Five steps to a better Wisconsin economy

The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership came out with its wish list of immediate fixes for Wisconsin's economy. Kyle Maichle at The North Shore Exponent offers up five ideas to also aid the troubled Wisconsin economy. He calls for
1. Control the State Spending and the Structural Deficit.
2. Transparency in government expenditures
3. A real property tax freeze
4. "Put Jobs in the Areas We Need the Jobs."
5. A Plan for Milwaukee.

Wisconsin Institute for Leadership calls for economic reforms

In an effort to stimulate the economy in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership has a list of proposals it feels the legislature should take up immediately:

WIL Calls for Economic Stimulus Package

Wisconsin Institute for Leadership Says Immediate Action Needed to Boost State


[Madison, Wisc..] The Wisconsin Legislature should immediately pass a series of economic development proposals to stimulate the state's economy, according to the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership.

"Before any expensive new government programs are contemplated, and before the State comes to individuals and businesses for even more taxes, the legislature and the Governor should pass these common sense economic development measures to stimulate the free market in Wisconsin ," said WIL Executive Director Brian Fraley .

WIL says Wisconsin should:

Ø Stop the Grey Drain and keep assets in our economy by completely eliminating the tax on retirement benefits for Wisconsin citizens over the age of 65

Ø Encourage investing by doubling the Angel Investment Credit limit

Ø Reward risk by providing inducements of in-state reinvestments of capital gains

Ø Get the government off the backs of law abiding business by passing public nuisance law reform

Ø Create jobs by lifting the nuclear power moratorium

Ø Help small businesses by allowing Health Savings Account tax deductibility

Ø Restrain state spending by launching a website which lists all agency expenditures over $100 within 15 days.

"The first rule of holes is that when you find yourself in one, stop digging," said Fraley. "So the first order of business for the new legislature is to rein in state spending and state agencies that stifle growth. And we should be encouraging investment and rewarding risk in order to shore up our economy here at home."

Five pillars of health care

(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership has put forth five principles of health care reform in Wisconsin:

We cannot have a strong and viable economy without reforming the current health care system. The current system unnecessarily drives up costs, is rife with red tape and severely strains both government and family budgets across Wisconsin. Leadership will be necessary to cure the system.

While federal officials wrangle over what the future of health care may look like in the nation, there are measures Wisconsin lawmakers can and must pursue that would improve the lives of families here.

The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership believes that any health care reform measure must be true to the following five principles.

ACCESS
Any reform should guarantee Wisconsinites access to affordable, quality health care by creating a marketplace for a wide variety of affordable health insurance products and a strong and viable safety net for those who genuinely need it.

CHOICE
One size does not fit all. Wisconsin must foster a regulatory environment that promotes the free market. Individuals, families and businesses benefit when they can choose from a large variety of health care coverage products. More options ensure that they can obtain the coverage that suits them best.

TRANSPARENCY
The cost of health care procedures and information by which consumers can compare quality of care must be accessible and easy to interpret. Whomever purchases the care, be it an employer or an individual, they should have the ability to make an informed, educated decision based on standardized data.

TAX FAIRNESS
The costs of health care coverage should be taxed uniformly. All health insurance premiums should be exempt from taxation, regardless of whether an employer or an individual pays them.

CONSUMER EMPOWERMENT
While a state-sponsored safety net has its place, the core of any health care reform plan must be consumer empowerment. The state should not structure a standard minimum coverage plan, should avoid the imposition of costly mandated benefits and should refrain from onerous regulations that limit options available to Wisconsin consumers.

You can join the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership's forum to discuss the five principles of health care reform or other aspects of health care reform.

Northeast Corridor Conservatives

Following up on a response that I gave a local liberal who asked why some in the conservative movement were slow to embrace Sarah Palin when the base quickly embraced her, someone else sent me this article on Northeast Corridor Conservatives. It's an interesting point worth discussing about a cultural divide within the conservative movement. However I think the divide is not so much regional as there may be other factors, and we can see a cultural divide among conservatives even here in Wisconsin. It's more or less aggravated depending on the issue.

