Saturday, January 30, 2016

Scott Walker: Mathing Is Hard!


Failed Wisconsin Governor and Presidential Candidate Has Been Scott Walker's campaign financial situation is a lot worse than previously reported.

When Walker ended his 70-day presidential bid, it was reported that he was a million dollars in the red. So he did what he did best, beg for money.

According to his end of the year campaign finance reports, those reports were wildly inaccurate. Per WaPo, Walker was able raise a half million dollars. This money and a million dollars he had left allowed him to pay $1.4 million towards his debt. But he still owes over another million!
The presidential campaign committee of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker spent $1.4 million last quarter paying former staff and vendors and refunding excess contributions, leaving him with $1.2 million in debt from his failed White House bid, new Federal Election Commission filings show.
Ah, but there's more. With all things Walker, there's always more.

Records also indicated that he used his gubernatorial campaign to help out his presidential one - to the tune of $14,682.

On top of that, Walker has decided that Wisconsin taxpayers will also help pay for his failed campaign by refusing to fully reimburse the state for the costs of his security team's travel expenses:
State officials also said Friday that in the future, Walker's political operations will no longer reimburse state taxpayers for his security team's travel expenses.

Walker's political operations have reimbursed state taxpayers $260,000 to cover hotel stays, airfare and other travel expenses last year for his security team. But in the future, taxpayers will have to pay such costs when state troopers accompany Walker on political trips, said Jim Dick, a spokesman for the state Department of Administration.

Walker decided last year to have his political operations pick up some of those costs while he crisscrossed the country and traveled overseas as he explored and launched his presidential campaign.
So, Walker is unable to raise enough money to pay off his reckless spending and now is going to stiff the taxpayers with them. Nice!

It's no wonder that Walker's approval rating is still stuck at 38%. Well, actually, it is. I'm surprised it's not lower.

Outrage Grows Over Abele's Secret Placement Of Sex Offenders

Several weeks ago, I reported that Milwaukee County Emperor Chris Abele's plan to secretly place sex offenders in a south side home was blowing up in his face.  His hand-chosen appointees on the farcical Mental Health Board rubber stamped his plan without public input.  In fact, when one person, Dennis Hughes, did tried to speak out about it, Abele's people had him arrested.

What makes Abele's actions even more disconcerting is that he is still placed these offenders even though they were telling staff that they had plans to reoffend at the first chance they get.

On Friday, the community again expressed their outrage at Abele secretly placing the offenders in their neighborhood without even the courtesy of a notification.
"Our employees that are telling us that the sex offenders are being placed that when they were in the long-term care facility were openly talking about the fact that intended on assaulting children specifically a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy," said Hughes.

Residents also feel they've been kept in the dark about who is moving in.

"The concern here is we don't know where these mentally ill people have been placed in the community. There are group homes throughout Milwaukee County and we don't know where they are or who is housed in them," said Hughes.

"If we have sex offenders that are entering our neighborhood without our knowledge, the threat for our children has increased tremendously," said Lewis.
One of the neighbors, Karrie Jones, made the reasonable request that their be better notification and public hearings when sex offenders were being placed in neighborhoods.

The Abele administration flat out denied that request, claiming that they "will not hold public hearings ever to let a community know that we're transitioning clients into their neighborhood."

That must be a recent policy change.  I used to help people transition out of the long term care units at the mental health complex.  When a new group home was opening, it was standard practice to hold open houses with the neighbors to inform them about the group home, the type of clients that would be housed there and what precautions and safety plans would be in place.

Then again, we used to also not move the clients until a team of professionals determined that the person was ready to be reintegrated into the community, that an appropriate placement had been identified, that proper service and safety plans were in place and that the client had a chance to visit on numerous occasions to help make the transition smoother.

Those things stopped happening too.

Abele, his imperial self, finally deigned to issue a statement, which as you might have expected, simultaneously dismissed the concerns of the neighbors and blamed the county board for the unpopularity of his plan:
County Executive Chris Abele's office issued a statement to WISN 12 news saying today's committee hearing "is nothing but the board's latest attempt to stop the positive progress we have been making, which unfortunately also perpetuates damaging stigmas about mental illness."
Ah, so in Abele's elitist and arrogant mind, listening to the citizens is simply a political stunt.  Doesn't that say more about Abele than the citizens or the clients?

But there's more.  With all things Abele, there is always more.

Another new concern has arisen.

