Federal Reserve Shows Continued Decline For Walker's Wisconsin

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With most of the country expecting gains in the economic coincident index, Walker's Wisconsin is ranked with five other states the Philadelphia Federal Reserve predicts will remain flat at best or in decline for the next six months.

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Video: Trickle-Down Economics Is a Vicious Fraud

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By Robert Reich, watch it:

Why Is It So Difficult To Say That Wall Street Greed Caused Financial Collapse?

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I always get a special kick out of people when they professorially insist that the Community Reinvestment Act or Fannie and Freddie (Frank, Dodd, Democrats, etc.) caused the mortgage meltdown.

Unfortunately for me, it's gotten to the point that if I can't laugh in their face in person, I don't bother to make any attempt to convince them otherwise. But since the latest wave of American social and economic justice in the form of protests against Wall Street, a variety of TV pundits and other ignoramuses have come out of the woodwork and continue to lie to the public mostly out of political and economic expediency.

So, I have to ask. IF the Community Reinvestment Act or Fannie and Freddie "forced" banks and mortgage providers to lend beyond their means to home buyers who could not afford - what is stopping them now from lending? The CRA, Fannie and Freddie are all still in play. Banks have greater cash reserves to lend out now than ever before. Nothing has been repealed. Nothing. Since the financial collapse there has been zero reform legislation passed on Fannie and Freddie. Zero, zip, nada. So, I repeat. What is stopping banks and lenders now from borrowing to potential home buyers? Why are people now having such a difficult time qualifying for mortgages? All of the "arm-twisting" federally enforced laws and provisions are still in place. So what is stopping banks, with their arms all twisted into pretzels and their heads squeezed in vices by big bad government, from lending to people who don't qualify today? I'll tell you what's stopping them. Themselves.

That's how it was before and that's how it is now. Short supply and rampant demand fueled by a glut of employed capital fed their own infectious greed to capitalize any which way they could. They literally made stuff up, bundled mortgages and sold them knowing they had little value. Just like today's over supply and lack of demand fueled by a shortage of employed capital feeds their resistance to capitalize any which way they can. They won't. They are not budging today. Their level of risk has changed - arm twisting Federal government or not.

But they now say we need to knock down regulations to spread the prosperity. It's always been such a phony argument from the beginning.

Let's put into words everyone can understand. The CRA, Democrats, Fannie and Freddie did not cause the mortgage meltdown that led to the near financial collapse of the capital markets. A rigged system of capitalism fostering the infectious greed on Wall Street caused it. To claim anything else is an outright lie.

Granholm: Michigan Bears The Scars Of Small Government And Tax Cuts

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Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has a plan to restore America.

"We operate as though we are not in a global economy," says Granholm. "In theory, free markets and laissez faire make perfect sense, but in practice, our competitors are eating us for lunch."

One of Granholm's critical points is that states simply don't have the resources to compete against other countries. What they end up doing is simply stealing jobs from each other -- a zero-sum game for the nation as a whole in which everyone races to the bottom trying to create favorable investment climates.

Here is her coup de maitre...

"I listed the bill numbers of all the tax cuts I signed as governor in the book for a reason. Ninety-nine of them! Big ones, small ones, targeted -- whatever! If you think that small government and tax cuts are the way you are going to grow the economy, Michigan's unemployment rate should be the lowest in the country, because I cut more than any state in the nation by far! We also cut more government employees than any state in the country. Our corporate tax burden dropped the greatest of any state in the country."

"Rick Perry, interestingly enough, took all of his stimulus money and invested it and grew the public sector in Texas. Texas' public sector actually grew the most during the past decade and Michigan's got cut the most during the past decade. And Texas has the best job creation and Michigan had the worst. What does that tell you?"

It is refreshing to read about the real life consequences resulting from the rhetoric and theories thrown around by many of our naive and ideologically misguided politicians. What works and what doesn't. Granholm gets it and delivers the goods in this article. A recommended read with sharp observations and irrefutable talking points.

S&P Joins In On Scaremongering Brinksmanship They Decry

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Downgrading the U.S. credit rating and offering their reasons is one thing. But now the S&P is engaging in "IF" ultimatums and remedies the U.S. must take otherwise face a further downgrade? I think this is dangerous talk economically speaking, even if they are carrying water for republicans.

Politico Excerpt:
If the fiscal position of the United States deteriorates further, or if the political gridlock becomes more entrenched, then that could lead to a downgrade," John Chambers said on ABC's "This Week."

