Red Ink, Pinks Slips Here: The Golden And Sunshine States Get Our Gold

For which Californians are saying, thanks for the rail funding..suckers.

Separately, Florida loves Walker, too.

And remember - - in addition to the lost grant, with its rail construction, train assembly and related supplier and white-collar jobs that Scott Walker as Governor-elect only kissed off here, we Wisconsinites are still going to pay in taxes 1.8% - - our pro rate share - - of the $8 billion high-speed rail stimulus package to build better trains in other states.

We had received 10% of that $8 billion  - - making us the country's biggest winner - -  but now it's all out-flow, so we're the biggest loser, because in that additional $624 million headed from Wisconsin to California, is $11.6 million ($624 million x 1.8%) just from Bucky's federal tax collections.

Using the same formula, we'll be paying more than $6 million into the $342 million being transferred to Florida, too.

And our "W" was the pro-business candidate? Really?

Where did he get that training and credential - -  Lehman Brothers Correspondence School?

Here's what the whole deal looks like to me (EPA photo):

The Wisconsin State Journal endorsed Walker for Governor, saying, "Walker is the best choice for getting Wisconsin back on track financially and competing for more good-paying jobs."


Instead, he set off an out-of-state competition for $810 million in federal rail funds, and wiped out an estimated 5,000 rail construction, train car assembly, supplier and white-collar spin-off employment and operating jobs in-state, and at the much-needed Talgo and Tower site business park start-up.


The Journal Sentinel did much the same, noting "... in a time of economic peril and at a time when government must be reformed, it's time to throw away the playbook. We recommend Scott Walker to be Wisconsin's next governor."


Playbook, maybe. But jobs, the Talgo facility and the Milwaukee-Madison train line that the paper editorially supported as an economic engine?


Why throw all that away? And continue to praise Walker's vision and business planning when his accomplishments to date have been to the benefit of other states, but negative for workers and a budding Milwaukee rail industry at home?

So where are we, as Walker starts off in the job-creating hole, and our business community stayed silent?

California gets the gold, which we had, while the Sunshine State gets a shiny new rail boost - - and we get the pink slips, red ink and the shaft.

A Scott Walker success story.