If you only had a brain.

This is for you, Keith.

http://www.unionfacts.com/

Under Walker Wisconsin is DEAD LAST in job creation. 50 out of 50. THE WORST.

What else do you need to know?

I can go on the internet and post links to propaganda and lies but those job numbers are all I need to know.

Tbone - How do you explain the unemployment rate dropping and it's comparison to other states like Illinois? How do you explain all democrats voting no on a mine that would have created thousands of jobs?

TBone-Get a clue man. What makes you think any business small, medium or large would expand or start up in this area will all the BS going? With all u lefties screaming recall!! To much uncertainty for sure!!! Maybe if you all could play by the rules and realize we live in a democracy the job outlook would look much different. Your the reason behind the stagnant job growth not Gov Walkers policies.

@steve, it's easy to explain why unemployment is down in wisconsin! a lot of the unemployed have exhausted benefits! therefore they are no longer counted!

Underemployment is a factor, but it is a wash nation wide state by state. So you still can compare individual unemployment rates between them. Plus Obama sure doesn't factor this in his talking points.

Why are you so full of hatred?

Why are you, Keith?

Wrong, Craig!

The reason for the recall was to get an immoral, corrupt, criminal, corporate shil out out of the office of Governor of this great state; WE THE PEOPLE have had enough of Walker and his turning Wisconsin into Swampland...

Walker has made Wisconsin dead last in job creation.

You can spread your childish name calling and misguided hatred for the working man and stick with Walker but you will only hurt yourself.

Walker has made Wisconsin DEAD LAST in job creation. 50 out of 50. No one is better at killing jobs than Scott Walker. This is a numerical fact.

What else needs to be said?

Keith I only hate imbeciles who think they have a right to piss away other people's money. You seem to be good at that.

I believe we all recognize Craig's acting out as a defense mechanism. A vote for Scott Walker is to continue and exacerbate the policies that led to the worst recession since the Great Depression. Just to refresh, here are some reminders of what the corporatists/radical right want to continue for the American middle class (Some progressive links are included, the data is properly sourced):

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/10/27/the-middle-class-squeeze-falling-wealth-rising-costs/

http://money.msn.com/family-money/many-falling-out-of-the-middle-class-mainstreet.aspx

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/06/speedup-americans-working-harder-charts

I didn't vote for Walker for governor because I didn't appreciate his budget shenanigans as CE. I didn't even know about his new friends Charles and David Koch, or that he was a member of ALEC.

If there's any good to come out of this entire episode, it's that 1) There's a spotlight on ALEC and their radical agenda; 2) The Walker controversy has painted a picture of what a future under the control of right-wing extremists would look like.

@Wilson-Your speaking of the minority again? Its obvious from the poll above that the majority favor Gov Walker. What are you going to do when he holds his position?

►A vote for Scott Walker is to continue and exacerbate the policies that led to the worst recession since the Great Depression. ◄

I herd if you vote for Walker the polar ice caps will melt at a faster rate.

►I didn't vote for Walker for governor because I didn't appreciate his budget shenanigans as CE.◄

No, didn't have anything to do with being a far left liberal.

►(the data is properly sourced, progressive links are included)◄

fixed it for you

Walker's reforms saved taxpayers over a billion dollars. Statewide property taxes went down. Its so sad that we lost jobs .. but many of those were government employees, not private sector jobs.

I think that union thugs are visiting prospective employers coming to Wisconsin and saying "nice company you got here, it would be a shame if something happened to it...."

Ok Bren "I am an Independant", whatever you say.
You are certainly a member of the looney left and likely a dependant; not Independant.
This would explain your love for big Government and entitlements.
Maybe you and Keith can tag team Tbone and Wilson and let the whole Liberal out together...
gags

Craig... just a hint to make you seem a bit less illiterate: the word "you're" means "you are"; and the word "your" means that you "possess something:, as in your case you're an ass.

Wow, equating collective bargaining to "prostitution and thuggary (you got this one wrong also; as it is spelled "thuggery"). So it seems that you are listening to the "Drug Addled Gas Bag" Limbaugh while you are watching porn in your mom's basement.

That multi-tasking may be more than you can handle.

@MrsPeel-And what is wrong with watching porn in the basement while listening to Rush:))

Steve, I never "herd" anything about Scott Walker and the polar ice caps. My point was clear to anyone who read and properly ingested my post. Let's keep it real.

As I have shared before on several occasions, Walker's budget shenanigans had to do (in the case I relate) with hiring an "ax man" to do the budget. As a federal judge in the hearing explained to me, the ax man had been on the job 3 weeks. That meant he had no clue of county laws, etc. He took an "ax" to the budget and it was the height of stupidity. Cutting departments to the point of actual unviability--uninmportant ones, like the federal court system.Cutting the award-winning landscape artist from the Domes--the one who makes all the money for the place. Random privatization. I can't even say how many man-hours/county taxpayer dollars were wasted just trying to get the budget to a workable point. Why hire an outside ax man in the first place?

Then there was the illegal firing of county courthouse security guards. Walker was told it was illegal, he overrode the County board and fired them. Then he hired a private, non-American security firm. The county staff and the Wackenhut staff worked side by side, double cost as the county workers worked until their last day. Walker said he brought in the outside firm right away because he thought the county employees wouldn't show up. Shows how he thinks, doesn't it. Remember how much that cost.

Don't forget the Blue Shirt project. Etc. Knowing all of this (and again, without knowing about his campaign staff's illegal activities or the ALEC connection), it would have been irresponsible of me to vote for Scott Walker. He demonstrates the same ignorance of law at the state level as he did as CE. He was annoyed with the public unions (I perceive) because there were rules that needed to be followed in working with them and he is not a person who respects procedures or in taking the time to study up (which he was elected and being paid to do--know his job). He continues the same lethal strategy of simultaneously surrounding himself with people who are equally ignorant/disdainful of rules and procedures and ignoring the counsel of people who could help him make informed decisions. As County Executive he polarized his constituency, city v. suburbs by cutting transit and other maneuvers that effectively exacerbated city/suburban tensions. As governor it can be seen how those same patterns of behavior have expanded with his sphere of influence.

