Posted on 07/25/2015 11:04:11 PM PDT by 1947Jenn
Apologies for posting from TPM. Discussion on a thread sent me looking for information on the Walker/WEDC situation as that was a new program he implemented from the start. While I generally do not like this source, the information appears rather cut and dried. Even if 1/2 of it is exaggerated, there is a lot to be concerned about.
[SNIP]"One of his first acts in January 2011 was to call an emergency session of the state legislature. One of the first pieces of legislation he signed as governor, Act 7, privatized the state’s department of commerce by turning it into a public-private hybrid called the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. WEDC’s board of directors was to be chaired by the governor himself to help him make the state more “business friendly” by doling out grants and tax incentives to businesses, helping Walker fulfill a campaign promise to add 250,000 new jobs to the state during his first term.
Four-and-a-half years later, however, Wisconsin continues to stagger. The state has seen some of the weakest job growth in the midwest, and Walker is hitting the trail with one of the weaker economic records in the ever-growing Republican field.
What happened?
From the start there were problems. Only one year in, journalists and watchdogs began uncovering evidence of mismanagement in WEDC.
After filing open records requests in 2012 to scrutinize the agency’s first year of operations, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel learned that WEDC had lost track of much of their initial $56 million loan portfolio. The agency was discovered to have understated, by about a third, the amount of money it had loaned out to companies who had fallen behind on repayments. And a pattern began to emerge: two loans totaling some $5 million had gone to two timber companies, Flambeau River Papers and Flambeau River Biofuels, both run by William “Butch” Johnson, a donor to Walker’s campaign. (At the time in 2012, Johnson said he planned on repaying taxpayers for the $2 million owed by the paper company and would personally vouch for $1 million of the outstanding loan to the biofuels company - neither happened.)" [SNIP]
To add to the problems, the new public/private agency didn't put into place personnel policies until over a year after it's inception. Then there is this:
"But months later in 2013, a legislative audit gave little reason to think much had changed and put the agency’s expenses into perspective. WEDC was found to have violated the laws it was required to follow in administering almost $350 million in bond assistance, $110 million in tax credits, $40 million in grants, and $20 million in loans.
“[WEDC] had no policies for determining how to handle delinquent loan amounts,” said the report’s authors. “We reviewed files for 64 awards that WEDC made in FY 2011-12 and found that WEDC made some awards to ineligible recipients, for ineligible projects, and for amounts that exceeded limits specified in its policies.”" [SNIP]
Giving away $$$ to “create jobs” is not conservative
Trump is making a generalized statement that the dems have been making and that Hillary will be making in the election.
Republican taxcuts have been detrimental to the economy and specifically look at what happened in Wisconsin, Kansas, New Jersey, and Louisiana.
They say that the GOP premise of taxcuts for the rich generating revenue for the state has failed which results in cuts to "roads, schools, and hospitals"(Trump's words).
The only people that benefit are the GOP's rich campaign doners.
Research needs %o be done now before GOP are committed. Is all I’m suggesting.
Do a Google search of Walker Laffer curve, Walker taxcuts, Walker ALEC, or Walker Koch brothers.
FACTS:
The Wisconsin Commerce Department was a totally failed agency. Walker helped create WEDC to engage the private sector in the business of job creation. Most board members come from the private sector.
Walker put the Wisconsin Legislature in charge of the WEDC, not the governor.
The Legislature found problems and corrected them.
Walker asked the legislature to remove the governor from chairmanship of WEDC and name a private sector chairman.....the legislature agreed. Walker stepped down earlier this month.
The Wisconsin legislature is in charge of WEDC 100%.
Lastly, liberals have been throwing everything at Walker possible, including threatening his family and friends. This is a smear campaign orchestrated by the left.
We all know how tough the media was on the blatant corruption and abuse of money from the Obama stimulus (sarcasm)....but this is considered serious news.
Sorry, folks, you won’t find dirt on Walker. They all tried and are resorting to making it up.
But it never ceases to amaze me how quickly conservatives go weak in the knees when the left tells them to bow down.
Yeah, about the worst anyone has on Walker is a State agency that made about $50 to $100 million in bad business development loans.