These republican-like scaremongering tactics add much credence to the mounting evidence that the downgrade was a conscious political strategy by the agency to damage Obama in exchange for political favors.

What is interesting though in S&P's downgrade report is they believe that because Republicans pledged to never raise tax revenue, the Bush tax cuts will likely NOT expire at the end of 2012 but instead be renewed. This is the key explanation to their long-term outlook remaining negative. No revenue.

Republican Congress Signals Shrinkage - S&P Downgrades U.S.

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The handwriting was on the wall.

Some excerpts from the S&P statement:

Think Progress Excerpt:

[...]The political brinksmanship of recent months highlights what we see as America’s governance and policymaking becoming less stable, less effective, and less predictable than what we previously believed. The statutory debt ceiling and the threat of default have become political bargaining chips in the debate over fiscal policy.

[...]It appears that for now, new revenues have dropped down on the menu of policy options.

[...]The act contains no measures to raise taxes or otherwise enhance revenues, though the committee could recommend them.

[...]Compared with previous projections, our revised base case scenario now assumes that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, due to expire by the end of 2012, remain in place. We have changed our assumption on this because the majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues, a position we believe Congress reinforced by passing the act.

This is a damning indictment of the ideological calculator Republicans and their Tea Party mutants signed up for when they superceded their oath of office by pledging to nitwit norquist never to raise tax revenues under any circumstances. The message is clear to the S&P. Why can’t others see it?

As long as these sloven miscreants remain uncompromising on tax revenues, the outlook on the long-term rating will remain negative. The more they cut spending, the more they signal shrinkage. Like everything else lacking in government today, we needed a "balanced approach" of cuts and revenue for growth and to get the budget and debt on solid footing.

Michael Moore was right. America is awash in money. Even the S&P knew we had to start pumping it out of areas that are beyond floodstage in order to wet the seeds of job growth laying in drought.

Video: Reich Explains Economy In 135 Seconds

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This video went from 75,000 to 352,000 views in less than 12 hours.

Bush Tax Cuts Grew Poverty And Future Debt Certainty

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In yet another measure of the accumulative effects the Bush Tax cuts have had on Wisconsin, household income fell and poverty rose in the state between 2008 and 2009, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released Tuesday. Many economists had long felt the Bush tax cuts would spur economic development and job growth. Still in effect seven years later - where's the beef?

Census: Gap between rich and poor is at widest.

The census also found that the top-earning 20% of Americans (those making $100,000 each year) received 49.4% of all income generated in the U.S., compared with the 3.4% earned by those below the poverty line.

Remember when Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill spoke out against the tax cuts for the rich? (June 14, 2006)

Link Excerpt

“Cheney, at this moment, shows his hand,” says Suskind. “He says, ‘You know, Paul (O'Neill), Reagan proved that deficits don't matter. We won the mid-term elections, this is our due.’ … O'Neill is speechless.”

”It was not just about not wanting the tax cut. It was about how to use the nation's resources to improve the condition of our society,” says O’Neill. “And I thought the weight of working on Social Security and fundamental tax reform was a lot more important than a tax reduction.”

Did he think it was irresponsible? “Well, it's for sure not what I would have done,” says O’Neill.

He says everyone expected Mr. Bush to rubber stamp the plan under discussion: a big new tax cut. But, according to Suskind, the president was perhaps having second thoughts about cutting taxes again, and was uncharacteristically engaged.

“He asks, ‘Haven't we already given money to rich people? This second tax cut's gonna do it again,’” says Suskind.

“He says, ‘Didn’t we already, why are we doing it again?’ Now, his advisers, they say, ‘Well Mr. President, the upper class, they're the entrepreneurs. That's the standard response.’ And the president kind of goes, ‘OK.’ That's their response. And then, he comes back to it again. ‘Well, shouldn't we be giving money to the middle, won't people be able to say, ‘You did it once, and then you did it twice, and what was it good for?’"

But according to the transcript, White House political advisor Karl Rove jumped in.

“Karl Rove is saying to the president, a kind of mantra. ‘Stick to principle. Stick to principle.’ He says it over and over again,” says Suskind. “Don’t waver.”

In the end, the president didn't. And nine days after that meeting in which O'Neill made it clear he could not publicly support another tax cut, the vice president called and asked him to resign.

With the deficit now climbing towards $400 billion, O'Neill maintains he was in the right. * * *

David Rosenberg: We're Paying The Piper Now For Bush Era

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Who knew?

Rosenberg said there's no quick fix to a debt deleveraging cycle.

