Capitol Report
By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
Scott Walker fancies himself as a prospective 2016 Republican presidential candidate and boasts that he’s a Washington outsider who possesses the talent and leadership skills necessary to win a national election.
However, Walker’s economic credentials to date portray a far different reality.
According to recently released empirical data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Walker’s ability to govern a state economy is anemic at best. Under the latest data, Wisconsin is:
• From 2011 through 2014, the United States posted a 9.3% total gain in private-sector jobs, while Wisconsin registered a 5.7% increase.
• During the four years of walker’s first term, Wisconsin ranked last among its neighboring states in the Midwest; Wisconsin is 35th job creation.
• Wisconsin ranks 38th in job growth, dead last in the nation new business startups, and faces job growth that is only a fraction of the national average.
• Wisconsin’s job growth rate over the past year is 1.51%, compared to 2.57% nationally. Moreover, Walker’s economic ineptitude doesn’t end there.
His administration has been dogged by serious allegations of fiscal mismanagement by a jobs agency that Walker created.
It has been reported that this agency gave businesses 27 awards worth $124.3 million without requiring a formal review of the details by the agency’s underwriters.
These reviews are necessary to ensure that (a) the project was needed; (b) the company was financially sound; and (c) the taxpayers’ investment was being protected to the best extent possible.
Let’s not forget that when he first ran for governor, Walker staked his candidacy on a pledge to generate 250,000 new private-sector jobs and repeatedly drew attention to that jobs target.
However, the final government figure reported in those four years amounted to a gain of 129,154, woefully short of Walker’s intended objective.
In the final analysis, one thing is perfectly clear, these economic indicators don’t lie. And regrettably, Scott Walker has shown a real proclivity for fudging both the truth — as well as the numbers.