The unemployment rate in the state of Wisconsin just hit a seven-year low of 4.4 percent, well below the national average. In December 2010, it was 8.1 percent.
Five years ago, Wisconsin ranked 41st in the country for places to do business, according to Chief Executive Magazine. Since then, the state has moved up to 12th best in America.
Wisconsin has come a long way in a very short time.
A dismal economy wasn’t the only problem. As we came into office, the state faced a $3.6 billion deficit, the rainy day fund was nearly drained and special interests dictated things at the state and local levels.
Thankfully, we changed all of that, and today Wisconsin is a much better place. We turned that deficit into a surplus, and our next state budget starts with a $499 million structural surplus. Wisconsin has the only pension system fully funded, and the rainy day fund is 165 times bigger than when I first took office.
Most importantly, we took on the big government special interests and won. We put the power back into the hands of the hard-working taxpayers. Liberal union bosses didn’t care too much for our reforms, so they organized more than 100,000 protesters to occupy our state Capitol grounds. They wanted to intimidate us. Instead, we thought more about the next generation than the next election.
Our reforms went beyond balanced budgets. Today, we do not require seniority or tenure, so schools can hire based on merit and pay based on performance. That means we can put the best and the brightest in the classroom.
Read the rest of the op-ed HERE.
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