Steve, Craig, I have written many, many times that I support the recall of Scott Walker and I have laid out my case for doing so more than once. I know other Republicans who support recall. They, like me, do not approve of the radicalism/profiteerism undermining our state/US economy. Walker preaches radicalism. In my view, a vote for Scott Walker is a vote for sedition-for-profit. No thank you.

Bren, thanks for bringing up the Blue Shirt project. What a great loss that was. I had forgotten about that one. Almost as devastating as the disappearance of the "Whaling Wall" over the freeway. Thank G-d (oops...sorry...shouldn't bring religion into it), cooler, more progressive heads prevailed in the case of the the lovely di Suvero sculpture, currently blighting the view of the Calatrava addition to the MAM.

Scott Walker - Demonic adversary of purveyors of condescending public art who by rights should be allowed to laugh all the way to the bank unfettered. He needs to go.

Now what did I do with that $11.00 artisan cupcake I just purchased for lunch...

MrsPeel: I never used your and you're wrong.
Try prying your legs off of the vibrator long enough to see you're a complete bitch.
No doubt you're a dike, I think I spotted you in one of them porn movies my mother lets me watch in her basement.

Because Walker has made Wisconsin DEAD LAST in job creation.

Walker is the #1 job killing governor in America bar none.

Everyone wants work.

Collective bargaining means having a GOOD job, but unless we get rid of Walker we wont have ANY jobs.

NO This Collective bargaining means being highly OVERPAID for the job, but unless we get rid of Walker we wont have These HUGE BLOATED salaries compared to the private sector because in the private sector there is competion in government it is a MONOPOLY.

@Tbone-Collective bargaining means having a good job? WOW you really are brainwashed. I have an excellent job and make well over 100k a year

If I were looking for a job, I'd rather be in Wisconsin where the unemployment rate is 6.9 than Illinois where the rate is 8.5..

And the governor of Illinois has had to close prisons, close clinics and fire massive numbers of employees. And even though they raised taxes, Illinois still is 8 billion in debt. How come they taxed the rich and it didn't work?

Bob, what have you got against democracy?

Funny . Just before reading your post TB I was thinking it looked more like a rotten potato on one end with the eyes growing out from being in the cupboard to long.

Keith everyone should hate democracy .. if you were educated you would know we have a Republic .. a democracy always fails because it is MOB rule

@Keith-Democracy? Running to another State in democracy? Hmmmmm I must have been asleep the last 48 years.

@Johnny-Right on man yes we need to turn back to a republic. Just as our forefathers intended.

Its funny how all you on the left sit here and bash Walker saying how he is the #1 job killer ect. Yet your very same ideology and thinking exists in your man Obama. Hmmm the biggest job killer of all. Socilaist, marxist pig!! Gov Walker stands for common sense and freedom. Not Big Government looking over my should and telling me they know whats best

Patriot, how can anyone who earns $100,000/year as you claim to do be as spelling, punctuation, and grammar-free as you apparently are? It would make more sense if your username was e.e. cummings. For that reason alone I cannot take your comments seriously, even before considering your apparent ignorance of political systems. How can one simultaneously be a socialist, marxist, and a pig?

Governor Walker does not stand for common sense and freedom. He stands for radicalism and sedition-for-profit. And yes, he does stand for Big Government standing over "your" shoulder and your bedroom. The radical pseudo-morality is merely a sop to the right-wing "Puritans." They are being manipulated to advance their profiteering scheme. People are still falling for it, incredibly. But as P.T. Barnum used to say, "There's a sucker born every minute."

Of course the Democrats have created the atmosphere where no businessman who has a choice between creating or moving jobs here or somewhere where there aren't anti-business demonstrations going on on regular basis wouldn't make the obvious choice, but that's to their advantage as well. Create chaos, blame it on the current administration, then claim you're the only solution to the problems you've created. Interesting strategy that has worked to a degree so far amongst certain segments of society. We'll see if it works when there's actually an opportunity to vote against a recall, as well as for it (as is not the case when signatures to force the issue are being gathered) on June 5th.

Obama's campaign promise was to fix the economy, his administration has failed at that promise...so do you feel he needs to go too?

Lexi, the rate of job creation under Obama has reversed the job loss under Bush and has become a mirror image in reverse. His policies saved the auto industry, which in turn saved hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the midwest, including Wisconsin.

Your statement is very disingenuous considering the traitorous Republicans in Congress who made a one term for Barack Obama their number one priority. They did all they could to stop policies which we have seen are working. But the GOP didn't want them to work and have used our lives and futures as a weapon.

If you are unhappy with the rate of job growth in this country, blame your buddies in the GOP.

Lyle - All democrats voted no against a mine that would have created thousands of jobs. If you really care about jobs why not direct your posting to the party that is actually responsible.

@Steve - The mine lost, Alfred, er, I mean Steve, old boy. Suck it up. The mining bill was full of more holes than Bonnie and Clyde's getaway car. And your thousands of jobs the mine would have created is the most bogus number anyone has thrust forth in all the debates I have read on Patch. Let's see your calculations on that, Mr. Arthur Laffer.

Your statements are clean examples of the current vapid Republican knack for taking anything with a hint of liberal, dehumanizing it, debasing it, and then claiming it proves your point.

Suck it up, nice. Then I expect that the democrats will drop the jobs "issue" with Walker becuase they admit they directly caused thousands of jobs from being created.

You can spin that a mine only has 800 direct employees in the pit, office and plant operation. But you only ignore the economic activity that explodes around one. It's also nice to hear jibbersh from someone with ZERO mining or mining industry background.

Bob, to which "anti-business" demonstrations are you referring? Last time I checked, "business" is not a synonym for "greed." I believe Walker created the chaos when he dropped his "bomb" on public workers (If you wish to forget that lengthy prank call where Walker bragged about "dropping the bomb" to "Dave Koch" I'll remind you).

Isn't the intention of dropping a bomb to destroy, devastate, and demoralize an enemy? Unfortunately for him, the actual effect was similar to whacking a hornet nest with a stick.