A year ago, WISN-TV reported how the state found a way around the City of Milwaukee's law regarding placement of sex offenders.  The state simply kept shuffling the sex offenders every three days to new homes so that they were technically not in violation of the law.

Could Abele be doing the same thing?  With Abele's secrecy and disdain for public safety, it's entirely possible.

One place we know that the offenders won't be placed, however, is in the Moderne, the high rise condo building where Abele lives.

One of Mitchell Domes Closed For "Public Safety"

Despite Milwaukee County Emperor Chris Abele's claims that he is the opposite of Walker, the fact is that he is just as bad, if not worse, than Walker ever could hope to be.  This holds true in many different ways, including deferred maintenance of county buildings and other assets.

When Scott Walker was Milwaukee County Executive, we saw a lot of the negative effects of his willful negligence and deferred maintenance.  Part of the courthouse cornice fell off, parts of Mitchell Airport fell and hit a passenger and most tragic of all, a part of O'Donnell Park fell and killed a teenage boy and seriously injured two other people.

Due to Abele's cutting corners and refusing to replace antiquated and overloaded electrical equipment, the Milwaukee County Courthouse caught on fire and it cost more than $17 million to clean up and fix the mess that could have been avoided for a fraction of that price.

Now we're seeing more of the effects of Abele's so-called fiscal conservatism.

WISN-TV is reporting that one of the domes at Mitchell Park has been indefinitely closed due to falling concrete:
One of the Mitchell Park Domes is closed because of falling concrete.

The Desert Dome in the middle is the one that's closed for public safety.

Signs are posted across the doors of the Desert Dome alerting visitors the exhibit is temporarily closed.

The Milwaukee County parks director made the decision after recent reports that concrete was falling inside.

In a statement to WISN 12 News, Parks Director John Dargle said, "After discovering a piece of fallen concrete at the Arid Dome, the Parks Department consulted with risk management and an independent engineering firm to determine the best course of action to ensure the safety of our employees and the public. Per their recommendation, we have temporarily closed the Arid Dome until further safety evaluations and planning can be completed."
Isn't it nice how Abele can find $4 million to build an arena for billionaires but can't seem to find enough money to properly inspect and maintain county buildings?

What I also find rather disturbing is that his highly paid director of parks needed to consult with risk management and a private company to figure out that falling concrete could be dangerous and that the building should be closed to the public.  But I guess that is the mindset that takes place when your boss is a tyrant that will fire you without just cause just because he was feeling grumpy that day.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Major Milwaukee County Parks Are In Peril

As the gentle reader knows, Milwaukee County Emperor Chris Abele has been concentrating unprecedented power in his hands to ease his path as he continues to go about dismantling Milwaukee County government.  Abele does this through buy-partisanship -- he pays off Republican state legislators to pass bills that give him these increased powers.

One of the more recent power purchases made by Abele was Act 55, which allows Abele to sell off any county-owned land - except for parks - without public notice, public hearing or legislative oversight.  It was because of this law that Abele was able to sell tens of millions of dollars of Park East land for a dollar.

Per a press release from County Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb, they have identified 43 parks that have not been properly zoned as parkland and could be sold off by Abele without any say from anyone else.  Some of the parks on that list are simply jaw-dropping.  These include the following parks:
  •  Chippewa Park; 
  • Red Arrow Park; 
  • Cathedral Square Park; 
  • Zeidler Union Square; 
  • Mitchell Boulevard Park; 
  • Mitchell Airport Park; 
  • Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum; 
  • Grobschmidt Park; 
  • Franklin Park; 
  • Oakwood Park; 
  • Whitnall Park; 
  • Sheridan Park; 
  • Brown Deer Park; 
  • Greene Park; 
  • Estabrook Park; 
  • Pere Marquette Park; 
  • Froemming Park; 
  • Lincoln Park; 
  • Rawson Park; 
  • Melody View Preserve; 
  • Riverside Park; 
  • Bay View Park; 
  • Grant Park; 
  • Kohl Park; 
  • Lake Park; 
  • Armour Park; 
  • Runway Dog Park; 
  • Servite Park Reserve; 
  • Wilson Recreation Center; 
  • Joseph-Lichter Park; 
  • Juneau Park; 
  • St. Martins Park; 
  • Algonquin Park; 
  • Doctors Park; 
  • Hanson Park, 
  • A.C.; Southwood Glen; 
  • Baran Park; 
  • County Grounds Park; 
  • Kletzsch Park; 
  • Falk Park; 
  • Rover West; 
  • Scout Lake Park; and 
  • Big Bay Park.
A resolution has been introduced that would prevent Abele from selling these parks by correcting their zoning status.  The concern is whether it can be passed quickly enough to keep Abele honest, which is a tall order in itself.

