Without Dane County, Walker's Jobs and Economic Numbers would Tank!!!

Over 40 percent of Wisconsin's population growth came from Dane County, a place Republican Rep. Robin Vos said he'd like to spend less time in (well, voters could make that wish come true):

Vos: "Something about the water in Dane County, which is why I try to stay here as little as I can."

Dane County and its liberal hell hole Madison, appears to be the states destination for people seeking a better quality of life, business opportunity, and of course jobs.

Gov. Scott Walker disagrees. He trashed Madison mayor and gubernatorial candidate Paul Soglin:

Walker's tweet wasn't just wrong, see below, but ironically clueless when he blamed the loss of Oscar Mayer on Soglin. Walker's very own WEDC failed to step in and try to save the jobs.  And technically, you could say as governor, Walker lost both Oscar Mayer and Kimberly Clark...etc:

Funny thing about the phrase "the last thing we need is more Madison in our lives:" That was how Republicans trashed "big government" Democrats when they were in control. Now look who's been repealing Democratically promoted local control for the last 7 years? Check out the list here.

Upfront with Mike Gousha on the population leader:

Largest population growth, Wis Counties 2010-17Dane County +48,341Brown County +14,045Waukesha Co. +10,685

If only Dane County's success could be replicated statewide, in even small ways:

Fourth Economy, which refers to the newest phase of economic investment nationwide that combines agrarian, industrial and technology, announced it selected Dane County for its Economy Community Index for Mega-Sized Counties for 2015. The report highlights “communities ideally positioned to attract modern investment and managed economic growth.” Dane County was ranked #2 in the top ten. 
Dane County is among the strongest counties in the U.S. in terms of increasing jobs in information technology and related sectors during the five years ending in 2012, according to a report published this month ... Identified as one of the ten best places to live in the United States for three consecutive years in a row by Money Magazine (2007-09). In addition, CNNMoney.com ranked us among the top 20 places to launch a business in the United States (2009). 

Home to the fastest growing population of any county in Wisconsin … consistently rank among the top communities for work and play.

Oh, and this...Dane County, which includes Madison and its technology spin-off industries, reported the state’s lowest jobless rate in April at 2.1%. Unemployment was worst across northern Wisconsin.

My stack of must read Stories...

As I try to keep up with the  Republicans unfolding political disaster, here are the stories the I never got a chance to explore. I may add to them in the future, but regardless, important must reads...

While Madison gets ripped for its liberal bias, it also leads the state in jobs, tech and everything else:

Without liberal Dane County, Scott Walker's jobs record would look pathetic. 

Student loan debt is ridiculous, so how are some students making it all work...thank you Republicans for defunding universities:

The myth that public university students who are conservative have to hide in the shadows, fearful speaking their minds busted:

Basic Income idea is taking off, and Republicans are missing it. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have found success doling out a basic income from their casino earnings: 

Milwaukee and Dane County Subsidize Rural Republican Utopia's.

Two articles came out at pretty much the same time that finally brought everything into focus; liberal state hellholes like Dane County and Milwaukee are propping up the rest of the state....every resentful rural community. They've been hoodwinked by their do-nothing Republican politicians who haven't lifted a finger to solve their problems.

No excuses Walker trolls, liberal progressive government policies work when their elected officials actually serve their constituents with policies they need. Can't say the same for "small government" Republican districts being starved and ignored. No wonder they resent big cities for getting everything. Cap Times:

1. Dane County responsible for over half of Wisconsin's job growth since 2001, according to a city of Madison economic development plan. 

2. Dane County represents 9 percent of the state’s population, but accounted for 56 percent of job growth between 2001 and 2015, with an increase of almost 43,000 jobs, from about 279,000 to 322,000. That’s an increase of 15 percent over that time period, as compared to a 3 percent increase seen statewide.

3. This growth, the report says, is “increasingly private-sector driven.” In Madison, the private sector makes up 76 percent of the workforce.

4. The job growth is also “concentrated at the top and bottom ends of the economic spectrum,” the report said, ranging from food preparation to software engineering.