Anyway, I also posted this over at the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership for discussion.

Chips left on the table

The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership questions if the state got taken to cleaners by the Ho Chunk tribe.

This would appear to be a $57.25 million hit to taxpayers. What did we get in return?

Moreover, there’s no indication of interest payments for the last two years the Ho Chunk had held up payment to the state. Think you could be delinquent in your personal taxes for two years and not be dinged by the state?

I also can’t find mention of the elephant in the room…the establishment of a fourth off-reservation casino by the Tribe, nor information regarding the three other satellite casinos.

I question the timing of the announcement.  How much Ho Chunk money will soon be funding ads to support Senator Barack Obama?  How much more will be spent to win the state assembly for Democrats?

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Art Project

The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership says there's a time and a place for publicly-funded art, and it ain't over at the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

 

$40,000 for photos of an endangered species, the Wisconsin worker.  I hope it was pretty.

RIP Wisconsin Jobs

The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership ran this obituary yesterday. Click on the obituary to learn why.

Happy Labor Day from WIL

State want ads

The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership Blog notes the position of job czar has produced at least one opening:

As Wisconsin struggles through one of the toughest economic stretches in a generation… as job losses mount… as companies are struggling with high fuel costs… as companies move corporate headquarters out of state…

The State’s Job Czar position remains vacant.

I'd apply but I don't have an administrative assistant.
Technorati Tags: Wisconsin Institute for Leadership, state government

Excuse me, just a little bit of gas

Jessi Olson, an enthusiastic new blogger that I met the other day, has a new project, Drill Here Drill Now Tuesdays. I'll be playing along, too, along with some other bloggers.

Help spread the word, and also support the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership's call for the repeal of Wisconsin's Minimum Markup law. State Representatives Leah Vukmir and Bill Kramer have called upon the governor to hold a special session of the legislature. Call Governor Doyle at 608-266-1212 to tell him you want the minimum markup law repealed, a position he has taken in the past. (Why the governor wouldn't take this opportunity to embarrass Speaker Huebsch is beyond my understanding.)

Finally, did your congressman receive a "Friend of Foreign Oil" t-shirt from Americans for Prosperity? Check out their website to see if your congressman is a friend of OPEC, or a friend of the American motorist.

There are things we can do today to make our energy future more affordable for Wisconsin families while reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Why not start now?

Doesn't he do radio?

Update! I was right. He does do radio. (see comments)

WIL takes on the minimum mark-up law

The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership issued the following press release today:

Wisconsin Lawmakers Could Move to Lower Gas Prices by Next Week
Wisconsin Institute for Leadership Urges Doyle to Call Special Session to Repeal Minimum Mark Up Law
[Madison, Wisc.] Gasoline prices in Wisconsin could be dramatically reduced if the state's arcane Minimum Mark Up Law was repealed. The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership (WIL) is urging Governor Doyle to call a Special Session of the state legislature next week to reduce gas prices here.

"This is a dumb law that hurts families in Wisconsin," said WIL Executive Director Brian Fraley. "With gas at more than four bucks a gallon, now more than ever, our elected officials should move to repeal this law or explain why they support this constraint on the free market."

Under Wisconsin's Minimum Mark Up Law, which has been in place since the 1930s, fuel wholesalers are required by the state to mark up their prices by at least 3 percent and retailers are required by the state to raise prices by at least another 6 percent. This adds a whopping 36 cents a gallon to the cost of $4.00 a gallon gasoline.

"If the Governor were to bring this issue to the forefront now, I'm confident this ridiculous law would be wiped off the books forever," said Fraley. "With families and businesses feeling tremendous pain at the pump, now is the time to repeal the minimum mark up law."

The Institute is encouraging Wisconsin residents to call Governor Doyle to encourage him to announce a Special Legislative Session to rescind the Minimum Mark Up law. His office number is 608-266-1212.

