Scott Walker's WEDC disaster, now just a little less disastrous: It's "trending the right way." What a relief?

Remember when Republicans gave Obama credit for improving the economy and saving the auto industry: “I see us trending the right way,” they said of the president’s policies?

Or recall when, just after six months as president, Republicans gave Obama a big thumbs up on job creation: “In another year, you're going to see we're improved because we're being a lot more diligent…” said the GOP?

It's all theater.

You don’t remember? That’s because Republicans didn't say that about Obama, they said that about Scott Walker and WEDC, his brainchild business welfare program. Only Republicans need time, lots of time, for their ideology to work its magic.

As taxpayers continue to lose millions of dollars under WEDC’s free market incompetence, we’re expected to be very happy with slowly losing a little bit less each year:

jsonline-Jason Stein: Despite stepped-up efforts by state officials, one in five companies receiving financial assistance from Wisconsin taxpayers still don't bother to report back on what they've done with the money. Officials with the state's flagship jobs agency have touted the fact they're now demanding that companies file the reports required under their state contracts, but a Journal Sentinel review found they have work yet to do.

Walker has cut the number of companies still not accountable to tax payers? That's progress?

These filings are more than just paperwork — they represent one of the main ways taxpayers can see whether their contribution to a company is resulting in the kind of job creation and reinvestment promised by the firm. Officials at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. said over the past year they've cut the share of companies that fail to file their reports with WEDC from one in three to one in five.

Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale), a member of the WEDC board: "I have a hard time as a businessperson having 20% of the people I'm doing business with not in compliance with the contract. No, that's not good," Stone said. "But I see us trending the right way."

Thank god we’re “trending the right way,” instead of just stopping noncompliance. Give it time:

Tom Thieding, spokesman for WEDC: "In another year, you're going to see we're improved because we're being a lot more diligent than (the Department of) Commerce,"

Four years and they’re still promising they'll be more diligent. Give it time, right?