If you want to support an extremist agenda, vote for Walker. But if you want to vote for Wisconsin and America, vote Walker out.

Or we could change our state's name to WisconsALEC and our country to the United States of ALEC.

@Lyle-Again maybe if those of you on the right would have given him a chance? What business is going to look at Wisconsin when we are full of uncertainty? NONE

@Keith-WOW you really are brainwashed. Obama is taking away our freedoms everyday. Executive order and executive order. If you really want to live in a marxist, socilaist enviroment your fre to leave at any time.

Bren,

The trouble (for you and your side, that is) is that most business people view Scott Walker as pro-business, and unions as bad for business. The protests are seen as instigated by anti-business union forces. The prevalence of union placards at these events makes that assumption a reasonable one. You can try and argue otherwise, but it's just the case.

In addition, businesses don't readily invest money in areas they perceive as being in a constant state of turmoil, which is pretty much the impression that media coverage of the endless protests in our state imparts.

You put those two things together, and you end up with an impression of a state overrun by folks who are basically anti-business, who favor the continuation and expansion of public employment at the expense of private employers and who are attempting to usurp power from a legitimately elected state government.

Thanks to today's technology, it's entirely possible for businesses based here to contract virtually every aspect of their business out to out-of-state 3POs, if they so choose, to avoid not only the cost of bringing on new employees, but to avoid entanglement in the uncertainty implied by the endless anti-business protests as well.

When it comes to the bottom line, ALEC, the Koch Bros, prank phone calls, etc, really mean nothing to these folks. Being able to conduct business w/o worrying if they're going to become public enemy #1 simply because they run a business, does.

Steve - The 800 jobs for the mine was not a guarantee. Walker and the legislature could have made that number a guarantee by the company, other local governments do that when they open the doors to a company to enter their jusidiction. So that 800 jobs number is vaporhype.
Just for a moment supposing the 800 jobs number is correct, most of those jobs are not going to last forever or even a long time. Many of those jobs would be filled by seasoned out of state mine workers from Minnesota, the U.P.,Canada, etc. Wisconsin does not have mining of that type and scale. They would not necessarily move their families here, many would rent and go home on the weekends, etc. They would not necessarily be high paying union jobs. A mine can turn unprofitable quickly due to commodity prices or the ore playing out. Then you have a kind of economic ghost town, and a lot of unemployed people moving out or going on the dole in one form or another. And a mining town has a lot of social problems and costs.

Its a shame that Milwaukee has lost so many jobs that it looks bad for Walker. I think that people will get that.

Of course extreme even whacky Lyle says that this is Republican extremism. That would follow from his extreme whacky deranged bent distorted lefty viewpoint.

Those of us who are watching reality play out know that Democrats nationwide are having to deal with the unrealistic promises made to government employees.

Here's an "extremistoutofcontrolpsychoticunchainedwerewolf" Democratic mayor in Rhode Island

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras, a Democrat, is planning to embark on one of the largest rounds of cuts the city has ever seen.

Insisting that it’s the only way to avoid bankruptcy, Taveras is planning to cut cost-of-living benefits for thousands of city pensioners—a move which will save the city an estimated $16 million in the coming year and will reduce its pension liability by $236 million.

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2012/05/01/another-domino-falls-in-dem-war-on-blue/

the author of this article is talking to you Lyle....

The unions would like everyone to think that we are witnessing a war by evil, hard hearted Republicans against the blue social model. Wrong.

The model is inexorably collapsing of its own bloated weight. Democratic mayors and governors are acting in ways that not even the most radical Republicans did ten years ago. They have no choice: reality can only be resisted so long.

Good to see Bren back with the ALEC pychosis.

Greece need i say more!!!!!

Because he has done enough already. How much more do you want the Wisconsin economy to head into the toilet while he takes rights away and destroys the spirit of the state.

This childish crying about "wha, wha, wha, why do we need a recall" shows an ignorance of why Robert LaFollett and the progressive put it in place in the first place. Walker's election was not a mandate to put in place every right wing talk radio wet dream imaginable. That's why the recall is in place to prevent this over reach.

The Journal is the worst in their breath-taking lack of understanding about this principle.

Someday when you grow up you might realize this.

@ Keith

An awesome and spot on reply... however, you are really wasting your time by giving facts and logical responses to these psychotic bloggers... they are hopelessly addicted to their radical, right-wing, social engineering agenda.

Walker has brought more corruption and job killing (Wisconsin is DEAD LAST in jobs numbers under Walker) than ANY Wisconsin governor has brought in any term.

Enough is enough. Corruption, criminal associates and practices, sleazy phone calls, bullying working people, AND THE BIGGEST JOB KILLER IN AMERICA!

What else do you need to know?

Keith, well said. Plus I don't "recall" this being an issue during the recall effort that eventually caused Tom Ament to retire, resulting in Scott Walker being elected Milwaukee County Executive in a special election. Ament needed to go. Walker needs to go now as well.

Michael, I judged Walker on his performance (and I'm using the term lightly) and behavior as County Executive, which is why I didn't vote for him.

Walker would have been a poor governor even without the new ALEC/Koch connection. I understand the ALEC folks were giving him his marching orders about stripping collective bargaining rights before he was even inaugurated. At least as CE he had the County Board of Supervisors to revise/correct his ridiculous budget submissions. Now, instead of "dad" he has a host of rubber stampers. (Not to mention millions in out-of-state campaign contributions and more millions in super PAC money from the Koch brothers via Americans for Prosperity, etc.)

Even if Walker miraculously survives this recall, hopefully enough legislators are recalled to slow down this multi-state radical sedition-for-profit agenda here in Wisconsin.

Walker has brought more corruption

Did he buy a Spanish train??? .

BTW, you do know that he reported the individuals investigated so far in the John Doe investigation. That's a little unusual for a corrupt politician to do.

Good to see Bren back with ALEC psychosis.

Michael.... that's simple. He and the Fitzgeralds started acting like Fascists the second month they were in office. I use that term with impunity because the Wingnuts on this blog can fling "Socialist/Marxist" around without any knowledge of what that means.

