Saturday, June 6, 2015

WEDC touts WI for emerging business, though our ranking is 50th

There was a lot of buzz this week in traditional and social media about yet another economic ranking that puts Wisconsin dead last - - this one measuring the state as a setting for emerging, start-up business activity.

I included it in a posting that also cited another 50th-in-the-US-ranking for Wisconsin - - retention of citizens' middle-class incomes.

And don't forget that Wisconsin under Walker has fallen to 40th in jobs added, and his WEDC, even with bent rules, political agendas and influence, marginal oversight and dismissal of adherence to law could not get Walker much above the halfway point creating the 250,000 new private-sector jobs he repeatedly promised in a four-year term.

Yet in the face of all that data comes Walker's troubled WEDC saying this on its website:
In Wisconsin®, we’re creating policies that advance emerging industries and allow businesses to compete nationally and globally. -
And directing readers to that site through online advertising appearing as recently as 11:15 p.m. Saturday night on news stories posted on the Wisconsin State Journal's Madison.com website.

That's taxpayer money being used to make WEDC look better than is deserved, or earned - - likewise the soon-to-be-declared GOP presidential candidacy of WEDC chair Scott Walker. (The budget he will sign in a few weeks relieves him of that responsibility and its lingering embarrassment.)

But he and the WEDC have been playing a self-serving, publicly-subsidized game for several years.

Remember these earlier examples, here and here?  And other state websites featuring Walker and his wife, Tonette, as the 2014 election loomed?

WEDC, lile much of state government, has long been a political arm serving Walker's interests.

If there were rankings for that conflict-of-mission, Wisconsin would finally get a #1.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aren't there laws in the US that make state-sponsored propaganda illegal?

Just like there are laws against campaign coordination, scamming the IRS by falsely proclaiming your political PACs are nonpartisan, circumventing own records laws with secret illegal routers, and campaigning on the taxpayer's dime.

Man is that Walker really is criminal!

But the system gives him a free pass over and over and over again. He will be our next President because powerful interests have chosen him to take down what's left of our democracy. And how can they make this happen?

Media propaganda.

Anonymous said...

What do you expect them to say, the truth? You want them to put on the following:
At WEDC we are proud of our abysmal record of failure in creating an atmosphere of economic prosperity, because that was never the governor's intent. We have served as a state sponsored political sponsor of Walker, and that is our purpose. We have taken your hard earned dollars and thrown them away because in order for the top 1% to accomplish a complete takeover, we need to rob from the poor and middle class and give to these job creators. They, like some state reps, are so poor they can barely afford a bottle of wine at a cheap 300 bucks.

Anonymous said...

If you liked the criminality of Scott Walker when he was in the State Assembly and then the Milwaukee County Executive's office, if you like the criminality of Scott Walker as Governor, then you will LOVE the criminality he will commit once he becomes President of the United States!

It's in the works, deal with it, and work for positive political change that will not let them steal the White House in 2016.

Anonymous said...

AND the beat goes on!! http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/wedc-loan-to-aviation-company-unpaid/article_08cd4cfc-ec3d-58b5-9e71-b0e9f248868d.html

my5cents said...

Exactly where are all of those emerging businesses? Not in SE Wisconsin. All of the "new" businesses in SE Wisconsin are old businesses from Illinois who only moved here for the tax breaks. Unfortunately many of their previous employees now drive to Wisconsin from Illinois to work. So, how does that really help Wisconsin except for the side businesses that are doing better because people have to eat, buy gas, and maybe do some incidental shopping before they head home to spend the rest of their paychecks in Illinois.

Anonymous said...

When did the State of Wisconsin become Wisconsin®, a registered trademark?

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:38

I first thought perhaps the inclusion of Wisconsin® was a typo (probably from the sources James got it from), but when I googled this, found out that James had correctly quoted inwisconsin.com (http://inwisconsin.com/select-wisconsin/state-strengths/tax-policy/). I called Wade Goodsell at 608.210.6813 (contact identified at previous link) and he told me he could not tell me anything about this.

He told me to call Kelly Lietz, vice president of marketing, at 608.210.6858. I got his voicemail and chose not to leave a message. I will call back.

Please consider calling Kelly yourself and can we get to the bottom of this? What is the purpose of misrepresenting the name of the State of Wisconsin, which is clearly in the public domain, as a registered trademark?