An Op-Ed the Journal-Sentinal would not publish

On the Hypocrisy and Logical Inconsistency of the Jobs Blame Game

By Brian Fraley, April 25, 2012 here.

Anyone within a thousand yards of the Wednesday edition of the Journal Sentinel could read the huge, screaming headline regarding the state’s job numbers. The lengthy article examining old data was filled with speculation regarding how the information reflects upon Governor Scott Walker, his policies and his political future.

You ran a much smaller article the next day that showed how the employment numbers in the Metro Milwaukee Area are the worst in the state. Yet that piece made no mention of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, his policies or his political future. It is also notable that the unflattering article ran on the last page of the business section.

It’s also humorous that, in general, the same Big Government liberals in this state who believe George Bush is to blame for the current national jobs picture are putting all the blame for Wisconsin’s employment situation at the foot of our current governor. By their logic, President Obama needs more than 3 ½ years to assume responsibility for the nation’s economy, yet every bit of bad news here in the last 16 months is all Governor Walker’s fault.

Moving beyond that ridiculousness, the fact of the matter is for Wisconsin businesses to succeed, we need economic policies that:

1) Encourage risk and capital investment

2) Appreciate and work with those who wish to bring new jobs here

3) Does not punish success through oppressive taxation

4) Invest in sound infrastructure like roads, ports and airports rather than boutique novelty trains that move too few people to too few places

There are those who support a government-driven economy who believe we need to increase the taxes on the rich and the corporations. If we do so, they argue, our government will be stronger and in a position to fund programs and projects that will lure business and jobs here.

To them, I say: Been there. Done that. Didn’t work.

The 2009-10 state budget created a new custom computer software tax; Increased taxes on combined reporting; Applied sales tax on all transactions between affiliated businesses; Eliminated tax deduction for domestic production activities; Increased taxes on “throwback sales.”

In all, that document increased overall taxes by several billion dollars.

The failed policies of the past further increased spending by 6.2% or $3.6 billion; Increased borrowing to $3.58 billion and left this current Administration and legislature facing a $3.6 billion hole from which to climb out.

All of that fiscal irresponsibility cost Wisconsin far more jobs than have left the state since last January. When government extracts dollars from the private sector, there is less private sector economic activity. When there is less private sector activity, there are fewer jobs created. So, although this never resulted in a 6 column above the fold headline in this paper, it is nonetheless true: In the final 3 years of the Doyle Administration, Wisconsin lost not 15,000 jobs, but rather a staggering 150,000 jobs.

Since then, the labor reforms, tax cuts, incentives and tort reform legislation enacted in Madison provided a good start toward a better direction.

However the legislation that would have given Wisconsin the single-biggest jobs boost, the mining bill, was mired in partisan politics and died an unmerciful death earlier this spring. A mine in Gogebic Range in Northern Wisconsin would have brought thousands of good-paying family-supporting jobs for generations there. It would have helped large manufacturers here in the Milwaukee area for several years, too.

Indeed, the same agitators who are joyfully directing people to your Wednesday headline didn’t care about those jobs.

Bad timing, I guess. Heaven forbid a favorable jobs-related headline in the heat of the recall, right? Not one Democratic state senator supported the mining bill.

Too many Big Government agitators were too busy rallying around the Angry Blue Fist of Big Government to raise a finger to help attract private sector mining jobs to the state.

To quote a familiar refrain from Madison, “Shame! Shame! Shame!”

A Brookfield resident, Fraley is the Communications Director of the John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy, a free market think tank in Madison. MacIver’s mini-documentary  “Mine Shaft,” about the failed attempt to modernize the state’s mine permitting process, will be released next month.