The Real Problem of Wisconsin=Failed Economic Leadership

As rumors swirl of Jim Doyle taking a cabinet post in the Obama Administration.  The North Shore Exponent wants to remind people that despite Doyle may be on his way out, still our state has a very serious problem no one in the last four years has dealt with.  That is solving the leadership deficet to bring quality, good paying jobs and better jobs to Wisconsin.

Wisconsin has had unacceptable economic leadership during good and bad economies in the last four years plus as Wisconsin has been on its fifth commerce secretary in five years.  This is evident as we are seeing good paying jobs leave Wisconsin that should not be leaving Wisconsin.  The economic leadership deficet is evident as we are seeing top employers like GM leave Janesville and many more good paying jobs are leaving Northern Wisconsin.  Our state is facing a lack of understanding that in order for our state to prosper we need to unleash the high tech economy in our state.  Also, Wisconsin’s business climate is rated number 38 by the non-partisan tax foundation.  We cannot afford to be another New Jersey as New Jersey has the worst business climate in the United States with high taxes in which are forcing people to leave New Jersey for more tax friendly states like Virginia and Minnesota.  Once, Wisconsinites await to see the Democrats in control of all the State Government, beware Wisconsin you will see the same sign that former Governor of Illinois Jim Thompson had in the 1980’s only be at the Minnesota border as Minnesota is booming and Wisconsin is not.  This is why in 2010 we cannot afford to have anymore of the failed Democratic Party economic leadership in State Government.  Jim Doyle’s ‘”Grow Wisconsin Plan” has done nothing for our economy.  

In another light, here is what I think the State needs to do to turn around a very sluggish economy.

1. Control the State Spending and the Structural Deficit.  With a deficet looming at over five billion dollars, we cannot tax and spend our way out of it, and that is start controlling spending, streamlining the government item by item, and also end the giveaways of pork barrel earmarks.

2. Transparency-We need to follow what Nebraska and Missouri is doing and is put our government in the hands of the public and let the public scruitnize the waste of Government.  Last year the Democratic Controlled State Senate waffled a big chance to improve how accountable of our state government is by blocking transparency legislation.  We need to put our state’s checkbook and pork barrel projects on-line.  We need to hold accountable those who waste our taxpayer dollars.

3. FREEZE PROPERTY TAXES AND I MEAN A REAL FREEZE

Wisconsin needs to first have a real freeze on property taxes and freeze them to 2006 levels.  Then, Wisconsin once freezes property taxes should scrap the current property tax formula and do property taxes on the last known appraised value, not your market value year-by-year.  This will keep your property taxes stable.  Many states are going to this formula and Wisconsin should do this so we can keep seniors in their homes not drive them to move to Illinois.

4. Put Jobs in the Areas We Need the Jobs.

We need to prioritize and start having JOBZ like in Minnesota, Job Opportunity Building Zones.  We need to have zones built in economic distressed areas like Milwaukee, Janesville, Appleton in which we have a level playing field in which we will give new companies the incentives to come move to Wisconsin as we would give them a much lower tax rate and tax credits and incentives for getting people back to work and keeping jobs in Wisconsin.  This will motovaite for one the I-T sector to come to all our population sectors and two start finding new jobs involving renewable energy to come to Wisconsin especially in the Northwoods which needs the jobs.

5. A Plan for Milwaukee.

We need to motivaite businesses to come to Milwaukee and we need to get the young people to stay in Milwaukee.  This will be accomplished by one having all the City of Milwaukee become a JOBZ zone in which we can allow the medical/bio tech sector and the IT Sector to come build jobs in areas that are distressed that would revitalize growth.  Also, we need to keep manufacturing the core of our city, but we need to keep the economy of Milwaukee as diverse as possible.  Also, a plan for Milwaukee should come with improving job training in which helps those at the lowest end of the spectrum get into better jobs and also improving our education system.  This means serious MPS reform and making the Milwaukee School Choice Program expandable to those who need it statewide without any caps on enrollment.

This is a starting point we need to get the economy back on track, but to make matters worse is going to keep Wisconsin in the same position we had in 1982 in which we do not need to be in now.