Why Aren’t Residency Requirements On The Ballot?

The Republican triumvirate in Madison will repeal local public employee residency requirements as part of their state budget. Regardless of your position on the subject, isn’t this the perfect candidate for a binding referendum in every municipality with residency rules? Although Mayor Barrett and Milwaukee’s residency rules and Milwaukee’s public employee unions are getting the [...]

Scott Walker’s Wisconsin doesn’t seem “Open for Business”

Yet more bad news when it comes Republican job creation efforts here in Wisconsin…

In the latest economic indicator that casts Wisconsin in a negative light, the Badger State ranks 49th in the nation in the most recent index from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

“Wisconsin clearly is not leading the recovery,” said William [...]

Scott Walker to hold “Forward Manufacturing” roundtable event, but you’re not invited!

Found in my email inbox this morning. From: “Jim Villa” Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2013 7:01 AM To: “Jim Villa”, “Valerie Cass”, “Larson,Tom” Subject: Invite your client to meet Gov. Walker & his cabinet CARW Members

Governor Scott Walker and key members of his Cabinet will hold a Forward Manufacturing roundtable meeting, a concept inspired [...]

Another Fine Example On Why Our Alternative Fuel Policy Pretty Much Sucks!

Because of federal support of ethanol production, large swathes of middle America, from Kansas through Texas, have converted to growing corn. And corn production requires far more water than many other cash crops and that dry central farming region has heavily relied on irrigation to raise bumper crops of corn…until the last few years as [...]

Wisconsin loses over 22,000 private sector jobs in April

Yep, Gov. Scott Walker’s “laser focus” on creating jobs in Wisconsin is sure paying dividends… And another set of employment data – this one preliminary and subject to revision – showed Wisconsin losing an estimated 22,600 private-sector jobs during April of this year.

In related news, according to the state Department of Workforce Development 62,072 [...]

Remember That Pesky Federal Deficit? Well It Ain’t What It Used To Be!

Since the recession, the federal deficit has been topping One Trillion Dollars every year. But just three months ago the Congressional Budget Office predicted that the 2013 deficit would be around $845 billion…well that was then, this is now and the CBO is now projecting the 2013 deficit at $642 billion…just 4% of the gross [...]

State hires Boston firm to create job database!

I just copied that headline verbatim from jsonline…well except for the exclamation point…that’s mine.

From the short article:

The state agency (Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development), which administers taxpayer-funded job retraining funds, said it expects to award a contract to develop an online database and job matchmaking service to Boston-based Burning Glass Technologies.

The [...]

WEDC Fails Another Audit and This Time There Should Be Criminal Charges

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Associated Press are reporting that an audit by the state’s non-partisan Legislative Audit Bureau found significant questionable financial activities surrounding Governor Walker’s Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. This time tax credits for creating jobs have gone unaudited, legally required reports haven’t been filed and there has been questionable spending on the [...]

90 more jobs leaving Wisconsin

Looks like 90 more jobs are leaving Wisconsin. C&D Technologies will eliminate 90 jobs at its factory in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood between late June and the end of the year, as the company completes the shift of a battery production line to Mexico.

The cuts were first announced in late 2011 and detailed more fully [...]

The Government Doesn’t Create Jobs Well Maybe Only In My District?

We’ve heard this song and dance a dozen times…and I’ve written about high paying jobs here in Wisconsin at Oshkosh Trucks (IED resistant trucks) and Marinette Marine (littoral Navy ships)…and how those jobs go away as fast as they appear when the military needs evaporate…well here we go again…except it’s in Ohio, the home of [...]