Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by John Torinus
IN MY OPINION: Both Wisconsin governor wannabes seem clueless on the main affordability issue: health care costs
Just how lightweight is the campaign for Wisconsin governor between Democrat David Crowley and Republican Tom Tiffany? They are essentially punting on the biggest affordability issue in the state and nation: Health costs are projected to rise by more than 9.5% in 2027. Even though employers now absorb more than 80% of health plan costs, employees are expected to spend nearly $5,300 on health care this year. The increases are unsustainable for many families and small businesses.
IN MY OPINION: Trump factor figures into why GOP reps, senators are bailing out of Legislature
The unusual exodus of Republican legislators from the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly undoubtedly stems from differing personal factors by each office holder. But the dark pall over the Republican Party cast by President Donald Trump surely also figured heavily into their departures. Six Republican senators are not seeking reelection. That’s six out of 18 from the current GOP margin of 18-15. No Democrats are retiring.
IN MY OPINION: New reports confirm Wisconsin health care among costliest in U.S.
Where is the Wisconsin Leadership on health costs? With health cost unaffordability now a top issue with the voters and businesses across the state, and the primary election less than four months away, why haven’t the eight candidates for governor addressed cost prices in a serious way? The seven Democrats in the race are all seeking more access to care, but they have been silent on the all-important cost issue.
Rothman firing could spell bright blue state
If you are looking for an insight on why the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents fired Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman, reflect back on how he went about closing eight of 13 two-year colleges across the state. Take West Bend, for example. Without ever visiting Washington County, he pushed UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone to shut down the campus at the end of the school year in 2024.
Oppose war in Iran? Then protest Saturday
If you don’t appreciate President Trump’s latest blunder, embroiling the country in a no-win war in the hellacious Middle East, you can exercise your displeasure by taking part in a protest Saturday at the Washington County Courthouse. Only Congress has a right to take us into war, but, as with other violations of the Constitution, our president made a unilateral decision to drop thousands of bombs on Iran.
LETTER: To rein in Wisconsin’s exorbitant health care costs, state should put a cap on medical prices
Governor elections are supposed to be all about fresh ideas, and that should be especially true this year in Wisconsin as eight bright candidates vie for the top state job. So far, their platforms have failed to come up with a winning concept to deal with how to get a handle on out-of-control costs of health care. That is arguably the number one Wisconsin challenge for individuals and businesses.
Kevin Conroy: Entrepreneur and potential Wisconsin governor
How about a change of pace for Wisconsin governor? Instead of a long line of professional politicians in the governor’s mansion on Lake Mendota, how about an outstanding entrepreneur who has created thousands of new jobs and a bundle of wealth for venture investors? Such a person exists. Such a person has previously, but privately, expressed an interest in running for governor someday. The timing for that person is now.
10 million for next anti-Trump rally?
"No Kings" protesters in Wisconsin and across the 50 states ended their massive, historic and amazingly peaceful demonstrations against the Trump agenda Oct. 18 with high-fives and by quickly asking: "What’s next?" Their signs, costumes, patriotic music and jokes sent a powerful message to MAGA/Republican leaders that their ambitions for authoritarian, despotic, top-down and even tyrannical government aren’t going to fly with American people who are rediscovering their Bill of Rights.
GOP governor candidates: How to read Trumpian winds?
There is good reason for potential Wisconsin governor candidates to hold off on formally announcing their candidacies. They all have to calculate the declining approval ratings of President Trump on their prospects. Only Josh Schoemann, Washington County executive, has kicked off his campaign for a general election that is 16 months away.
Viewpoints: Trump, Vance on manufacturing: wrong again
Donald Trump and his mini-me, JD Vance, are making a very bad economic bet when they push for higher tariffs to enable in Vance’s words “a great manufacturing comeback.” Fareed Zakaria, the brilliant New York Times columnist on global affairs, beat me to the punch on making that point. In a recent column, he said, “Trump’s manufacturing dream is a mirage.” Zakaria made the macro point that the U.S. economy is dominated by the services sector, not the production of goods.