What could prove interesting is the fact that polling numbers show that the bulk of Abele's support in the upcoming election  come from conservatives and Republicans, most of whom live in the suburbs.  I wonder if they will be reconsidering their support for Abele knowing that he could sell their community parks from right out under their noses and there isn't a damn thing they could do about it.

At least Chris Larson has made a commitment to Milwaukee County and its parks.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

The Walker Agenda Still Isn't Working! Part CCXLVII

As Scott Walker is hinting at running for a third term, we get a reminder of just how good of a job he isn't doing:
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Inc. has informed state of Wisconsin officials that it is closing its Chase mortgage banking customer assistance operations at its downtown Milwaukee offices, resulting in the loss of 135 jobs.

The New York City-based bank said in a mass layoff notice filed with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development that it informed employees Tuesday of its intent to exit the business at 111 E. Wisconsin Ave. The expected date of terminations is March 26 to comply with the state's 60-day notification requirement in mass layoff situations.

Chase said the employees are not represented by a union and that the job losses will be permanent. The Department of Workforce Development will work with the Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board to provide rapid response services to the affected workers, which includes pre-layoff workshops on a variety of topics such as resume writing, interviewing and job search strategies.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Terrorists Arrested, Murder And Mayhem Averted

No, I'm not talking about the crackpot that the local media is over-sensationalizing.

What I am talking about are the real terrorists who have plotted and acted against the American people, destroying public property and putting everyone at risk - the Bundy nutjobs:
Seven people involved in the armed occupation of a central Ore. wildlife refuge were arrested after a traffic stop during which shots were fired. Another unnamed individual was killed during the confrontation, the FBI and Oregon State Police announced Tuesday.

Authorities said that shots were exchanged during a traffic stop along Highway 395 around 4:25 p.m. local time. Police were carrying out a federal probable cause arrest for a number of people involved in the armed standoff at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, which has been occupied since Jan. 2.

The Oregon State Police said Tuesday night that an incident team has been dispatched to investigate the officer-involved shooting. No law enforcement personnel were injured in the confrontation about 15 miles north of Burns, Ore.

Five people were arrested at that time, including occupation leaders Ammon and Ryan Bundy. One person was killed during the exchange of gunfire; police said information about that person will not be released until they can be identified by the medical examiner’s office. Another of the arrested individuals was injured and taken to a local hospital, but has since been arrested and taken into custody.

A sixth person involved in the occupation, Joseph Donald O’Shaughnessy of Cottonwood, Ariz., was arrested about an hour and a half after the initial confrontation. Shortly after that, a seventh person — broadcaster Peter Santilli of Cincinnati, Ohio, who is known for live streaming refuge events — was arrested in Burns.

All of people arrested face federal felony charges for impeding federal officers.
Another one of these fools was arrested in Arizona after he turned tail and abandoned his fellow "patriots."

It is worth noting that these "patriots" think that just because they have a couple of guns, they would be able to fend off the "tyrannical" government.  They were apprehended by FBI agents and police officers.  What did they think they would do against a highly trained tactical squad much less military personnel?

It is also worth noting that none of the local right wingers that beat their jingoistic drums have said a word about these terrorists.  Nothing from Scott Walker, Bob Gannon, Ron Johnson (who is the chair of the national security committee).  I guess the Bundy clan didn't meet their terrorist color charts because they weren't people of color.

I'm just thankful that these subhuman assholes are behind bars and that no good guys were hurt or killed in the process.

White Trash Walker



By Jeff Simpson 

Capper pointed out recently that Scott Walker is selling his house in Wauwatosa.  The Walker family, paid $310,000 for the house in 2007 and now have it on the market with a slight uptick at $338,000.   Mr. Walker was never one to truly understand economics as his house is assessed at $359,900.

Capper pointed out that Mr. Walker might be selling his house because he was so far in debt. However, Mr. Walker has made it clear that the money he makes selling his house will not be going to pay off debts he has run up.

Skipping out on his bills, has become one thing Scott Walker is well known for.

As we always say, "but wait there is more" and boy is there more telling information about Scott Walker regarding his house for sale.