"We went through a parabolic credit cycle from 2001 to 2007, and we're paying the piper right now because a lot of this debt is bad and has to be extinquished." -- Economist David Rosenberg

Watch for it beginning at 2:25

Rosenberg: We Are In A Depression

Johnson: Wisconsin Jobs Creatively Destroyed

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Capital Times Excerpt: (By John Nichols)

Johnson has staked out a particularly bizarre position on the question of whether U.S. economic and trade policies should be stacked against American workers -- especially in traditional manufacturing states such as Wisconsin.

Several weeks ago, Johnson claimed on Wisconsin Public Radio that “the fact of the matter is NAFTA and CAFTA have actually been successful for our economy.” The multimillionaire was then asked if it wasn’t true that Wisconsin businesses blamed free-trade deals “for hurting their business.” That is, of course, the case -- as has been well documented by state and federal analyses of the impact of the trade agreements.

Confronted with reality, Johnson adopted the belligerent approach of the ideologue who says “don’t confuse me with the facts.”

“Well, in a free-market capitalist system, there are always winners and losers,” preached Johnson. “It’s creative destruction. That just happens. It’s unfortunate. But let’s face it, if it weren’t for that we’d still have buggy whip companies.”

It does not bother Johnson that the people he describes as “losers” are Wisconsin workers.

Sure, instead of buggy whip companies, we have steering wheel companies. But obsolescence through technological progress doesn't explain why Wisconsin workers and factories ended up on the short end of the stick while Chinese factories got the steering wheels. Johnson's "creative destruction" is just another way of saying "you were legislated out of your job by the so-called "free" market trade agreements. Tough shit, deal with it."

Economic Policy Institute Excerpt:

NAFTA is a free trade and investment agreement that provided investors with a unique set of guarantees designed to stimulate foreign direct investment and the movement of factories within the hemisphere, especially from the United States to Canada and Mexico. Furthermore, no protections were contained in the core of the agreement to maintain labor or environmental standards. As a result, NAFTA tilted the economic playing field in favor of investors, and against workers and the environment, resulting in a hemispheric "race to the bottom" in wages and environmental quality.

Sales Tax Collections On Track To Plump Mercury Marine Dividends

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FDL Reporter Excerpt:
Early numbers on revenue generated by the new county sales tax — about $500,000 in May alone — appear on track to pay financing for Fond du Lac County government's loan to Mercury Marine.

The half-percent county sales tax was instituted to pay for the financing of the county's $50 million loan to Mercury Marine. As reported, Fond du Lac County has provided $30 million to Mercury Marine of its $50 million committment. Additional $10 million payments will be made in September of this year and March of 2011.

As of 12PM today.
BRUNSWICK CORP (BC:New York)
LAST $13.08 USD CHANGE TODAY +0.64 5.14% VOLUME 1.4M

Out of context? Think again.

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Harley Warns Again: Cut labor costs or we’ll move; earnings triple

Harley-Davidson Inc. has again warned that production costs must be cut at its Wisconsin operations or the work will be moved elsewhere.

JS Online Excerpt:
The company said Tuesday that second-quarter net income more than tripled to $71.2 million, or 30 cents a share, from $19.8 million, or 8 cents, a year ago... It earned 59 cents a share, excluding discontinued operations, for the three months ended June 27. Shares rose as much as 15% after the earnings announcement.

Shareholders rule. Privatize the profits, socialize the losses or we'll leave!

Fortune 500 Company Needs $227,500 Loan From Janesville Taxpayers

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On Monday, the Janesville city council will consider a request from W.W. Grainger for a $227,500 forgivable loan in what the Janesville Gazette terms as a "reward" to the company for a committment to create jobs over the next three years.

Wikipedia Excerpt:
Grainger is a Fortune 500 corporation and has increased dividends to its shareholders for 36 consecutive years. The company has grown consistently since becoming public and has passed $1 billion in annual sales in 1984 and $5 billion in sales in 2004.

So why doesn't government create a "means" test for businesses to prove hardship like they do for most anyone else trying to contract for a taxpayer handout? I know, I'm being utterly ridiculous. Stupid me.

Tax Speculative Transactions On Wall Street? Sounds Great!

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Capital Times Excerpt: (John Nichols)
Last week, Kagen joined Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, in proposing legislation to assess a financial transactions tax... The legislation, known as the “Let Wall Street Pay for the Restoration of Main Street Act,” would tax each stock transaction at 0.25 percent and futures, swaps and credit default swaps at 0.02 percent. The tax, which would not apply to the first $100,000 of a trader’s annual transactions, is designed to target the speculators. Pension funds and retirement investors are protected, via a guaranteed refund of the tax.

