If I had to find a positive about living in Wisconsin, it is that Wisconsin provides an almost limitless stream of political ineptness unmatched anywhere else in the United States, from which I can mine great blog material.
Scott Walker. He is the epitome of republican ideology; and his radical ideas have truly changed the state, but not for the better. I don't know why this moron thought his ideas for a new world could be implemented anywhere, but he did. Here is one result:
Let's just narrow it down to the abolishment of Wisconsin's Commerce Department, and the start up of Scott Walker's brain child "Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation", a semi-private agency that was supposed to bring 250,000 jobs to the state, provide training, and do all kinds of wonderful things for all citizens here in Walkerland.
The agency was royally lambasted in a recent audit by the non-partisan Legislative Audit Bureau. Here are some of the ridiculously inept mismanagement highlights:
WEDC did not require financial statements from companies receiving incentives. They gave monetary awards to ineligible businesses and ineligible projects. They awarded nearly $1,000,000 in tax credits to companies for actions taken before those companies had signed their contracts with the state. There was no follow up by WEDC to see if jobs were created and they never clearly reported job numbers they were able to obtain.
WEDC staff used agency credit cards to buy inappropriate items, including alcohol, football tickets and travel expenses for WEDC agency families.
WEDC had no policies in place for tricky questions, such as when to forgive loans that weren't repaid. They made new loans to businesses that hadn't paid back a prior loan.
WEDC lacked invoices or other contractually required documents which would have shown authorized costs for seven of twenty-nine grant and loan awards reviewed. Recipients of at least $100,000 had not submitted the required financial statements, despite the fact they spent all the funds awarded to them.
One recipient of WEDC funds wasn't paying some of its employees the required wage.
Expected results were never established for ten of WEDC's thirty programs.
A November 2012 report from WEDC contained inaccurate information and did not honestly present the number of jobs created or retrained as a result of WEDC programs. Auditors were unable to determine or assess the effectiveness of WEDC programs in light of WEDC's inability to properly manage its programs or its financial reporting.
Face it folks, Scott Walker's idea was a bomb; and it appears that all kinds of millions are out there unaccounted for. I'll wager a bet that WEDC was set up as nothing more than a dummy corporation to line the pockets of Scott Walker's cronies. This is taxpayer money, and I am experiencing taxpayer outrage.
Let's get rid of Scott Walker in the next election; because we simply can't afford to have the wolf minding the hen house one day longer!
Excuse me now. I have to fill out my one paragraph application for a WEDC $1,000,000 grant to continue to write my blog. I figure, it'll be no problem at all! I'm gonna be rich! Thanks Wisconsin Taxpayers! I'm perfectly within the law. I hired my cat to lay on my feet while I write, training him not to move (by keeping my foot on his tail) thereby keeping me chill-free through an ugly Wisconsin spring. I pay him $75 per hour for this service. I'm the perfect candidate for WEDC funds, don'cha think?
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