Boots & Sabers

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Tag: Scott Walker

Foxconn begins to deliver on its promise

by | 0637, 22 May 1818 | , | 17 Comments

My column for the Washington County Daily News is online. Here you go:

While there is still a long way to go before Wisconsinites can evaluate the full impact of the Foxconn development, so far it is proving to be the economic boon for Wisconsin that Gov. Scott Walker and other supporters of the deal predicted. The official groundbreaking ceremony will be June 28, but the work has already started.

When Walker announced the deal with Foxconn, it marked the largest economic deal the state of Wisconsin had ever struck. Liberals vacillated between bemoaning corporate welfare and declaring that Wisconsin should have gotten a better deal. Conservatives cringed at the massive amount of tax dollars involved to lure one company to Wisconsin. Walker touted the deal as a transformational economic development that would benefit Wisconsin for generations. It is possible that everyone was right, but certainly Walker deserves credit for getting it done.

Before the first shovel could be put in the ground, nearly 500 subcontractors, suppliers, service providers, vendors and other companies attended an information session hosted by Foxconn for the projected $10 billion construction project. These businesses came from all over Wisconsin and the world for the chance to participate in one of the largest construction projects in United States history.

Late last month, Foxconn began announcing the contractors that they would use. True to their word, Foxconn officials strongly favored Wisconsin companies. Ninety percent of the contracts so far have been awarded to Wisconsin companies.

In just the first phase of the project, 27 Wisconsin companies and one Illinois company are sharing $100 million to do the preparation work for the site including excavation, erosion control, soil and water testing and stormwater management. A $100 million project would already be one of Wisconsin’s largest construction projects, and that is only 1 percent of what Foxconn is planning to spend to complete the project. Furthermore, as Walker predicted, the economic benefits are not limited to southeast Wisconsin. One of those Wisconsin companies already working is a Black River Falls construction company which has been tasked with moving about 325,000 dump truck loads of dirt and installing 120,000 linear feet of sewer. That company, Hoffman Construction, has indicated that they will need to hire about 150 additional seasonal workers to handle the work.

MJM Truckin’ LLC of Nekoosa, Wood County, Panacea Group LLC of Seymour, Outagamie County, and other businesses throughout the state are already seeing money flow from Foxconn into their businesses.

The reason that all of Wisconsin will benefit from Foxconn is simple. The Foxconn project is just so incredibly huge that southeast Wisconsin does not have the people or material necessary to complete it. Not only will Foxconn need to bring in workers from all over Wisconsin, they will have to bring people from all over the world to Wisconsin to work.

A study by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce estimates that Foxconn’s new Wisconsin plant will contribute about $51 billion to the state’s economy over the next 15 years. Calculating the exact economic impact of the massive Foxconn development is inherently difficult, but Wisconsin is already seeing a ripple effect spread across the state.

All of this positive development makes the stance of some of the Democratic candidates for governor even more puzzling. While some may disagree with the deal that Walker struck with Foxconn, it is done. The contracts are signed and both sides are obligated to honor their side of the agreement. Yet some of the Democratic candidates are hoping to see it all fail and rip a hole in Wisconsin’s economy as it does.

Rep. Dana Wachs has said “we will find a way to end it.” Matt Flynn said that he will end the deal, “no matter what.” Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and Rep. Kelda Roys want to renegotiate the deal — whatever that means. Try to imagine a world in which one of these Democrats wins the governor’s chair and uses it to douse the Foxconn economic fire with a vat of cold water. Not only would it hobble the Foxconn economic juggernaut, but it would neuter Wisconsin’s ability to attract business for decades to come. What company CEO in his or her right mind would make a long-term commitment to Wisconsin if all it takes is a new governor to tear up the contracts?

The argument over whether or not the Foxconn deal was a good one for Wisconsin will be decided in the years to come. One would hope that whatever one thought about the terms of the deal, we could all root for it to live up to its promise. Fortunately for our state’s economy, so far it has.

