During the 2010 election cycle, Republicans here in Wisconsin and nationally promised that they’d focus on job creation if elected, only to lose focus once they took office.
Here’s a look at all the “job creation” legislation Republicans have taken up for consideration since gaining majorities here in Wisconsin and in the U.S. House of Representatives:
| Wisconsin | Nationally |
|---|---|
| tort reform | anti-abortion legislation |
| wetlands development legislation | health care reform repeal |
| auto insurance “reform” | Patriot Act reauthorization |
So where’s all the job creation?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/feed/ct-biz-0210-high-speed-rail-talgo-20110210,0,1248566.story
The answer to your question is – ILLINOIS
Illinois is the right answer. Talgo, the Spanish train car manufacturer just announced their move to Chicago as mentioned above. Beloit-based aluminum company expanding in Roscoe, IL, in an old superfund site cleanup up by a government program, no less. 130 direct jobs with many spinoffs.
In the next few months, you’ll also see an exodus of educated workers leaving Wisconsin for other states. For many, the take-over by right-wing reactionaries will be the needed boost to get the heck out of what is quickly becoming the laughing stock of the U.S.A..
This is the beginning of the political “cleansing” that Walker, Ryan, Sensenbrenner, and the other corporate lickspittles desire. Too bad these wingnuts are to stupid to see how this will hurt the state.
UncleDad- They’re not stupid, they just don’t care. Fewer intelligent achievers holding these clowns to account = more oligarchs, Gekko wanna-bes and trailer trash in the electorate, and a higher chance they stay in office.
I’d rather take the politicos out and make this place better.
I just love how the progressives have no problem stealing 40% of my paycheck to help fund their retirement and pay for their insurance and now that the people of Wisconsin is asking them to take a little more responsibility and start acting like adults they are all having a temper tantrum like a group of 5 year olds.
Fine, if it’s that way with you how about this. The public sector employees earn 8.2% less than the private sector – aka me and you. If they’re going take away the public sector’s benefits, raise their wages proportionally to match.
🙂
The most recent study found that figure was actually 4.8%.
Notalib, since you’re bitching and moaning about the benefits state employees have, I’d love to hear you explain how much in pay and benefits you’d be willing to take to work as a corrections officer in a maximum security prison like Waupun Correctional.
Seeing as how corrections officers start at somewhere near $13.50 an hour, I’d love to hear you explain how you’d be willing to work for much less than that.
Ooo, sorry. My bad, it was kind of old where the information I got mine from. It must have not counted before being hit by the recession. Thank you for correcting me.
That must be why so many state employees have been fleeing to the private sector these last few years. Oh wait…
Or maybe it’s because the private sector has been making so many job–
oh wait.
Notalib, I’m still waiting for you to tell me how much you’d be willing to take in pay and benefits in order to work at a maximum-security state prison.
I would not work at a prison, so have never given it any thought. But I have no issue with their salary, since I know a couple of state guards and what they go through they deserve better pay, as long as they are fairly contributing to their pension and healthcare.
Exactly my point. You wouldn’t do the job corrections officers do, yet you complain that their benefits are too good.
40%? Really? State and fed combined? Did you know that our federal tax burden is as low as it’s been since the 1950’s?
And you say it’s the progressives who are stealing your money? To do what? Trivial things like paving your streets? And providing critical services? And the all time progressive fatted cow, the prison system? Oh wait. That’s not a progressive cause, but your taxes are still paying for it. And the most progressive theft of all, paying the salary of your governor?
I just took a look at my check, and my state withholding was far less than 40% of my gross pay. I’m ordinarily loathe to call someone a liar, but I’m going to call you a liar if you’re trying to say that the state is taking 40% of your paycheck.
WOW a liar I like that but you are the one who decided to read into what I said, I said I lose 40% of my paycheck to taxes………
Tell me what your pay check has been over your whole entire life and I’ll do the math according to years to see if you’re saying shit or not. 🙂
I’m an accountant, it’s a part time job of mine that I often fill out tax forms for the elderly and the disabled as free tax preparation. This is why I’m asking you this.
I have a seriously hard time believing that 40% of your paycheck all your life is going into taxes. now i can believe that if it’s going into the cost of food, technology, furniture, homes, and so on — but I have a hard time believing it’s just taxes alone.