5. The data also found that from 2001 to 2012, Dane County added 1,100 new businesses and Madison’s GDP grew from $23 billion to $39 billion, representing 6.5 percent annual growth. “For all intents and purposes, the Madison regional economy grew right through the recession,” Dan Kennelly, manager of the city office of business resources said.

6. Madison also leads in business growth and construction activity. “If you compare Dane County to the rest of the state of Wisconsin, by really any economic measure, whether it’s job growth or innovation or GDP or what have you, we’re really driving the state’s economy in a lot of ways,” Kennelly said.

And Milwaukee, once nearly completely destroyed by County Executive Scott Walker? Urban Milwaukee:

Milwaukee Subsidizes The State: The city gets only 66 cents in state spending for every dollar in state taxes paid.

In the 2012 recall election, Gov. Scott Walker bluntly signaled that a vote for his opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, could make this state as bad as the city. “We don’t want Wisconsin to become like Milwaukee,” he warned. Walker was well aware that Milwaukee was seen in a negative light across much of the state, as a place of poverty and crime or for some people as a simply a city with many minority residents. To get elected, Walker cynically capitalized on that negative image, while reinforcing it because, after all, he had served as Milwaukee County Executive. Who would know better how bad Milwaukee was?

In fact, even as Walker was libeling the state’s biggest city, the reality is the opposite was true: it was Walker’s state that was the relative loser, that was leeching off the city. By 2012, the data shows, the city’s economy had become so successful that Milwaukee got back just 88 cents in total state aid for every dollar in total taxes it paid to the state.

That includes every category of state dollars flowing to Milwaukee, from state aid to Milwaukee Public Schools to shared revenue to cities, transportation aid and other smaller categories, and also includes every form of taxes flowing from Milwaukee to the state, including sales taxes and personal and corporate income taxes paid by city residents and businesses. All this information is tracked by the state Department of Revenue (DOR) and it shows Milwaukee is a net contributor to the state.

That was not true as recently as 2009, when the city was getting $1.07 from the state for every dollar in taxes it paid. But by 2011 the city was a net contributor to the state and that net outflow has increased every year until by 2015 the city was paying nearly $1.4 billion in total taxes to the state and getting back just over $912 million in state aid. That’s a return of just 66 cents from the state for every dollar in taxes paid.

The city has been booming economically since the Great Recession, enjoying tremendous real estate development, seeing its many local businesses recover and grow revenue, and becoming a magnet for companies moving from the suburbs to the city.

But is that how Gov. Walker sees the situation? Or Republican legislative leaders? I shared the information about Milwaukee’s net contribution with Walker’s communication’s director Tom Evenson, with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and asked for a comment. None responded.

WISN News Director Herrera: "I will never...set foot in Dane County...liberal bastion...avoid giving money to the libs who have businesses there."

With never an original thought in their Borg-like heads, the Republican talk radio machine now wants to copy the growing business boycott of bigoted North Caroline, by boycotting Dane County. 

After right-to-work was struck down by an enemy of the state, a “liberal” judge, WISN Radio's news director Ken Herrera hatched the idea. Of course it goes without saying that conservative judges are almost always right. And if their not, they're purged from the system (see Kansas Supreme Court).

What's most appalling is that a radio station’s NEWS DIRECTOR is pushing this by making it public. Which begs the question; what else is Herrera choosing to spin, ignore or censor in the station’s coverage of news?

What is he directing WISN News to ignore or spin?

Outdoing his own authoritarian right wing talk show bloviators, Herrera just opened a whole new can of worms; are the talkers just a distraction from the more silent subversive nationwide movement toward an extensive network that's dedicated to right wing propaganda…via our public airwaves?

It’s interesting to note the hypocrisy; Republicans have always opposed boycotts, going so far as to protect campaign donor names and employee contributors to ward off a possible public backlash effecting their businesses bottom line. Another “principled” flip flop?  

Personally, it's hard to imagine a more outlandish statement coming from someone the public assumes is unbiased and fair. Nice catch by the Devil’s Advocates, who wrote:

Dom: "I wonder if his opinions on 'libs' and Dane County impact decisions on what 'news and information' he is employed to direct."