We know that Mr. Walker completed, the minimum amount of work/upgrades on this house while living there for 8 years.

It appears the home on N. 68th St., which was built in 1924, was listed on Saturday. Since purchasing it in March 2007 for $310,000, Walker has painted the home's exterior, rebuilt the chimney and replaced the pool liner. Walker's home features 2 1/2 baths and a full basement on a quarter-acre. Assessed at $359,900, the home's tax bill in 2013 was $8,381.
If you remember, Scott Walker moved his parents into his house to hide behind them when people protested his home.   While Mr. Walker used his parents as a prop, the $144,000/yr+ that Walker makes, not a penny of that was put into upgrades to make the house comfortable for his elderly parents.  

That is NOT all:

Mr. Walker is showing the same ignorance in selling his house as he showed in creating jobs.

Two minutes on Google, and you see there are basic generic rules to follow when selling your home.    As we found out with the secret router, rules in Scott Walker's world are made to be ignored.

Two of the major rules are as follows:

Spruce up the outside. Add a new doormat, new house numbers and maybe a new mailbox. Paint the front door. The little stuff matters here.
Refresh your landscape. Clean up flower beds, add fresh mulch and plant flowers. Make sure bushes are trimmed and neat.

OOPs:
But an inspection of the photos show that Governors’ teenage sons are apparently exempted from the domestic responsibilities typical of their peers. Here a tottering wooden fence begs to be whitewashed before rot overcomes it; there a line of Hostas remains un-deadheaded weeks after their blooms have expired; shrubs and trees are untrained, potted flowers languish, the lawn turns to dust and the whole begs for water to pour forth from the neglected hose.
Yet for all of this, the bureaucrats at the Wauwatosa City Hall rate the landscape as “Same as Neighboring.” This is an affront to the neighbors!
In front of the home, a pole light fixture attempts to provide decorative illumination, yet only one of its three branches glows, while the other two have burnt out.
Question: How many governor’s sons does it take to change a lightbulb?
In 8 years of home ownership, Mr. Walker also never touched the basement:

The first family of Wisconsin have a full, “unfinished” basement of 816 square feet underpinning their home. The subterranean level includes a half-bath and shower in the basement. 

Here is a picture of the ancient rotting fence outside the Walker abode:

 Scott Walker\'s Home

Here is a picture of the two burned out light bulbs.  Apparently its beyond the Walker family capabilities to change a light bulb!

Scott Walker\'s Home

Anyone spot what is missing in Mr. Walker's yard?

Wood!

 A natural wood fireplace helps the gas-fired, hot-water heating system keep the governor’s home toasty through the chilly winter,

If no one in the Walker family can take the time, energy or intelligence to change a light bulb, I doubt very much that they would spend the time cutting wood(or even buying it).  

Except for the brand new Wisconsin taxpayer funded squad car, perpetually in his driveway, the rest of the house is pretty trashy.  The only thing the Walker family appears to be missing is blankets for curtains and a confederate flag flying proudly in the lawn.   

The big question we need answered now, is there a separate beer fridge in the Governors Mansion? 



#Feelthebern

By Jeff Simpson

Historically Accurate Western Illinois Mock Election predicts Senator Bernie Sanders as our next president.

 

#feelthebern 

Monday, January 25, 2016

Facing Crippling Debt, Scott Walker Puts House Up For Sale

Scott Walker is facing a mountain of debt.

His failed presidential campaign is a million dollars in the hole. Personally, he has tens of thousands of credit card debt. Even worse he must've missed some payments because he is paying 27% interest on that debt. Most of his debt probably came from the time he was privately paying silk-stockinged lawyers to defend him during the John Doe investigations - before he set up a legal defense fund and before the Kochs started picking up the tab.

On top of all that, he is helping his two unemployed sons with their student debt after sending them to Marquette University. (Apparently Walker recognizes that he's ruined the University of Wisconsin system and didn't want his boys to go there.)

Despite the fact that Walker has sent out numerous emails begging for money and makes $140,000 a year, he still can't make ends meet.

So what does he do?

He sends his parents packing out of his house and puts the place up for sale:
Gov. Scott Walker has put his home — the one in Wauwatosa, not the governor's mansion — up for sale.

The two-story, three-bedroom house has been listed by Delafield real estate agent Premar LLC for $338,000. The listing calls the home an "exceptional colonial!" that boasts "quintessential Tosa charm!" and mentions the in-ground swimming pool, bright white modern kitchen with Corian countertops and a front-entry sunroom.