Walker Pushes for Dem Convention in Milwaukee

by | 2249, 16 May 1818 | | 1 Comment

While a convention of this scale would be good for the city and state, they need to make sure the contracts are firm. These conventions can be expensive for local taxpayers.

The meeting Monday afternoon at the Wisconsin Center focused on the growth Milwaukee’s tourism economy continues to show, and leaders who attended agree that landing the 2020 Democratic National Convention would only further that growth.

Following Visit Milwaukee’s annual meeting, the president/CEO and board chairman of Visit Milwaukee, Paul Upchurch and Omar Shaikh, respectively, and their counterparts at the Wisconsin Center, president and CEO Marty Brooks and board chair Ellen Nowak, expressed enthusiasm about not only the potential impact of hosting the 2020 convention in Milwaukee, but the city’s chances of securing the quadrennial event. Late last week, Milwaukee was named one of eight finalists to host the DNC in two years, along with cities like New York, San Francisco, Atlanta and Houston, according to reports from CNN and NBC News.

Even Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who sought the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in the 2016 election, said he hoped Milwaukee would win the right to host his rival party’s convention when asked following his introductory remarks at Monday’s meeting.

“I think it would be huge,” Walker said. “I think any convention here of that magnitude is a big deal.”

Wisconsinites Will Continue to Leave State for Legal Sports Betting

by | 0707, 15 May 1818 | | 1 Comment

This isn’t a surprise.

MADISON, Wis – On Monday, the Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law that prohibited all states except Nevada from allowing sports betting.

New Jersey led the lawsuit, with the support of 18 other states that want to use sports gambling for college and professional teams to bring in more tourism and tax revenue.

A representative with the Wisconsin Department of Administration said “sports gaming is prohibited by the Wisconsin Constitution, state law, and is not allowed under the state tribal compacts.”

“Between the constitution and the compacts that are in place already in the state of Wisconsin, it really won’t have a bearing one way or the other,” said Gov. Scott Walker.

First, Walker is morally opposed to the expansion of gambling, so he’s not going to try to move mountains to get it in Wisconsin. Second, the state compact with the Tribes that protect their gambling monopolies can’t be reopened without the Tribes agreeing. There isn’t much incentive for them to do so with a Republican administration.

Walker Releases School Safety Plan

by | 2030, 15 Mar 1818 | , | 5 Comments

As I mentioned before, the urge to throw taxpayer dollars at things is a bipartisan disease.

Gov. Scott Walker on Thursday called on lawmakers to take up a $100 million package aimed at providing more security in school buildings across Wisconsin.

But the plan doesn’t call for imposing stricter controls on gun ownership as Democrats have called for, or for arming teachers as some Republicans have said could be a solution to gun violence in the classroom.

[…]

Walker’s plan would create an Office of School Safety within the state Department of Justice; it proposes $100 million in grants to schools, on a one-time basis, to help pay for security improvements, training opportunities and police officers.

It’s unclear how the grants would be distributed, but if the $100 million were divided equally among the 2,261 public schools and 818 private schools in Wisconsin, each school would get $32,478.

Creating another government bureaucracy that will arbitrarily hand out handfuls of taxpayer cash is not a solution. It’s an election year gimmick.

Liberals Sue to Fill Legislative Vacancies

by | 1655, 26 Feb 1818 | | 2 Comments

Ummmnnnnn… no.

A group led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday filed a lawsuit against Gov. Scott Walker for his decision to leave two vacant legislative seats open for nearly a year.

Seats in the state’s 1st Senate District and 42nd Assembly District were vacated in late December when Walker appointed Sen. Frank Lasee, R-De Pere, and Rep. Keith Ripp, R-Lodi, to administrative positions.

Walker has argued it makes sense to leave the seats open until the regularly scheduled Nov. 6 elections, but Democrats have argued it’s not fair to leave residents of those districts without representation.

The district offices remain staffed at the Capitol.

“Governor Scott Walker’s refusal to hold special elections is an affront to representative democracy,” Holder said in a statement. “Forcing citizens to go more than a year without representation … is a plain violation of their rights and we’re hopeful the court will act quickly to order the governor to hold elections.”

