On Wednesday, the Racine Journal Times featured an editorial describing the misleading job-creation numbers released by Governor Doyle’s office. After the Democrat party suffered several high-profile losses on the national stage, Wisconsin Democrats finally realized that it was time to discuss the jobs crisis in our state. Unfortunately for Racine County citizens, this empty election-year rhetoric lacks anything meaningful.
As Senator John Lehman (D-Racine) was busy crafting the disastrous state budget last spring, he and his Democrat colleagues somehow rationalized that hammering the state’s business community with $5 billion in tax increases would not cost them political points. For months, they portrayed the budget bill as a responsible piece of legislation that will benefit the average taxpayer. That’s why it was refreshing to see Lehman’s colleague, Senator Jim Holperin (D-Conover), recently admit in an email to a constituent that Democrats have raised enough taxes and fees to “sink a good sized battleship.” They also convinced themselves that somehow Wisconsin would not hemorrhage jobs because of their actions. Now, six months and 93,400 lost jobs later, it’s clear that they completely missed the mark.
During debate on the Senate floor several weeks ago, Senator Lehman claimed that the state legislature has a “relatively limited effect” on the state’s economy and downplayed state government’s responsibility for “all of the job losses.” To be fair, he also noted that the legislature shouldn’t take full credit when jobs are created. While I agree with him that jobs are created mainly in the private sector by hard-working entrepreneurs, his reasoning that his actions in the Senate have nothing to do with Racine’s dismal employment situation is completely misguided.
The state legislature is the foremost actor in creating an attractive business environment for companies to locate and grow in Wisconsin. State government is tasked with setting the tax and regulatory environment for job creators. When it makes that environment so burdensome and crippling that companies are forced to shut down or leave the state, it absolutely should be blamed for facilitating job loss.
When Racine Residential Care closed its doors last March, leaving 55 people out of work and 39 special-needs residents without a home, the facility’s administrator cited the increase in the nursing home bed-tax as a primary reason. Senator Lehman voted for this tax hike, in addition to numerous others that were snuck into the state budget during closed-door, middle-of-the-night negotiations. Either Senator Lehman does not understand the impact that his actions have on Racine companies, or he recognizes his vulnerability in the 2010 fall elections and is desperately trying to deflect blame for the problems his irresponsible votes have caused.
Over the last year, the Senate Republican’s Wisconsin Jobs Now Task Force took the initiative to meet with job creators all over the state, and the result was a comprehensive package of ideas that was turned into an aggressive, pro-job legislative agenda. Senate Republicans have a plan, and we are urging Senate Democrats to join us in a bipartisan effort to pass these reforms and spur economic recovery. Senator Lehman and his colleagues, however, have chosen politics over policy, rhetoric over results, and excuses over execution in an attempt to salvage their majority-hold on the Wisconsin State Senate.
It is clear that when it comes to jobs, Senator Lehman only cares about one – his own.
Scott Fitzgerald represents the 13th Senate District and has served as the Senate Republican Leader since 2007.
Posted @ 10:48 p.m.
Lehman, Democrats Talk Jobs to Score Political Points
By The Racine News TeamSen. Scott Fitzgerald
On Wednesday, the Racine Journal Times featured an editorial describing the misleading job-creation numbers released by Governor Doyle’s office. After the Democrat party suffered several high-profile losses on the national stage, Wisconsin Democrats finally realized that it was time to discuss the jobs crisis in our state. Unfortunately for Racine County citizens, this empty election-year rhetoric lacks anything meaningful.
As Senator John Lehman (D-Racine) was busy crafting the disastrous state budget last spring, he and his Democrat colleagues somehow rationalized that hammering the state’s business community with $5 billion in tax increases would not cost them political points. For months, they portrayed the budget bill as a responsible piece of legislation that will benefit the average taxpayer. That’s why it was refreshing to see Lehman’s colleague, Senator Jim Holperin (D-Conover), recently admit in an email to a constituent that Democrats have raised enough taxes and fees to “sink a good sized battleship.” They also convinced themselves that somehow Wisconsin would not hemorrhage jobs because of their actions. Now, six months and 93,400 lost jobs later, it’s clear that they completely missed the mark.
During debate on the Senate floor several weeks ago, Senator Lehman claimed that the state legislature has a “relatively limited effect” on the state’s economy and downplayed state government’s responsibility for “all of the job losses.” To be fair, he also noted that the legislature shouldn’t take full credit when jobs are created. While I agree with him that jobs are created mainly in the private sector by hard-working entrepreneurs, his reasoning that his actions in the Senate have nothing to do with Racine’s dismal employment situation is completely misguided.
The state legislature is the foremost actor in creating an attractive business environment for companies to locate and grow in Wisconsin. State government is tasked with setting the tax and regulatory environment for job creators. When it makes that environment so burdensome and crippling that companies are forced to shut down or leave the state, it absolutely should be blamed for facilitating job loss.
When Racine Residential Care closed its doors last March, leaving 55 people out of work and 39 special-needs residents without a home, the facility’s administrator cited the increase in the nursing home bed-tax as a primary reason. Senator Lehman voted for this tax hike, in addition to numerous others that were snuck into the state budget during closed-door, middle-of-the-night negotiations. Either Senator Lehman does not understand the impact that his actions have on Racine companies, or he recognizes his vulnerability in the 2010 fall elections and is desperately trying to deflect blame for the problems his irresponsible votes have caused.
Over the last year, the Senate Republican’s Wisconsin Jobs Now Task Force took the initiative to meet with job creators all over the state, and the result was a comprehensive package of ideas that was turned into an aggressive, pro-job legislative agenda. Senate Republicans have a plan, and we are urging Senate Democrats to join us in a bipartisan effort to pass these reforms and spur economic recovery. Senator Lehman and his colleagues, however, have chosen politics over policy, rhetoric over results, and excuses over execution in an attempt to salvage their majority-hold on the Wisconsin State Senate.
It is clear that when it comes to jobs, Senator Lehman only cares about one – his own.
Scott Fitzgerald represents the 13th Senate District and has served as the Senate Republican Leader since 2007.
Posted @ 10:48 p.m.