Here's Herrera's Facebook comment, where he even hates businesses owned by liberal job creators:

Ken Herrera: "No surprise here...it's a Dane county judge...I am happy to say that in the 12 years I have lived in Wisconsin...I have never...and will never, set foot in Dane county. I don't want to spend even one penny in that liberal bastion. It's sort of a personal thing…but my wife and I agree we will never enter Dane county as long as we live. We have actually taken routes WAY around the county to avoid giving money to the libs who have businesses there...this has been my personal boycott for as long as I've lived in WIsconsin...and I'm quite sure I will never, ever spend a penny in Dane county...because I will never, ever visit... I wish every conservative in the state would adopt the same pledge... avoid this county... when you spend money there you are only helping the liberal cause..."

Herrera went on to highlight his stations influence on public perception, especially when it came to the raw pro-Ted Cruz propaganda, like it was a bragging point:

Herrera's Facebook supporters like Andy Smith are proving the slide into right wing authoritarianism is on the fast track:

Andy Smith Slap! Frap! Zowie! Oooof! Bam! GOOD JOB, KEN. I listened to you on WBBM, I had the pleasure and honor of working with you at both WTMJ and then-Clear Channel. You label what's news and what's comment . . . they merely resent that everyone doesn't listen to CLEARLY Left Wing "public" (translate: government radio), which NEVER distinguishes "news" from Leftist agenda setting and active Leftist agenda advancement.

After that twisted rant, the liberal enemies of the state reacted with humor and criticism:

Andy Smith's response made it clear humor, speech and dissent will not tolerated, in another bad case of projection:

“Amazing (well, actually not a surprise) to read the red-hot hatred firing from the typing fingers of all those, tolerant, accepting, kind, thoughtful Leftists in Dane County who CANNOT STAND anyone whose attitudes, opinions and behavior are not in LOCK STEP with their own. It's disgraceful, but as we've learned in so many ways, it is also predictable and consistent. So filled with vile hatred!”

UPDATE: WISN News Director Ken Herrera is now officially a victim, thanks to his own right wing commentary. Herrera's attempted to save his credibility ranks right up there with "former" bigot and political partisan Justice Rebecca Bradley, insisting his personal beliefs don't influence his job:

Ken Herrera No... it's a personal boycott...to answer your question about whether my personal beliefs interfere with my news judgment.. The left is always holding boycotts that are highly publicized.. mine has been, until now, a quiet, personal one that has nothing to do with my selection of news stories to run...or the "slant" of any story. I think any listener to WISN will know I run stories that are pro-left.. and anti-left just as much as those that are pro-right or anti-right. I just personally don't agree with much of what the left holds out, so I choose, as an individual, not to contribute my money to the left. That's just a personal decision and has nothing to do with my profession... one I have followed for almost 40 years now and I believe you won't find anyone in the country who would question my ethics as a journalist. Except, of course, you... based on a simple Facebook post. But I'm not surprised because that's usually the way folks on the left operate... 

Liberal Union Loving Anti-Business Madison and Dane County comes in with the lowest Unemployment rate in State.

Those poor Walker trolls and their insulting factless name calling, they just can't get a break when it comes to the brutal truth:

AP: New data show Madison and Dane County still have the lowest unemployment rates among cities and counties in Wisconsin.

Walker WOW county conservative voters, any thoughts?

GOP targets for extinction Historical Preservation ordinances and County control over Conservative Townships in Liberal Dane County.

I never understood what Republicans thought was so wrong with our way of life in Wisconsin. Sure we were high on the tax charts, but that didn't include the states very low user fees, which taken as a whole, put the state near the middle of the nations pack.

Repulsed by the past, Scott Walker is reshaping the landscape, literally.

Be prepared to watch in slow motion the remnants of Wisconsin's historical architectural past disappear under the guise of "property rights." WSJ:

A proposal by state Republican lawmakers to enhance property owners’ rights would devastate historic preservation efforts in Madison and across the state, critics say.

A sweeping bill by (Republicans) Rep. Rob Brooks and Sen. Frank Lasee would prohibit municipalities from designating properties as historic landmarks without consent of the owner. And it would ban municipalities from requiring or prohibiting any actions by owners related to preservation of the historic or aesthetic value of the property without owner consent ... historic preservation ordinances (would) effectively (be) voluntary.

