Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Issue of the Week: Where Are the Jobs?
We'll give credit where it's due. The job numbers that Gov. Scott Walker rushed out before the June 5 recall election were confirmed by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics last week. They show that Wisconsin gained jobs in 2011, instead of losing them.
Unfortunately, it's not much to brag about when compared to the rest of the nation.
Walker's job creation record is pretty dismal and ranks 42nd in the nation. The state gained 0.7% new jobs last year, or not quite 20,000. The rate of job creation in Walker's Wisconsin is about half of the national job creation rate of 1.4%, and it lags behind our neighbors Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana and Michigan.
Walker's job creation record even lags behind former Gov. Jim Doyle's employment record during the recession. While the state lost more than 130,000 private sector jobs during the global economic downturn, Doyle's Wisconsin gained 34,000 private sector jobs in 2010, his last year in office. The state added just 28,000 private sector jobs during 2011, Walker's first year in office, while shedding about 8,000 public sector jobs.
The data show that workers are earning less in Walker's Wisconsin. Average weekly wages decreased 2.4% in 2011, compared to 2010.
Something's not working.
While the governor doesn't control the state's economy, he does have some tools to work with. Instead of turning down $810 million in federal transportation funds for high-speed rail that would have created thousands of high-paying construction jobs, or offering corporate tax breaks that are not directly linked to job creation, Walker should invest in the state's infrastructure and link state tax breaks directly to the number of jobs created, support affordable health care, and strengthen the public education system. Until then, employment will grow outside of Wisconsin in states with a healthy, well-trained workforce and a 21st-century transportation system.
Heroes of the Week: Camp Yellow Ribbon and Respite Camp Volunteers
Easter Seals Southeast Wisconsin provides services for children and adults with disabilities and their families and caregivers. Founded in 1934, Easter Seals is based out of South Milwaukee (1016 Milwaukee Ave.), but extends its reach to Waukesha, Kenosha and the rest of Milwaukee County and has touched the lives of more than 10,000 disabled children and adults.
During the summer months, it offers four respite day-camp programs for children, teens and adults with or without disabilities, each camp providing recreational programming with opportunities for social interaction, self-expression, community outings and a variety of daily activities. In addition, Camp Yellow Ribbon (CYR) is a one-week, overnight summer camp offered for children of military families ages 7-14. CYR is designed to support children as they cope with the impact of their parents' deployment and/or transition back into civilian life.
Easter Seals is currently seeking volunteers to help with camp programs, field trips and various activities. It also depends highly on donations and has camp-specific donation wish lists available on its website. Those interested in volunteering or other opportunities are urged to contact Amy McGlothlen at 262-953-2215 or amym@eastersealswise.com. For more information about the organization or to view the donation wish lists, go to www.eastersealswise.com.
Correction: Last week's "Issue of the Week" incorrectly stated that the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) gave its blessing to Arizona's controversial immigration law. CCA did not have a hand in the bill's drafting.
Unfortunately, it's not much to brag about when compared to the rest of the nation.
Walker's job creation record is pretty dismal and ranks 42nd in the nation. The state gained 0.7% new jobs last year, or not quite 20,000. The rate of job creation in Walker's Wisconsin is about half of the national job creation rate of 1.4%, and it lags behind our neighbors Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana and Michigan.
Walker's job creation record even lags behind former Gov. Jim Doyle's employment record during the recession. While the state lost more than 130,000 private sector jobs during the global economic downturn, Doyle's Wisconsin gained 34,000 private sector jobs in 2010, his last year in office. The state added just 28,000 private sector jobs during 2011, Walker's first year in office, while shedding about 8,000 public sector jobs.
The data show that workers are earning less in Walker's Wisconsin. Average weekly wages decreased 2.4% in 2011, compared to 2010.
Something's not working.
While the governor doesn't control the state's economy, he does have some tools to work with. Instead of turning down $810 million in federal transportation funds for high-speed rail that would have created thousands of high-paying construction jobs, or offering corporate tax breaks that are not directly linked to job creation, Walker should invest in the state's infrastructure and link state tax breaks directly to the number of jobs created, support affordable health care, and strengthen the public education system. Until then, employment will grow outside of Wisconsin in states with a healthy, well-trained workforce and a 21st-century transportation system.
Heroes of the Week: Camp Yellow Ribbon and Respite Camp Volunteers
Easter Seals Southeast Wisconsin provides services for children and adults with disabilities and their families and caregivers. Founded in 1934, Easter Seals is based out of South Milwaukee (1016 Milwaukee Ave.), but extends its reach to Waukesha, Kenosha and the rest of Milwaukee County and has touched the lives of more than 10,000 disabled children and adults.
During the summer months, it offers four respite day-camp programs for children, teens and adults with or without disabilities, each camp providing recreational programming with opportunities for social interaction, self-expression, community outings and a variety of daily activities. In addition, Camp Yellow Ribbon (CYR) is a one-week, overnight summer camp offered for children of military families ages 7-14. CYR is designed to support children as they cope with the impact of their parents' deployment and/or transition back into civilian life.
