Job Loss Trend really Job Growth Trend? Sen. Scott Fitzgerald thinks so.

I hate it when the news media pretends "both sides are doing it" when it's so obvious only one side is. 

The normally sharp reporting from Wisconsin State Journal reporter Mary Spicuzza gave way to idiocy in this foolish attempt at humor:

WSJ: Every month we are treated to a flurry of dueling press releases as Republicans and Democrats highlight different aspects of the job statistics to either tout or criticize the direction of the state under Gov. Scott Walker and his fellow Republicans. It happened again this week when it was revealed that Wisconsin lost an estimated 3,900 private sector jobs in December, the sixth straight month of losses.

In rapid fire succession the press releases went out with people like state Reps. Kelda Helen Roys, D-Madison, and Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, attacking the governor. "At what point will Gov. Walker and legislative Republicans wake up and recognize that their misplaced focus on special interest giveaways and furthering their extreme conservative agenda is harming our state?" said Roys.

At the same time, releases fired out of the offices of Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, and his brother, Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, touted the same report as proof that their leadership is working. "Wisconsin's unemployment rate dropped to 7.1 percent last month, and 21,400 more people have jobs in Wisconsin than a year ago," noted Sen. Fitzgerald. "Facts are facts. In the past year, our job numbers are up and unemployment is down," he said. "We just had our first year of job growth after three straight years of decline."

Again, I’m aware the two On the Capitol reporters are trying to be funny/sarcastic, but really, they don’t know who is spinning, and who isn’t? Their answer:

Confused? So are we.

Hilarious. But the not so funny facts are right their in the press releases; the last six months continue a job loss trend, which runs counter to the hype/talk/ideology that Walker claimed would be our job creator savior. No other state is as bad.

“Confuse?” No, not at all.

And the “three straight years of decline?” In the last eleven months of the Doyle administration, 12,000 jobs were created. If you include the year of the Great Recession, which Sen. Fitzgerald is doing, yeah, I guess you could say jobs were lost overall. But that would by ignoring the Doyle job creation trend that lasted into June of 2011. 

Confused? I hope they're not anymore.