Scott Walker Fired as Chair of State Jobs Agency

Epic failure at Scott Walker-created jobs agency as powerful legislative
committee removes Walker from position as Chair.
From Scott Walker's 2011 Budget Address

Updated - Amid the burgeoning pay-to-play scandal showcasing Scott Walker's epic jobs failure, Wisconsin legislative Republicans did Scott Walker a big favor yesterday: They fired Scott Walker as Chair of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation [WEDC], Walker's failing jobs-creating agency.

Walker has long promised a laser-like focus on jobs that backfired as the Republican-led Joint Committee on Finance called for removing Scott Walker from Chair of WEDC, admitting failure on the foundation of Walker's campaigns: Jobs. (DeFour, Wisconsin State Journal) (Cognitive Dissonance) (Democurmudgeon)

In Scott Walker's 2011 Budget Address, Walker intoned, "During our special session on jobs, we created a public-private agency, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation [WEDC] that will focus solely on job creation."

Since its inception in 2011, WEDC has engaged in the shady practice directing public monies to private Scott Walker donors, uncovered by state audits, creating few jobs with recipients of WEDC largesse shipping many jobs overseas. This prompted a bill authored by State Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) that would ban companies receiving WEDC money who off-shored jobs, now blocked by Wisconsin Republicans

The shady practices at WEDC is recently highlighted by a series in the Wisconsin State Journal and in a piece by national political writer, Michael Isikoff who broke a blockbuster story in March about a secret $1.5 million contribution to a GOP front group made by a Wisconsin billionaire, John Menard Jr., who subsequently received $1.8 million in special tax credits from WEDC and the virtual dismantlement of the Wisconsin DNR in Walker's proposed budget.

The DNR is long criticized by Menard whose operations were fined for violating Wisconsin environmental laws and illegally dumping hazardous wastes.

Make no mistake, the Republican-led Joint Committee on Finance did Walker a political service by removing him from Chair of the failed jobs agency, as the putative candidate for the presidency is increasingly tainted.

Meanwhile, Walker campaigning on Oklahoma yesterday is posing new national energy policy as back home in Wisconsin, the abandoned people are suffering from Walker's lack of leadership on jobs and the corruption of public office for the benefit of big political donors to Walker.

But Walker feels free to spend most of his time outside Wisconsin. Walker's allies on the Wisconsin Supreme Court are expected to soon issue a favorable and a nakedly corrupt ruling on a criminal probe into Walker's illegally directing dark money from political donors to fight off the 2011-12 Recall movement.