ALEC Policy FAILS Again!!!

From the ALEC By-Laws

The purposes and objectives of ALEC shall be to work in cooperation with the private sector  … 

  

In NO OTHER organization that your state legislators belongs to – NONE – will you find those words in the first sentence of the organization purpose – "to work in cooperation with the private sector".

When your state implements policy promoted by ALEC to get rid of state departments and replace them with a “public-private” partnership – be very wary.

(My emphasis throughout)

THE HISTORY

The implementation of the ALEC model of limited government and increased profit/private sector member participation.

As of July 1st, 2011, functions once performed by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce have been moved to other state agencies and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

Here is Scott Walker being a good ALEC-er.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Gov. Scott Walker has signed into law a measure that will replace public employees at the Department of Commerce with private workers in a dramatic reorganization of the agency.

The new Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will be a public-private hybrid in charge of attracting and retaining businesses in the state.

Walker said at Wednesday's bill signing that the new law sends a strong message that state government will be working closely with private economic development interests.

Have to get rid of those public employee – providing public services.
And use taxpayer money to pay private sector workers.

 

"Today's meeting of the WEDC board marks a new beginning in the relationship between job creators and government," Governor Walker said. "For too long the Department of Commerce was tasked with regulating job creators. This new public-private partnership will focus solely on the development of Wisconsin's economy and job market. Our number one priority is to create an environment that allows the private sector to get 250,000 people back to work by 2015. The WEDC will play an integral role in achieving this goal."

Here's the need to eliminate government agencies that regulate business.
Not only eliminate government agencies that regulate - but get rid of the issue of regulation all together and to set a new focus with a private sector committee setting the agenda.

Governor Scott Walker chairs the WEDC Board of Directors composed of state legislators, departmental secretaries, and private business owners. The thirteen-member Board of Directors provides WEDC with strategic leadership and operational oversight representing statewide public and private economic development interests.

Thirteen member Board

   8 members are private sector

      EIGHT profit/private sector members - EIGHT

   1 ALEC Alum Governor

   4 legislators – 2 Dems , 2 Republicans (1 confirmed ALEC-er)
And who represents the people?  Really!  With EIGHT profit sector members on the Board - who is representing the people, the public, the constituency?

 

ALEC-er Walker replaced a government entity with a Board that is 60% private/profit industry, and 2 confirmed ALEC-ers (15% of the Board) – which means that 75% - 75% of this Board is dominated by ALEC philosophy/policy.

Creating the WEDC to replace theDepartment of Commerce was one of Gov. Scott Walker's top priorities. It has a roughly $85 million annual budget and spearheads Wisconsin's flagship job-creation efforts.

EIGHTY FIVE MILLION TAXPAYER DOLLARS turned over to a commission with 75% ALEC and profit/private members.  Limited government – privatization of government – yet the taxpayers are still on the hook to pay for it.

 

Sloppy accounting practices, poor monitoring of loans and an exodus of employees spelled trouble for the state's beleaguered jobs agency, an independent audit released Monday found.

The audit found, for example, that basic internal accounting controls were not in place over the last year.

Yeah – the ALEC philosophy that the private sector is somehow better at doing things is an outright lie.

Limited government
Privatization of the government

Privatization of the government department that regulates industry
   Allowing corporations to oversee the regulation of industry
   or as stated above re-focus away form regulation

Elimination of public service jobs

Stealing taxpayer dollars to pay private/profit sector members of a commission - who already have a job, someplace else.

Implementation of ALEC policy

How’s that working?

Well here is the tweet that started the research on the WEDC for me:

$21 million surplus
to a
$14 million debt
A swing of $35 Million in one year
$35 million in one - year - that is how corporate executives manage public money.


$19 MILLION-DOLLAR FAILURE: Audit Reveals Scott Walker WEDC Scandal

As Scott Walker continues to fail at his 250,000 jobs promise, a new audit reveals a wide-ranging scandal at the agency he charged with creating jobs in the first place.

The audit of the scandal-plagued Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation reveals that the quasi-public agency, put in the hands of unqualified Walker political operatives and incompetent political hacks, has lost track of millions of dollars and cannot collect $19 million in loans.

And that is not the sole commentary

Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch (HIPSH) said Tuesday that DOA will assume administration of the program after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development questioned whether it was legal for the quasi-private Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. to award the grants.

HUD said in the August letter that WEDC failed to follow federal law and its own policies in issuing Community Development Block Grants. 

Not sure if I want ALEC-er Huebsch and the DOA taking over the issue either.

 Sen. K. Vinehout on Fri, 10/19/2012 - 2:20pm

Hiding bad news is becoming a pattern for WEDC. Just a few weeks ago the Secretary of Administration apologized to Board members when, for over a year and a half, he failed to disclose a federal inquiry into the awarding of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants. WEDC apparently gave out more than $9 million without legal authority to do so.

The dishonesty began in the very creation of WEDC.

And then you have this from a WEDC Board member:

Barca said WEDC should operate on a “short leash” going forward and suggested that if the troubled public-private agency couldn’t solve its internal problems that it should move back toward the Department of Commerce model. Commerce was the government agency Gov. Scott Walker replaced with WEDC.

ANOTHER example of a free-market experiment FAILURE promoted by the American Legislative Exchange Council – an utter failure.