How long does one have to give a dictator before one knows what he is up to? It also was happening in Florida, Ohio, and Michigan.

The Fitzwalkers tipped their hand way too early and they got their ass in a wringer as a result. Any more questions?

@MrsPeel-Then why are you not re-calling Obama?

Man where do you hateful people come from?

You are just bad people.

Obama has lain to rest the notion that democrats are good for the economy, how? The GDP was contracting by 8% annually when he took office. The Dow was under 8,000. The economy shed 750,000 jobs in January 2009, just as he took office. 6 months later, the GDP was back to growing again. 9 months after he took office, the economy began gaining jobs again, and has gained jobs every single month since. Given that the situation BEGAN when a Republican was in office, and didn't even begin to get better until a Democrat replaced him, I'm pretty sure all that's happened is a reinforcement of the idea that Democrats are best able to handle the economy.

@Bert- Really? Is that because u believe the current unemplyment numbers put out by the Obama Administration? Hmmmmm well I can tell you 2008/2009 I had a lot more disposible income in my pocket than I do today after almost 4 years of your man Obama in office. I am paying almost 4.00 a gal for fuel compared to 1.89 since your man has been in office. Grocerys have practically double in the last 4 years since obama has been in office. But hey there is no inflation, dont mind the 4 bucks a gal for fuel, dont mind the higer prices in the grocery stores, dont mind the fact I want to penalize all the coal fired power plants. Do mind Ive wasted billions of your money to specualte green energy

Where are the obama jobs?. 50 percent of college graduates are unemployed. Its a depression and Obama gives us phony baloney numbers

Just one of the measurement of the piss-poor job that President "Socialist/Marxist/Kenyan" Obama is this:

The Dow was 7,949 when President Obama took office; today it was 13,207, which is an increase of a mere 60+%. Of course that probably doesn't affect any of your investments?

When President GW Bush took office the Dow was at 10, 588 and when he left office the Dow was 7,949 for a fantasticlly great loss of 34% in value. That for the first MBA President.

Adam, some day you will stop reading Libertarian crap and Ayn Rand crap and realize that there is a Public Commons.

You drive to work on streets and roads that were paid for by your parents and grandparents; you went to schools that they funded; you fly into and out of multi-billion dollar airports that they paid for, you use GPS that they paid for. The list goes on.

:You sir, are acting and writing like a selfish 4-year old. It's time to broaden your intellectual horizons and grow up.

@Wienieski - Which would you rather have, the U.S. economy at the end of Bush.'s eight year term in 2008, or Obama's now? The Great Recession was the culmination of Bush's and most of the other Republican policies, and there was plenty of time and many warnings to do differently.

If Obama has not done enough, it is that he has not undone enough of Bush's incompetent and devastating decisions.

@MrsPeel-The stock market has NO BEARING on real life in this world. Its a numbers game played by wallstreet to favor Obama. Its just one of the many tricks in their bag of tricks. Because the stock market is def not an indicator of real life!!! So come on and start thinking for yourself

If job creation was the top issue for democrats why would they support the fiscal policies of an Obama administration that have ensnared the country in a period of relentless economic decline?

In April, 2012 the percentage of adults working or actively looking for work fell to the lowest level in 30 years. If the same percentage of adults were in the workforce today as when Obama took office the unemployment rate would be 11.1 percent.

Incredibly, 3 years of Obama have wiped out the employment gains made under presidents Reagan, Clinton and both Bush's.

Read it and weep:

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2012/05/LFP%20Rate.jpg

http://thewheelerreport.com/releases/January12/0118/0118richards.pdf

http://disruptthenarrative.com/2011/02/20/liberal-wisconsin-political-cartoonist-sides-with/

Preach it Brotha!

upset father - because if was a dangerous bill that would have rolled back needed environmental protections, ignored the voice of the public and eased accountability for mining companies. Do you like to drink clean water? Do you like to be able to eat the fish you catch? Do you like tourists coming to northern Wisconsin spending money? You think mining companies care about any of this without a lot of oversight? That is why.

MDS- Why does a gallon of milk contain more surfer than a gallon of drinking water around the Taconite mines in Minnesota?

Now we have an inarticulate "upset father" quoting Steve quoting JB Schmidt on the thousands of mining jobs projection. Do we see how these Tea baggers feed on each other and hate radio and get so agitated and frightenly over the top. And these are the people that fight for the right to carry a loaded .45 all over town.

More surfer per gallon, Steve?

Is it shark milk or something?

Dirk, are you unable to answer my question as well? You're all talk, man up tiger.

What is a dumbascrap? Is this a term that describes Republicans who apparently chose not to share soil test results and who re-imagined geological terminology to define one mineral as a compound in an egregious mining bill that also included inappropriate environmental deregulation? Is that what a dumbascrap is?

I agree that it is rank hypocrisy to claim thousands of Wisconsin jobs would be created when at best it was only 700-800, with no guarantee that the work was going to Wisconsinites.

Like everything Bren you are told facts and you ignore them. You need to, I understand, 700 jobs lost by democrats looks better than thousands. Keep up the ideology, in the mean time we'll keep working here in the real world. Go study mining some more on the internet, you'll be MSHA certified in no time.

Steve - I believe you mean "sulfur", not "surfer". I had an initial mental picture of dudes in longsuits paddling out from Duluth in 42 degree water.
As a geology major and chemistry minor in college, maybe I can help figure out your riddle as to why there is more sulfur in milk than in drinking water around taconite mines. First, point me to the study, and will be glad to research. I do know from my farm days that sulfur is a mineral essential to cows, and increases production. Unless your purposely drinking mineral water, sulfur and its compounds are not desirable in drinking water, as many of us know from some of those old farm wells.

Perfect, you know your stuff. Sulfur was a main argument against the mine, it was going to pollute the rivers and the drinking water. Just read Bren's blathering here. Soil testing this, iron pyrite that, sulfur killing the Native Americans on and on.

I wanted the mine. My brother works at Caterpillar. Big time jobs in Wisconsin. Thanks Democrats.