Op Ed: Rep. Fitzgerald Faces Protest In West Bend
West Bend briefly became a hotspot in the growing revolt against the wide-ranging and deep-cutting executive actions taken by President Donald Trump in his first four weeks in office. What seemed like a routine listening session held by Republican Rep. Scott Fitzgerald at West Bend City Hall on Friday turned into a loud and energetic disagreement. The citizens questioned congressional oversight on the blizzard of Trump’s early executive orders.
Can you envision a Gaza Trump casino?
Hey, have I got a deal for you! Let’s all help President Trump with his out-of-the-box proposal to transform the Gaza Strip into the “Riviera of the Middle East.” I propose selling timeshares in a magnificent new TRUMP Gaza Casino and Hotel. I know, I know. Trump ran his previous casino operations into the ground, but this is different. He’s now the president, not just a New York City real estate mogul. There will be a presidential brand on the new venture.
Wisconsinites’ health is deteriorating: Madison needs to wake up
We just received another wakeup call on health care in Wisconsin, where costs are too high, public health outcomes have plummeted, and our governor has hit the snooze button. In the latest edition of America’s Health Rankings, published Jan. 28, Wisconsin ranked 33rd in health outcomes. The Badger State fell from 12th best in health outcomes in 1990 to 19th in 2019 before a change in methodology, to 33rd today.
Let’s cut grand deal for AI energy
Wisconsin leaders have been working for several decades to strengthen and diversify its economy away from its dependence on agriculture and manufacturing, and suddenly, shockingly, it is riding a new wave of game-changing innovation. The boom in cloud computing and artificial intelligence has delivered three multi-billion-dollar projects to southeast Wisconsin.
Uber-red Washington County
Trumpers are claiming a highly debatable national mandate, but there is no debate about his “mandate” from Washington County voters. Donald Trump got 68.6% of the votes in Washington County, making it the reddest large county in the state. Waukesha County was close at 66.7%. Give Washington County credit for consistency. Trump won it by 69.3% in 2020. There was just a slight falloff in percentage. Trump flipped the state as a whole to a win after losing it in 2020, both times by very narrow margins.
Pollsters off again as Trump wins trifecta
As in 2016 and 2020, the pollsters were way off the mark in Tuesday’s elections. Even though the polls have not totally closed yet, it was nowhere near the very close election that showed up in their polling results. Donald Trump and his MAGA followers won a sweeping victory. They won a trifecta; the White House at the top of the ticket and both houses of the Congress down the ticket. Trump had coattails that were never there before.
Trump’s tariff panacea backfired in first term
More and more Republicans are jumping the MAGA ship as Donald Trump comes up with one goofy economic air ball after another. The latest is replacing the income tax with high tariffs on products from other countries. First off, tariff revenues would come nowhere near replacing the revenues raised by the income tax. His seat-of-the-pants economics would inevitably result in higher deficits and soaring national debt, just like what happened in his first term.
Thank citizen poll workers for their service
It is always especially welcome when strangers come up to me and my fellow veterans who are wearing caps honoring their branches of the U. S. military services and say, "Thank you for your service." My thought as a contentious presidential election comes to a close is the thousands of poll workers across the country deserve the same level of respect: "Thank you for your service, poll workers." We all know a lot of them. They are our neighbors.
Harris, Trump duck soaring health costs
Believe it or not, the average cost of health care for a family of four in America in 2023, according to the Milliman Medical Index, was $31,065 in an employer plan. Yes, you read that right. The employer typically picks up 70%-75% of the total, and the employee pays the rest at about $8,000 per year for premiums, co-pays and co-insurance.
Harris, Walz stand with Ukraine; GOP retreats
One way to look at the pending Nov. 5 national election is through the lens of support or non-support for Ukraine’s defense against the throwback barbarism of Vladimir Putin’s attempted takeover of Russia’s neighbor. The Harris-Walz Democratic ticket for the White House stands squarely with Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s defense of his country. The Trump-Vance Republican ticket wants to spend no more U.S. dollars on weapons and ammunition to fight against Putin.