Here’s what the Wisconsin Constitution says about this:

Filling vacancies. Section 14. The governor shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies as may occur in either house of the legislature.
There’s nothing in there about timelines. And given that the legislative session is virtually over, it’s hard to see what would be gained by holding a special election. In fact, one could argue that calling a snap special election deprives the constituents the time to learn about the candidates to make a good choice.

Walker Proposes Tax Incentives to Other Paper Companies

by | 2103, 7 Feb 1818 | | 4 Comments

Wouldn’t it be easier, at this point, to just lower taxes for everyone?

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Wednesday suggested the state could extend its tax break offer to paper companies besides Kimberly-Clark if the opportunity to prevent job losses is “significant.”

Walker on Monday proposed increasing the tax breaks available to paper company Kimberly-Clark in an effort to prevent the company from shuttering two plants located in Neenah and Fox Crossing, resulting in the loss of 610 jobs from the Fox Valley region.

Under Walker’s proposal, the company could receive a tax incentive of 17 percent of its payroll — up from the 7 percent available under current law. The plan is modeled after the tax breaks offered to Taiwanese electronics company Foxconn, which will receive more than $3 billion in incentives from the state as it builds a plant in southeastern Wisconsin.

Walker moves left in bid for re-election

by | 0640, 30 Jan 1818 | | 1 Comment

My column for the Washington County Daily News is online. Here you go:

Gov. Scott Walker is a smart, conservative, savvy politician who has managed to win elections and assemble an impressive resume of conservative achievements over his political career.

Knowing that, it is almost inexplicable why he is choosing to lurch to the left and base his 2018 re-election campaign on the Democrats’ playbook of government gravy and targeted handouts.

The secret to Gov. Walker’s electoral success is no secret at all. He wins elections because Republicans and conservatives turn out in record numbers to vote for him. Very few Democrats voted for Walker. Slightly more moderates voted for Walker than his opponents in the past three gubernatorial elections. But Republicans voted overwhelmingly for Walker and turned out in incredible numbers — especially in the heavily Republican counties of Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington.

The reason that Republicans and conservatives have enthusiastically gone to the polls to vote for Walker is because he ran on a bold, conservative agenda and delivered on that agenda. During Walker’s two terms as our governor, he has amassed a conservative record that is unmatched in the nation. Budget surpluses, Act 10, concealed carry, Right to Work, elimination of the state property tax, welfare reform, education reform, tax cuts, repeal of prevailing wage, frozen tuition at UW and on and on. Any one or two of those accomplishments would be a proud achievement for any governor, but Walker can claim them all.

But while Walker has been mentioning his impressive conservative record on his re-election campaign trail, he has also been touting some blatantly leftist talking points and proposals.

During his State of the State speech, Walker proposed using the state income tax system to give parents a handout at the expense of all taxpayers. It is the kind of proposal that Bernie Sanders would love and is a gross handout of taxpayer money for the purpose of currying votes.

Under Walker’s proposal, the state would take about $122 million in estimated tax overpayments in the current budget and give it to parents at the rate of $100 per child — irrespective of whether or not the parents paid any state income taxes. He packages the proposal as a “reform dividend” that returns the projected budget surplus to the taxpayers. His proposal is actually a crass handout to parents in an election year at the expense of all taxpayers. If it were truly a “dividend,” Walker would be returning the entire surplus, once it is actually realized, to all taxpayers.

Walker is also touting things like more governmentspending on education, a state mandate that healthinsurance companies cannot deny coverage because of a preexisting condition and other talking points that are more commonly found in the speeches of his Democratic opponents.

Some speculate that this new blue hue to Walker’s campaign is a reaction to the recent special election in Wisconsin’s 10th Senate District where a Democrat won a seat that a Republicans held for many years.

But the real worry for Walker should be what happened in the special election in the 58th Assembly District. That election revealed a substantial enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats in the heart of Walker Country.