The fun part is that when the mine now open is Michigan we still will see some jobs here from manufacturing and supply. We have a large mining presence here in Southeast WI. So now we can mine a few miles away, pollute the same bodies of water and miss out on billions of dollars, jobs, and economic success.

Thanks democrats.

@mara

What are you talking about?? His job plan is to build a streetcar route for $100,000,000 that goes 2.1 miles.

That idea is the culmination of 8 years on the job.

Sure it will ruin business along that route. But think of all the rides we can take on that $100,000,000 streetcar when we drive over there.

Gee who was president 8 years ago and destroyed the economy, hmmmm....

Oh so now the state economy and job growth is the President's fault. I'll go with that, RECALL Obama.

Mera, one thing you won't hear from Barrett is a boast to create "250,000 new jobs for Wisconsin" during the worst recession from the Great Depression. Most folks, including non-radical Republicans, believe in keeping things real.

Concerning the mining bill, the estimated number of permanent jobs was between 700-800 (for the life of the mine at least). Compared to the risk of environmental damage because of the soil content (which was not publicized but discovered through independent testing) and a bill of creative definition and deregulation, 700-800 jobs (which may or may not have all gone to native Wisconsinites) was not worth the potential poisoning of the river and other environmental damage. The idea of a mine is not anathema, it is the idea of opening a mine without proper environmental controls and unknown soil content. I maintain that the Republican legislature and Walker administration sabotaged the mine because of their furtive behavior.

Proper environmental controls were in place. You just choose to ignore them.

Were the 700-800 jobs including the manufacturing of the equipment?
Did they include local shops and businesses that will sprout up to provided services to the mine and it's employees?
Did it include logistics getting material to and from the mine?

Barret can't even maintain the streets. Wisconsin our main drag avenue is awful.

DIdn't he have some bridges falling down? Oh-yeah. Zoo interchange almost killed people.. Way to go Barrett.

“Governor Doyle should immediately fix the Hoan Bridge, and stop kicking road and bridge repairs down the road for the next governor to deal with,” said Walker. “Doyle’s irresponsible $2 billion raid on the state transportation fund is not only blowing a hole in our state’s budget, but is now threatening the Hoan Bridge.

“It’s outrageous that Governor Doyle and Mayor Barrett are trading in the needs of our roads, our bridges, the Zoo Interchange and now the Hoan Bridge

Bren says

....to the risk of environmental damage because of the soil content (which was not publicized but discovered through independent testing) and a bill of creative definition and deregulation,....

This was a total load. This mine was going to use magnetic processing. And it was going to be many thousands more than 700. 700 miners buying stuff, going out to dinner. Hundreds of employees at Joy Global making the drag lines. Hundreds of truck drivers to move the ore move in supplies. It goes on and on.

Democrats slit the throats of the people up north. Good thing we have President Foodstamps.

Notice how Bren won't answer the questions that lead to thousands of jobs? MSNBC hasn't informed him that villages and cities grow up around industry.

Steve ® people who take George Soros money to write lies are in favor of theoretical jobs, just no jobs in particular.

Just think if Obama wanted to open a mine. MSNBC would be like 150,000 jobs will be created. Bren would all be like OMG open this mine so many union jobs will be created and we can tax the hell out of everything.

But in reality he says no to thousands of jobs on a pipeline and invests billions in solar which is a bust since it is not market driven.

A jolly good morning to you @Lexi on this beautiful warm day.
Think good things day---like this tweet;-)

Jaxon Brow ‏ @JaxonBrow
Today is Thursday 05/03/2012...day 446...33 DAYS UNTIL GOV WALKER WILL BE RECALLED...06/05/2012! #wiunion #reclaimWI

@lexi.... i couldnt agree with you more. the recall has ALWAYS been about collective bargining... they have been beating that drum for almost a year and a half. now that the recall is in process they are changing their tune and saying its about jobs. if Democrats were concerned about jobs they would have voted for the mining bill.

@ Lexi

Walker is NOT going to BUY a recall WIN and your old school is just that, old school.

This is the 21st century, get in it or perish...

@John Wilson -- My first school had one room and outdoor plumbing, but I'm not such a dinosaur as the 'old-school' lady above.

Really, Lexi? You were raised to live withing your means? Tell me, for whom did you vote since 2000 while out government was lowering taxes for people who off-shored our jobs and ran up more debt that mainly benefited war contractors and big pharmaceutical companies? Deficits didn't matter then.

The public-sector collective bargaining was only the first in a series of measures to solidify GOP (and big business) control of our state. We've seen a number of noxious bills since, and I don't want to wait until the next regularly scheduled election to see how much more they an sell us out.

And Lexi, remember the government bailouts began with the George W. Bush administration, including $85 billion for the American International Group (AIG). There are metrics attached to the Obama bailouts. There was really no other choice, other than to let the bottom fall out of the economy and create a second, global Great Depression.

If Walker wins hopefully enough legislators will be recalled to slow down this extremist multi-state agenda.

I still do not understand how so much information about ALEC, the Koch brothers, etc., rising income disparity, the impact of offshoring on the American middle class can be so easily available, in newspapers, TV, radio, etc., and there are still people who don't understand the consequences of allowing this extremist right-wing agenda to continue its path of destruction in our country.

@Mike-Its because they know the collective bargaining issue is dead!! The silent majority supports Gov walker has and will!!!

Good to see Bren and the ALEC psychosis.

Walkers going to prison.

http://www.cnn.com/
Number of first-time claims for jobless benefits dropped 27,000 to 365,000 last week, signaling better jobs market.

:)

@ Keith

Yes, just sit and WAIT... the jobs - all 250,000 of them - will start the day after the recall election... can't you just feel them massing to fall upon Wisconsin right after the recall election is over?

Wait, Keith, just wait...

Thats just silly.

Wisconsin is DEAD LAST in job creation under Walker.

50 out of 50.

Spin that any way you want but the fact is Walker has been killing jobs since day 1.

And why don't you go ahead and work a week for free? Stupid.

"Number of first-time claims for jobless benefits dropped 27,000 to 365,000 last week, signaling better jobs market."

Thats nationwide.

Those are Obamas job numbers.

Walkers are worst in the nation.

