Doggonit! WE CAN INNOVATE IN FIGHTING CRIME! 

(See what I did there?)  I swore in the new members of the Wisconsin Capitol Police Department this week (including canine officer, Yachi) and talked about my support for law enforcement. And if you tuned in to talk radio, either Belling or Bader this week, you likely heard some discussion on my stance on criminal justice.  I’m really encouraged that public safety is drawing so much attention – it’s an important topic that affects the lives of all our citizens, and it’s one of the foremost responsibilities of government.  I joke we’re in “heated agreement” – our opinions are strong, and our tones might be different, but I think we’re all rowing in the same direction.  So we're clear, I believe we should be tough on crime. (That might be why I got kicked out of the jury pool this week for a Waukesha County murder trial. I mentioned my "tough on crime" stance in my juror questionnaire.)  I think we need more police on the street.  I am proud that Governor Walker is appointing judges who are committed to the rule of law and recognize the rights of victims just as much as criminals. 

 I meet people, particularly in Milwaukee, all the time, regular folks who just want to live in peace in their homes, who are sick and tired of the thugs and gangs and drugs.  I’m sick and tired of it too, and though the state is doing more to help, I wish local government would also step up and do its job.

As you know from reading this newsletter, I’m also a big fan of innovative, out-of-the-box solutions to our toughest problems.  And that’s as true in corrections as it is in transportation or taxation.  I think we can cut down on crime not only with more cops, but also with more jobs.  Let me explain.  If you come out of prison with no job, no housing, and no sense of community, and no skills, you’re much more likely to reoffend.  When you have no money, no skills and nothing but time, you are likely to get in trouble again.  But when you have a job, and a paycheck, and a place to live, and coworkers and a boss who hold you accountable, you’re much less likely to commit another crime and create another victim.  Now, I can’t guarantee on the front end which people precisely will make the most of a second chance and what people won’t break the criminal cycle. However, we can and do use certain assessments at the Department of Corrections to identify offenders who are the most likely to succeed on the outside.  But I believe that programs in skilled training for offenders are a win-win-win – they create workers for an economy that badly needs more people in it, they make our streets safer by reducing recidivism, and they save all of us money in the long run by reducing corrections headcounts and increasing taxpayer headcounts.

If you want #justthefacts, about 97% of our "corrections customers" ARE coming back to their communities. Whether I like it or not, they are returning because that's how elected judges saw fit to sentence people. I just think we should return them to their neighborhoods ready to be contributors, not idle time bombs. 

Sorry, Illinois, it’s #JusttheFacts

I'm not a mean person (just ask me). So, I wasn’t looking to hurt Illinois’ feelings when I met with the Kenosha News editorial board this week. And it wasn't my fault the Chicago Tribune posted an editorial this week entitled, "Cheeseheads Winning the War While Illinois Fiddles", though I totally loved it. I'm just about the facts. And the fact is that Illinois has about $100 billion in unfunded pension liability that they will have to pay for eventually.  Wisconsin, by contrast, has a fully funded public pension system.  No wonder so many companies are fleeing across the border to the friendly confines of Pleasant Prairie.

At newspaper editorial board visits this week in Kenosha, Racine, Watertown, Beaver Dam, and Appleton, I also got to highlight our commitment to education, from K-12 through our tech colleges and UW System.  I pointed out the same facts before a crowd of employers in Lake Geneva this week, too, encouraging them to keep growing and keep hiring in Wisconsin.  I specifically mentioned the importance of hiring from non-traditional populations like ex-offenders and people with disabilities or graduates of our welfare-to-work training programs.

Thursday I was honored to join some of those non-traditional workers with the A-Team, people with disabilities who choose to work in a variety of employment settings, all of which provide them with dignity and a paycheck.  And I’m on the road right now from St. Coletta’s in Jefferson, which provides vocational and life skills to people with developmental disabilities.

Encouraging different Human Resources strategies is not the only economic boost Wisconsin is getting these days.  More good news came out yesterday.  Recently released federal data (the Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages or QCEW) for the third quarter of 2016 show that quarterly wages in the private sector grew by 7 percent year over year.  So not only are we adding jobs in Wisconsin, the jobs are good, family-supporting jobs.  Those are just facts.

YOUR RIGHT TO START, OWN, AND OPERATE

The Declaration of Independence promises each of us the right to pursue happiness, and for many of us that means the joy of owning your own business.  On Wednesday I spoke to the members of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the trade association for all the small and family businesses across our country and our state.  When government seeks to raise taxes, or impose new regulations, or expand lawsuit liability, we need to stand up for the right of every American to start, own, and operate their own business.

A lot of the people at the Eau Claire Manufacturing Show Thursday afternoon,  had already started their own Wisconsin businesses, which have grown so successful that they are really needy for new employees. Those manufacturers who set up tables and displays at Chippewa Valley Technical College were hoping to attract the eyes and interest of the hundreds of high school students touring both Chippewa Valley businesses and the tech college that day. 

Forward,

Rebecca Kleefisch
Lt. Governor

P.S. After our newsletter deadline last week, I had the opportunity to again visit with attendees and honorees at the Black Excellence Awards in Milwaukee. Just wanted to add mine to the chorus of congratulations for the outstanding achievements of last week's honorees!! Well Done!!