The 58th Assembly District is overwhelmingly Republican that usually has very high turnout. In the special election in the 58th, only 12.5 percent of voters cast a vote. Of those, only 56.6 percent voted for the Republican when, historically, 70-80 percent of the electorate votes Republican. And the Democrat actually won the city of West Bend.

What should be keeping Walker up at night is not that Democrats and moderates will not vote for him. It should be that his Republican base is not enthusiastic about voting this year.

Instead of resting on the conservative successes of the past while touting a more liberal future, Walker needs to get Republicans enthusiastic about voting for him by writing the next chapter in Wisconsin’s conservative reformation. An agenda that actually reduces state government spending for the first time in generations, eliminates the state income tax like seven other states and reduces the regulatory burden on Wisconsinites to unleash their economic potential is something that Wisconsinites and Republicans can get excited about.

Gov. Walker has a proud record of conservative successes, but politics is often more about “what are you going to do for me now?” Walker’s answer to that question should not be his government picking winners and losers through preferential government handouts. His answer should be to continue to improve the state for all Wisconsinites by getting government out of our way.

Walker Proposes State Child Tax Credit

by | 2045, 24 Jan 1818 | | 3 Comments

Booooo.

MADISON – Heading into the most challenging re-election race of his 25-year political career, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker sought to win working voters Wednesday by proposing a $100 per child tax credit and investments in schools and health care.

In his eighth “state of the state” address in the Assembly chamber, Walker spoke for more than an hour and called for the $122 million a year child tax credit that would be paid to parents even if they have no state income tax liability. It’s another step by Walker to rally fellow Republicans and move to the middle after the party’s recent loss in a Senate special election. 

The credit would be paid for by using the state’s expected budget surplus, which was projected last month to come in $138 million better than previously thought.

“As promised, when we have a surplus, we will give it back to you, the hard-working taxpayers,” said Walker, who was joined on the rostrum by children and their parents. “You see, this is your reform dividend. You deserve it.”

This is a transfer of wealth from taxpayers to people – taxpayers or not – with kids. While I do believe that government should have policies that support families, I see no reason why taxpayers without kids should be sending their hard-earned money to their neighbors who have kids.

This is a cheap political handout offered in an election year. I hope the Republicans in the legislature give this proposal the cold shoulder it deserves.

Walker Open to Accelerating Youth Prison Plan

by | 1651, 6 Jan 1818 | , | 0 Comments

It looks like a good plan. It still needs form debate and deliberation, but there’s no reason that can’t be moved along at something faster than government speed.

Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to move youthful offenders from prisons in northern Wisconsin to new regional facilities wouldn’t kick in until at least 2019.

But with some Dems complaining the transition of offenders wouldn’t be fast enough, Walker’s office signaled late this afternoon he was ready to work with lawmakers to speed up the process.

“Governor Walker’s plan significantly reforms our juvenile corrections system and we want to work with all parties to implement it in a thoughtful and purposeful way,” said Walker spokesman Tom Evenson. “If the Legislature wants to advance the plan sooner we would be supportive of those efforts.”

In announcing the plan, Walker’s office highlighted support from some Dems, including Rep. Evan Goyke, of Milwaukee, and Milwaukee County Exec Chris Abele.

Soglin Likely to Challenge Walker

by | 2044, 31 Oct 1717 | | 0 Comments

This would be fun.

Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said Tuesday he will “most likely” run for governor and will make a formal announcement in early 2018.

In an interview with the Cap Times, Soglin said he wanted to see the city budget formalized and adopted in early November and then wait beyond end-of-year holidays to when people are paying more attention to public affairs.

“I’ll have an announcement after the first of the year and it is most likely I will run,” Soglin said.

If he runs, Soglin would join a crowded Democratic primary field against Gov. Scott Walker, the presumed Republican candidate, who will launch his campaign Sunday.

Soglin, 72, has served intermittently as Madison’s mayor since 1973 and was most recently elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2015. His current term ends in 2019.