Stroebel, Sinykin Senate race looks competitive
The fall elections for the state’s District 8 Senate seat between Republican incumbent Sen. Duey Stroebel and Democratic challenger Jodi Habush Sinykin looks to be a pivotal nail-biter. Seats in Washington and Ozaukee counties were once solidly in the Republican camp, but have been swinging toward the Democrats for the last decade. Sinykin almost pulled off an upset over incumbent Republican Dan Knodl in a special election 2023. He defeated Sinykin by only about 2 points.
What would Teddy do? Bust hospital trusts
“Corporations engaged in interstate commerce should be regulated if they are found to exercise a license working to the public injury.” — President Theodore Roosevelt (He filed antitrust actions against 44 corporations while in office.) Always know what yoru neighbor knows with our newsletters, delivering the latest local news, sports, and breaking stories straight to your inbox! Flash forward 120 years.
Wisconsin summit needed ASAP on bird flu
The reticence of Gov. Tony Evers and his team, legislators, journalists and University of Wisconsin researchers to transparently engage the rapidly expanding bird flu epidemic is perplexing to say the least. This virus has rapidly infected an astonishingly wide array of birds and animals, most recently, dairy cows.
Issues for state Senator Feyen to tackle
Welcome to West Bend, state Sen. Dan Feyen. And thanks to the opportunity to respond to your survey about the highest needs for public policy in Wisconsin. My response is below. You replaced Duey Strobel as the senator for the reconfigured 20th District, which includes West Bend, Fond du Lac, Belgium, Jackson and Theresa. We appreciated Strobel’s diligence and intelligence, though he is a hard right politician who is uncompromising on many policy issues.
10 questions about Trump
As voters think deeply about whether to vote for Donald Trump for president of the United States Nov. 5, just seven months from now, allow me to ask a few questions relevant to what kind of person he is down deep: -Would you want him to marry your sister or daughter? (Where is Melania these days?) -Would you want to work directly for him? (Most of his direct reports are under the bus, either fired or resigned in frustration, or headed to prison.) -Would you invest in a company he controls?
IN MY OPINION: MAGA cultists attacking Republican speaker Vos are the real RINOs
By JOHN TORINUS Will the bogus controversy over the validity of the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin ever go away? Despite audits, recounts and losing court challenges, supporters of Donald Trump persist in their claims that the former president really won the state’s electoral votes. This has resulted in a cultish regurgitation in Racine County to force a recall election of Robin Vos, who has been speaker of the state Assembly for 10 years.
CEOs: You can restore the good name of capitalism
Why do executives in big public corporations keep crapping the nest by taking exorbitant packages that run as much as 70 times that of the average pay of their workers? The gap between executives and employees has shrunk a tad in recent years because of the severe labor shortage that gives hourly workers more leverage. They can walk down the street and find a better job. Therefore, employers have had to walk the talk that their “people are their most important asset.” Hourly pay rose 4.7% in 2023.
Who is the real RINO? Not Vos
Will the bogus controversy over the validity of the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin ever go away? Despite audits, recounts and losing court challenges, supporters of Donald Trump persist in their claims that the former president really won the state’s electoral votes. This has resulted in a cultish regurgitation in Racine County to force a recall election of Robin Vos, who has been speaker of the state Assembly for ten years.
Nowhere near the end for Ice Age Trail
The Ice Age Trail, now 66 years old, has come a long, long way, but it still has a long way to go. At latest count, 698 miles of the 1,200-mile trail has been developed into more than 100 permanent segments. That includes four segments in Washington County. Last year was a banner year for the popular trail. At the end of a 10year effort, Sen. Tammy Baldwin succeeded in placing the Wisconsin-only trail into the National Park Service. It is one of 11 such national trails in the United States.
Tired of Trumpian losses, Gallagher leaves House
Thank you for your service, Mike Gallagher. In the aftermath of his recent decision not to run for a fifth term, critics on the far right of the Trump-infested Republican Party won’t mouth those gracious words, the words that many veterans hear and appreciate, even though he served with distinction for seven years as a U.S. Marine officer, including a stint in Iraq, and will have served eight years as the congressman from the 8th Wisconsin District.
