Between revelations of the biggest pay-to-play scheme in Wisconsin history and a second poll showing him underwater, August was a bad month for Scott Walker — and it closed with even more bad news as the state last week reported a $281 million budget shortfall and the latest jobs numbers showed dismal growth.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Wisconsin turned in another subpar job creation report Thursday with news that it gained 28,653 private-sector jobs in the 12 months from March 2013 to March 2014.”
That’s based on the latest Quarterly Census on Employment and Wages (QCEW) data — Walker’s “gold standard” numbers — which is derived from actual, verifiable jobs counts from 96% of employers. The 28,653 jobs added represent a 1.2% rate of growth, about half the national average.
Also last week came a report from the Department of Revenue that revealed Wisconsin’s revenue collections were $281 million below projections in the recent fiscal year.
This massive deficit is terrible news for Wisconsin families, small businesses, and local communities as they struggle in a Walker economy that ranks dead last — 10th out of 10 states — in the Midwest for job creation. Family incomes are stagnant and workers continue to face obstacles to achieving the American dream as a result of Walker’s misguided policies.
“Scott Walker was already trailing Mary Burke in consecutive polls before the news that he spent a projected surplus into a $281 million deficit, so this latest double dose of bad economic news couldn’t have come at a worse time for the embattled governor,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said Tuesday. “Add in another round of dismal jobs numbers and it’s easy to understand why voters are ready for a new direction with Mary Burke.”
