09/02/10
By Jason Stein Wisconsin, a longtime laggard among states at securing federal money, shot ahead in 2009 as the federal stimulus bill took effect, snagging an increase of more than 50 percent, or $21.14 billion in federal funds. A new U.S. Census Bureau report shows that Wisconsin, which has usually ranked near last among states for the share of federal dollars it receives per person, jumped to 21st in 2009. The office of U.S. Rep. Dave Obey (D–Wausau), chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, highlighted the shift reflected in the Census Bureau figures Thursday. “Because Wisconsin isn’t home to large military bases or lots of federal employees, we’ve been at the bottom of the pack in terms of the per capita return on federal tax dollars for years, with a very low return from federal salaries and wages, federal retirement, or procurement dollars,” said a statement by Obey, who had a key role in creating the stimulus bill. “That changed last year!” In part because the $787 billion stimulus bill passed largely by Democrats in February 2009 increased federal borrowing, the spending in it remains controversial. U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, a Janesville Republican and a leading national critic of the Democrats’ economic policies, said they have been no bargain for the Badger State. “There is little cause for celebration after Washington’s reckless spending spree resulted in massive deficits, record debt, and failed to create the jobs promised. Washington increased each Wisconsinite’s share of the national debt past $43,000 this year — and yet the borrowing binge continues with job-killing tax hikes looming,” Ryan said in a statement. “We need real solutions to get us back on a path to prosperity.” The unemployment rate in Wisconsin in July remained at a relatively high 7.8 percent after adjusting for seasonal changes in hiring, but it was substantially better than the national rate of 9.5 percent. The state saw its federal funding in 2009 increase to $61.28 billion from $40.14 billion the previous year, well ahead of the 16 percent jump in federal spending overall for the same period. To give a sense of the size of Wisconsin’s increase, it was in total dollars slightly more than the $20.91 billion increase in federal funding received by the much more populous state of New York. To give another way of measuring the size of Wisconsin’s increase in federal money, it equaled one-tenth the total value of all state wages and other personal income in 2009 as reported by the state Department of Revenue. “In a period of slow economic growth, the impact is quite substantial,” said Andrew Reschovsky, an economist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who has written about the stimulus law and its effect on state and local governments. “We would be in worse economic shape with higher unemployment rates if we hadn’t had this infusion.” A spokesman for Gov. Jim Doyle, a vocal supporter of the stimulus package and an ally of President Barack Obama, said the Democratic governor had worked to increase funding both through the stimulus bill and through separate measures such as research grants at state universities, federal contracts with state manufacturers such as Oshkosh Corp., and a program to increase federal health-care funding through the use of a tax on state hospitals. “Wisconsin has really been aggressive in seeking federal funding,” spokesman Adam Collins said. The increase in federal funding for 2009 did not include a controversial $810 million grant awarded this year to establish a high-speed passenger rail line between Milwaukee and Madison, Obey spokesman Ellis Brachman said. Supporters of the train such as Doyle and Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett are locked in a debate with opponents such as GOP gubernatorial candidates Scott Walker, the Milwaukee County executive, and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann over whether the state should reject that money to avoid having to pay state subsidies to operate the line. Wisconsin’s increase was driven in great part by a more than doubling of grants in the state from federal agencies such as the departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and Energy. Wisconsin’s Department of Defense funding also jumped to nearly $8.1 billion in 2009 from $3.3 billion the prior year, according to Obey’s office. “We saw federal grants and procurement dollars to Wisconsin businesses and universities more than double as the Department of Defense and other agencies bought more Wisconsin products,” Obey said in his statement. By Lee Bergquist Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker on Thursday called for an independent auditor to monitor the health population of Wisconsin deer, saying a third party is needed because many hunters had lost faith in how the Department of Natural Resources manages the herd. After buying a buying a license that will allow him to hunt for deer, ducks and pheasants this year, Walker said as governor he would take politics out of deer management with a so-called “whitetail deer trustee.” Both of his chief opponents, however, took issue with an outside auditor. