving to quickly based on ideology would be a major mistake, privatizing and then going back to de-privatize. It would be a waste of time and resources, creating a bigger mess than the one we are trying to fix.

Lyle, if RTW isn't the way to attract jobs (even though it's working elsewhere), what is? Have you got any hard data, anywhere, that indicates that there's a benefit to businesses to move to a state (or if they're already in that state, to create more jobs there) where it's more expensive to operate? If so, how are they similar to WI? What have we got to offer here as an attractive alternative to locating in a lower cost state?

I agree it would be nice if everyone could make a living wage and not have to work more than 8 hours a day and have enough disposable income on top of that to fuel the ancillary businesses provide the necessities and other things people making a living wage (as we've come to define it) spend their money on. But how do you do that these days? And how long are we willing to pretend we're losing ground because people don't like Scott Walker and the Republicans before we wake up and address the problem head on?

As for privatization, as I said, I'd rather see an emphasis placed on employing best business practices in areas where there are opportunities to do so (and I do believe there's plenty of low hanging fruit in that area) rather than worrying about farming everything out at this point. I do think that by forcing localities to pick up more of the burden, more attention will be paid to those issues than is now.

Precisely McBarrett!

Work on achieving government efficiency on all levels of government first - there is much that can be done here!

@Vicki Bennett...This is precisely why I am broaching these issues now. People have to have an opportunity, early on, to research these issues and potential actions. I would much prefer that we are less emotional about issues and approach them in a much more rational manner. If the right claims they are fiscally rational, then the only way to convince them is through rational information and ideology is left behind.

@Greg....Nothing to fear about the right's agenda; it is what it is. As far as the Democratic agenda since they probably have control of the Senate, nothing is going to happen. I really don't think a special session will be called and then the senate will be determined in the November election. I see the Republican right setting the agenda for quite some time and the Democrats will be left to reacting only.