Moraine College concept dies
Let’s deal with reality. The concept of a "Moraine Community College" that was endorsed 19-2 by the Washington County Board of Supervisors is dead. So is the possibility of saving the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Washington County. The leaders of higher education who serve Washington County appeared before the County Board Wednesday night and offered no support for either option. The words "community college" never came up in the hour and a half of their presentations.
A long shot: Nikki Haley in Wisconsin
With Donald Trump enjoying huge leads in polling of Republican voters, will Wisconsin voters have a chance to make a difference in who the parties’ presidential nominee will be? Nikki Haley is a very long shot, but the political pundits are giving her an outside chance of knocking out Donald Trump over the next four months. The Wisconsin primary is April 2, and Haley’s increasing momentum raises the possibility that Trump could be embarrassed here.
More reform in works for local colleges
One of my friends who loves policy analysis likes to say, “Statistics are stubborn things.” So are long-term trends. Despite some recent upward blips, the stubborn numbers on enrollment at the two-year colleges in Washington County are points in case. Long-term enrollment declines persist at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee at Washington County and Moraine Park Technical College. The UWM campus is down another 14% this year on top of an almost 70% decline over the last decade.
Parties owe us alternatives to Trump, Biden
What’s the antidote to two old geezers refusing to step aside for fresh energy and ideas in the Oval Office? The two political parties are supposed to forward candidates for the U.S. presidency that elicit enthusiasm and respect for how they would lead the country. That is perhaps their number one responsibility. Both parties are failing mightily on that score.
Give UW-Madison its freedom
A number of years ago, I wrote a column entitled "Tale of Two Universities." It contended that the University of Wisconsin-Madison operated in a completely different sphere than the other campuses in the University of Wisconsin System. That was crystal clear to me Saturday while I cheered on the Badgers at Camp Randall. It was a glorious day, not just because the Badgers won against a lesser opponent, but also for all the energy exuded on that sunny campus.
For Putin: Not winning is losing
The concept that Vladimir Putin is losing his Ukrainian war because he is not winning may seem contrived. But it’s reality. As an article in Foreign Affairs pointed out, it was Putin who set out his grand strategic goals when he ordered his troops into his neighboring country. He said he wanted to "denazify" Ukraine, which was absurd on its face because its leader is a Jew, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also said he wanted to demilitarize Ukraine.
Op Ed: Why Does GOP Hate Engineers?
Nothing demonstrates what’s happened to the Republican Party more then one vote in the Joint Finance Committee this month. Republicans on the committee voted down the long-anticipated and much-needed new engineering building on the UW Madison campus. Not so long ago that would have been a slam dunk Republican priority. Consider: The project has the strong support of the state’s business community. The state has already sunk $75 million into planning the facility.
After 30 years, West Bend is a ‘CITY OF SCULPTURES’
Back when West Bend Friends of Sculpture (WBFS) started three decades ago, its goal was to add one, maybe two, pieces of three-dimensional art each year in our community. The concept of the group was to create a nonprofit corporation that added frosting to the cake in an already lovely town. Flash forward 30 years, and the persistence and dedication of the group has resulted in the placement of 49 major sculptures throughout the community.
Op Ed: A Tale of Two Cities
There are different ways to think about stages of life: by jobs, by relationships, by moves. Here is another one: by our parks. Having spent most of my life in two places, Milwaukee and New York City, I can define my life in three phases: Mitchell Park, Washington Park and Central Park. And, it is hard to imagine my life without these urban parks. We all have a tendency to see what we have as “normal,” to take it for granted.
Op Ed: Felzkowski Leads on Health Care Pricing
How to keep score on how Wisconsin is doing on health care for its citizens? It’s a tough question. And a preeminent question. It deals with all-important family health and with family prosperity, since health and wealth run together. The average family cost in the country, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) from its broad survey, was $22,463 in 2022. Surprisingly, that staggering total was about flat with its 2021 number. What caused that?
