March 12, 2012

Democrats Kill Wisconsin Jobs to Spite Governor Scott Walker

By Frank Burke
On March 6, every Democrat in the Wisconsin State Senate, and one Republican, voted down a bill that could have streamlined the permit process and permitted the development of an iron mine in a depressed area of northern Wisconsin.  The mine would have initially employed 600 to 700 workers (eventually as many as 2,200) and injected at least 1.5 billion dollars into the local economy.  Additionally, it would have proven a boon to Joy Manufacturing and Falk Corp., two major manufacturers of mining equipment located in Milwaukee. Following the vote, Gogebic Taconite, the proposed developer, announced that they were abandoning efforts in Wisconsin.  Their comments: "Senate rejection of the mining reforms in Assembly Bill 426 sends a clear message that Wisconsin will not welcome iron mining. We get the message. GTac is ending plans to invest in a Wisconsin mine." Comments by Democrat Senators and by Dale Schultz, the lone Republican who voted against the Bill, included the...(Read Full Article)