Other Democratic candidates include state schools superintendent Tony Ever, Milwaukee businessman Andy Gronik, activist Mike McCabe, state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout of Alma and state Rep. Dana Wachs of Eau Claire, among others.

One thing I do like about how this race is shaping up is that no matter which Democrat wins the primary, there will be a stark contrast for voters. The Democrats seem determines to nominate a hardcore lefty – again. This makes the election really about two different visions for Wisconsin. The differences between those visions are not nuanced. They are diametrically opposed.

Walker Stands Up to Anti-Semitism

by | 2134, 30 Oct 1717 | | 0 Comments

Good for him.

(JTA) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed an executive order that prohibits state agencies from entering into contracts with companies that boycott Israel.

Walker, a Republican who briefly ran for his party’s presidential nomination last year, signed the executive order late on Friday.

“Israel is a firm and faithful friend of the United States,” the legislation reads.

Walker Signs Foxconn Deal

by | 1714, 18 Sep 1717 | , | 1 Comment

Excellent.

STURTEVANT — Gov. Scott Walker signed a $3 billion incentive package Monday for Foxconn Technology Group to build a flat-screen plant in southeastern Wisconsin, a deal he says will provide thousands of jobs for generations.

The governor signed the bill during a packed ceremony at Gateway Technical College in Sturtevant in Racine County, where the plant likely will be located. Legislators from around southeastern Wisconsin attended the signing. So did dozens of supporters.

“This is about far into the future,” Walker said. “This is about ensuring our children and our children’s children will have generational opportunities. This is one of those things that’s transformational.”

The governor told reporters after the signing that next steps call for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to finalize a contract with Foxconn to execute the provisions in the bill. WEDC’s board is scheduled to meet Sept. 28 to approve the agreement. Foxconn executives will then likely reveal the precise location for the plant before the contract is signed in early October.

Walker told WTMJ-AM radio on Monday morning that he expects groundbreaking this spring. Foxconn hopes to open the plant in 2020.

Democrats Opposing Manufacturing Jobs in Wisconsin

by | 1529, 28 Aug 1717 | | 0 Comments

If I were Governor Walker, I’d say, “bring it.”

MADISON — Gov. Scott Walker has called it a game-changer for Wisconsin, but all of the Democrats challenging him in the 2018 governor’s race are against the deal in which Taiwanese electronics company Foxconn would build a massive plant and receive cash payments from the state.

Milwaukee businessman Andy Gronik, who initially supported the jobs deal, is now against it. He and state schools Superintendent Tony Evers said they would try to renegotiate the agreement if elected governor. A third candidate has launched a petition asking the Wisconsin Senate to reject the $3 billion incentives package.

This is a very risky gamble for the Democrats. If the Foxconn deal falls apart and Wisconsin is our millions or billions of dollars, they they can say “I told you so.” But if it is a massive success and tens of thousands of Wisconsinites are getting jobs and the economy is booming, then they have completely kneecapped themselves. Even if it does fail, Walker can say that he was trying to bring jobs to Wisconsin while Democrats whined.

In any case, we likely won’t know the full results of this deal before the election next year. Democrats are going to run on a campaign of rooting for Wisconsin to fail.

Walker Signs REINS Act

by | 2015, 9 Aug 1717 | , | 1 Comment

Great!

WAUSAU – Governor Scott Walker today signed the REINS (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny) Act into law at the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce. The bill makes various changes regarding administrative rules and rule-making procedures.

“One of our top priorities for Wisconsin is ensuring government services are effective, efficient, accountable, and operate at good-value for the citizens of our state,” Governor Walker said. “This bill allows for more input from citizens and stakeholders before a new rule is drafted, ensures expensive or burdensome rules are subject to legislative scrutiny and approval, and creates additional oversight over state agencies. I thank Senator Devin LeMahieu and Representative Adam Neylon for taking the lead on this protaxpayer reform. ”

Senate Bill 15 – makes several changes to the administrative rulemaking process, specifically the preparation of scope statements, economic impact analysis, approval of rules, promulgation of emergency rules, and certain hearings on proposed rules. The bill requires the Department of Administration to complete an initial review of proposed scope statements from agencies and determine if an agency has the explicit authority to promulgate the rule, prior to submitting the scope statements to the Governor for approval. Authored by Senator Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) and Representative Adam Neylon (RPewaukee), the bill passed the Senate with a vote of 19-14 and was concurred by the Assembly with a vote of 62-34. It is Act 57.