Op Ed: Robin Vos Wants to Gag Citizens
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos wants to take your voice away. The shared revenue bill that the Assembly Republicans just introduced “would ban counties, municipalities from putting advisory referendums on the ballot,” according to JR Ross of WisPolitics. Vos and his cohorts don’t even want your advice! They don’t want to hear from you at all, it seems.
IN MY OPINION: Why has UWM, the state’s second flagship university, been stiffed by Evers?
You are here Home » IN MY OPINION: Why has UWM, the state’s second flagship university, been stiffed by Evers? April 26, 2023 By JOHN TORINUS How can it be that Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are chopped liver in the governor’s massive building budget for 2023-25? In late February, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers rolled out his ambitious budget proposal for $3.8 billion in buildings upgrades across Wisconsin.
Op Ed: City, State Have Rare Chance to Address Climate Change
Milwaukee has a once-in-a-generation window to think big and work with residents to increase the creativity, opportunity and joy in our central city neighborhoods. What would you like to see in your neighborhood? More locally owned businesses — restaurants, entertainment options, stores? Well-paying and dignified work opportunities? State-of-the-art housing? Beautifully designed parks with fun places for kids to play? Convenient public transportation? Something else?
Will latest hospital merger help consumers?
Will patients/consumers of Froedtert Health and ThedaCare be better off after the just-announced merger of the two Wisconsin health systems? Will Wisconsin Attorney General Joshua Kaul exercise any of his authorized oversight of the merger for the benefit of consumers? Will the Milwaukee region lose another corporate headquarters like what happened with the consolidation of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health of Charlotte, North Carolina?
Will latest hospital merger help consumers?
Will patients/consumers of Froedtert Health and ThedaCare be better off after the just-announced merger of the two Wisconsin health systems? Will Wisconsin Attorney General Joshua Kaul exercise any of his authorized oversight of the merger for the benefit of consumers? Will the Milwaukee region lose another corporate headquarters like what happened with the consolidation of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health of Charlotte, North Carolina?
Op Ed: This Is First Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court In Living Memory
On the day after Wisconsin’s nasty and expensive state Supreme Court election, the lead sentence of the Wisconsin State Journal’s front page election story : “Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated conservative Dan Kelly for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court Tuesday, giving liberals a court majority for the first time in 15 years, boosting Democrats’ bid to toss out Wisconsin’s near-complete abortion ban and promising to dramatically reshape politics in the...
Op Ed: Will Hospital Merger Help Consumers?
Will patients/consumers of Froedtert Health and ThedaCare be better off after the just announced merger of the two Wisconsin health systems? Will Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul exercise any of his authorized oversight of the merger for the benefit of consumers? Will the Milwaukee region lose another corporate headquarters like what happened with the consolidation of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Op Ed: State Supreme Race Shows Need for Campaign Finance Reform
The staggering amount of record-breaking money in the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court race shows the crying need for fundamental campaign finance reform. When the last dimes are counted (and that won’t happen till July when the candidates have to report the last couple of weeks of their fundraising), this race cost in the neighborhood of $50 million. For perspective, the old record for Wisconsin Supreme Court was $10 million, set in 2020.
Op Ed: The Wisconsin Conservation Congress Is Broken
Op Ed Three-fourths of state citizens, the non-hunters, getting stonewalled by group. //end headline wrapper ?> In the past week the Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) held 72 in-person meetings across the state to elect new county delegates. These meetings are important as they served as the first opportunity people had to vote for their local county delegates since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Op Ed: UWM Gets Stiffed In Governor’s Budget
How can it be that Milwaukee and the UW-Milwaukee are chopped liver in Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ massive building budget for 2023-25? In late February Gov. Evers rolled out his ambitious budget proposal for $3.8 billion in buildings upgrades across Wisconsin. About half would be paid out from the state’s whopping $7 billion plus surplus. Of that, $1.8 billion would go to the UW System for bricks-and-mortar building projects.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with John
Contact John, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack