Macroeconomic indicators turning downward.
There is a recurring commercial going out over Wisconsin airwaves arguing for progress [0], link to . This impelled me to consult some metrics regarding progress in the state, following up on this
post from a month ago.
Here are some macro indicators for the Wisconsin macroeconomy. In sum, civilian employment is rising (to essentially 2011M01 levels), but nonfarm payroll employment is declining; private sector employment (ex-farm) is flat, while government employment is declining; and leading indicators are pointing to a downturn.
From the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal yesterday (h/t TPM):
Gov. Scott Walker has called off plans to sign the 2011-’13 budget bill at a private Green Bay-area company run by an executive with eight felony convictions, a spokesman announced today.
That is Governor Walker’s answer to the question of how much money rescinding collective bargaining for public unions saves the state government. From the Capital Times:
From WisPolitics today:
Gov. Scott Walker says he may have to again consider laying off state employees if his collective bargaining law remains tied up in the courts for much more than the next week or two.
With update, wherein the Walker Administration complies with the third temporary restraining order.
From the Wisconsin State Journal:
State officials say they will move forward with Wisconsin’s controversial collective bargaining law, despite a judge’s order barring its implementation — and a threat of sanctions against anyone who violates it.
And Walker (Still) Plans No-Bid Sales of Power Plants, the $7.5 million worth of damages to the Capitol building becomes $347,000 (maybe), and the expanding politicization of the civil service.
Economy-wide Impacts
From Wisconsin State Journal:
Gov. Scott Walker’s plans to balance the state budget by cutting spending and public workers’ take-home pay will slow the state’s economic recovery, according to projections by a UW-Madison economist.
From USA Today:
By 3 p.m., tens of thousands of people crowded the Capitol Square. There is a big discrepancy in the crowd estimates compiled by Capitol Police and the Madison Police Department. Capitol Police estimated about 49,500 at 2 p.m. while Madison police said the crowd was about 85,000.
Latest Reuters estimate at up to 100,000.
Or, don’t lose your dog in Wisconsin.
Just one of the odd bits of legislation winding through Madison, WI. From AB40:
SECTION 2704. 174.13 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
174.13 (2) Any officer or pound which has custody of an unclaimed dog may
release the dog to the University of Wisconsin System, the University of
Wisconsin–Madison, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc., or to any other
educational institution of higher learning chartered under the laws of the state and
accredited to the University of Wisconsin System or University of
Wisconsin–Madison, upon requisition by the institution.
Or, “What Would Bob (La Follette) Do?”
Since I teach in the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, this WSJ article “‘Fighting Bob’ Fights Right On” caught my eye. From the article:
Protesters’ signs and online discussions have repeatedly invoked La Follette, a turn-of-the-20th century Wisconsin governor and U.S. senator. His bust has become a locus of the protest, with demonstrators draping flowers around its neck and festooning its pedestal with signs saying “Long Live La Follette” and “What Would Bob Do?”