Walker tweeted Sunday night about his sons: "Matt graduates from Marquette in May. Alex from UW next May. Like many empty nesters, we are looking to downsize our home."

It appears the home on N. 68th St., which was built in 1924, was listed on Saturday. Since purchasing it in March 2007 for $310,000, Walker has painted the home's exterior, rebuilt the chimney and replaced the pool liner. Walker's home features 2 1/2 baths and a full basement on a quarter-acre. Assessed at $359,900, the home's tax bill in 2013 was $8,381.

No open houses are scheduled, but prospective buyers can request a private showing. When reached by phone Sunday, Realtor Cathy Priem said she had no comment before hanging up.
I'm so glad that the local media clarified that it was his personal house and not the governor's mansion. We all know he sold the mansion to the Kochs and Bradley Foundation as soon as he took office.

Someone might want to check out the Madison area pawn shops to make sure that Walker hasn't hocked the mansion silverware.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Deanna Alexander's Epic Temper Tantrum

A couple of weeks ago, candidates for the spring election needed to submit their nomination papers.  To keep our elections fair and just, opponents have the right to challenge those papers.  These challenges are reviewed by an election board to see if they have any merit to them.  In Milwaukee County, that entity is the Milwaukee County Election Commission.

In Milwaukee County's 18th Supervisory District, incumbent Deanna Alexander exercised her right by challenging the papers of one of her opponents, Martha De La Rosa.  It should be noted that Alexander's challenge came in after the time was up but the Election Commission decided to accept it anyway.

Alexander's challenge was based on the spaghetti principle - throwing everything she could and seeing if anything stuck.  While some of her challenges were accepted, De La Rosa had enough signatures to appear on the ballot.

Poor old Alexander must be feeling pretty damn nervous about De La Rosa, because she went to her campaign website and threw an epic temper tantrum:
The Milwaukee County Election Commission (MCEC) deliberated in closed session for several hours Tuesday after Deanna Alexander brought a legal challenge that the second 18th district candidate seeking election to the County Board in April’s Election did not fulfill the necessary filing requirements.

The MCEC partially affirmed Alexander’s case, recognizing that the other candidate submitted signatures from people that did not reside in the district or who provided fictitious, non-existent addresses.

However, when Alexander showed that the other candidate had put the wrong election date on nomination papers, had circulated papers with two different district numbers on them, and had failed to file a current Declaration of Candidacy or a signed and current Campaign Registration Statement by the filing deadline, the Election Commission chose the most loose and lenient possible interpretations of the law and dismissed the challenge.

The Election Commission also ignored evidence that someone in the Election Director’s office had altered original documents just before the hearing.

“Under the guidance of the Government Accountability Board, the Milwaukee County Election Commission has made it clear that it sees its role as allowing as many people on the ballot as possible, rather than to properly maintain the integrity of the election process by following both the intent and the letter of the law,” said Alexander.
It's one thing to be upset that her last-minute shenanigans didn't work, but to accuse the Election Commission of cheating and altering official documents? That's definitely a sign of going over the deep end in desperation.

Then again, Alexander has every right to feel a little panicky.  She is not very popular with her racist and bigoted actions.  Furthermore, not many of her fellow conservatives like her very much either and have been quietly distancing themselves from her.


Wal-Mart Loses To Labor Rights. Again.

Wal-Mart was once again found guilty of violating workers' rights when they disciplined workers who were exercising their rights by going on strike:
A National Labor Relations Board judge has ruled that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. unlawfully disciplined workers who staged protests in May and June of 2013 and ordered the retailer to reinstate 16 former employees, as well as give them back pay.

Judge Geoffrey Carter ruled that the employee actions were protected under the National Labor Relations Act and that Wal-Mart violated labor laws by "disciplining or discharging several associates because they were absent from work while on strike."

The judge also ordered Wal-Mart to hold a meeting in 29 stores throughout the country to inform employees of their right to strike, and to promise not to threaten or discipline employees for doing so.

The complaint was filed on behalf of the labor-backed group "Our Walmart," which called it a huge victory.
Even though they keep losing these fights, Wal-Mart keeps doing it because they are counting on the workers that don't know their rights or, because of their craptastically low wages, can't afford to fight for their rights.

Is it any wonder why they are one of the biggest funders in the war on unions?