Entire districts have been designed and marketed for their architectural look, to promote a lively local economy and attract tourism. Now a few bad actors can trash the whole historical setting, even detract from it:

Madison Landmarks Commission Chairman Stuart Levitan said the proposal would undermine significant investments made in the city’s five historic districts and in other properties. “I can’t believe (the sponsors) have such a lack of understanding of what it means to live in a community environment.”

Sam Breidenbach, board president of the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation, penned; “In Madison, historic preservation is very much tied to planning and zoning. It’s not discretionary and arbitrary.” 

Carlen Hatala and Dean Doerrfeld of the city of Milwaukee’s Historic Preservation Commission, wrote: “It lessens the sense of community and commitment to neighbors when neighbors are ‘pitted’ against each other.”

I guess we're back at the underlying premise of the Walker Authority, "divide and conquer."

But obliterating the past is just one tactic. Republicans are targeting Democratic strongholds for division. For example; there's a bill that would let townships in liberal Dane County, and only in Dane County, secede from county control. This pits conservatively controlled towns against everyone else. But, as Mark Hazelbaker, the Dane County Towns Associations legal counsel said;

"79,000 people in Dane County are under the control of 430 other thousand people. And that isn't right. It's not American."

Even the conservative leaning Wisconsin State Journal couldn't help but call them out in today's editorial:

More than a dozen Republican lawmakers want to relax development rules in Dane County — but not in the counties they predominantly represent. It’s a classic case of imposing state legislation on others that the imposers don’t want to apply to their own communities.

So AB 563 singles out Dane County for looser development rules, even though most elected officials in Dane County are adamantly opposed to the change. It’s another case of Republicans who control the statehouse picking on the most Democratic-leaning county in the state. If this is such a good idea to empower rural towns, why aren’t GOP supporters applying the change to the bulk of their districts? They aren’t because those constituents don’t want the change, either. It’s always easier to apply legislation to someone else.

Republican bill helps towns secede from Dane County's zoning control.

While Republicans double down on their efforts to remove local control from what they call a hodgepodge of confusing regulations, they’re making one noticeable exception. Taking aim at liberal Dane County, legislation would add an element of chaos and local infighting, and give conservative areas the ability to secede.

   

The consequences are huge, but then, that’s the point. WSJ:

After a measure that would allow towns to opt out of Dane County’s zoning control was excluded from the state budget, 13 legislative Republicans have revived the effort as a standalone bill. Under current Wisconsin law, cities and villages control decisions on rezoning farmland for residential or commercial construction, but most towns share the authority. Both the town and the county hold veto power over proposals.

The legislation that would allow towns to opt out of that system would apply only to counties with populations over 485,000. Dane County’s official population in the 2010 Census was 488,075, and the only other county above that threshold, Milwaukee County, does not have any towns.

Coincidence? The potential negative impact to the environment is probably what made Republicans bring this back, since it’s already a goal built in to the stripped down DNR.

Tim Roehl, Dane County Towns Association vice president and a town of Middleton supervisor, has spearheaded past lobbying efforts … Roehl proposed a development in 2010 with 89 residential lots in the former town of Windsor.

After a lengthy review process, the county’s Zoning and Land Regulation Committee approved only 52 residential lots, citing poorly drained soils and a high water table that could cause “water problems” if single-family homes were built in the areas originally proposed.

But Josh Wescott, chief of staff for Parisi, said considerations like that are a reason the county’s zoning staff should be involved in review processes.

And it’s reasons like that excite Republicans! Is it really a danger to water? Silly liberals, they just hate business. For the best look at how Scott Walker and the Republican majority are doing little to nothing safe guarding our water supply, go to this report at Wisconsin Watch. I guarantee, you will be outraged.

Big Government Republicans turning Dane County Red, by first taking control of their water quality.

Scott Walker Republicans aren't just calling all the shots statewide from Madison's Capitol, like they once whined Democrats did, they're now quickly taking control of liberal Dane County, possibly turning it to a deep red.

In another big government republican power grab, the DNR will now over-develop Dane County at the expense of their water quality standards.

