How Minnesota’s liberal policies are doing what Walker only claims to do
This article by Lawrence R. Jacobs shows how Minnesota’s progressive policies are trumping Walker’s draconian conservative measures in Wisconsin–and leading to job gains and economic growth:
An excerpt:
Three years into Mr. Walker’s term, Wisconsin lags behind Minnesota in job creation and economic growth.
As a candidate, Mr. Walker promised to produce 250,000 private-sector jobs in his first term, but a year before the next election that number is less than 90,000.
Wisconsin ranks 34th for job growth.
Mr. Walker’s defenders blame the higher spending and taxes of his Democratic predecessor for these disappointments, but according to Forbes’s annual list of best states for business, Wisconsin continues to rank in the bottom half.
Along with California, Minnesota is the fifth fastest growing state economy, with private-sector job growth exceeding pre-recession levels.
Forbes rates Minnesota as the eighth best state for business. Republicans deserve some of the credit, particularly for their commitment to education reform. They also argue that Minnesota’s new growth stems from the low taxes and reduced spending under Mr. Dayton’s Republican predecessor, Tim Pawlenty.
But Minnesota’s job growth was subpar during Mr. Pawlenty’s eight-year tenure and recovered only under Mr. Dayton.