Abele Sandbags Public School Takeover Because Elections



In Milwaukee County, there is a classic battle going on for the seat of Milwaukee County Executive. On one side is the well-moneyed rich, spoiled brat who thinks he can just buy his reelection. On the other side is a wildly popular state senator who is actually progressive and has one helluva grassroots campaign going on.

The incumbent is Chris Abele, son of billionaire John Abele, who feels that because his daddy is rich, he's better than the rest of us. Abele's five years in office has led to the dismantling of civil service protections, repeated efforts to bust the unions (both public and private), the removal of checks and balances in county government by concentrating power in his hands and the takeover of Milwaukee Public Schools.

Abele was rather proud of his working with the Republicans in the state legislature to make sure that he would become the education privatization czar in Milwaukee. For years, Abele and fellow millionaire, Sheldon Lubar, openly said that they were targeting the Milwaukee Public School Board in an effort to privatize the school system. Now that the Republicans gave him what he wanted, he couldn't stop bragging about how great he would make things.

What Abele didn't count on was how unpopular his takeover plans would be. In the face of increasing criticism, Abele is trying to downplay his takeover agenda. Sadly for him, Abele and his allies keep committing gaffes that reveal that he has no intention of scaling back his plans.

His hand-picked Commissioner for Decommissioning Public Schools, Demond Means, scheduled his first "listening" session at a private charter school. After an immediate and large amount of blow back, Abele and his commissioner rescheduled the session for a Milwaukee Public Park. (In what I am sure is pure coincidence that about the same time, Abele's head of corporation counsel said it was OK to have political events at county parks.)

The real giveaway came from Abele's friend, Republican State Senator Alberta Darling, who coauthored the bill giving Abele the power to privatize the Milwaukee school system. In the video below, she came out and said that Abele is waiting until after the April election before fulfilling his role in the takeover of the Milwaukee Public Schools:



On the other side of this takeover his Abele's opponent, State Senator Chris Larson, who, as seen in the video at top) is not only standing with the Milwaukee teachers and parents, but is willing to lead the way to taking it to Abele, delivering petitions with over 800 signatures opposing Abele's takeover.

As the gentle reader can see, this race is much, much more than just an election about good government versus a corrupt plutocracy. It is also about the future of our children.

Cross posted from Crooks and Liars

Debunking Governor Walker’s SOTS Claims


 

MADISON- This evening, Governor Walker is scheduled to give his 2016 State of the State Address in the Assembly Chamber of the State Capitol at 7:00 p.m.  In advance of the occasion, Rep. Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) released a useful primer to assist in interpreting the Governor’s most commonly-used statements made during the last few weeks leading up to the address.

1.     The truth behind Wisconsin’s workforce numbers

CLAIM: "We have at least according to two of the statistics from the federal government, the highest number of people last year working in the last 20 years."

In May of 2010, Wisconsin had 3,074,000 people in the labor force (BLS).  In May of 2015, Wisconsin had 3,076,000 people in the labor force. The labor force growth rate over the past 5 years is an anemic 0.01%. Compare that to the growth of Indiana (.41%), Iowa (.31%), and Minnesota (.61%) over the same time period.

CLAIM: "We're one of the top 10 states in terms of the percentage of people in the work force."(http://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/state-of-the-state-preview) 1/17/16

This is not significant or new in any meaningful way. Wisconsin has typically had a higher labor participation rate than the rest of the U.S. going back to 1990. And it was higher than it is now under Governor Jim Doyle. Regionally, it has been higher than all neighboring states except Iowa and Minnesota. 

Month
WI
US
IL
IN
IA
MI
MN
OH
May-90
70.03
66.53
68.26
67.81
69.21
65.86
73.18
66.08
May-95
73.4
66.44
68.07
71.16
72.58
66.1
74.57
65.7
May-00
72.33
66.97
69.38
68.36
70.9
68.74
75.32
67.02
May-05
70.14
65.97
66.37
67.54
71.38
65.97
73.38
66.76
May-10
69.39
64.79
67.08
64.37
71.05
62.72
71.47
65.41
May-15
67.57
62.97
64.39
63.64
69.88
60.91
70.66
63.09

What is significant is that Wisconsin’s labor participation rate has dropped nearly 6 percentage points since 1995, exceeding all but Indiana and Michigan. This reflects that Wisconsin’s labor force as a percentage of population appears to be shrinking faster than most of our neighboring states.

