WMC chief: Recall politics, mine bill failure 'has really hurt' Wisconsin
MADISON - The head of one of the state's biggest pro-GOP business groups says that the failure to pass a bill that would have paved the way for a mining company to establish operations in Iron County, Wis. reflects a political scene connected to recent recall efforts in the state.
"It was recall politics. This year-long recall tantrum has really hurt us," said Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer Kurt Bauer on Newsradio 620 WTMJ's "Wisconsin's Morning News."
He claims that Democrats' efforts to stop the bill from becoming law stopped "the biggest economic development project in the state's history."
"It was going to be an iron ore mine, but for Wisconsin, it would have been a jobs goldmine."
Bauer said that in his mind, returning to Democratic control of the governor's seat or one of the houses of the state legislature would bring a climate that would stunt business and job growth in the area.
"Businesses don't like two things: uncertainty and instability. The people who are pushing for the recall want to go back to policies that led to a $3 billion tax increase, primarily on business, chronic budget deficits, all the things we've been able to reverse over the past year."
Yet Bauer still goes with the thinking of Governor Scott Walker, someone WMC vehemently supported during the most recent gubernatorial elections. Walker recently claimed that "Wisconsin is still open for business."
"We are (still open for business,)" said Bauer.
"Our membership continues to be very optimistic. The optimism has been there, even though the job growth has not."
Graeme Zielniski of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin sent this reponse to Bauer's comments:
"WMC's main goal, beyond supporting Scott Walker's Tea Power power grab, is seeing that wages and benefits for working men and women drop to Alabama levels. Their CEOs have gotten rich in this economy while average folks have suffered. Walker's failure on mining, meanwhile, like his failure on jobs and venture capital, is the product of someone who leads by division and has been rejected by the people of Wisconsin."
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