John Torinus

For decades, political and economic thinkers have been talking up the potential virtues of closer connections between Madison and Milwaukee.

Job creation was the central debate topic in the just-concluded campaign for governor of Wisconsin, so the question has to be asked: how did that issue fade so fast from the radar screen of the state's political leaders?

You would hardly know it from the campaign for governor, but Wisconsin has more than a brain drain; it has a brain hemorrhage.

Washington County and Wisconsin are right in the middle of a seismic shift in the delivery of health care in America – from primary care as a loss leader for the big hospital corporations to medical homes for employees right at the work site.

One of the major political footballs in this year's campaign for Wisconsin governor is how many people should be on the state's BadgerCare/Medicaid program. It is a legitimate issue, raised by the Obamacare offer of 100 percent coverage for three years for adding impoverished enrollees.

There are plenty of underlying factors in the breakup and merger of Journal Communications that won't make its news reports.

The impressive and encouraging improvements along the 100 miles of the Milwaukee River didn't just happen. They are the results of a half-century of far-sighted leadership, dedicated efforts of thousands of citizens and intentional, innovative and expensive projects.

A recent string of buyouts and expansions of business spawned by Wisconsin entrepreneurs ought to put to rest one misguided complaint about a state strategy that goes all out for high-growth startups.

Following the general wisdom that says, “Leave well enough alone,” let’s not mess with the basic structure that supports the Wisconsin Technical College System (WCTS).

When people think about the Milwaukee region, first to mind might be a muscular picture of heavy industry, or a great place to live given its location on the Lake Michigan and the inland lakes, rivers and rolling terrain of the Kettle Moraine, possibly a center of education or a lively locale for entertainment, sports and the arts. They may think of the daunting challenges of its central city.