How does Wisconsin compare when it comes to the unemployment numbers? It seems to make sense to me that states with better unemployment numbers would have lower job creation rates than states that lost more jobs during the recession. Wisconsin just has shallower peaks in the job loss/gain graphs than other states.

Only those of you rushing your contracts thru

Yes, if Walker wins the election the Koch brothers will reward the state of Wisconsin with 250,000 new jobs for such is their power. Each will pay at least $1,000,000 so that every Wisconsinite who isn't there yet can rise to the lofty heights of the upper income bracket.

Where will these jobs come from? Every small businessman and farmer is going to receive a munificent multi-year commitment from Americans for Prosperity to pay for these jobs. For every $1million job they will receive a $2 million match. Wow!

And that's not all. Every family will receive an adorable kitten, puppy, and/or unicorn, and a gift certificate for free gasoline for life, courtesy of Koch Industries.

And that's not all. The moon will have the words "Thank you ALEC" carved across its face so that Wisconsinites can pay nightly obeisance. Every day will have sunshine and every dawn will begin with a brief rainshower and glorious rainbow. Wisconsin families will stand and salute as battalions of winged pigs fly by in tight formation.

Everyone who is old shall be young again. Above us all, floating on a fluffy white cloud will be Scott Walker, flanked by David and Charles Koch, becrowned, dressed in shining raiment and holding scepters of glory. Floating nearby on a smaller, slightly lower but no less fluffy cloud will be Rebecca Kleefisch, angel-winged, gazing up in dewy-eyed admiration using her best photo-op expression.

Did I mention the truckloads of cotton candy? Mm. Can't wait!

@Bren-COMMON SENSE IS ABOUT ALL I HAVE TO SAY TO YOU. Maybe some smelling salts. Seriously?

Bren has succombed to his psychosis.

Why does Mayor Barrett feel that Milwaukee needs a trolley car? It would only be temporary jobs til it gets up and running, then maybe more stable work, but once again where is the money going to come from to maintain it? Same thing for the high speed railway they wanted...nice thought...but once again, where was the money supposed to come from to maintain it?

The first thing Walker did was give tax relief to business not collective bargaining, we have an extremely high corporate and personal tax rate here in WI. These went into effect in 2012, only 4 months ago. Business pay taxes quarterly and smaller ones once before April 15th.

Are you saying we should go back to higher taxes, more regulation and losing 150,000 jobs?

Steve - Your two dimensional thinking is that low corporate taxes are the everything about attracting businesses or encouraging existing businesses to grow. That may be somewhat true for the kind of third world economics of uncaring employers, sweatshops, starvation wages, etc. How do you account for Silicon Valley in California, Redmond, Washington, or all the bioscience, etc. startups aroung Madison, WI., a liberal hotbed?. What do you want for Wisconsin, companies like the fly by night environmental disasters, e.g..,the mine scam?

Please point to where I said it was everything. You sure make up a lot of words in your head when reality states otherwise. My response was to meno.

The huge tech companies in Silicon valley sidestep and use tax shelters, especially as CA increases their pressure and raises taxes. Doing so they will drive them out of the state, ie North Dakota's tech boom.

I expect you do not use any product derived from a resource mined out of the earth. Doing so would be hypocritical and contributing to your environmental disaster claim.

Are you stupid!!! Stop acting like a bunch of 2 year olds and let him do his job without the recall cloud hanging over his head. Its called uncertainty and in these times thats big stuff to a business/corporation wanting to set up shop.

Patriot, I'm personally of the opinion that "dropping the bomb" on public union employees instead of negotiating as he promised to do as part of his campaign platform (then bragging about it to the fake Dave Koch) is one of the most immature political behaviors I have seen in recent history.

Steve - A North Dakota tech boom? Tell us more and how we could be more like North Dakota, Geez. I had no idea tech companies from the W..Coast were flocking to Bismarck. Do you want to live there for any length of time?

Oh, okay, maybe your right about low taxes not being your only mantra. Low average wages and easy enviromental destruction are also in your list of business attractants.

You did not answer how Madison is an incubator for new tech companies, even though it is one of the most liberal areas in the U.S.

About your jr. high argument that if you use a product out of the ground and you were against the recent mine bill, you are a hypocrite, so you would say anyone that opposes any one-sided legislation has no credibility? Mines can be and are operated within safety and environmental parameters for the well-being of the citizenry. Period.

Bren:

You keep repeating the same misleading statement about Walker 'dropping the bomb'. Once again, Walker was forced to change his plan to negotiate with the unions because one month before Walker came into office, union leadership told Walker (in no uncertain terms) that they would not negotiate or make any of the concessions Walker was asking for.

Dirk:

You do realize that North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate in the country, don't you? ND is around 3%, Wisconsin is around 6.8%...

Sounds like you need to study up on ND and why they have a 3% unemployment rate. IT, banking, Oil and a low cost of living. I'll let you study the rest.

You referring to Epic? Hardly compares to the bay in CA or ND but whatever they are getting huge, you're jumping from state to local when the state controls the corporate tax rates.

►Mines can be and are operated within safety and environmental parameters◄

But this one would not have been? Prove it.

Dropping the bomb/? What bomb? You mean taking away their advanatge to hold me hostage without any say whats so ever? If you feel so strongly why are you not out campainging for your fellow Federal Workers who do not have collective bargaining when it comes to wages?

@Steve - Still trying figure out how N. Dakota is a Republican model for Wisconsin? It even has a famous Dem Senator, Mr. Kent Conrad. I think you and Cowdung are referring to the oil boom there, and hydraulic fracking is the tech boom. We do not have oil in Wisconsin. And without the oil, ND has historically been a hardship state: Droughts, bliszzards, low wheat prices, depopulation, etc. We could use that oil industry, North Dakota has benefited enormously from taxes on the oil industry, which generated an estimated $839 million in FY 2011 and are expected to generate more than $2 billion over the next two years. Its apples and oranges, get real, we cannot imitate North Dakota.
And as for proving the doomed mine would have been unsafe, Bren and others have addressed that here on Patch., as well as many politicians, scientists, etc. I get the idea you do not read and absorb anything contrary to your narrow slit view on life.