Center For American Progress Excerpt: (Michael Ettinger)
This idea has not been well received by the industry. Opponents on Wall Street make two basic arguments: First, they argue, financial transactions of the sort that would be subject to the tax could easily be moved anywhere in the world so if you tax them, they will go. Second, they argue that some transactions that are helpful to the economy wouldn’t be profitable even at these extremely low rates. This argument posits that traders who buy and sell constantly while making tiny profits on their many transactions would be driven from the market because the tax would eat mightily into those tiny profits.

You know Wall Street is going to fight this tooth and nail. We can expect a Wall Street Journal editorial soon from their congressional liaison Paul Ryan explaining how 401k's, borrowing rates and seniors will suffer because the tax will be passed down...or, it's unconstitutional...somehow.

Why is it the financial managers swinging the deals and working the swaps collect millions in bonuses but there's never enough left over for a quarter-point tax?

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A Quote To Chew On

Dick Cheney On The Economy Excerpt:
When Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill raised objections to a new round of tax cuts while warning Vice President Dick Cheney about growing budget deficits in November 2002, Cheney cut him off. "You know, Paul, Reagan proved deficits don't matter," he said. A month later, Cheney told the Treasury secretary he was fired.

Wisconsin GOP: Tax Cuts For Wealthy And Deregulation

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Wisconsin state republicans unveiled their "jobs" agenda on Thursday. Here are the main points.

Republican Jobs Agenda Excerpt:
Jobs Tax Credit NOW (Williams)
Assembly Republicans would give employers a financial incentive to hire employees, through the Jobs Tax Credit, in 2009.

– what’s wrong with that picture? Lets ignore the fact that Republicans are the first to swear that “guv’mint doesn’t create jobs,” and look more closely at the actual premise behind the “give employers a financial incentive to hire employees” idea. Whatever happened to the time when businesses hired more employees because demand for their services or products picked up – you know, the free markets. Instead we have government helping create an illusion of false hope for the unemployed while stuffing the pockets of the wealthiest among us.

In addition, Wisconsin legislators are willing to offer a refundable tax credit — meaning it’s payable even if the business owes no taxes. State Democrats go along with this charade.

Republican Jobs Agenda Excerpt:
Recruit & Retain Jobs NOW (Budget Motion & LRB-3431; Rhoades)
Assembly Republicans would require Wisconsin’s Department of Commerce to submit a report to the Joint Finance Committee detailing its business retention methods, a plan identifying businesses seeking to expand or relocate, and develop a Rapid Response Team for relocation or expansion prospects.

More of the same big government influence applied to change the course of the free markets. This solution sets the stage for even more of the same cash give-aways, tax credits and deregulation. You don’t honestly think “retention methods” are simply a nice conversation over a cup of hot chocolate discussing how much better Wisconsin workers are – do you? Again, many democrats have bought into the anti-free market government intervention process.

Republican Jobs Agenda Excerpt:
Banning Secret Tax Increases (Zipperer)
Assembly Republicans would restore legislative accountability and protect families and employers from this bureaucratic overreach by banning this practice all together.

That is one I could actually agree with providing the state legislature stops writing tax laws that intentionally leaves room for mis-interpretation.

Republican Jobs Agenda Excerpt:
Small Business Expense Flexibility NOW (AB 184; Roth)
Assembly Republicans would increase the expense deduction limit to $50,000 (up from the current $25,000) to more closely mirror the federal tax code. Putting more money in the hands of small business employers in a quicker manner will allow them the ability to hire more employees.

How often do we see republicans promoting federal tax code? Only when it puts more money in the pockets of their masters I suppose. But this one is my personal favorite. Lets expand the business expense deduction so maybe now employers can finally afford to buy the Chinese-built Romby-the-robot “worker” machine they’ve always dreamed about when they need a few extra bodies on the job. Fewer employees with no benefits means increased profits.

Republican Jobs Agenda Excerpt:
Wisconsin Jobs Investment Act NOW (AB 38; Strachota)
Assembly Republicans would give individual employers and shareholders a financial incentive to reinvest their assets in a Wisconsin business, through the Wisconsin Investment Act, in 2009. These individuals would be eligible for a capital gains exclusion of up to $10 million for long-term reinvestment in a Wisconsin business, under certain circumstances, NOW.

Folks collecting $10 million in capital gains need an incentive to invest and earn even more!! This one speaks for itself.