Tribune Diagnoses the Wisconsin Way

by | 1540, 4 Aug 1717 | , | 1 Comment

Even those folks to our south recognize it.

The final reason Foxconn picked Wisconsin over Illinois is the difference-maker: government cooperation and competence. The Journal Sentinel wrote that Gou believed “the responsiveness of the public and private partners in Wisconsin far exceeded those of other states.” Gou singled out the cooperation of Gov. Scott Walker, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and local business groups: “These key people pushed very hard.”

Here’s the takeaway: Foxconn chose the state that has stable government, healthy finances and pro-growth policies for employers. Illinois has none of the above.

Wisconn Valley is open for business

by | 0757, 1 Aug 1717 | , | 4 Comments

My column for the Washington County Daily News is online. Here you go.

It is almost impossible to overstate how important the recently announced Foxconn deal is for Wisconsin. Economically, culturally, and politically, it is the biggest deal for Wisconsin in a generation.

The economics of the deal are astounding. Foxconn is a Taiwanese company that manufactures thousands of products all over the world. Its revenues exceed $136 billion per year and it employs well more than a million people all over the globe. The plant planned for Wisconsin to build advanced screens will be huge, but it will not even be Foxconn’s largest.

At 20 million square feet, the planned Foxconn facility in Wisconsin will be one of the largest in the world. It is estimated that Foxconn will spend $10 billion to build and equip the new facility and they have committed that $5.7 billion of that will be spent in Wisconsin. The construction alone will support 10,000 construction jobs for four years and 6,000 additional indirect jobs.

That’s just to build it. The ongoing economic impact is even more massive.

Foxconn estimates that the facility will eventually directly employ 13,000 people and indirectly employ an additional 22,000 people at an average wage of $53,875 plus benefits per year. They plan to spend $4.26 billion per year to supply the facility with about a third of those purchases happening in Wisconsin. All told, the facility is estimated to have at least a $7 billion annual impact on Wisconsin and generate an estimated $181 million in annual tax revenues. All of these estimates were done by Ernst & Young.

Economically, this single facility will have a generational impact on Wisconsin on the scale of some of the other major manufacturers of Wisconsin’s storied past. Culturally, it will have a similar impact.

Wisconsin has a proud legacy in making things. Manufacturing has been a pillar of the state’s economy for over a century. Due to many trends outside of the state’s control like automation, globalization, trade policies, etc., the state’s manufacturing sector has been eroding for years. Since 2006, Wisconsin shed 45,598 manufacturing jobs as other sectors grew. The state boasts some terrific manufacturing businesses, but as a sector, it has been in decline in the state.

The drain of manufacturing out of the state has not only drained jobs, it has drained neighborhoods, towns, and communities of their vitality. The Foxconn plant plugs that drain and pumps new manufacturing jobs, money, and investment into the state. It is also almost certainly the beginning of a flow of companies investing in Wisconsin. Wisconsin has made its mark again as a global center for high-tech manufacturing. Other companies will undoubtedly follow Foxconn’s lead.

The political impact of Foxconn is also substantial. There is no dispute that Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican leaders deserve a tremendous amount of credit for brokering the deal to bring Foxconn to Wisconsin. As the legislature goes into a special session this week to finalize and pass the incentive package, it appears that the state is getting a bargain. In a perfect world, taxpayers would not have to compete to lure businesses with tax incentives and corporate welfare, but that is not the world we live in.

