Today in Walker Failure: Wisconsin 2nd Highest in Nation for New Unemployment Claims

MADISON, Wis. — The failed economic agenda of Gov. Scott Walker continues as grim and disturbing news came today from the U.S. Department of Labor that for the week ending December 31, the state of Wisconsin had the second highest number of new unemployment claims of any state in the nation – 10,203 new claims. Michigan with 10,364 new claims, was the only state higher than Wisconsin.

The just-released December information from the U.S. Department of Labor is available here: http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/ui/eta20120025.htm

“More than 10,000 newly unemployed Wisconsinites shows that Gov. Walker’s corporate tax breaks while starving our schools and gutting health care do not create jobs,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now. “Gov. Walker ripped Wisconsin apart to serve his corporate special interest donors and his schemes have failed Wisconsin.”

Walker promised to create 250,000 jobs during his campaign, which would have put the unemployment rate at 0.03, an impossible and preposterous claim. Since June, Wisconsin has lost nearly 28,000 jobs, despite the Republican-controlled legislature passing all of Walker’s failing plans, including:

• Handing out $2.3 billion in new tax breaks for corporations and the rich
• Ending the collective bargaining rights of 175,000 Wisconsinites
• Gutting public education funds by $1.6 billion
• Planning to cut 65,000 people, including 29,000 children, from health care
• Raising taxes by $70 million on seniors and the working poor

“We need to immediately scrap what Gov. Walker has done and invest in the people of Wisconsin so that the people of Wisconsin have a fighting chance,” said Ross. “If Gov. Walker’s schemes were going to work, we would have seen some glimmer of hope by now as we pass a full year of this disastrous Walker administration.”

More information about the additional failures of Gov. Walker, are available at: www.WalkerFailure.com.