WI GOP Agenda Will Not Attract jobs, Residents And Tourists
It should have dawned on editorial boards and policy-makers alike by now that basic tenets of the current Republican blueprint for Wisconsin are not going to grow the state economy or improve its image.
Austerity produced meager tax cuts for homeowners and taxpayers, but at the expense - - particularly in Walker's first budget - - of public education and middle-class, public worker, main-street-small-business- consumer spending.
Imagine the boost for the state economy and image if the surplus had been principally invested for the long-term in secondary and trade school education.
"Move to Wisconsin for better schools."
"Bring your business here: We're investing in education."
And suppose that legislators stopped trying to make it easier for various industries to pollute or extract more publicly-owned water at the expense of lakes, rivers, trout streams, and wild rice-growing beds?
"Come to Wisconsin for clean water."
Imagine if the various Voter ID and voting hour restriction laws and bills were junked in favor of public campaigns to promote the vote?
"Come to Wisconsin: We value civic engagement here."
Imagine if the state were not hostile to expanded Amtrak?
"Take Amtrak's Empire Builder to Madison and beyond."
Imagine if the state had not passed laws banning same-sex relationship laws, or enabling discriminatory Native American school mascots?
"Wisconsin welcomes and respects all residents, tourists."
Restrictive laws, exclusionary attitudes and and self-defeating agendas do not sell the state.
Except short.
Cross-posted at Purple Wisconsin.
5 comments:
This is why when my wife and I, both public employees, are planning a few weekends away this summer we're looking at Minnesota, Iowa and maybe the UP. Wisconsin doesn't value us so we're not going to spend our money here unless we have too. Well what we have left of it. We would have been spending money at local merchants, maybe Wisconsin tourist spots and now with our kids college behind us maybe at furniture and carpet stores, but since the onset of Act 10 we've lost about $14,000 in disposable income. 95% of that would have been spent in Wisconsin - but not now and not as long as we're the whipping boy for the GOP. It's Working!!
Oh and FYI your "no robot" words are virtually impossible to read.
I have no control over the "robot" words. I find them difficult when I am on other blogs, too, but Google creates them, not I. When I had open commenting on my blog, that function was not there, but when open commenting got abusive and worse, I had to go to comment moderating, and proving you are not a robot is part of the deal.
School districts all over Waukesha County are partnering with local businesses to deliver the programs necessary for successful outcome based education. That's long term education skilled trades planning for education. Some one time temporary tax incentive means nothing when the problem resides in lack of vision, and lack of a talent pool, to educate students not going into debt for a 4 year degree. Milwaukee had the best school in the state in Milwaukee Tech because the school had standards and expectations which gave way to lower standards in the interest of political correctness. Now, Bradley Tech is what it is. Whatever that may be.
My family too was hit by Act 10 and we were called names and diminished as professionals. We also spend as little as we can here as Walker has created a culture of hate. We no longer buy products made by Walker donors, eats at Stand with Walker establishments or bank with Walkerites. Walker and his ilk made us the enemy. That is a very poor way to do business.
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