I dunno. I pay 15.3% of my income right off the top to FICA – Social Security & Medicare. “Regular” (non-self-employed) people pay 7.65%, and their employers match that. I’d argue that the the employer isn’t really paying that – that in practical terms it comes out of the money they have to pay employees anyway so even “regular” employees are paying the 15% Quibble with that if you like, but as a self-employed person, I’m sure as heck paying all 15.3% of it. (I’m ignoring the fact that Social Security is 4.2% for 2011 since it’s not normal [and it’s idiotic]). If memory serves, my effective tax rate has been around 22% (16% fed, 6% state). My property taxes amount to about 5% of our income. I live in a town, with a tremendous school district administrator – our property taxes are probably lower than most people in the state. A little math: 16% fed income + 6% state income tax + 5% property tax + 15% FICA = 42% of my income going to taxes. Now state sales tax is more difficult to figure out. And all of the fees. Wild guess, maybe somewhere around 3-4%. So that brings me up to about 45% of my income going to taxes at some level.
And let’s not forget that every dime the government taxes businesses gets passed on to me in the form of increased prices for the goods & services I buy. For example, the 51.3 cents per gallon that the state & federal government tax me is a less than half of 1 percent of my income. But every product I buy has the cost of fuel and fuel taxes added to it.
Locke, Sounds to me like you are making a case for raising capital gains taxes and the corporate income taxes!
Also “every dime” that the government taxes businesses, absolutely positively does NOT get passed on to the consumer. That is a myth. Prices are set, when there is NOT a monopoly by the market. a modest in crease in taxes on corporations could do many things, like maybe a corporation would have to buy one less jet, or maybe only allow the ceo 50,000 to redecorate their office instead of 100,000, etc…
How the hell do you get that? Love when you just completely make stuff up. Explaining how about 45% of my income goes to taxes makes a case for capital gains taxes?
And OK, not every single dime is pass to customers. But close to it. There are market forces that sometimes prevent producers from passing on some of the tax. But as a general rule, that’s not the case. Know why? Because higher corporate/business taxes will hit all retailers and manufacturers relatively equally. Even in the most competitive industries they can pass on the increases knowing their competitors face the same increases. Target has no problem passing increased taxes onto it’s consumers when Walmart and Shopko and the rest all face the same tax increase and will all do the same.
As a concrete, real world example – I guarantee you 100% of my increased expenses ultimately get passed on to my customers. Every year, I review my expenses including taxes and my profits. When it’s not enough, my rates go up. I bumped up my hourly rate $5 for 2010. But then, most of my customers are big companies now, so…
Because why should you pay 40+ percent of your income on taxes, while someone who its on their yacht collecting dividend checks pay a MAX rate of 15%?
You know as well as i do, with all of the special favors, loopholes, advantages, reporting, deductions, etc… All big manufacturers do not pay the same. 2/3 corporations in America right now are paying 0 in taxes. Not only that they all pay different amounts to their vendors for same products.
Its funny how when using your example : Target gives multi million dollar pay outs to their execs, or if they give millions to political candidates that money does not get passed directly to the consumer but a tax does?
I said that somewhere?
NO, I did. you used the target/walmart/shopko example. do you know that many new Big box stores like wal mart work deals with states and local municipalities that they get to actually KEEP the state sales tax that you pay.
And it’s relevant because?
Do I know that big companies get all kinds of enticements to build/relocate/stay in a certain location? Of course I know that. That’s sort of my point. You can try all you want to stick it to big corporations, you’re going to fail. They can pass the costs on to their customers and they pay tax lawyers who are better and much, much smarter than the government – especially the legislators we have writing the laws. Local governments need them more than the corporations need the one location.
You’re making my point for me. Don’t bother. It sucks, but at some point you either admit the brick wall you’re banking your head against isn’t going to give or you pass out.
The entire tax code is a waste of energy and resources. Re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Agreed!
“Wisconsin is asking them to take a little more responsibility”'”
If Governor Walker were truly asking…and he met with the unions and discussed the state finances in an open and respectful manner, he might be surprised by the response. Instead he is demanding and threatening. And so far there has been not a word about the governor or legislators taking any pay cuts or increasing their participation in paying for their benefits. Here is a prime opportunity for Gov. Walker to lead by EXAMPLE.
Gov Walker knows what all of us know, unions do not negotiate only demand.
Again, more lies. Go spew your lies and talking points somewhere else.
You know, you sounds like a member of a cult. Just saying.
Unlike union members who buy into the “we got a raw deal” mantra drummed into them by union bosses year in and year out…
I didn’t hear anyone from the union say that we got a raw deal in the past few years….in fact, all the union folks I know (which is a lot) recognized that the concessions that have been made in the past few years needed to be made, given the state’s economic climate.