Dropping the bomb on state employees. The poor babies, paid more than the average citizen, with golden pensions that nobody has had since the 90s. Walker asked them to negotiate and they called him Slavemaster.

Takes two to tango.

Those stupid, eeevil North Dakotans. They are trashing their water and air just to have jobs. Taking eeevill oil out of the ground. Feeding the eeevill oil companies. And the Koch Brothers. We Wisconsinites are much purer and more virtuous and smart turning down any jobs from those evil doers. I wonder how Minnesota and Michigan do it?

Good to see Bren and his psychosis about the Koch brothers. BTW, Bren - did you know - do you f'ing know the Koch's have donated over $750M (yes MILLION) to cancer research? Shut the f up about them already.

Where did I say it was a model for WI? You wanted to know why tech companies thrive in CA with high taxes and I explained how they do it or why they are leaving because they have increasing tax burden.

Evil mining causing a 3% unemployment rate. Let's not farm then because those prices go up and down. No we don't have oil but we have iron, which we all use daily. If not here then a few miles away in MI, same bodies of water same type of mining. Bren and others here have never been to a taconite mine and have a narrow view of a dirty coal mine and a Julia Roberts movie.

http://www.bloomberg.com/video/82051224/

You mean the democratic party's wallet don't you?

The fact that teachers in Milwaukee (and likely other districts too) voted to reduce their net pay in order to buy better health insurance benefits is never mentioned in the talking points, wonder why.

Imagine buying and paying more for the "Cadillac" option on your health insurance policy and then getting blasted in the media for your bloated benefit package. And then being forced to pay even more. Nice.

The Milwaukee Teachers along with the Kenosha Unified School District rammed contracts thru period!!! Now that they have learned more will be laid off and has them thinking the Walker way may not be so bad. But your big union bosses have said absolutely not!!! They would rather see u on the street rather than do the common sense thing.

Not a teacher, nor a public employee, nor even a union member, but I'll address your question. No, it's about getting a governor who will work for all Wisconsinites, not just the handful of billionaires bankrolling him. Walker slashed so much money out of the state economy - including but not limited to public employee compensation - that he effectively shocked the economy back into recession while the rest of the country has continued to pick up steam. Just like the austerity budgets in Europe have now dropped most European countries back in to recession, Walker has Wisconsin's economy firmly in reverse. We can't afford to wait for his term to run out before changing course, and it's clear he won't change course himself. Therefore, it is in the union members' best interest, as well as the non-union members' best interest, to get him out ASAP.

The fact that teachers in Milwaukee (and likely other districts too) voted to reduce their net pay in order to buy better health insurance benefits is never mentioned in the talking points, wonder why.

Imagine buying and paying more for the "Cadillac" option on your health insurance policy and then getting blasted in the media for your bloated benefit package. And then being forced to pay even more. Nice.

Bren:

Even though they made that vote that supposedly reduces net pay in return for 'better benefits', the average teacher in Milwaukee still receives over $100,000 in annual compensation...

You should copy and paste that above Cow, lol

-------Walker slashed so much money out of the state economy - including but not limited to public employee compensation - that he effectively shocked the economy back into recession while the rest of the country has continued to pick up steam.

Apparently you haven't read about the governor of Illinois who raised taxes and still has a multi billion dollar deficit. Unemployment there is 8.5 percent - much higher than ours. Doctors are not being paid, prisons and clinics are closing.

The other guy raided the patients funds -- why you lefties never complain about the possibility that he hurt patient care escapes me --- he raided highway funds and we had bridges in the biggest interchange in the state in danger of collapsing. How much longer do you think we can spend like crazy people?

Oh- 'tax the rich'. Slap forehead.

Bert:

Where exactly did all the money go that Walker has allegedly "slashed out of the state economy"? Did Walker cause money to cease to exist or something?

As long as we are losing Overpaid government jobs I am all for it .. the government is bloated and needs to be reined in .. but these cry baby's think they can just keep taxing us to get thier bloated salaries .. well think again

All the school districts that used the reforms are doing well fiscally. Most have kept class size the same or increased it, most have kept the number of programs or increased. Layoffs have actually gone down.

"The older surveys show more school districts increased class sizes, reduced extracurricular programs, raised student fees and tapped reserves to balance their budgets in each year between 2002 and 2008 than they did in 2011-12." -- More proof that It's Working Wisconsin

Read more at the Wisconsin State Journal

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/past-schools-surveys-shed-new-light-on---results/article_c15c9dde-7eb3-11e1-9c37-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz1rBCMudcP

Obama has been growing jobs for over two years. Despite a significantly worse economic situation when Obama started as compared to when Walker started, the country had already begun adding jobs less than 15 months in to Obama's term. Walker inherited a state economy that was already gaining jobs when he took office, and despite the continued growth of jobs in the country as a whole, he has thrown it in reverse. Walker doesn't need more time, he needs a new direction. Problem is, he's too dumb to realize that, so he must be recalled. I'd gladly swap Walker's disastrous economic record for what Obama was able to do in his first 15 months!

Really Bert? A ballanced budget vs. 15 trillion in the hole? With no way of paying it back!
WOW, and you call people dumb.

several school districts have saved thousands of dollars

Correction, hundreds of school districts have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Obama's jobs record is ephemeral (that means made up and undetectable). Tax records tell the tale.

Obama is having the Labor Bureau screw up Wisconsin's numbers to hurt Walker. Its a multi-pronged, OFA-SEIU-AFSCME strategy for November.

We've eliminated 18,000 public sector jobs in the state, <Awesome>
killed hundreds of millions worth of projects, <A train, Awesome again>

Patriot - Common sense tells us not to disparage entire groups of people, including calling them perjorative names. And claiming your way is the common sense way.
How common of you.

I have seen this survey referenced elsewhere. CEO magazine doesn’t say much about who the 550+ respondents are; do they represent large corporations, small companies, or small businesses.

Putting that aside there is some interesting information which can be gleaned from the survey.

The ten lowest ranked states for "business climate" are home to 225 Fortune 500 Companies while the ten highest ranked states are home to only 140 of the Fortune 500.

