Republican Gov. Scott Walker Blames Protesters for Wisconsin’s Highest in Nation Job Losses

Some of the most dangerous words in politics today are, “I’m a businessman, and I’m here to help.”

I don’t have to introduce you to “businessman” and “business
friendly” Republican Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin; his reputation
precedes him. However, he has jumped the crazy shark with his latest
claim that Wisconsin’s worst job losses in the nation are the fault of …
wait for it….

The protesters.

Yes, it is the protesters of Walker’s policies who are to blame for the result of his policies.

Sunday on UpFront With Mike Gousha Scott Walker blamed
protesters for scaring off businesses (this argument is predicated on
the premise that the record breaking job losses in Wisconsin were all in
the private sector, but of course, that’s not true either.)

WiscPolitics reports:

Walker warned that job losses might again ramp up in Wisconsin if either
Barrett or Falk are elected in the June 5 recall because “they will
rehash the collective bargaining issue,” scaring off potential
employers.

“They don’t want to see the positive foundation reversed for us to go
back in time not only to the Doyle days … but even back to what we see
in Illinois right now,” Walker said on Sunday’s show, produced in
conjunction with WisPolitics.com. “That’s where Tom Barrett, that’s
where Kathleen Falk would to take us.”

Walker said Wisconsin’s job picture was improving in January and
February of last year, shortly after he took office, only to deteriorate
when concern over his budget repair bill led to prolonged massive
protests at the state Capitol.

Walker says the political uproar that has continued in the state has contributed to employers being afraid to add jobs.

Walker concluded with the usual Republican fear tactic of telling
voters that if they vote Democrat, more jobs will be lost. Weapons of
Mass Destruction and Terror Alerts, oh my!

Those jobs added “right after he took office”? Those are not attributed to his policies, because in fact they were added in December of 2010 before he took office.
It is only the luck of the way the DWD tabulates the numbers that
allows Walker to mislead the public by taking credit for those jobs.

Excluding thousands of jobs added in December 2010 but
included in Walker’s total because of the way DWD tabulates numbers, the
latest revisions show the state gained only 900 private-sector jobs
since January 2011. It actually lost 12,500 total non-farm jobs, a
number that includes public jobs.

In March, Walker announced that job numbers were “going in the right direction”, “(T)he jobs numbers and falling unemployment statistics released today show Wisconsin is headed in the right direction.”

In April, Wisconsin was humiliated by being the only state in the nation with statistically significant job losses.

“Wisconsin job losses highest in nation for last 12 months, federal report says”:

Wisconsin saw the largest percentage decrease in
employment in the nation during the 12 months ending in March, a new
report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said.

During that time period, while 27 states and the District of Columbia
saw significant job increases, only Wisconsin saw “statistically
significant” job losses, the report said.

From March 2011 to March 2012, the state lost 23,900 jobs, for the country’s largest percentage decrease, at 0.9 percent.

Of the 23,900 jobs lost in Wisconsin in that period, 17,900 were from
the public sector and 6,000 were from the private sector, according to
the BLS.

Walker cites some survey he did of businesses, but it seems that this
survey may have simply been phone calls made to business people he
knows. Perhaps campaign donors who are not presently in jail, just released from jail, convicted, or under investigation? Or, maybe he included those too.

Wisconsin could have had all of the jobs from the high speed rail system, but Walker turned that project down and instead used some of the federal money
(he turned down the high speed rail system because of evil federal
money – go figure) to improve the existing rail, which benefited one of
his campaign donors who was convicted of felony counts of violating campaign finance laws.
To add insult to injury, when Walker turned down those funds, the state
had already spent millions on the system and owed millions in
cancellation fees, which Walker assured them would be reimbursed by the
feds (but with no new rail system). You haven’t truly seen waste and
debauchery until you watch a post-Reagan “fiscal conservative” in
office.

Later in the interview, Walker claims he has conducted himself with
“high integrity.” If this were true, then it would be a first for the
man who dropped out of college (where he maintained a C average
according to his campaign, but he refused to release his transcripts)
after he was found guilty of illegal campaigning, and who left the Milwaukee County Executive position by taking almost every file with him and around whom the John Doe investigation into campaign violations centers. Maybe “integrity” means “systemic corruption” to Walker.

Walker isn’t even smart enough to know what a Koch tool he is, or
that laws, procedures and rules exist for a reason, and there’s really
no excuse for his ignorance because one needn’t go to college to have an
open, willing mind. He has made the choice to remain ignorant.

Walker is taking credit for jobs added under the previous
administration, while fear mongering the public to vote for him because
if they don’t, things could get worse. Gosh, it brings me warm Bush
fuzzies of 2004, “Vote for Bush otherwise we’re going to get attacked
again and you don’t want to die!” Nothing like a little fear-mongering
to duck and dodge policy debates. No matter, Republicans figure most
people won’t pay attention. All they have to do is keep lying and
scaring people.

If you want to know what a “businessman” Mitt Romney presidency would
look like, just take a look into Wisconsin under Scott Walker. It is
the only state with statistically significant job losses. Like Michigan
and other Republican-controlled states, Wisconsin now also has discrete higher taxes on the poor and middle-class
(taxes come from places other than income taxes, but Republicans don’t
like to talk about the ways they inflict their “shared sacrifices” only
on the serfs). Walker’s wars on working people and corporate agenda have
decimated a great state.

This is Wisconsin under the “business friendly” polices endorsed by
Mitt Romney. Wisconsin might be “open for business”, but it’s not open
for jobs. It’s just like a Republican to blame the people he’s hurting
the most for the predictable ramifications of his bad policies.

Did I mention how much money Walker wasted pushing legislation that
is now being held up in various courts? Millions of taxpayer dollars.

When you hear these words, “I’m a businessman and I’m here to help,” run. Just run.