The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership is a state-focused independent advocacy organization that works to educate and mobilize Wisconsin residents on policies that expand individual liberties, encourage free markets, promote high quality education and demand accountability from public officials.

Working to preserve and improve the quality of life for all Wisconsin residents, WIL encourages ethical governing which promotes private sector solutions to the economic and social challenges facing the state during the 21st Century.

Visit WIL's website: http://www.wilead.org/ and participate in the free grassroots WIL Forum at http://wilead.ning.com/.

In 2007 a federal magistrate ruled that the Minimum Mark Up Law violated the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution because compliance with the law was not actively monitored. Yet the law continues to be in place and in force in Wisconsin.

Unhappy with any idea that might actually benefit Wisconsin families, the very left-wing One Wisconsin Now (with their wonderfully fascist-sounding name) posted an attack on their blog accusing them of being corporate shills:

Despite the division in the conservative ranks about the law, the group has picked a side. Why? Well, consider this: The chair of Fraley’s three-person board is John Behling. Behling served as a long-time lobbyist for Capitol Consultants. Two of Capitol Consultants clients are Wal-Mart and Mc Lane Foods, both of which registered in favor of a bill this session (AB 820) calling for an end to the minimum markup law. So surprise, surprise, Fraley and his new group are making this case.

So one board member has a connection to an issue and it excuses OWN from coming up with any substantive arguments against the repeal of the minimum markup law. Instead of mudslinging, perhaps One Wisconsin Now could focus their energies on ending unconstitutional and archaic laws against competition and free enterprise.

Unless, of course, they like high gasoline prices.

Let's talk business

State Senator Ted Kanavas takes a look at a study of the business climate in the Milwaukee area and the gap in the recognition of the problem.

It’s Always Darkest before It’s Totally Black

Will the last business in Milwaukee please turn out the lights? Just when we thought the news about the business climate in Milwaukee and, by extension, southeastern Wisconsin couldn’t get any worse, it gets worse.

Last week, the Lakeland College Center for Economic Education released a study showing that only 49 percent of the Milwaukee businesses surveyed ranked the community’s business climate as “very favorable” or “favorable”. Other cities in the study used for comparison purposes were Denver (75.5%), Green Bay (73.8%) and Raleigh-Durham/Chapel (RDCH) Hill, North Carolina (77.5%).

The news is equally bad at the other end of the spectrum, with 27 percent of Milwaukee businesses describing the business climate as “unfavorable” or “very unfavorable”. This compares to 11.2% in Green Bay , 9.5% in Denver and 8% in RDCH.

If those statistics haven’t scared you, this one should. Nearly one in five Milwaukee businesses have considered moving out of the city because of the unfavorable regulatory or business climate. Green Bay was second at 14%, compared to only 10% in RDCH and 8.5% in Denver .

If the business community is this upset about life in Milwaukee , then community and state leaders must know about it, right? According to the study’s authors, the disconnect between the business owners’ perceptions and the perceptions of elected officials is one of the main reasons for the bad business climate in Milwaukee .

The study’s authors surveyed the aldermen in Milwaukee and more than half of them cited low fees and cost compliance as a reason to do business in Milwaukee . High cost compliance was most frequently cited by businesses as a problem for those doing business in the city.

None of the aldermen thought government regulation was a serious problem for businesses in the city; 23.5% of the businesses thought it was a “very serious” problem. 36% of the businesses disagreed with the statement that Milwaukee goes out of its way to create a favorable business climate; only one alderman disagreed with that statement.

The study includes suggestions about how to improve this situation, but doesn’t really identify the problem with the business climate in Milwaukee and in Wisconsin as a whole. Mayor Barrett and Governor Doyle and their pals in state and local government see business as a never-ending source of tax revenues and continue to heap expensive regulation on the backs of businesses that can barely make it as it is.

The Democrats in Madison and Milwaukee fail to realize that the only way we are going to reverse our spiraling economy is to encourage Wisconsin businesses to stay here, grow new businesses organically and attract businesses from other states and countries. These businesses provide much-needed jobs and capital for an economy that has been flat-lining for a few years now.