The fifteen lowest ranked states are home to a total of 256 Fortune 500′s while the top 15 are populated by only 157 of the big companies.

So, it would appear that the “perception” of the survey respondents does not match “reality”.

This is not a scientifically run survey as it as the respondents self-select.

One could also draw the conclusion that these people don’t put their “money where their mouth is”.

The validity of this survey is at about the same level as the myth that Gov. Walker had anything to do with moving Wisconsin up in the rankings.

The survey was touted last year also, and we see how well it worked out for Wisconsin.

AG - You way overestimate the supposed power of unions. If they were so big then why were they swept aside so easily? The power of the state is much more, which is why public employees need unions to collectively bargain for them. Rich pensions and benefits? Maybe good pensions and benefits, like most unionized employees use to receive. Pensions and benefits which are part of a compensation package that was bargained over, with wage increases often replaced by enhanced benefits, because it was cheaper in the long run for the state. And these public sector jobs were open for anyone to apply for, its not like it was some sort of secret. All of it is in the public record. Finally, to use the word rich when describing most public employees is just so unreal. If you want rich, check out the CEO's CFO's and other upper management and their multi million dollar salaries, benefits, bonuses, pensions, stock options, country club memberships, expense accounts, etc.

@MDS-Your welcome to start your own business, become successful and make as much money as you possibly can. Bottom line the entire country is in trouble and as far as public sector workers being able to hold the tax payer hostage is WRONG!!! You still have collective bargaining just not with wages and benefits just as it is for your fellow Federal worker

@AG... Are you a card-carrying member of the John Birch Society? Or was Sen. Joe McCarthy your hero?

Are you going to refuse all of the benefits that you earned as a 30 year union member? Are you going to refuse the "rich pension" checks?

If you hate unions so much which did it take you 30 years to come to that concllusion? Perhaps because you were enjoying income and benefits higher than your non-union peers?

Intellectual consistency does not appear to be one of your strong points.

OH, AND I FORGOT THE MOST PROMINENT REASON WHY WISCOSIN IS LOSING JOBS! PEOPLE HERE HAVE NO MONEY. AND WHEN THEY HAVE NO MONEY, THEY DON'T BUY GOODS AND SERVICES! NO DEMAND MEANS LESS SALES AND MORE JOB LOSSES. IT'S SIMPLE ECONOMICS! PUT THE MONEY IN PEOPLES HANDS AND THEY'LL BUY! THAT WILL CREATE JOBS! NOT TAX BREAKS FOR CORPERATIONS.

@JT-Hey thats working good for my Obama!!!! Get a clue!!! Simple common sense.

@JT-Looks like Scotty's going to lose? Hmmmmm where are you getting that info? Seems to me all the polls I have seen show Gov Walker in the lead. The only people for BARRET are those in Milwaukee and for Falk are those in Madison. Gov Walker has people from all over the entire State. Remember us last year? We are the silent Majority

@Patriot - If Walker is so unbeatable, why are your comments so taunting and belligerent. Lots of worry coming through since the latest Marquette Law School poll. And it would certainly be better for the Republican cause if you were indeed part of the SILENT majority.

@Dirk-Really? Maybe you should read thru the posts left by your left leaning liberals. They are the ones constantly on the attack just as they were in Madison. Why? Because they did not agree? So lesson learned- If you do not agree run south. Great ideology for the youth of our nation.

@Dirk-Just as the poll located at the top of the page has Gov Walker in the lead. Yes the silent majority will show up when it counts to keep their choice Scott Walker as the leader of our State. Your side had an oppurtunity for 8 years and did nothing but put us in a hole.

@Patriot - Barrett has not even gotten past the primary stage yet, and look at the polls. It is being called a dead heat.

You are worried, it would just be common sense to be so.

OK, considering that, maybe you are not worried.

Hey Tom Barrett.......is this all you do.......link information?
I actually appreciate it because I don't scour the news too much.....

@patriot - Maybe your cheerleading will get some kind of rally going for Walker among the silent minority. The big money boys like the Koch mob can't buy votes with their ads for all their millions spent.

Even the paid bloggers are doing a miserable job.

Well it's only right that the home of the Circus Museum be ceded to the Democrats.

That sounds a bit like the pot and kettle, doesn't it?

red really is looking like the typical conspiracy nut case so common in the tea party.
"Hello, BLS, this is Pres. Obama. Screw up Wisconsin's numbers to hurt Walker. I know, I know, I must have bigger problems, like Iran, Iraq, Afganistan, terrorism, the Deficit, the economy the House of Representatives, the Supreme Ct., etc. etc.
I said Walker, yes Walker. Never heard of him? Well go ahead and ruin your BLS reputation forever anyway, and fudge the numbers!" .

DK, are you referring to the Governor Walker who has sucked at the Public Trough for all but about 12 months of his career after being kicked out of Marquette?

Or are you referring to the Governor Walker who is taking political donations to use to pay for his team of defense lawyers? I would guess that Walker is not in favor of the usual TEAPublican advocated "Tort Reform" when it comes to trying to keep himself from being fitted for an orange jump suit? The only way for Walker to be able to take donations for his Defense Fund is because he is about to be charged with a crime or if he is under investigation for having committed a crime.

To paraphrase Richard M. Nixon, "Our Governor is not a crook."

We all need to remember that before Scott Walker was governor Jim "Cueball" Doyle had the job for 8 years. Remember "the last business to leave Wisconsin please turn out the lights?"

It will take years to reverse the flight of capital and talent that quietly left the state due to high taxation and nanny state regulatory treatment. When you start criticizing budget cuts and fiscal restraints enacted due to years of tax and spend liberalism please remember who the head honcho was.

@Patriot
As the last poll indicates, Smart Wisconsin folks are fed up with the LIES on that video and will vote Scooter OUT OF OFFICE.

TheNewDeal ‏ @TheNewDeal

Under Walker, Wisconsin is #1 in Job Loss & Only State to Have Net Loss of Jobs in 2011 http://bit.ly/Jtn1EZ Rt #RecallWalker #WIunion #p2