Republican Jobs Agenda Excerpt:
Health Insurance Flexibility NOW (Vukmir)
Assembly Republicans would allow Wisconsin’s employers to purchase health insurance plans from out-of-state insurers, which would facilitate some competition among all health insurance providers.

I had no idea Republicans wanted to facilitate competition in the health insurance industry. It’s never too late to support the public option.

Republican Jobs Agenda Excerpt:
Sunset Phone Line Tax, Cap Gains Tax Increase & Combined Reporting
Assembly Republicans would sunset these new taxes and tax increases in 2011.

Halt everything!! Except tax cuts to millionaires and deregulation of course.

Does anyone really think corporations and small businesses alike should be coerced by government into hiring more workers when demand dictates otherwise? And when demand picks up if it ever does, shouldn't businesses be rewarded by the profits they gain and not by the taxes they fought to avoid? What about the rest of us?

Forget about the free market Republicans - there are none. Where are the free market Democrats?

Billionaires For Wealth Care

Incentive Packages Put Tax Payers in Perpetual Hole

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In a bizarre new development, Mercury Marine has gone from “time for everybody to move on” to “Hey, we’ll bring additional work to the plant.”

Traditional news sources have reported that nothing was changed in the union contract. Only that terms were clarified. To sweeten the pot before the expected and final vote scheduled for today, Mercury Marine has pledged to move additional work from Stillwater to Fond du Lac to consolidate operations. Either somebody blinked or somebody was made an offer too good to refuse.

Malcontends Excerpt:
After the city and county of Fond du Lac and Wisconsin put together incentives to keep Mercury Marine jobs in Wisconsin, new word comes that Mercury Marine and the (IAM) Local 1947 [now updated] may strike a deal not only retaining manufacturing jobs but actually moving jobs from Stillwater, Oklahoma, to Fond du Lac.

So what’s different? Call me a skeptic, but I don't believe the statements coming from either side of the contract. Unless State and Fond du Lac officials buckled. Which obviously seems more likely to be the case.

FDLReporter Excerpt:
Aug.30,2009 -- If Mercury Marine accepts local government's incentive package to keep its headquarters in Fond du Lac, a county sales tax would likely be imposed for the first time to help pay the costs.

Since they insist the contract remains the same, did state and local officials promise to make up for the difference in the worker’s pay cuts and concessions by subsidizing them (instead of corporate MM) with collections from a new county sales tax? Or, worse yet, were the tax payers put on the hook to line the pockets and parachutes of the corporate fatcats? Is this what they meant by “Through the efforts of state and local officials”….? While MM maintains the contract is identical to the one the union resoundly rejected only a week ago?

This is only speculation on my part prompted mainly by the sketchy details and the sudden reversal by Mercury Marine. I hope that's all it is.

JSonline Excerpt:
"It's sad that we have laws allowing states to try and compete with each other like this," Michalski said. "This is all about jobs and people doing things like making house payments, buying groceries, and just trying to survive."

Touche.

Trickle-Up Clunkers Program A Wild Success

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Detroit News Excerpt:
"It's a huge success," Ken Czubay, Ford's U.S. sales and marketing chief, told reporters Thursday.

WKOW Excerpt:
Late Friday, Senator Russ Feingold in a statement said he supports expanding the program, calling it a bigger success than anyone predicted.

Caffeinated Politics Excerpt:
Talk about a federal program that worked! Wow! The ‘cash for clunkers’ program aimed to stimulate the economy, and help the environment took off like a rocket and is close to running out of money in just days. As such I think it essential that Congress allocate another huge chunk of money for this program.

JG Excerpt:
President Barack Obama said the program has "succeeded well beyond our expectations" and praised the House for moving quickly to establish new financing. "This is a test drive," Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., said of the program, "and people bought it big time." Bell, in Glen Burnie, said the rebates have "pulled forward a tremendous market."

Fox news Excerpt:
Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., wrote in a letter to House leaders on Wednesday requesting additional funding for the program. "This is simply the most stimulative $1 billion the federal government has spent during the entire economic downturn," Miller said Thursday.

The $1 billion program sparked over $3 billion more in economic activity in less than a week. Republican Rep. Paul Ryan voted against it, calling the program poorly designed and another burden on the national debt.

RockNetroots On Tweeter – “Cash for Clunkers? Is that a new Wall Street PAC to jumpstart the Republican Party?”

Economic Directors Quietly Withdraw From Positions

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Over the past two weeks, two high profile officials from Rock County’s economic development governmental agencies have announced they will be withdrawing from their respective jobs.