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a Democrat, and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, a Republican, said it was needless expense that could be handled by a better managed agency. Walker also pledged to “put more deer in the forest” with the help of the trustee and other changes. Walker said he has been hunting for three or four years and has not killed a deer. Standing outside the shooting range at West Town Archery in Milwaukee, Walker said that like many hunters, he got tired of standing in a tree stand during last year’s season and not seeing deer. The Republican candidate for governor hunts in Crawford County in western Wisconsin. Walker said the DNR must also recognize that its efforts to curtail the spread of chronic wasting disease are not working. The fatal deer disease was first discovered in 2002. He also said that hunters tell him the agency places too much emphasis on enforcement, and not in encouraging people to hunt, fish and trap. He said regulations were too complicated. Walker, however, declined to comment on his position of whether the governor, or the Natural Resources Board should select secretary of the DNR. That power now resides with the governor. Legislation that would have returned the power back to the seven-member citizens board failed to pass this year. In a statement, Walker’s Democratic opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said he would support a change in the law that returned the power of hiring and firing the secretary of the agency to the board. “Unlike Scott Walker, Tom Barrett knows we don’t need more government bureaucracy and extra costs to taxpayers to solve our problems,” said Phil Walzak, Barrett’s spokesman. “We need to demand better performance from state agencies like the DNR. Tom will get politics out of our natural resource policy by empowering the DNR board to select the secretary, and he will appoint members to the DNR Board who will ensure Wisconsin's deer population is large and healthy.” Neumann is the only major candidate to have killed a deer. He’s been hunting since he was 13. He, too, said regulations were too complicated that there are too few deer in the woods and he would appoint a DNR secretary who supported policies that encourage a larger deer population. The owner of WLUK-TV (channel 11) in Green Bay is exercising an option to purchase WIWB-TV (channel 14) in Green Bay from its owner. Acme Communications, Inc., owner of several CW Network stations including WIWB, made the announcement in a news release today. Fox Cities TV reports LIN TV is purchasing WIWB and a station in Dayton, Ohio, for $11.5 million. The release said LIN expects to file a “failing station waiver” with the Federal Communications Commission to allow WLUK to purchase another station within the same TV market. WLUK is already providing operational services to WIWB. “We are delighted that LIN has exercised its option for our Dayton and Green Bay stations,” said Acme President and CEO Doug Gealy. “The proposed transactions conform with Acme’s plans for the ultimate disposition of all its stations and will ultimately redound to the benefit of our shareholders. Upon the completion of these two transactions, and upon our sale of any LIN stock offered as part of the consideration, we plan to distribute any excess cash to our shareholders. In the meantime, we continue to pursue other opportunities to monetize our remaining assets.” By Craig Gilbert So far this year, GOP Senate candidate Ron Johnson has raised about $1.8 million for his campaign against Democrat Russ Feingold and put about $4.4 million of his own money into the race, according to his latest campaign filing. The new reports cover the period from July 1 to Aug. 25. They show that in that stretch, Johnson spent over $3.4 million, while Feingold spent more than $2.1 million. Johnson raised roughly $1.2 million in that period, while Feingold raised $920,000. Johnson had previously raised about $560,000 in 2010, for a 2010 fundraising total of just under $1.8 million. (He didn’t enter the race until May.) Feingold’s fundraising total so far this year, based on the latest reports, is roughly $3.7 million. Johnson’s fundraising figure doesn’t include the more than $4 million he has lent himself. Total spending for 2010 so far comes to $4,550,431 for Johnson and $4,260,536 for Feingold. As of Aug. 25, Johnson had about $1.6 million in cash on hand, while Feingold had about $3.1 million. The Johnson campaign said that almost $1.7 million of the roughly $1.8 million it has raised has come from Wisconsin contributors. By Jason Stein The state’s elections agency is predicting a record or near-record turnout in the Sept. 14 primary, with up to 28 percent of the voting age population expected to turn out. With Gov. Jim Doyle not seeking re-election, there is the first open governor’s race in the state in 28 years as well as an election for U.S. Senate and primaries in the Seventh and Eighth Congressional districts. Up to 1.2 million of the 4.4 million people in Wisconsin who are old enough to vote are expected to do so in the primary, according to the Government Accountability Board. “There appears to be tremendous interest in this election,” said agency director Kevin Kennedy. “The governor’s office is open for the first time in many years, as are 20 percent of seats in the Legislature.” In records going back to 1960, the highest voter turnout in a September primary was 27.9 percent — reached in 1964, according to the Accountability Board. Wisconsin’s elections system doesn’t require voters to declare a party to be able