WI Gov. Scott Walker promised billions to get a Foxconn factory, but now he's running away from it

[fleur-de-lisa]

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/29/18027032/foxconn-wisconsin-plant-jobs-deal-subsidy-governor-scott-walker

It was a veritable lovefest in Milwaukee in July 2017 when Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) and Foxconn chairman Terry Gou announced their plan to create a heavily subsidized manufacturing plant in southeastern Wisconsin. Walker gushed that Gou, who founded his Taiwan-based company in 1974, was “one of the most remarkable business leaders in the world.” Gou returned the favor by saying, “I’ve never seen this type of governor or leader yet in this world.” Effusive, yet ambiguous.

The details of the deal were famously written on the back of a napkin when Gou and the Republican governor first met: a $3 billion state subsidy in return for Foxconn’s $10 billion investment in a Generation 10.5 LCD manufacturing plant that would create 13,000 jobs.

The size of the subsidy was stunning. It was far and away the largest in Wisconsin history and the largest government handout to a foreign company ever given in America. Like most states, Wisconsin had given subsidies to companies in the past, but never higher than $35,000 per job. Foxconn’s subsidy was $230,000 per job.

But Walker was elected in 2010 on a promise of creating 250,000 new jobs in the state in his first term as governor. Six years into his tenure, he still was far short. Running for a third term in 2018, he badly needed a big win.

[atreides1]

1. Okay

Has Foxconn even begun clearing the land where this mythical factory was supposed to have been built? Gou was smart, he probably got the land at a cut rate price, along with water rights...what are the chances that the agreement didn't allow Foxconn to use their property as they wished?

The deal was about as transparent as a brick...and I believe that Walker and his Republican cronies made a deal that will result in few or no jobs in Wisconsin!!!

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Your reference to the Land and Water rights will be the next

major scandal to come. Was not the land owned by one of his pals?

[katmondoo]

2. Scott Walker was once the darling of the GOP

They saw him as the perfect candidate for the GOP, someone everyone should imitate as the perfect Republican. What happened?

[bitterross]

5. He won because of cheating too.

He only won his elections because of cheating. The people of WI are not as dumb as the people of TX, AL, MS, etc.

He used the ALEC/GOP plan for how to run a state but, next door in MN the Democrats prevailed and took the opposite path. The people of WI can easily see the GOP plan is not the way to go.

https://madison.com/ct/news/local/report-minnesota-buries-wisconsin-in-economic-performance/article_120c0c0e-ecd9-5717-bfd4-c9fb136a8f8f.html

[IllinoisBirdWatcher]

4. State already taken over local and county roads for massive infrastructure spending

WDOT has taken control of arterial roadways in the area and then supposedly will "give them back" when completed. I94 is being rebuilt almost from Illinois border to Milwaukee and is a disaster to travel.

Here is the plan: https://projects.511wi.gov/fdr/full-project-overview/