U.S. Chamber's Scathing Review of Scott Walker.

Even the business community is wondering what makes Scott Walker the go to guy, when he's been a major failure so far.

Cap Times: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker traveled to Washington, D.C. for America’s

Small Business Summit, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “I participated in a good discussion about what we’ve done,” Walker said. Unfortunately, the U.S. Chamber, in a report released at the event, didn’t share Walker’s enthusiasm.

Its annual scorecard on state economies ranked Wisconsin 44th for overall economic performance and 50th — as in dead last — for short-term job growth as measured between September 2010 and November 2012. It also has Wisconsin 39th in “business climate” — on par with the state’s ranking under Gov. Jim Doyle.

Several recent major layoffs in Wisconsin suggest things are getting worse rather:

• Fidelity National Information Services Inc., plans to cut 301 employees.

• Eaton Corp. announced it will lay off 130 hourly production employees and 33 salaried employees at its Pewaukee Cooper Power Systems Division facility as it outsources production to Mexico.

• Baraboo-based Foremost Farms, one of the state's largest dairy cooperatives, said it is closing a cheese plant and idling another plant indefinitely, resulting in more than 100 employee layoffs.

• BuySeasons Inc., an Internet costume retailer in New Berlin, laid off dozens of workers.

Those layoffs followed the news that Caterpillar is eliminating up to 300 positions at its Milwaukee-area factories by June. Combined, you’re looking at close to 1,000 job cuts over the past month, many in well-paying positions in financial services, manufacturing, agriculture and retailing.  Here is a graphic.

Jack Norman, past research director at the Institute for Wisconsin’s Future says “I think we’re seeing a local version of the austerity vs. investment debate.”