Taxpayers are offering Foxconn about $3 billion in mostly income tax credits over 15 years and a $150 million sales tax exemption. Bearing in mind that this is mostly exemption from taxes that would not have been collected anyway without Foxconn locating in Wisconsin, it is a good deal and the taxpayers will reap a substantial return on their investment. Furthermore, the credits are tied to Foxconn’s actual performance in creating jobs and making capital investments in Wisconsin. If Foxconn fails to live up to its commitments, the taxpayers are not obligated to extend the incentives.

It must be acknowledged, however, that the Foxconn deal would not be happening had it not been for Walker and the Republican transformation in Wisconsin over the last seven years. Decisions like Foxconn’s consider hundreds of factors that are outside of the realm of politics. Conservatives often remind that government do not create jobs, but they create an environment in which business can flourish and create jobs. Walker and the Republicans have created just such an environment. Things like a balanced budget, regulatory reform and right to work combine with a general business friendly attitude to create an environment in which businesses can succeed. The Foxconn decision is not just the result of an agreement on an incentive package. It is the culmination of years of decisions making Wisconsin a better place to do business.

The Foxconn deal may have guaranteed Walker’s third term, should he choose to run for reelection, but more importantly, it has affirmed the correctness and importance of the conservative policies he has advanced. Now we must continue and accelerate those policies to capitalize on the momentum.

Foxconn Coming to Wisconsin

by | 2053, 26 Jul 1717 | , | 10 Comments

It is difficult to overstate how big this is for Wisconsin.

Taiwanese manufacturing company Foxconn will build its first U.S. factory in Wisconsin, where it expects to employ between 3,000 and 13,000 people, officials announced on Wednesday.

The $10 billion facility would initially employ 3,000 people and could expand over time to create as many as 13,000 jobs, according to a senior White House official. The jobs will pay an average salary of $53,875, plus benefits, according to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

The project is the “single largest economic development project in the history of the state of Wisconsin,” said Gov. Scott Walker, who made the announcement on Wednesday at the White House with Foxconn founder and CEO Terry Gou.

Foxconn is best known for manufacturing Apple iPhones. The Wisconsin facility will produce liquid-crystal display, or LCD panels.

Yes, there are going to be some growing pains and I’m sure that the Democrats will be sure to pee all over Wisconsin’s economic flame, but this is a historic economic boon for Wisconsin. Here are a few projections from the WEDC summary:

In addition to the 13,000 jobs directly created by Foxconn, the project is expected to create at least 22,000 indirect and induced jobs throughout the state.

Foxconn is to make $4.26 billion in supplier purchases annually, about one-third of which will be sourced within Wisconsin.

The project is expected to have at least a $7 billion annual economic impact on the state.

The project will generate an estimated $181 million in state and local tax revenues annually, including $60 million in local property taxes.

Budget Deal?

by | 2216, 20 Jul 1717 | | 1 Comment

Perhaps.

Gov. Scott Walker offered a change to his budget plan this week to Republican leaders feuding over how to pay for road projects in an effort to break a 20-day impasse, but it’s unclear if it’s enough to get both houses back to the negotiating table.

“There’s no deal yet. That’s for sure,” Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said Thursday after he relayed to his members the governor’s offer to use $200 million slated for tax cuts for road projects instead, drawing down bonding levels.

But Walker’s offer did win support from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Assembly Republicans, who in letters to Walker and Senate Republicans on Thursday said they accepted the governor’s proposal and want to resume work on the 2017-19 state budget as early as next week.

[…]

Walker’s offer eliminates a $203 million tax cut that would instead be used to reduce or completely wipe out all new transportation bonding in the 2017-19 state budget, the governor told reporters.

Walker Proposes Transportation Compromise

by | 1452, 6 Jul 1717 | | 15 Comments

This looks like a very viable plan.

First, we propose reducing transportation fund supported bonding by $200 million in this budget by using an improved transportation fund balance, project cost savings, and other administrative actions. We believe this can be accomplished while continuing to keep projects on schedule.

[…]

Second, approve contingency bonding for the Southeast Freeway Megaproject program.

[…]

Third, pass a strong and safe transportation budget without a gas tax or vehicle fee increase.

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