Easter Seals is currently seeking volunteers to help with camp programs, field trips and various activities. It also depends highly on donations and has camp-specific donation wish lists available on its website. Those interested in volunteering or other opportunities are urged to contact Amy McGlothlen at 262-953-2215 or amym@eastersealswise.com. For more information about the organization or to view the donation wish lists, go to www.eastersealswise.com.
Correction: Last week's "Issue of the Week" incorrectly stated that the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) gave its blessing to Arizona's controversial immigration law. CCA did not have a hand in the bill's drafting.
The Light Rail in AZ. is expanding like crazy. The system works. WI. didn't deal properly with the Train......
So much piss and vinegar! (Or is that Chivas laced bitter tea?)
To sum up your comment: rhetorical nonsense.
If you control your emotions before responding, then others might treat you with more respect. Blathering the first thing that comes into your head only serves to illustrate your failings.
No government or politician is going to be able to create a real job. Maybe a make-work job. Why don't we just take all the wefare and unemployment types, march then down to the inner city. Give them a poker and a garbage bag and tell them to start cleaning up all their trash. Then blast the slow ones with cattle prods. Im tired of hearing all the crybaby liberal sob stores about "where are the jobs."
Then when a company like Palermo does create real jobs. Liberal lunatics go down and put on cartoonish oversized sombreros and picket. Seems making pizza is too dangerous. Seriosly? The workers face more danger just sitting on their front porches. The safest place they could be is inside that plant.
I was one who pointed out the 2% unemployment rate among the skilled worker some week or so ago. The JS pointed out that most of the job loss from 2007 to 2011 was among the low-income, low-skilled workers, which I understand to be the majority product of Wisconsin's "great schools". Merely keeping low graduation standards so a decent percentage can get their diploma (and look good nationally) does not make them smart enough to pass ACT and SAT and get accepted into college. Quantity does not always mean Quality.
Wisconsin has uncertainty holding us back. "When will Wisconsin become a Right-to-Work state?" When will there be a guaranteed date of a DNR stamp of approval, especially when they will be sued for saying "denied, lack of funds and staff to properly evaluate"? It is easy to approve with no real effort put into it, probably not allowed to deny unless they can prove it is a hazard, did all their homework. Will we privatize the DNR approval process and trust that the pro-business firm will hire better than people good at operating a rubber stamp?
Shovel-ready jobs? That's code-speak for projects that are only being held back due to environmental concerns (noted above), or a negative community impact. Bull-dozing the 'hood to make space for something that can bring in higher property tax, is not supposed to be stopped because the residents have no acceptable place to be moved to, no neighborhood that will accept them, no political will to condemn a property that had an inflated sub-prime mortgage taken out on it so the white owner could make his escape to the suburbs, now there is a non-white owner that will not be compensated even close to what he owes on it when his property is seized. It's not that the non-white owner that is the road-block, it's the bank holding that mortgage that you are all worried about hurting.
There is also the uncertainty of Obama vs Romney, will Obamacare really be allowed to take effect, will the Republicans be allowed to get on with the business of reducing the taxes on the wealthy, with no accountability that it be re-invested in America, and stick it to the working class who cannot afford to "outsource local costs to international regions", and finally end the entitlements to the non-profitable demographics like the elderly who did not sock enough away in a 401k, or those we "choose" not to grant relief to. Will we deport the illegals who successfully displaced a taxpaying white citizen, or will we allow the corporations to keep them and even hire more?
We need to rubber stamp all thos mining proposals. Rubber stamp the Park Freeway proposals. I was at a bank stockholders meeting recently and they said as soon as the recall election was over, there was a sudden increase in loan applications for business expansions. Nobody wants to borrow and invest if Democrats are in power. They will tell you how much to pay, provide insurance, give employees sick days and basically make your life miserable. We need a laissez-faire government that listens to business and keeps a hands off attitude. Then you will have jobs.
Right now the economy is exploding. Brave people go out every day and work. Cowards want the government to make a job for them. The best thing we can do for these cowards is to send the to the front lines - the farm fields, the ghettos and man them up, put them to work servicing the state. I don't mind throwing someone a life saver if they are drowning but when they expect you to take them tubing, thats when we need to start cracking down hard on them.
"I was at a bank stockholders meeting recently"
Sure you were, & I'm a US Navy Seal... That's the "beauty" of the internet. Any racist rightard troll like anonymous can claim whatever bullshit they want when they hide behind a keyboard. He thinks it lends him some credibility....ROTFLMAO!
@ Anonymous, did you just seriously say the park freeway proposal should have been rubber stamped. Thank god that never went through. I bet you wish they would just rubber stamp the lake freeway expansion as well. We could run it right through veterans park. Replace that lake view with a freeway. But I bet you certainly were up in arms about adding any form of mass transit such as trains to the equation.
No, I say we should rubber stamp any proposal a business wants to build on the property such as a casino, hotel, high income housing, entertainment districtic. Stop wasting time listening to jantor's unions!!!! Ease all these stupid restrictions and issue building permits.
I say give someone enough rope and they hang themselves. It should be obvious to anyone, with the minimum reading comprehension skills, to see what the troll, who remains annonymous is doing.
There's no reaoning with drunks nor zealots.