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Articles by Tom Hefty
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.
Wisconsin needs a blue ribbon commission on higher education
Almost 35,000 students graduated from college in Wisconsin this month. They and their families were proud of that accomplishment. They believed that their own investment in higher education would pay off in a better life. The public agrees: Wisconsin needs a strong affordable higher education system. Economic development experts agree that talent will be the key differentiator in state and regional economic success.
Milwaukee: Still riding along in Madison's wake
The Twin Cities of Wisconsin are Madison, metro population 633,000, and Milwaukee, metro population 1.57 million. Both cities are dominated by Democratic politics, yet the economies of the two cities have taken decidedly different paths. Madison is prospering; Milwaukee is not. Madison has a median family income of $77,700; Milwaukee's is $40,800. Fifty-three percent of Madison's population has a bachelor's degree or higher; it's 22% in Milwaukee.
How Madison stole Milwaukee's prosperity
In the past 30 years, metro Madison grew 45%; metro Milwaukee grew just 11%. What caused the difference in outcomes for two cities separated by only 75 miles? The answer lies in Wisconsin politics. By TOM HEFTY | Sept. 9, 2015 The Twin Cities of Wisconsin are Madison, metro population 633,000, and Milwaukee, metro population 1.57 million. Both cities are dominated by Democratic politics, yet the economies of the two cities have taken decidedly different paths. Madison is prospering; Milwaukee is not.
University of Wisconsin flunks the financial transparency test
Something was missing from the heated debate over the proposed new University of Wisconsin authority and $300 million budget cut for the UW system. The UW leaders have been on a public relations blitz. Layoffs have been threatened. Billions of dollars of economic impact have been claimed. But no one has asked the bigger question: What is the real UW's financial condition — the balance sheet? What are the assets and liabilities?
Wisconsin economy moves to the head of the class
The new year brought new signs of momentum for the Wisconsin economy. In 2010, the Be Bold Wisconsin report set a goal of making Wisconsin a top 10 state for starting or expanding a business. That seemed like a distant goal for a state that regularly had ranked in the bottom half of the class — sometimes in the bottom handful of states. Two of the best new grades came in independent reports, one done by the Gallup organization and the other done by Paychex|IHS.
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