JG Excerpt: (July 25, 2009)
JANESVILLE – The director of the Rock County Planning, Economic and Community Development Agency has resigned, County Administrator Craig Knutson announced late Friday. No reason was given for the resignation of Scott Heinig.

JG Excerpt: (July 14, 2009)
Doug Venable, the city's economic development director, plans to retire at the end of the year. Venable said Monday that he likely will leave his office for good in either November or December, depending upon how much vacation time he has to use by the end of the year.

Venable’s announcement came only weeks after a short series of complimentary articles were published by the Janesville Gazette and the Wisconsin State Journal.

Both of the decisions to leave however, came less than one month after GM makes it official, Janesville to stay closed.

Trickle-Down Tax Cuts Faster Than Direct Capital Injection?

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In this article, Dean Baker explains the difference between the two different types of economic stimulus – spending versus tax cuts.

Excerpt: (July 13, 2009)
One dollar of additional spending is generally estimated to have a multiplier effect in the neighborhood of 1.5, meaning that for every dollar we spend on a government project, we increase GDP by $1.50 as the people we hire go out and spend their paychecks, creating new demand.

The multiplier effect on tax cuts is generally estimated as being in the neighborhood of 0.9, or less. This means that $1 of tax cuts will end up increasing GDP by about 90 cents. Unlike spending on things like road construction or health care, a tax cut does not directly generate demand.

In this video, Rep. Paul Ryan and Greg Mankiw (former WH counsel) generally agree that the multiplier for spending is about 1.5, but predictably hold tax cuts at a much higher multiplier benefit of 3.0, although Mankiw admits the evidence on the multipliers is inconsistent and inconclusive.

Baker concludes that the current spending stimulus is not large enough.

Excerpt: (July 13, 2009)
In short, we badly need another very big dose of stimulus. Unfortunately, the politicians and pundits in Washington are either too ignorant, dishonest, or scared to talk about the $2 plus trillion stimulus that this economy needs.

Obviously, Ryan doesn't see things the same way.

Video Excerpt: (Jan. 26, 2009)
Ryan: We are worried that all we are going to do here is this huge spending package that won't really spend out very fast. The spending in and of itself won't create jobs. The tax cuts aren't the right kind of tax cuts to actually create jobs. This is the wrong fiscal response.

Apparently, Ryan has a problem with the speed of the spending stimulus. It's not fast enough. So his plan to create economic stimulus that would “spend out” sufficiently fast enough to have an impact involves tax cuts and credits to the wealthiest (again) that will lift their expectations for the future so greatly, that at some point sooner or later they will invest the tax savings eventually into new plants, equipment, etc., while demand remains unstimulated, flat or in decline. Ryan has referred to his tax cuts as "fast-acting."

Janesville GM Being Gutted And Stripped Of Valuables

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JS Online Excerpt (May 19, 2009)
Bargain hunters picked through the remains of General Motors' once-thriving Janesville assembly plant Tuesday, looking to pick up used lathes, grinders, boring mills and a factory-load of other machinery on the cheap.

JG Excerpt:
JANESVILLE — In what appears to be another indication that General Motors has no production plans for its idled Janesville plant, the automaker will take to the Internet today to auction off hundreds of pieces of equipment.

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Union Stands Up Against Outsourcing Jobs

JG Excerpt:
AFT-Wisconsin President Bryan Kennedy tells the Wisconsin State Journal that workers won't give up the raise as long as the state continues to outsource additional work to contractors.

Three Weeks Notice – Write-In Captures 1,038 Voters

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In what only can be described as a victory in defeat, 1,038 folks in Janesville had the audacity to pencil in the twelve letters of the name “Backenkeller” for Janesville city council. This is by no means a small feat coming after only three weeks notice of her candidacy and with little advertising. Truly amazing! This also shows there is a solid core of support to bring new priorities and considerations that have largely been absent from the city's budget and planning process. Progress hasn't been defeated yet, a pulse still exists.

But it also shows there are huge obstacles to overcome for Janesville to pull itself out of the mind-fog and stagnancy it has so freely come to accept as part of its identity. Its’ also a sad testament to the state of political affairs and public discourse in Janesville and shows a complete breakdown in the willingness of the people to organize themselves if only to control their own destiny.

Tuesday’s vote confirms the continued and expanding Chicago machine-like death grip the Janesville Gazette and Forward Janesville has on the city. Trying to create a sustainable economy in Janesville under these circumstances is nearly impossible. We can't wait another generation.

We can do better – we must do better.