Wisconsin and Minnesota - two states similar in many ways, culturally, ethnically, geographically, and meteorologically with harsh winters and lots of cloudy, gloomy days. Both states have good K-12 education systems - ranked in top 10 nationally - and premier public university systems. Politically, both states have produced their share of radical Republicans and progressive Democrats - similar, until lately, that is. Since 2010, the two states have headed in opposite directions.
In that Republican year, 2010, Wisconsin switched from a Democratic governor to a Republican. The legislature went totally Republican and, with gerrymandering, Republicans solidified their hold on it. Year 2010 also brought in conservative Republican darling, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, replacing Democrat Russ Feingold.
In Republican year 2010, Minnesota broke the mold by replacing a Republican governor with Democrat, Mark Dayton. Democrats dominated their legislature until 2014, another Republican year.
With economics, it is difficult to perform controlled experiments simply because in the real world you can't control the variables. But with two states as similar as Minnesota and Wisconsin, yet heading in opposite directions politically, it is interesting, and depressing for us Badgers, to compare economic performance of the two states.
Gov. Walker promised to create 250,000 new jobs in Wisconsin. First off, let's affirm that state economies are pretty much captive of the national economy. In depression, the whole nation suffers. With economic recovery, all states tend to recover, although some recover more than others. The best that state politicians can do is to do no harm, and, through well-conceived tax and spending policies, to at least give their state a chance.
Gov. Walker's first error was to promise something on which he had no power to deliver. His second error, actually a series of errors, was, with his anti-labor, cut-spending, trickle-down economic snake oil, to not give Wisconsin a chance to create those 250,000 jobs.
Minnesota raised taxes by $2.1 billion, mainly on their wealthiest citizens, using the revenue to balance the budget, and investing some 71 percent of the remaining new revenue in higher education, K-12 education including all-day kindergarten, and wider access to early childhood education. Minnesota was among the few states to raise education spending during the Great Recession. Gov. Dayton expanded Medicaid to cover additional people, accepting Washington's offer to pick up the cost.
Walker's strategy for Wisconsin could not have been more different.
Wisconsin's governor began his term by turning away federal money for rail from Milwaukee to Madison to the Twin Cities, money that would have promoted private sector expansion. He declined federal help to put low income people on Medicaid. Wisconsin cut expenditures on education with more cuts on the horizon, including a proposed $127-million cut for K-12 education and a $350 million cut for the University of Wisconsin - a world premier system for a medium-sized state, not to mention a major economic driver for the entire state.
So, what are the results? It's not even close - Minnesota is growing and thriving far more than Wisconsin, as we are lagging behind in job creation and economic growth. Latest data show Wisconsin a dismal 40th in job creation.
The Minnesota legislature is debating what to do with their state budget surplus, presumably some combination of tax cuts and spending on stuff that publicly benefits the state. In contrast, Wisconsin is in deep trouble, agonizing over what to cut for the least damage.
While some Minnesota Republicans complain about high taxes and a "poor business climate," Forbes, not exactly a bastion of fire-breathing liberals, rates Minnesota as the eighth best state for business. After all, it is tied with California for the fifth fastest-growing state economy, with private-sector growth exceeding pre-recession levels. That's not bad for the frozen tundra.
And there is no need for a new bridge across the St. Croix to handle wealthy Minnesotans leaving their posh Minnetonka digs to take advantage of those tax cuts trumpeted by our governor.
So how does all this sit with Wisconsin voters? We have to acknowledge the governor for his Teflon hide, surviving multiple investigations, and his diabolically clever, self acknowledged, "divide and conquer" strategies - pitting working man against working man, and even union member against union member. And as the national mainstream media clones remind us, everyone, probably including the governor himself, is surprised at his numbers and standing with his conservative audiences. But that's the point; he has been singing to the choir that loves his union-busting successes.
The recent Marquette University poll tells a different story.
On Walker's proposed education cuts, 78 percent disapprove. Some 70 percent oppose his proposed UW System cuts - cuts that were accompanied by a ham-handed attempt to eliminate "the search for truth" from UW's statutory mission statement. If that was a "drafting error," as maintained by the Guv, it was one helluva typo.
The governor recently observed that he opposed immigration because of his concern for workers. That is rather touching in view of his signing right-to-work legislation, and trumpeting to cheering conservative audiences across the land his accomplishments in "standing up to the unions." But according to that Marquette University poll, some 50 percent of Wisconsin voters oppose the right-to-work law recently signed by the Governor.
Of further note, according to that Marquette University poll, U.S. Sen. Johnson is in trouble. If the election were held today, Russ Feingold would replace Johnson. And in a hypothetical race between Hillary Clinton and Scott Walker - if he were the candidate, but I predict that he won't be on the ticket at all - Clinton would win hands down, Walker losing his home state.
