The privatization/commercialization/casino-ization of Wisconsin public dollars continues.
WHEDA to invest $7 million.
We're broke?
Showing posts with label public-private partnerships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label public-private partnerships. Show all posts
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Buck You
The Journal Sentinel continues their advertising campaign periodic reporting for the Bradley Center. Don Walker writes, Operating Income Up, But Challenges Remain. (From fiscal year June 2010 to June 2011 operating income for the Bradley Center increased from $14.7 million to $16.3 million. A 10.9 percent increase.)
The thing that really irritates me about this whole stadium subsidization situation: these captains of industry, these entrepreneurs, these businessmen whom always complain about entitlements, aid to the poor, and workers wages (to name a few of their complaints), these same people have no problem putting their hand out and demanding taxpayer money for their private playgrounds and projects. They're so smart and innovative, except when it comes to paying the costs of their own business.
Exemplified by Marc Marotta, the chairman of the Bradley Center board, "The next five to seven years, there has to be a public-private effort." Strange how the private sector believes the public sector exists to service them specifically. Yet, when these private players are asked to pay their fair share of taxes, excuses for why they shouldn't have to pay more could fill all the seats at the Bradley Center.
Workers need to sacrifice. They should pay for their own retirement and health care; employers should no longer bear any responsibility. Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance should all be diminished...we just can't afford it.
But...we need a private-public effort when tax dollars are being redistributed upward. When unemployment is at double-digits, people are losing their homes, and others are going without needed medical care, we can't use those same tax dollars to help out. No, in that case, we're broke. But when you can afford a boardroom full of attorneys, we will find the money to help build your stadium. We can raise taxes to pay for Miller Park, but we can't do the same for our park system or public transportation.
And, it's odd that even though the NBA season started late this year, the City of Milwaukee didn't collapse without the Bucks playing their basketball games. According to all the blather being whipped up, one would have thought that the, roughly, 20 cancelled games would have left Milwaukee resembling Thunderdome.
The thing that really irritates me about this whole stadium subsidization situation: these captains of industry, these entrepreneurs, these businessmen whom always complain about entitlements, aid to the poor, and workers wages (to name a few of their complaints), these same people have no problem putting their hand out and demanding taxpayer money for their private playgrounds and projects. They're so smart and innovative, except when it comes to paying the costs of their own business.
Exemplified by Marc Marotta, the chairman of the Bradley Center board, "The next five to seven years, there has to be a public-private effort." Strange how the private sector believes the public sector exists to service them specifically. Yet, when these private players are asked to pay their fair share of taxes, excuses for why they shouldn't have to pay more could fill all the seats at the Bradley Center.
Workers need to sacrifice. They should pay for their own retirement and health care; employers should no longer bear any responsibility. Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance should all be diminished...we just can't afford it.
But...we need a private-public effort when tax dollars are being redistributed upward. When unemployment is at double-digits, people are losing their homes, and others are going without needed medical care, we can't use those same tax dollars to help out. No, in that case, we're broke. But when you can afford a boardroom full of attorneys, we will find the money to help build your stadium. We can raise taxes to pay for Miller Park, but we can't do the same for our park system or public transportation.
And, it's odd that even though the NBA season started late this year, the City of Milwaukee didn't collapse without the Bucks playing their basketball games. According to all the blather being whipped up, one would have thought that the, roughly, 20 cancelled games would have left Milwaukee resembling Thunderdome.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Expecting Different Results
Even though, as others have pointed out, Forward Wisconsin has been largely unsuccessful at being a "game changer," under a proposal recently passed by the Legislature, Commerce Department Privatization Approved, Wisconsin plans to drudge forward (regardless of the historical ineffectiveness of such public-private partnerships here and elsewhere) privatizing the Commerce Department.
A new report by Good Jobs First, The Risk In Privatizing State Economic Development Agencies, couldn't be more timely.
As posted previously:
An excerpt of their findings:
Most of the seven states that currently make use of economic development public-private partnerships (PPPs) have experienced a variety of performance problems. These include the following:
- Misuse of taxpayer funds (Rhode Island, Florida and Wyoming)
- Excessive executive bonuses (Virginia, Florida, Michigan and Wyoming)
- Questionable subsidy awards by the subset of PPPs that have a role in that process (Michigan and Rhode Island)
- Conflicts of interest in subsidy awards (Florida, Utah and Texas, which makes limited use of PPPs)
- Questionable claims by the PPP about its effectiveness (Wyoming, Florida, Utah and Indiana)
- Resistance to accountability (Florida and Michigan)
Does it really surprise anyone that Republicans are plowing forward with an agenda immersed in cronyism (tort reform, conceal carry, public-private partnerships, tax credits, voter ID, to name a few) and completely lacking in anything resembling an effective employment initiative or job creation strategy?
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Giving Us The Business
Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) opines, in the Journal Sentinel, about Scott Walker and his initiatives to improve the "business climate" in Wisconsin. "Wisconsin is finally open for business again."
Olsen rolls out the usual litany of Republican-supported, business-friendly goals: curtailing frivolous lawsuits, increasing business incentives, and bolstering public-private partnerships. The lawsuits they are so worried about are a minuscule cost. The incentives they support rarely show a good return on the investment. And, public-private partnerships usually involve public money being used for private profits with little benefit spilling over into the host community.
He then continues on, attacking government jobs. Those aren't real jobs. The work they do and the services they provide are meaningless. Who needs police, fire fighters, clean air, clean water, roads, airports, sewers, street signs and traffic lights, or sidewalks?
One of the most disingenuous lines is, "Fairly or unfairly, Wisconsin has been perceived by many to be unfriendly to commerce with a high tax burden and cumbersome regulation." The only reason Wisconsin is perceived as such is because the right-wing has been pushing the Wisconsin Tax Hell nonsense story for years, in an attempt to cut taxes for their corporate cronies.
Next, Olsen declares that we must make sure our students are graduating from high school and ready for college or a career. This from a member of the party that continually badmouths teachers and repeatedly cuts funding for our schools and for student aid.
A real knee-slapper is the assertion that "we have to learn to do more with less" because of the economy. But the economy has improved. Corporate profits are back to pre-bubble levels. Productivity continues to increase. The only problem is none of it is trickling down to workers. As has been par for the course for the past few decades, economic gains have been usurped by a select few. Mostly the private sector, corporate CEOs that Scott Walker and Luther Olsen are so interested in helping even more.
He closes with the absurd, and often parroted, right-wing talking-point that government is increasing spending, growing in size, and adding onerous regulations on individuals and business. As usual, the Republican version of reality is at odds with the evidence. But, if they stuck with the facts, they wouldn't have much of a story, nor a plausible ideology to cling to.
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