to vote in the partisan primary, but voters can only choose candidates from a single party in the various races. The fourth annual Inc. 5000 ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies includes seven Northeast Wisconsin companies and two North Central Wisconsin businesses. JGear of Fond du Lac ranked 1,834th and 95th in retail companies. Cherry Optical of Green Bay ranked 2,931st and 157th in consumer products and services companies. Heartland Business Systems of Little Chute ranked 3,124th and 386th in IT services firms. Allied 100 of Woodruff ranked 3,592nd and 308th in health companies. Huberty & Associates of Fond du Lac ranked 3,708th and 179th in financial services firms. Americollect of Manitowoc ranked 3,780th and 368th in business products and services firms. Seaway Printing of Green Bay ranked 4,103rd and 422nd in business products and services firms. Crystal Finishing Systems of Schofield ranked 4,693rd and 189th in manufacturing companies. Miron Construction of Neenah was 4,749th and 203rd in construction firms. The 2010 Inc. 500/5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth between 2006 and 2009. The list is of privately held for-profit companies based in the U.S. founded and generating revenue by June 30, 2006 and independent — not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies — as of Dec. 31, 2009. Minimum revenue required to make the list is $80,000 for 2006 and $2 million for 2009. Agnesian HealthCare’s IntegNet Corporate Consulting Services is offering a free series of workshops on meeting expectations of ourselves and from others in both our work and personal lives and how to feel successful and fulfilled. The free workshops, facilitated by Gregg Brewer, MS, will be held in Agnesian HealthCare’s Plaza Level Conference Center, 430 E. Division St., Fond du Lac, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. A continental breakfast will be provided at 7:30 a.m. Class size is limited. The workshop schedule: To register or for more information, call Agnesian HealthCare’s IntegNet Corporate Consulting Services, 920-924-0614 or 1-800-458-8183. By Don Walker If you’re watching television this morning and today, you’ll see that the ABC and ESPN networks are on the air. They are on the air even though Time Warner Cable’s contract to carry the networks ended at midnight. Time Warner said this morning that both sides are still talking. The New York Post had reported earlier this week that a deal had been made. SportsBusiness Daily reports that the two sides are still haggling over price. At more than $4 a month per subsriber, Disney’s ESPN is by far the most expensive national cable channel. By comparison, the DIsney Channel is about 90 cents a month per subscriber. Time Warner Cable is the largest cable carrier in Wisconsin. When and if they settle their carriage dispute, we’ll let you know. Schenck will host a seminar in September, “Workplace Fraud: Keeping Your Organization Safe.” This complimentary workshop is to raise awareness of fraud in the workplace and to share critical strategies every organization should put in place to remove “tempting” loopholes. Controllers and individuals responsible for recording cash receipts, accounts payable, accounts receivable, disbursements, inventory records, and payroll in privately and family-held businesses and not-for-profit organizations should attend this workshop. Topics to be covered include what is fraud, the Fraud Triangle, identifying potential “red flags,” proper procedures, appropriate segregation of duties, common fraud schemes, and IT-related risks and procedures. Presenters will be Schenck’s Certified Fraud Examiners, Bill Ritchay, CPA, CFE, Shareholder, and Brian Benes, CISA, CFE, Risk Services Manager. In addition, the Better Business Bureau and a few local district attorneys will describe some recent scams that have impacted businesses. The seminar will be held at Holiday Inn City Centre in Green Bay Wednesday, Sept. 8; Pine Hills Country Club in Sheboygan Thursday, Sept. 9; La Sure’s Hall in Oshkosh Thursday, Sept. 16; Butte des Morts Country Club in Appleton Tuesday, Sept. 21; and the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc Thursday, Sept. 23. The workshops will run from 8 to 9:30 a.m. with a Q&A session to follow. There is no cost to attend. For more information or to register, visit www.schencksc.com/events or call 1-800-236-2246 ext. 1261. Wipfli LLP will host the first of nine monthly Human Resources Business Forum meetings in Green Bay Tuesday, Sept. 21. An educational and problem-solving opportunity for business owners and managers with HR responsibility, as well as HR professionals, the HR Business Forum provides sound, practical information on HR topics, as well as a professional format to discuss and find solutions to HR concerns. The meetings will be led by experienced HR consultants who have “been there” and understand the HR situations encountered on a daily basis. September’s meeting is “Understanding the Role of Human Resources.” Future meetings addressing various HR topics will be held in Green Bay the third Tuesday of each month through May 2011. This first meeting is free. For more information contact Kristina Riddle, 715-843-7452. To register visit www.wipfli.com/hrbusinessforums or email hrbusforums@wipfli.com. |
11:25:38 pm, by Steve Prestegard 
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