Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Wisconsin's middle-class has taken biggest US hit

How much evidence do you need to grasp the damage our 'Midwestern nice" presidential poseur-in-chief has added to Wisconsin's stalled economy through punitive, trickle-down fiscal 'planning' - - damage he heaped on top of a national recession recovery that is bypassing the state on his watch?
Damage done to the Regular Joes and Janes he alleges to represent.

Damage that intensifies as he turns his back on the state - - much as he turned away from Milwaukee County finances, pension reform, park maintenance and other needs when focusing on his run for Governor- - to criss-cross the country in search of yet greater personal achievement, ego-gratification, right-wing financing, and an even higher office, the US presidency.

Check out the chart.


No wonder Wisconsin is now 40th in job creation among the states, falling from 31st place, which was nothing to crow about.


No wonder the Walker machine as it promotes the fiction Walker has managed some sort of economic miracle in Wisconsin is putting out spin about the real situation here, which includes data Walker will never acknowledge showing that jobs created in Wisconsin tend to be in lower-wage categories:

Is Wisconsin Becoming a Low-Wage Economy?, October 2014, by Marc V. LevineFull Report (pdf - 418kb)
A look at this sort of data woven into a comprehensive historical review of Walker's record, ideology and connections is here.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is the truth that has to be shared with Wisconsinites....workers in this state are falling behind workers in the rest of the country. Wages have fallen the greatest in Wisconsin than any other state. Even Walker's Dept. of Work Force Development projects most future jobs will be in the low wage category [under $10- $12.50 per hour] IT'S NOT WORKING!!!!!!

my5cents said...

I just read through the UWM Center for Economic Development Report. Wisconsin isn't becoming a low wage state, Wisconsin has become a low wage state. Why doesn't the Republican party in Wisconsin know that lowering wages decreases the revenues the state takes in. Considering the way they are governing I have to believe that they have no clue. Are they really so beholden to their corporate masters that nothing else matters? Will it matter when it affects them personally? This is no way to govern a democracy. I have heard that it will take 30-40 years to undo the damage they have done. I will be long gone by then and this is a very depressing way to finish my life. It is all so unbelievable that so many can be so blind to so many things.

Anonymous said...

If we don't transfer money from working people to the job creators, how do we grow our economy?

This is what the media keeps telling me we must do. They keep telling me that Scott Walker is the man to do it too.

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:51...........the working people are the JOB CREATORS!!!! When they have discretionary income beyond that needed for the basics, they spend that money which increases demand which causes employers to add jobs to meet the new demand. The new jobs by paying a living wage create the multiplier effect that each dollar spent in the local economy is then spent over and over again increasing the demand cycle and growing the economy and jobs! Unfortunately 60% of Walker's jobs pay under $10 per hour and most of the rest between $10-$12.50 per hour leaving 180,000 families with incomes below 200%of the poverty rate and putting downward pressure even on middle wage jobs some dropping by $3 per hour. The result the incomes are so low that there is no money beyond basic needs to drive demand and grow the economy and jobs!

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

The problem here is that the Republicans have mastered the political art of resentment, and declining standards of living are portrayed as the fault of Democrats who "take YOUR money" and give it to "THOSE people".

Of course, the people who are taking the money are the oligarchs, and the people taking it away are the Republicans, but that is not able to be recognized in a low-information environment dominated by Yell Radio...