Scott Walker vs. Reality

MADISON –This evening, Governor Scott Walker presented his annual State of the State address. In his address, Walker painted a rosy picture of the current state of affairs in Wisconsin, contradicting recent economic indicators and jobs numbers.

Most recently, Wisconsin dropped to a rank of 42nd in the nation on private-sector job growth.

“It has been 2 years since Scott Walker promised the voters of Wisconsin 250,000 new jobs, yet our state’s economy has taken steps backward and now ranks among the worst in the nation for job creation and economic development. Tonight, Scott Walker ignored reality, painting an artificially rosy picture in his 2013 ‘State of the State’ address,” said United Wisconsin Executive Director Lisa Subeck.

Walker’s statement, “With bold vision and bright hope for the future, we are turning things around. We are heading in the right direction. We are moving Wisconsin forward,” is patently false. The non-partisan fact-checking organization PolitiFact reports that only 37,011 jobs have been created in Wisconsin under Scott Walker’s leadership, making it evident that Walker will not come close to his campaign centerpiece promise of creating 250,000 jobs in the state.

Adding to this bleak economic picture, a recent comment made by Lisa Johnson, vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation with Walker’s scandal-ridden Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) makes it clear Wisconsin is failing under Scott Walker’s leadership.

Johnson, speaking candidly with The Capital Times, stated “We suck. We’re bad,” in response to a question about Wisconsin’s ranking of 47th in the nation on Information Technology and Innovation Foundation’s New Economy Index.

“The divide between Scott Walker’s reality and the reality experienced by most Wisconsinites has grown so large that even 250,000 jobs could not bridge it,” Subeck concluded. “Walker’s brand of hyper-partisan and ideologically driven leadership has failed the people of Wisconsin at every turn. Instead of moving our state forward, Walker has made Wisconsin a laboratory for extreme right-wing policies at the expense of our great state.”

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United Wisconsin is an independent, grassroots organization of citizens restoring the Wisconsin tradition of democracy in action. For more information, visit our website at www.unitedwisconsin.com.