2.     Low unemployment + slow job growth ≠ successful economic measure

CLAIM: “A recent revised report from the federal government shows that the unemployment rate in Wisconsin is the lowest it has been since the spring of 2001.”

Wisconsin does have low unemployment by almost any measure, although not as low as 15 other states.

So how can our unemployment rate be so low if our job creation rate is so bad?

The answer is that Wisconsin is losing workers at nearly every age level over the prime working years, with more people moving out of the state than are moving in. And the people who are moving out are predominantly 20-to-50 year olds. Had Wisconsin’s population growth stayed at the level consistent with our neighboring states growth rates, we would have had an additional 46,000 state residents 16 and over.  Our low unemployment rate is in part the product of workers who are choosing to leave the state for work.                         (http://www.uwosh.edu/faculty_staff/mcgee/Jobs_or_Unemployment.pdf)

3.     Job numbers need context

CLAIM: “The 16,600 new jobs created in the month of October is the best monthly jobs gain since April of 1992 and the best October since at least 1990.” And the 45,100 new private sector jobs added October over October is statistically significant.”

It is interesting that the Governor chose to tout October jobs in December, after the newer November numbers had been released.  The 12-month growth in November was nearly 13,000 jobs less than October's 32,400 and trailed neighboring states. A classic example of cherry-picking.

4.     “New businesses” that don’t actually exist.

CLAIM: “There has also been a net increase of over 43,000 new businesses.”

Governor Walker is referencing the number of newly registered "business entities". However, many of these entities have no employees at all, and never will.  According to Politifact, that is because the Governor’s numbers also include non-profits such as youth groups, recreational athletic leagues, and home associations. It also includes thousands of limited-liability companies only set up to function as holding companies, startups, and out-of-state companies that register as a placeholder in case they were to do business in Wisconsin in the future.

5.     “Chief Executive” Magazine

CLAIM: “Chief Executive Magazine today ranked Wisconsin the “12th Best State for Business” in its annual survey of CEOs, an increase of two spots over the 2014 ranking, and a significant increase since 2010, when the state ranked 41st.”

Business leaders were asked to grade states with which they are familiar on a variety of competitive metrics that CEOs themselves regard as critical. These include: 1) taxation and regulation; 2) quality of workforce; and 3) living environment. The tax and regulatory grade includes a measure of how CEOs grade a state’s attitude toward business, a key indicator. “

One of the State Advocate CEOs for Chief Executive.Net Magazine is none other than Diane Hendricks, Chairman of Hendricks Holding, Beloit, WI.  Forbes Magazine estimated Hendricks' March net worth at $2.8 billion. Hendricks and her husband, Kenneth, built ABC Supply. She became chairman of the company after her husband died in 2007. The company posts annual revenue of more than $4 billion.

She was also Scott Walker’s largest donor, and yet owed no state income tax in 2010.

In Summary, the rankings include “a measure of how CEOs grade a state’s attitude toward business, a key indicator.” In this case, how Diane Hendricks, Governor Walker’s largest donor perceives things to be in Wisconsin.

6.     K-12 education: taking credit from decades of investment

CLAIM:   “Schools are doing better.”            
  “High school graduation rates are up again — now ranking third in the nation.”                       
  “Reading/Math scores are up in fourth and eighth grades.”
  “ACT scores are second best in the nation.”

Most 2015 Wisconsin high school graduates started school in 2000 or 2001. Fourth graders started school in 2008 or 2009.  Eighth graders started school in 2004 or 2005.  The point is that the achievement at any of these levels is not a snapshot of momentary success.  It is the product of investments made in public education in our state over time.

Under Governor Walker and Republicans, K-12 GPR School Aids have lost more than $1 Billion ($1.05 Billion).  Recent cuts in state education spending, no matter how damaging, take years to work their way through the system as students moved from grade to grade.

Wisconsin is just beginning to feel the effects of Act 10 as there are fewer teachers, fewer students enrolling in teaching programs and a reduction in education licensing. 

7.     The UW System: When less is actually less.

CLAIM: “For the first time in University of Wisconsin history, in-state tuition is frozen at all UW campuses for four years in a row. That makes college more affordable for our students and working families.”

The UW System has lost $795 million in state aid since Governor Walker became Governor. In the strongest national economy in a decade, Governor Walker and the Republican Legislature cut $250 million in the most recent budget from our UW system. These cuts will lead to fewer courses offered and longer graduation times.  And the low morale is leading to high faculty turnover as talented professors leave for other states. 




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