A perfect example of how incentives for business can work is the film industry tax credit that recently became law in Wisconsin . Because of that tax credit, millions of dollars in new revenue have come to the state and the program has just gotten started. Since it is a tax credit, the state doesn’t lose any income, it merely earns less new income than it would have without the tax credit. Of course, without the tax credit, the film companies would have taken their business elsewhere.

Who opposed these innovative business incentives? Democrats in Madison kept them from being enacted more quickly and possibly attracting more film business to the state, costing us millions of dollars. Why did they oppose the business tax credits? Fundamentally, they do not believe in giving businesses a break and they do not understand the critical need for economic growth. They do not understand that incentives bring business to the state that would otherwise not be here, providing new jobs and revenue when we desperately need it.

The film industry tax credit model works for a variety of business types if we are forward-thinking enough to employ it. Businesses are telling the Democratic elected officials in Milwaukee and Madison that there is a serious problem. Republicans in Madison showed the Mayor and the Governor how to solve the problem. Are they going to lead, follow or get out of the way? Wisconsin cannot afford to wait much longer for them to figure that out.

Blog Note from JW: The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute has a five step plan for turning around the economy in southeastern Wisconsin.
1. Increase the Flow of Capable Workers Into High-End Manufacturing.

2. Increase the Number of High School Graduates

3. Increase the Number of College Graduates

4. Lower the Crime Rate in Milwaukee

5. Increase the Downtown Milwaukee Population

You can join in the discussion over at the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership, too.

Kvetching?

We prefer to think of it as, "Social networking to stem the tide of too big and too expensive government". People can make up their own minds by visiting the site themselves to see what the fuss is all about.

WIL's Call to Action

I think every member of the state legislature should read this "Call to Action" by the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership, Seriously Addressing Issues in Wisconsin.

While some groups try to make a point by playing dress up and engaging in street theater, the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership prefers to stimulate your brain.

This call to action originally appeared in our blog. In the wake of legislative and gubernatorial action on the state budget, it’s prudent to move this to the front page. After reading this, head over to our forum and share your take, or participate in many of the other discussions there.

A call to action

The Wisconsin State Budget is running an incredible (and seemingly perpetual) deficit, and too many public officials are looking toward anti-business and anti-consumer tax hikes and accounting tricks for a quick election-year fix.

Wisconsinites deserve better. In tough economic times the government should do what Wisconsin families are now doing every day, adjust their spending habits to meet the economic reality of the day. In other words, Wisconsin government spends too much and needs to spend less!

In addition to cutting spending, Wisconsin public officials should pass legislation that improves the economic climate here. This is only a partial list of our goals, each of which should have standards by which we can measure their achievement.

1. We must unleash the private sector to allow risk takers to find solutions to the problems associated with the quality and cost of health care and education.
   
2. We must build on efforts to attract venture capital.
   
3. We must not reinstitute an onerous death tax for a short-term budgetary fix.
   
4. We must pass legislation to eliminate the capital gains tax on funds invested in Wisconsin.
   
5. We must fix the Milwaukee Public School system which is not only a black hole for tax dollars, but is also failing generation after generation of our state’s children.
   
6. We must invest in higher education and end the brain drain. Student aid should increase proportionately with any tuition increases in the UW System.
   
7. We must end the raids of segregated funds for uses other than which they were intended and further examine whether those long-established funds are adequate and appropriate given the changing economy.
   
8. We must get Wisconsin out of the ten most taxed states in the nation.
   
9. We must provide tax incentives to current businesses to invest in modernizing and growing their operations.
   
10. We must ensure that we have a reliable energy transmission system, which includes safe, proven methods of generation and distribution.

The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership

View my page on The Wisconsin Institute for Leadership's Forum

The online gathering place for Wisconsin's conservatives has been launched.

Al Gore is now sorry he invented the internet.