Republicans approved a newly introduced proposal to prevent Dane County from making decisions about its own water quality standards … require(ing) the Department of Natural Resources to handle water quality management decisions that cover issues like wastewater and sewage treatment, while banning the department from working with Dane County.

Just to be clear, according to republican Sen. Marklein, businesses have been suffering costly delays just to protect clean drinking water and the pristine lakes that make this a destination city:

Sen. Howard Marklein, whose district does not include Dane County, said the move was about speeding up decisions that affect economic development. "In the economic development business, the unknown costs a lot of money. Waiting months and months and months for a decision is expensive," he said.

Business complaints from who? Well, fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants Marklein didn't know:

Marklein (R-Spring Green), said he put forward the measure at the behest of developers but claimed he couldn't recall their names. "I don't even remember who they were," he said. "We had a couple meetings with a couple people."

Now that's what I call good government. 

Yes, republicans are only doing this to Dane County because liberals are destroying the business climate here, unlike the rest of the state?

Fourth Economy, which refers to the newest phase of economic investment nationwide that combines agrarian, industrial and technology, announced it selected Dane County for its Economy Community Index for Mega-Sized Counties for 2015. The report highlights “communities ideally positioned to attract modern investment and managed economic growth.” Dane County was ranked #2 in the top ten.

Dane County is among the strongest counties in the U.S. in terms of increasing jobs in information technology and related sectors during the five years ending in 2012, according to a report published this month ... Identified as one of the ten best places to live in the United States for three consecutive years in a row by Money Magazine (2007-09). In addition, CNNMoney.com ranked us among the top 20 places to launch a business in the United States (2009). 

Home to the fastest growing population of any county in Wisconsin … consistently rank among the top communities for work and play.

If the Name Fits - Big Government Republicans - Wear it...: 

The move caught Dane County lawmakers like Middleton Sen. Jon Erpenbach by surprise. Democrats bristled at the idea of Republicans writing a separate set of rules that target the most liberal county in Wisconsin while leaving the rest of the state alone.

"I know you don't like Madison, but this is no way to show it," Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) told Republicans on the committee."For the big government legislators out there who say state government's too damn big, this is why."

Here's coverage from WKOW and WPR:

Dane County; a Growing threat against Red State Authority!

My original story title was, "Liberal Dane County Hell keeps Growing, attracting more people than the Conservative Utopias of Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties." A little long.

   

Big surprise, there’s something about clean, well run government and services that attracts the best people. Dane County smoked Waukesha County…

Dane County grew by the widest margin, gaining 6,257 people to reach a population of 516,284. Half of Dane County's population increase came from migration, and it's one of only two counties to have experienced significant positive migration for the past five years. In total, Dane has grown by 27,277 people since 2010 — a 5.6% increase.

Waukesha County grew by 1,178 to 395,118 people, and Washington and Ozaukee counties increased by 505 and 375 people, respectively.

Rural conservative strongholds are losing people too, although probably not enough to affect elections:

Nearly half of all Wisconsin counties declined in population from 2013 to 2014 … continued population decline in Wisconsin's rural counties. 

Walker Authority Targets Democratic Dane and Milwaukee Counties.

While Scott Walker's henchmen in the state legislature work to cut Milwaukee Counties Board in half and reduce its size, all the while trying to repeal residency rules, Walker is now playfully trying to screw up the legal system in Dane County.

Walker's first temper tantrum came in the form of his refusal to appoint replacement judges, because it wasn't certain they could win. Is any election like that? Don't answer that.

After an uproar, he relented a little by suggesting the placement of retired judges or attorneys in those open judge seats. Walker claimed no one would want to take a judge position knowing they might not get elected when they finally had to run. But isn't that how elections work?

Here's the story from WISC and WKOW:

Unsuspecting Public continues to move into Liberal Hell Hole, Dane County, for “quality of life” reasons I suppose.

Despite the 60’s protests, out-of-state union bosses and liberal thugs roving the streets of Madison and Dane County, people for whatever reason find this area a great place to live. Are they crazy?

WKOW: A new U.S. Census Bureau report says Wisconsin's population is growing.

According to the latest figures, the state's population grew by about 39,000 since the 2010 census to about 5.7 million residents.

Dane County experienced strong growth with nearly 40% of the state's increase attributed to the county.