Dismal Numbers for Wisconsin

P-Mac shows us that the Wisconsin Department of Revenue uses funny numbers to paint roses over a pile of manure, jobwise.

It's not just P-Mac's (or Hefty's, or Torinus') opinion, either. Another measure is the Department of Revenue's own principal interest: tax revenues.

Individual income tax revenue June '09 is off 9.6% from June '08. Year/Year: off 8%

Sales/Use tax revenues off 11% from June '08. Year/Year: off 3.8%

While Corporate Income tax collections (09) are up 30.5% (combined reporting, folks!), Y/Y Corporate income tax collected is down 21.7%.

"The relationship between government and business in Wisconsin is at a low point," said Hefty. It's not just that state leaders added heavy new tax burdens. It's that they gave no sign of caring what businesses thought. "You at least give them a heads-up when you're about to drop a bomb," said Torinus.

In another story, the (D) majority of the Wisconsin legislature speaks about 'fairness' to justify union-membership for home-care workers and UW educators, and WEAC-kissing by removing the QEO. After all, the eeeeeeeeevil Republicans were keeping all those folks in tarpaper shacks down on the lowlands of the plantation, right?

Yah, well, maybe. But who is making the case for Simon Legree? Nobody I know.

There are thousands of small (and big) business owners and managers who actually care about their employees, remembering birthdays, granting (formally or not) paid-time-off for family events and needs, and annually struggling to find a good health insurance policy at a reasonable price for their employees. They also provide (and pay the costs for) a 401(k) program, pay State and Federal UC taxes, FICA taxes, and income/property taxes. They, too, contribute to charities like United Way, the symphony, churches, and Children's Hospital. I know a lot of them personally, and hear about many others professionally, or from friends and relatives.

Far more important than that, all of our manufacturing businesses provide jobs for Working Joes and Working Susies who do NOT have a Ph.D., or a J.D.--that is to say, the majority of Wisconsin residents. Most service businesses also employ Working Joe/Working Susie.

So when you come right down to it, chasing business out of Wisconsin is directly at odds with the alleged (D) "concern" for Joe and Susie.

And the Department of Revenue numbers show it. In red.