Wisconsin received $3.45 billion (0.43 percent) of the $787 billion federal economic stimulus act. President Obama and advocates claim the stimulus was to "create or save" jobs.
The Democrats and Governor Doyle used $2.22 billion toward the $6 billion state budget deficit. A majority of the remaining $1.23 billion ($1.09 billion) is being spent on specific K-12 programs, the transportation budget, and selected environmental programs. The $140 million remaining is targeted for programs such as food assistance, unemployment grants, community services block grants, and on direct public assistance programs for low-income families. All laudable, but not one creates a job.
Job-creating programs, including employment service money and workforce investments totaling $34.54 million (1 percent of the state's stimulus money), were budgeted from stimulus money.
Government jobs were created with stimulus money; 263 full-time positions were added in the 2009-11 state budget. After the stimulus money runs out, these must be funded through increased tax dollars.
Democrat leadership has bragged that construction jobs are being saved by spending on transportation. During the week of July 20, when road construction normally peaks, more than 3,000 construction workers filed for unemployment. About 15,000 construction jobs have been lost between June 2008 and June 2009. Also, transportation money is being funneled to projects (earmarks) included in the budget to buy votes.
Prior to receiving the stimulus money, an Assembly proposal was introduced to establish accountability and legislative oversight when distributing stimulus money. A public bipartisan committee would have had oversight of stimulus funding, providing a number of safeguards, including public hearings, reports detailing how many jobs will be created by the spending proposals, and whether the proposals would increase the state's structural deficit. The proposal went nowhere.
Instead, Governor Doyle created an "Office of Recovery and Reinvestment," to spend the stimulus money. Employees work in the new state office headed by Gary Wolter, the president, chairman and CEO of Madison Gas and Electric. The public company Wolter heads is regulated by the governor's Public Service Commission, and Wolter and his wife have donated more than $20,000 to Doyle's campaign fund. Assisting Wolter in decision-making is Al Fish, University of Wisconsin-Madison associate vice chancellor for facilities planning and management. Fish is married to Susan Goodwin, Doyle's chief of staff.
The new layer of bureaucracy, paid for by Wisconsin's taxpayers, was added with a looming budget deficit when the job should have been performed by legislators.
The Democrats and Governor Doyle used $2.22 billion toward the $6 billion state budget deficit. A majority of the remaining $1.23 billion ($1.09 billion) is being spent on specific K-12 programs, the transportation budget, and selected environmental programs. The $140 million remaining is targeted for programs such as food assistance, unemployment grants, community services block grants, and on direct public assistance programs for low-income families. All laudable, but not one creates a job.
Job-creating programs, including employment service money and workforce investments totaling $34.54 million (1 percent of the state's stimulus money), were budgeted from stimulus money.
Government jobs were created with stimulus money; 263 full-time positions were added in the 2009-11 state budget. After the stimulus money runs out, these must be funded through increased tax dollars.
Democrat leadership has bragged that construction jobs are being saved by spending on transportation. During the week of July 20, when road construction normally peaks, more than 3,000 construction workers filed for unemployment. About 15,000 construction jobs have been lost between June 2008 and June 2009. Also, transportation money is being funneled to projects (earmarks) included in the budget to buy votes.
Prior to receiving the stimulus money, an Assembly proposal was introduced to establish accountability and legislative oversight when distributing stimulus money. A public bipartisan committee would have had oversight of stimulus funding, providing a number of safeguards, including public hearings, reports detailing how many jobs will be created by the spending proposals, and whether the proposals would increase the state's structural deficit. The proposal went nowhere.
Instead, Governor Doyle created an "Office of Recovery and Reinvestment," to spend the stimulus money. Employees work in the new state office headed by Gary Wolter, the president, chairman and CEO of Madison Gas and Electric. The public company Wolter heads is regulated by the governor's Public Service Commission, and Wolter and his wife have donated more than $20,000 to Doyle's campaign fund. Assisting Wolter in decision-making is Al Fish, University of Wisconsin-Madison associate vice chancellor for facilities planning and management. Fish is married to Susan Goodwin, Doyle's chief of staff.
The new layer of bureaucracy, paid for by Wisconsin's taxpayers, was added with a looming budget deficit when the job should have been performed by legislators.
