Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is touting the need to invest in entrepreneurship and calling out Republicans like Scott Walker and his 2012 running mate Paul Ryan for their opposition to a commonsense increase in the minimum wage.
In an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” today, Romney rebutted the discredited Republican talking point that an increase in the minimum wage would lead to lower wages and job loss, and said of the minimum wage “I think we ought to raise it.”
And according to the Washington Post, two of Romney’s former opponents, Rick Santorum and Tim Pawlenty, have also recently urged Republicans to increase the minimum wage.
Romney also commented on the role that entrepreneurship plays in stimulating jobs and the economy, saying “we are an entrepreneurial nation, growth is all dependent on innovation and entrepreneurship.”
Small businesses drive our economy, accounting for 65 percent of net new private sector jobs according to the Small Business Administration. Research also indicates that young companies account for 40 percent of net new private sector jobs.
Only in Scott Walker’s Wisconsin, it’s the absence of new small businesses and entrepreneurial activity that is driving our economy – down. The most recent federal jobs data shows Wisconsin lagging behind the rest of the nation and our neighbors in the Midwest as we rank 9th out 10 Midwest states on job creation and 35th in the nation overall.
What’s worse, a new report from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation shows Wisconsin continues to rank among the worst-performing states for entrepreneurship, 46th out of the 50 states.
The key finding of the latest report is that Wisconsin was a tougher place for entrepreneurs and new business last year than it was the year before. We continue to struggle in terms of new business starts, and it’s only getting worse under Scott Walker.
Walker’s dismal ranking on entrepreneurial activity comes amid reports that his flagship jobs agency, the scandal-plagued Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, has failed to utilize more than $75 million in funds allocated to assist new business start-ups — despite having a multi-million dollar advertising budget designed to attract such new ventures and new talents.
“Even Mitt Romney knows that Wisconsin is lagging behind on job creation precisely because of Scott Walker’s opposition to stimulating economic growth through what works — investments in our workforce and entrepreneurial activity,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said Friday. “It’s time for a new direction with Mary Burke where Wisconsin will once again invest in helping hard-working innovators build good-paying jobs that strengthen the middle class from the ground up.”