Big deal. The guy has cut my property taxes considerably for four years running while making the state that was the birthplace of progressive labor now one where the once powerful teachers union that ran it a paper tiger, losing over half its membership.
What Walker did was so devastating to the Dems, the entire Dem State Senate contingent had to flee the State for two months to try and prevent it from going through.
I like Trump, but bringing up liberal Milwaukee Journal talking points against Walker isn’t a smart way to handle things here.
There seems to be a few people who all came in in 2014 with the same kind of names.
formal training in economics, finance, capital allocation, wealth creation and so forth.
The Wharton School | Donald J. Trump, W’68
Oh well, it's too late for that now. As John Sacrimoni used to say, "that ship has sailed."
Only thing Trum said was there were problems. So what are they? No one is perfect. Openly discuss them or hide them that is the option. If hidden it is suspicious of being serious
First guess, Trumpster. Trump was bashing Walker yesterday and I figured the Trumpbots would be out parroting his lines of attack (which looked like Democrat talking points and opposition research).
No, not at all. I mean, really, do you even know where you are?
I can’t believe that people at FreeRepublic take lefty sources at face value. Walker’s economic record is NOT negative. Go to official sources:
——Wiscsonsin’s unemployment is 4.6 per the last report. This is third in the midwest and now in the top 20 in the US.
——Wisconsin’s labor participation rate is 5 percent higher than the national average. It is substantially unchanged during Walker’s governorship because Wisconsin (at 4.6 unemployment) nearly at full employment.
——Wisconsin’s employment growth has been slower that other states because unemployment in the recession did not increase as greatly.
http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dwd/newsreleases/2015/unemployment/150416_march_state.pdf
——His union reform was so successful at generating savings that Walker massively paid off debt, gave taxpayers a tax-cut and still finished the budget with a surplus.
As was noted above WEDC was an innovative approach to increasing jobs which has had problems which are now addressed. But it is lefty nonsense that Walker has had anything but a stellar economic performance.
Thanks for your accurate reporting
Hillary presided over a State Dept that lost over 6 billion that no one can account for.
Walker is good player; he’s just overshadowed by Trump/Cruz. When America gets happy and strong again, when it once again teaches its magnificent and inspired history in schools again, when it balances powers between its states and its federal government, then Walker can command it. He’s very young now and has plenty of time.
Best that Walker stay in WI and continue slamming the unions there. Better yet he should get to the bottom of the reports about state government officials of WI’s GAB that we hear horror stories about and if they are guilty he should support having them jailed to the fullest extent of his ability as governor. He should also insist on public hearings about what these government criminals did and he should voice how they should pay for their crimes and how WI should pass laws to keep such abuses from ever happening again.
As far as WI’s economy, they have never been a standout state for business and industry. They will follow a general recovery that Trump/Cruz will foster and then any alleged WEDC mismanagement will be long forgotten.
Bump for later.
Cruz supporters have used the most vile leftist sources to attack Walker.
It is disgusting.
At least Walker did not support Obama on Iran, TPA nor want to increase H1-B visas by 500%.
I haven’t done as much research on Walker, as many other FReeper’s have.
I do know Twitter is all a tweet over Walker’s supposed affection for CommieCore. On Trump’s feed there’s something about how WI universities have suffered, under Walker and something about why he left 1,000+ WI jobs on the table due to a political deal with the @paysbig Potawatomi....whatever that is.
I’m sure WI FReepers can correct, or add to, the discussion of the above. (Again...twitter posts may have NOTHING to do with reality....just letting folks know what is being said, regarding Walker/WI.)
Good morning. I should’ve pinged you to my post #37....as you may have more details on some of the things that are being said/questioned about Walker. TIA for any input you may have.
Those of us who read Wisconsin newspapers daily recognize this as our daily hit piece against Walker.
Read this article thoroughly and then tell me it's not a one sided smear article.
Kudos for doing your homework. The GOP in Wisconsin no longer defends what a mess WEDC has been. Walker was Chairman of WEDC until last month when the legislature removed him from that position after the last audit. District Attorney Ozanne is reviewing the case after the file was turned over to him in late May.
The last update I learned about indicated that 124 million had been issued to companies that were not eligible and without review. Many of these companies have shipped jobs overseas. It has been determined that at least 60% of the funds issued has been to Walker donors.
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