Thursday, April 19, 2012

Walker Bears Direct Responsibility For State Job Losses

Take a look at these two excerpts from Journal Sentinel stories about construction jobs in Wisconsin.

From this story Thursday about the loss of another 4,300 private sector jobs in Wisconsin in March:

In Wisconsin, construction showed the deepest monthly job losses, which was unexpected given the unseasonably warm weather.
* From this 2011 story about the impact on the job market related to Walker's cancellation of the federally-funded Amtrak line from Milwaukee-to-Madison:
The state Department of Transportation had projected that rail-related jobs would peak at 4,732 in 2012, counting those in direct construction, at supply companies and in government. Also, 55 permanent jobs would be created to operate and maintain the trains, tracks and stations. Supporters say many more jobs would be created by the project's spinoff impact on the economy.
There's no way to escape the facts and the conclusion: Walker's ideological decision to cancel the train cost the state construction, manufacturing and maintenance jobs - - and other opportunities and interaction among universities and businesses along the Midwest High Speed Rail Corridor from which Wisconsin is now disconnected.

Could the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters have been more prescient with the release of "Rail Fail" in its series of disclosures about Walker?

The group's report included this stinging remark from the LA Times after some of the money Walker forfeited went to California's rail system:
"Thanks a billion, cheeseheads!"


2 comments:

Say What? said...

The political sociopath could not possibly see the consequences of his actions. He needs help and that will come with successful recall and indictment.

It was revealed today that he owes lawyers over $100,000.
One of the lawyers is located in DC and specializes in "fixing it" AKA one who works with federal prosecutors in preventing a federal indictment.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

I will tell you that from firsthand experience that the construction industry took massive hits from the banking failures, and that the shedding of construction jobs during that time was appalling.

None of those have ever come back, even in the states that haven't had Turdwaffle's magic touch.

Hard construction is one of the best ways to re-invigorate an economy. It not only spurs true entrepreneurship (as opposed to financial trickery) but it has two multiplier effects in that it pays decent wages for skilled trade and also ramps up the materials and supply trades.... and all of them deliver those increases right the hell back into the economy through secondary and tertiary spending.

Which is why the arbitrary and petulant cancellation of the transit projects is not only stupid, but destructive.

Hey, thanks, Turdwaffle, you fucknozzle.