Myth Busters Continued....

If Wisconsin is the "tax hell" that many argue it is, people would be running for the borders. That doesn't appear to be the case. Could it be that Wisconsin invests its tax resources better than other states? The following map illustrates High out-migration counties. A county was classified as high out-migration if it had 10 percent or higher population loss from net migration, July 1988-July 2008. Wisconsin did have one county (Lafayette) that was classified as a high out-migration county.


Is it too much to ask of our legislators to actually focus on solving the budget crisis with real data and facts? See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/ruralatlas/atlas.htm#map

Retirement Flood Gate to Open Soon

I have heard a lot of people talk about the fact that public employees have it made by getting less in salary and more in deferred compensation in the form of retirement. I have observed something interesting. I have a lot of colleagues who could have retired but have remained as public employees because they enjoy making a difference. Many of these colleagues could in fact make as much, or more in retirement but they choose to work.

I just learned that there is a two month wait to see a benefits specialist about retirement. Do people have any idea on how much talent is going to be lost when people run for the retirement door? Why would anyone who is eligible to retire stick around if their compensation is going to drop 8%. And where do you suppose that retirement income is going to be spent? As the map below illustrates, over the past ten years, Dane County and the surrounding area hasn't been very popular. So not only will the business community feel the loss of 8% in discretionary income from public workers, they will also feel the complete loss of retiree's who flee the state.
See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/ruralatlas/atlas.htm#map

Don't Confuse Me With the Facts

Take a look at the following map. Without knowing the indicator that it is measuring, how is Wisconsin doing? It appears to me that Wisconsin has less of whatever is being measured.

It comes from the on-line USDA rural and small town atlas, and illustrates data from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/ruralatlas/atlas.htm#map

This might surprise you.

The map illustrates the percentage of employment which is government employment (2005-2009)

How could that be. Governor Walker has declared that the entire map of Wisconsin should be dark purple (greater than 13.5%). Why isn't Dane County dark purple? Aren't we trying to "stick it to Madison". Equally important, many of those government workers in counties like Dane, don't live in Dane County. See: http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/blog/?p=789

I know what Scott Walker is thinking. "Please don't confuse me with the facts, my head is going to explode, this can't be right". Government employment is spiraling out of control.

Not exactly:

As Mark Twain used to say, "It's not what you don't know that get's you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just 'aint so"