janesvillean: My problem with this venture is that its purpose and goal can be more quickly accomplished by setting up email and phone hotlines (among other communication routes) to solicit ideas.

A look at any corporation or small business P&L will provide all the answers they don’t want to hear; lower fixed costs.

Adding taxes and fees have a negative impact; ref: new recycling law, car insurance reform, increases in government fees (last budget), increase(s) in local tax levy---just to name a few.

Jobs are only created by companies that can generate a profit or in some cases break even in their respective markets. If the cost of operations is lower in other locations (states, counties) what incentive is there for a company to stay put and hire more people?

Until bureaucrats look at reality, companies will keep doing what they’re doing now…moving elsewhere.

This is the same legislature that has already passed its major financial legislation for the year, including a stimulus bill -- funded by those fees and taxes you complained about -- that gave Janesville Development Opportunity Zone status. (I'm assuming we will see some concrete proposals from the city on that forthwith.) It's also the same state government that went all-out with an unprecedented offer to GM to keep the plant open.
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I know it's hard out there, believe me, I have personal experience and connections that show that to me every day. But Wisconsin isn't a special case; unemployment didn't surge 7 points in a year because of state taxes. Being frustrated at the state of the economy is one thing, lashing out at people who had little to do with it (and not much more they can do) is another.
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Basically, I'm just amused that this is exactly what people were saying they weren't doing enough of, and here they are doing it, and well, is anybody happy?
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By the way, "early next year" is in 65 days. I don't have any great ideas to pull out of my hat, either, but at least we have people who are going to sit in a room and review some.

Janesvillean, I think so far amongst the comments here, you are the only apologist for the Dem task force idea. I also think some of the distain shown here might be coming from the fact that we have been entrenched in this “Great Recession” now for almost two years. Unemployment is running out; people have moved away from Wisconsin to find work elsewhere; workers have had their lives ruined; a 40 year old man from Watertown has had to join the Army to pay for his wife’s cancer treatments; what the heck, site your own horror story here, we have all lived this bad movie ad nauseam.

The problem is, all the while, both Repubs and Dems have focused on smoking bans, auto insurance rules, kids in bars, (the one Independent legislator has focused on getting himself arrested); and, of course the whole tired crew has been obsessed with raising fees and taxes until our collective noses bleed; oh heck, choose your own new nanny state rules they have diverted to. Stay tuned for helmet laws.

The play house does not work well if no one has a job to pay the taxes and fees - stating the obvious, but apparently not so obvious to the ruling class.

Finally, the Dems have been in charge now long enough to actually have to take ownership of this economic hell. The Bush train wreck is now way back down the tracks.

And finally-finally, “ideas generated by the group’s work to be introduced as bills in the Legislature early next year.” Yikes, we are going to legislate new jobs? If that was even remotely possible, why didn’t they do it five years ago?
Bob Keith
– humble and obedient citizen -

Sheridan needs more input on how to improve the economy? He knows, he preached it to his UAW constituents for years. He could write a book on the subject. ask him. :)

Wasn't it just the other day people were complaining here about the legislature NOT paying attention to the job market?

Well they can start by lowering taxes. That seems to lure businesses away from Wisconsin.

Yawn...not holding my breath...

More bus riding and gladhanding.

More time wasted.

Most people will discover either sooner or later that the only "economy" most politicians are interested in is their own personal one.....