Posted on 06/01/2015 12:16:37 PM PDT by conservativejoy
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Home/ Top News Summary/ Local News/ Writers/ Mike Ivey
Gov. Scott Walker taking heat from both right and left over WEDC
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May 22, 2015 10:30 am • By Mike Ivey | The Capital Times
Scott Walker file photo
Scott Walker file photo
Gov. Scott Walker
Enlarge Photo
Watchdog groups have long warned against WEDC practices
Quasi-private economic development agencies like WEDC in several states have attracted the attention of national groups. Read more
Hours after damning audit, Scott Walker calls off WEDC-WHEDA merger
Democrats blasted the governor's economic development agency, calling the problems at WEDC "bordering on criminal negligence." Read more
Mike Ivey
Biz Beat
Mike Ivey has been a reporter with The Capital Times for more than 25 years, covering business, the environment and politics. He was named the state's top business reporter in 2011 by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. Biz BeatBlog EmailEmail TwitterTwitter
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As legislators have debated changes to the troubled Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. this week, the agency’s main architect Gov. Scott Walker is taking heat from both the right and left.
This week, the conservative website Right Wisconsin featured a column from managing editor Collin Roth calling for an end to the kind of “crony capitalism” that allegedly led to a failed $500,000 loan to a Walker campaign donor.
“Conservatives are supposed to believe in limited government and free markets,” Roth wrote. “We don't want government to pick winners and losers in the market. And we love to preach that government doesn't create jobs.”
Roth said WEDC is an example of a flawed government attempt to create jobs by doling out tax dollars to selected recipients.
“Just because it's Republicans in power and they are handing out cash in service of ‘job creation’ doesn't make it any better,” Roth wrote. “And before Democrats think I'm taking their side, the Doyle years were just as replete with bad loans and cronyism.”
Meanwhile, one of the governor’s loudest critics on the left, Scot Ross of One Wisconsin Now, is saying there will be no improvement at WEDC unless politics can be taken out of the equation.
“It’s time for Gov. Walker to come home and come clean about what’s been going on at WEDC,” Ross said in a statement. “And it’s time for the Republican majority in the state Legislature to stop covering for him as he runs for president and start demanding answers and accountability.”
In fact, Republicans on Thursday did break their silence about the questionable 2011 loan to a failing Milwaukee construction company whose owner was one of 32 individuals to make the maximum $10,000 contribution to Walker on the eve of the November 2010 election.
Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, co-chair of theJoint Finance Committee, said the most recent audit criticizing WEDC practices and the Wisconsin State Journal investigation into the loan to Building Committee Inc. and its owner William Minahan is cause for concern.
The budget committee passed a Republican motion Thursday altering some aspects of WEDC’s operations, including canceling a $55 million WEDC revolving loan fund.
In addition, legislators are also going to remove the governor from the WEDC board, something Walker himself had proposed but will keep two Republican and two Democratic legislators on it. Walker had recommended removing all elected officials from the board.
Also Thursday, Democrats formally requested U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch make a federal inquiry of the loan to see if any laws were broken. BCI, which originally sought a $4.3 million loan from the state, has been accused of falsifying its application and failing to acknowledge past legal problems. The state is now suing to try and recover its money.
“Like many taxpayers across Wisconsin, I am outraged by these explosive media reports, but as a board member I feel a responsibility to ensure we find out how this improper loan was granted and that this is not the tip of the iceberg, while also finding solutions following the recent scathing audit of Gov. Walker’s WEDC,” Rep. Peter Barca said in the letter. “Given all the turmoil and potential federal laws being broken at WEDC, a thorough federal investigation is the best way to determine whether the governor and some of his closest aides engaged in pay-to-play activities or committed other serious ethical violations.” .
Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/writers/mike_ivey/gov-scott-walker-taking-heat-from-both-right-and-left/article_51131b1a-fffd-11e4-8ad7-53b4d46799f3.html#ixzz3bq6TgO2l
Gee, the Leader of the GOP pack gets attacked by the opposition using the DOJ.
So, what’s new and unexpected ? Nothing. same ‘ole same ‘ole.
Want some fries with that nothingburger?
Sorry, a lot of the above did not show on my preview.
The content of the article is showing that there is real concern over the agency that Scott Walker created and taxpayer dollars that were paid to political donors by his agency that he Chairs.
So far, none of the money supposedly for job creation has actually resulted in new jobs. No one is being held accountable for that. Hence the investigation that will apparently now become Federal.
We might want to wait and see what the Federal investigation shows. If there was indeed “pay to play” involved, that is a game changer.
If it turns out that is the case, Walker removing himself after the fact will not exonerate him.
Quoting Dums now?
don’t shoot me ... I’m just showing you what 100 million Americans will see on television by this Thursday night ...
With the cuts to newsrooms and investigative journalism across the country, CMD's original and in-depth investigations are more important than ever in breaking through the corporate-backed PR that too often fills commercially-sponsored news outlets.
Why would a conservative look here for information?
The source is there and the article was copied in total.
You might also want to check out the article from “Right Wisconsin”. It was posted on a later thread.
guess we’re all looking forward to Scott Walker’s response, ‘eh ?
Good find! There is too much smoke in the form of Evidence already. Some will ignore it until indictments are handed down. Expect those to be forthcoming once the Feds get involved.
Its 2012 all over again. Divide and attack the conservative front runners leaving Jeb as thee only “electable” candidate. Of course, they do it by presenting the next conservative they will take down as the stalking horse. Cruz is better, abandon Walker, then when Criz is being taken down we will be told somenotherncandidate is better and on and on until only the GOPe selection is left.
What is fair is that if indeed there was “pay to play” involved here, as it looks like there was, we need to know this Now. I don’t expect anything but Corruption from Democrats. I don’t want this kind of mess associated with our next President. We don’t have to settle for this!
This is called “Vetting”. I’ve made it no secret that I support Cruz and do not trust Walker. That was before this began to surface. I want my vote to be based on Truth, not blind adoration of any candidate.
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