In a recent press release, Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker announced his plan to create 250,000 jobs and 10,000 new businesses in Wisconsin by 2015. That sounds positively wonderful, except for the fact that it’s simply not realistic. In making his claim that he’ll create 250,000 jobs, Walker is claiming he’ll be able to reduce Wisconsin’s unemployment rate to nearly zero percent, which seems to me to be a claim based solidly in fantasy. After all, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, there are currently 250,900 unemployed Wisconsinites, meaning Walker’s claim would require him to find a job for nearly every single unemployed man and woman in the state of Wisconsin. Considering the fact that the lowest recorded unemployment rate in recent Wisconsin history is 2.4 percent in 1999, I find it more than a little hard to swallow that Scott Walker’s going to
virtually eliminate unemployment in the state of Wisconsin.
And while Scott Walker might want Wisconsin’s voters to believe his claim that he can create 250,000 new jobs and virtually eliminate unemployment in Wisconsin, it’s worth noting that the unemployment rate in Milwaukee County when Scott Walker took over as County Executive in April 2002 was 6.7%, while the unemployment rate in Milwaukee County in December 2009 stood at 9.3%. Scott Walker’s had almost 8 full years as Milwaukee County Executive to reduce unemployment, yet more residents of Milwaukee County are unemployed now than when Walker first took office. That’s not a record that backs up Walker’s claim that he can create 250,000 new jobs as governor, but then again, not a single soul should be surprised that Scott Walker’s distorting his own record in order to score cheap political points.
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It’s also worth noting that the unemployment rate in the City of Milwaukee when Tom Barrett took over as Mayor in April 2004 was 9.0%, while the unemployment rate in December 2009 stood at 11.0%
While Tom isn’t as stupid as Scott to make a claim on the number of jobs he will create, his website makes very clear that his priority is to “create, attract and save more good-paying, family-supporting jobs for our workers.” Tom Barrett’s had almost 6 full years as Milwaukee Mayor to reduce unemployment, yet more residents of the City of Milwaukee are unemployed now than when Barrett took office.
It’s fine to blast Walker for his ridiculous jobs-creating number, but don’t base it on a silly premise and don’t forget that Tom Barrett is a mayor in the county you are criticizing.
(And if it’s Bush’s fault in Barrett’s case, it must be in Walker’s case too.)
I don’t take issue with Walker’s claim that he’ll create jobs; it’s just the fact that he threw out an outlandish number to go along with his claim. I mean, if he had a plan that could wipe out unemployment in Wisconsin, why hasn’t he implemented it as County Executive?
I get that you want to slam Walker’s numbers claim, and rightfully so, but again, I could just as easily say if Barrett has a plan to reduce unemployment in Wisconsin, why hasn’t he done so as mayor? The set-up works, but not the follow-thru.
I do wonder if Walker will be asked to justify this claim. Where do 250,000 people come from? Rising population? Influx of immigrants? Because if around 250,000 are out of work now, while in our minds it’s nice to think everyone will have a job, most economics agree that absolute zero unemployment is unhealthy indicating a tight labor market, no job switching, or opportunity for growth. I wonder if Neumann will make hay with this, because surely Barrett will!