But then, with his Teflon hide, our sleep-walking mainstream media, and unlimited Koch Brothers dough, like Richard Milhous Nixon, he continues to surprise.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is clearly outpacing the Badger State. Since 2010, given the players involved, it really wasn't a fair fight.
- John Waelti's column appears in the Times every Friday. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
In that Republican year, 2010, Wisconsin switched from a Democratic governor to a Republican. The legislature went totally Republican and, with gerrymandering, Republicans solidified their hold on it. Year 2010 also brought in conservative Republican darling, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, replacing Democrat Russ Feingold.
In Republican year 2010, Minnesota broke the mold by replacing a Republican governor with Democrat, Mark Dayton. Democrats dominated their legislature until 2014, another Republican year.
With economics, it is difficult to perform controlled experiments simply because in the real world you can't control the variables. But with two states as similar as Minnesota and Wisconsin, yet heading in opposite directions politically, it is interesting, and depressing for us Badgers, to compare economic performance of the two states.
Gov. Walker promised to create 250,000 new jobs in Wisconsin. First off, let's affirm that state economies are pretty much captive of the national economy. In depression, the whole nation suffers. With economic recovery, all states tend to recover, although some recover more than others. The best that state politicians can do is to do no harm, and, through well-conceived tax and spending policies, to at least give their state a chance.
Gov. Walker's first error was to promise something on which he had no power to deliver. His second error, actually a series of errors, was, with his anti-labor, cut-spending, trickle-down economic snake oil, to not give Wisconsin a chance to create those 250,000 jobs.
Minnesota raised taxes by $2.1 billion, mainly on their wealthiest citizens, using the revenue to balance the budget, and investing some 71 percent of the remaining new revenue in higher education, K-12 education including all-day kindergarten, and wider access to early childhood education. Minnesota was among the few states to raise education spending during the Great Recession. Gov. Dayton expanded Medicaid to cover additional people, accepting Washington's offer to pick up the cost.
Walker's strategy for Wisconsin could not have been more different.
Wisconsin's governor began his term by turning away federal money for rail from Milwaukee to Madison to the Twin Cities, money that would have promoted private sector expansion. He declined federal help to put low income people on Medicaid. Wisconsin cut expenditures on education with more cuts on the horizon, including a proposed $127-million cut for K-12 education and a $350 million cut for the University of Wisconsin - a world premier system for a medium-sized state, not to mention a major economic driver for the entire state.
So, what are the results? It's not even close - Minnesota is growing and thriving far more than Wisconsin, as we are lagging behind in job creation and economic growth. Latest data show Wisconsin a dismal 40th in job creation.
The Minnesota legislature is debating what to do with their state budget surplus, presumably some combination of tax cuts and spending on stuff that publicly benefits the state. In contrast, Wisconsin is in deep trouble, agonizing over what to cut for the least damage.
While some Minnesota Republicans complain about high taxes and a "poor business climate," Forbes, not exactly a bastion of fire-breathing liberals, rates Minnesota as the eighth best state for business. After all, it is tied with California for the fifth fastest-growing state economy, with private-sector growth exceeding pre-recession levels. That's not bad for the frozen tundra.
And there is no need for a new bridge across the St. Croix to handle wealthy Minnesotans leaving their posh Minnetonka digs to take advantage of those tax cuts trumpeted by our governor.
So how does all this sit with Wisconsin voters? We have to acknowledge the governor for his Teflon hide, surviving multiple investigations, and his diabolically clever, self acknowledged, "divide and conquer" strategies - pitting working man against working man, and even union member against union member. And as the national mainstream media clones remind us, everyone, probably including the governor himself, is surprised at his numbers and standing with his conservative audiences. But that's the point; he has been singing to the choir that loves his union-busting successes.
The recent Marquette University poll tells a different story.
On Walker's proposed education cuts, 78 percent disapprove. Some 70 percent oppose his proposed UW System cuts - cuts that were accompanied by a ham-handed attempt to eliminate "the search for truth" from UW's statutory mission statement. If that was a "drafting error," as maintained by the Guv, it was one helluva typo.
The governor recently observed that he opposed immigration because of his concern for workers. That is rather touching in view of his signing right-to-work legislation, and trumpeting to cheering conservative audiences across the land his accomplishments in "standing up to the unions." But according to that Marquette University poll, some 50 percent of Wisconsin voters oppose the right-to-work law recently signed by the Governor.
Of further note, according to that Marquette University poll, U.S. Sen. Johnson is in trouble. If the election were held today, Russ Feingold would replace Johnson. And in a hypothetical race between Hillary Clinton and Scott Walker - if he were the candidate, but I predict that he won't be on the ticket at all - Clinton would win hands down, Walker losing his home state.
But then, with his Teflon hide, our sleep-walking mainstream media, and unlimited Koch Brothers dough, like Richard Milhous Nixon, he continues to surprise.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is clearly outpacing the Badger State. Since 2010, given the players involved, it really wasn't a fair fight.
- John Waelti's column appears in the Times every Friday. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
