David Riemer was easily the smartest, most articulate man on the podium when he ran for Milwaukee County Executive against Scott Walker in 2002. While Walker’s ambitions in Milwaukee and statewide embodied the most destructive tendencies toward privatization and deregulation, Riemer seeks to define the proper role for the public sector in his new book, Putting Government in Its Place: The Case for a New Deal 3.0.
As Riemer reminds us, without government (and the taxes that pay for it), streets would be unpaved and unploughed in winter and only the rich would enjoy police and fire protection. New Deal 3.0 includes many proposals to simplify taxes, constrain health care costs and reduce deficits. Now a senior fellow at Community Advocates Public Policy Institute, Riemer will speak at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Boswell Book Company.
