Wisconsin swindled by Scott Walker’s jobs scam

[n2doc]

by Amy B. Dean

Over the course of the last month, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has been scrambling to do damage control in the wake of revelations about one of his signature economic programs.

In the name of creating jobs, this trademark initiative of the potential Republican presidential candidate handed hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money to businesses across the state. But Walker’s administration apparently neglected to check if these companies actually hired any new employees as a result.

Wisconsinites have been understandably roiled — but this is not a problem that’s confined to their state.

Across the country, “economic development” programs in states such as Texas, Florida, Michigan and New York are handing out public resources to private hands in the name of spurring “job creators.” Astoundingly, they often fail to uphold even the most minimal level of accountability and oversight over how this public money is used.

The solution to this problem is simple: when corporations fail to deliver on job creation promises, they should be forced to pay back the money.

Elected officials need to enforce rules that not only track whether private beneficiaries of subsidies and tax abatements follow through on their end of the deal, but allow the public to reclaim funds that have been misused.

more

http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/7/wisconsin-swindled-by-scott-walkers-jobs-scam.html

[Scuba]

1. Walker's "con" adjective needs to shift from "conservative" to "convicted."

[Still In Wisconsin]

2. The only time Scott comes back to Wisconsin lately

is when his handlers decide that he needs to do damage control.