Damning: Walker Gave Corporations Cash To Create Jobs, Forgot To Check If They Created Jobs

[cali]

The job creation agency founded by Governor Scott Walker has been routinely violating its own rules and state law, according to a damning report released Friday by Wisconsin’s non-partisan Legislative Audit Bureau.

Walker set up the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation in 2011 in order to give taxpayer dollars to private corporations to help them create jobs for Wisconsin workers. But a new audit of more than 100 grants from the agency found that the WEDC failed to follow up on whether the companies were actually using the funds to create and retain jobs.

The group also gave loans and tax credits to companies that did not meet its requirements, and did not even attempt to fact-check claims by the companies about the number of jobs they created. Additionally, the agency forgave, wrote off or deferred more than $4 million in loan payments that the corporations were supposed to pay back to the state.

Critics of the Governor, including Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate, cited the new data as evidence of his “ineptitude…bordering on criminal negligence” and called for legislators to pass reforms.

<snip>

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/05/08/3656838/scott-walkers-jobs-agency-violating-state-law-audit-finds/

[marym625]

1. K&R!

Bordering on criminal negligence? How can it be anything but criminal negligence?

[Scuba]

2. "... Tate ... called for legislators to pass reforms." Bwahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. They're in on it Mike!

But then so are you Mike, or you wouldn't have hand-picked corpo-Dem Mary Burke to run a losing campaign against Walker. You know, the Mary Burke who praised Walker's union busting Act 10, donated to charter schools and offshored Wisconsin jobs to China.

[Still In Wisconsin]

6. Poor Mike...

He still doesn't get it.

[Jackpine Radical]

15. Maybe he "gets" more than we know.

[font size=8 color=green]$$$

[Still In Wisconsin]

24. Yeah there is that possibility.

Maybe he is more than just "comically inept" as he is described.

[HereSince1628]

9. ~ a decade ago Tate's first comment to me was 'I bet you think we are idiots'

It suggested a lot about how he saw his own competency. My opinion of Tate has never been as high as his view of himself...


But, his statement is about all he can do, even if Tate could muster turnout to protest this, as you say the legislature wouldn't care.

[cantbeserious]

3. Why Am I Not Surprised

eom

[Locrian]

4. for the GOP

“ineptitude…bordering on criminal negligence” is a resume builder. Koch brothers material for sure.

[CanonRay]

5. "give taxpayer dollars to private corporations"

Last edited Sat May 9, 2015, 03:37 PM - Edit history (1)

That is the entire purpose of the GOP, isn't it?

[bvar22]

22. That is the "Privatizing Scam" practiced by Republicans and "Centrist" Democrats.

The Centrist Democrats are currently doing it to our Public Schools,
and STILL eyeballing Social Security.

[AZ Progressive]

25. +1000

Pigs at the trough for taxpayer money

[Still In Wisconsin]

7. That's our Scutt.

Ineptitude bordering on criminal negligence is his M.O.

[Thespian2]

8. K & R

Scotty is a Koch-sucker hand puppet...what else could be expected of this weasel? The Corporate Democratic Party of Wisconsin chose to lose to Walker by nominating a corporate teat sucker...This party should stop calling itself The Democratic Party...

[Sunlei]

10. Eaton Corporation & Plexus Corporation received millions, laid off workers & moved to foreign facil

both the Eaton Corporation and Plexus Corporation received millions of dollars in financial awards from WEDC, only to later lay off workers whose jobs were taken by employees at the companies' foreign facilities.




http://www.wkow.com/story/25977283/2014/07/09/wedc-award-recipients-outsourced-wisconsin-jobs-to-foreign-countries

EATON CORP. http://www.eaton.com/Eaton/index.htm

These are huge, giant corporations, they should NEVER receive State taxpayers millions as grants!

[Scootaloo]

11. "Forgot"? Boy, that's optimism

No, he didn't forget. he simply never planned to.

The whole idea is that you cut taxes and regulations for these monsters, you open the door for their lobbyists, you give htem all the subsidies they can eat (and their gullet is a neverending well) and when you get out of office, they'll have a well-cushioned seat fpor you.

I find it disturbing that i am starting to develop a third exception to my opposition to the death penalty. But at least all three are internally consistent.

[jwirr]

14. I tend to agree. That was the plan all along. I am sorry for WI people but WE did get something

out of this.

Can you imagine the campaign ad about this if he wins the gop primary? Walker jobs program - just give corporations cash and HOPE they will use it to produce jobs - then follow up on the lay offs and off shoring. And end with the fact that walker did not check on them. Walker jobs = corporate welfare.

That will be one good campaign ad.

[Fred Sanders]

17. I would make a fourth exception for media executives anxious to never mention "corruption" and

"Republican" in the same breath, even as systemic corruption invades the entire party and most of the mass media.

[Jackpine Radical]

18. I actually have only one such exception.

It is for corporate "persons."

I might go along with forehead branding, though. Some people ought to come with warnings permanently affixed. Maybe S for Sociopath or something.

[kacekwl]

12. Failed to follow up

because were busy following up on mooches buying shellfish and steak with the big $$$$ food stamps.

[silvershadow]

13. Well he is vying for the Presidency after all. He's just preparing for those job-creating tax cutsnt

[cstanleytech]

16. For it to be ineptitude it would have not had been deliberate through

and I am willing to wager its really repayment for support that was funneled through a PAC or something similar.

[Kalidurga]

19. That's because he only cares about the one job they did create...

his.

[raouldukelives]

20. All financed by shareholders. They know its all theft, they just want a piece of the action. nt

[pansypoo53219]

21. "job creators" NOT

[bvar22]

23. Corporations don't "create" jobs (except...

...for the nephew of the CEO)

Demand creates jobs.
If a CEO goes out and "creates" a job where there is no DEMAND,
he should be immediately fired by the board.