The story by now is familiar: employees of Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac voted down an offer to keep 800 jobs from moving to Stillwater, Oklahoma. Realizing that they had just voted themselves out of jobs, union members began calling for another vote – but IAM headquarters in Chicago immediately shut them down.

A day late and a dollar short, Governor Jim Doyle issued a statement claiming he had done all he could to keep Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac. Doyle outlined demands that Mercury Marine create and retain 2,700 jobs and maintain a significant presence in Fond du Lac for 12 years. In exchange the state would provide unspecified financial incentives.

Doyle said he couldn’t release details of the offer because “doing so would likely put Wisconsin at a competitive disadvantage with other states.” This from the same governor who recently signed a $186 million business tax hike, driving long term employers like Harley Davidson and Briggs & Stratton out of Wisconsin.

From Wisconsin Assemblyman John Nygren

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate has jumped to 9.2 percent in June, just under the national average of 9.7.  Oconto and Marinette Counties’ unemployment rates were worse, 12.2 and 12.7 respectively according to the most recent data.  Because of these dire numbers you would think our current leadership would be pushing policies that create jobs.  Unfortunately, they have pushed through a budget that was described by an employer in Wisconsin like this, “They’ve sure given a lot of people the impetus to get the hell out of here.”

Included in the budget is an income tax increase that will impact 4,600 small business owners who file their taxes as personal income.  As well, capital gains (personal and employer gains on investment) taxes were doubled and corporate taxes were increased by hundreds of millions of dollars.  Taxes on your garbage and small business waste were raised to the highest levels in the nation.  These changes don’t exactly give incentives to employers to invest in Wisconsin.  These budget changes actually do the opposite.

The effect of the tax and policy changes in the budget has been immediate and damaging.  Harley Davidson cut 400 jobs earlier in the year and cited tax law changes (combined reporting passed into law by the governor and Democrats) as one of the reasons.  These changes were estimated to cost Harley $22.5 million.  Briggs and Stratton recently announced they will be cutting 430 jobs in Wisconsin and moving them to Alabama and Georgia instead of moving Alabama or Georgia jobs to Wisconsin.  This move is expected to save the company millions.

On top of these announcements, Mercury Marine of Fond du Lac has been discussing the possibility of moving 2,000 jobs to Oklahoma.  The move will depend on how aggressive either state is at attracting Mercury Marine.  Oklahoma has already stated they are doing everything possible to attract Mercury Marine.  The Oklahoma legislature voted to forgive $1.2 million in taxes owed by Mercury Marine and they’re in negotiations to offer other incentives to move the Fond du Lac plant to Oklahoma.  Considering Oklahoma is a right-to-work state and in the budget that just passed in Wisconsin Mercury Marine would be on the hook for additional taxes, I am not optimistic.

By rewarding special interests in the budget with billions in spending at the expense of private employers, the Wisconsin Democrats have given no reason for an employer to stay in Wisconsin if greener pastures are available.  Companies invest in states they feel will partner with them and grow their investment.  These investments create jobs – jobs that state residents desperately need. 

We should be doing everything possible to hold the jobs we have, to provide for the unemployed through direct benefits and job training assistance, and giving employers looking for business friendly states during this economic downturn incentives to plant their roots here.

Until we do these things we will continue to lose jobs.  At best, unemployment will begin to level off and stagnate.  If this happens, revenues from private employers and working individuals will continue to drop and the schools and social services that depend on these revenues to operate will suffer. 

Because of the actions taken in the budget passed by Democrats this year, the next budget will have a deficit that will be just as bad if not worse than the $7 billion we had earlier this year.  The odds of $2.2 billion in federal ‘stimulus’ money being available to plug budget holes in K-12, Medicaid, and local aids next budget cycle is not likely.  Wisconsin is already operating under a $2 billion structural deficit that will have to be closed in the next budget.  That number will grow if Wisconsin continues to lag behind in economic growth.

Wisconsin is in a competition with 49 other states for job creation and retention.  Based on the performance of our leadership this year we are losing that competition.  There are jobs moving and being created during this recession in the United States.  They are just in other states like Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Alabama.  Unfortunately, some of those jobs moved and were lost from right here in Wisconsin.

* * * * * * * ****************************************************************

FROM: The Liberty Tree Lantern

WE MUST RECALL DOYLE BEFORE ALL OUR SMALL BUSINESSES MOVE OR CLOSE UP FOR GOOD.

Signup as a volunteer circulator of petitions at www.RecallDoyle.com

He has tested, serviced and sold products made by Mercury Marine, the boat-engine maker that has called this city home for decades. He worked 24 years for the company and for the last 21 years has operated the Mr. Marine boat dealership.

So, Lloyd took notice when news began to surface this month that Mercury Marine might be looking to consolidate operations, either in Wisconsin or in Stillwater, Okla.

“It would be a devastating blow here; they’re the No. 1 employer in town,” Lloyd said, calculating the potential impact of Mercury choosing Oklahoma over Wisconsin.

The business climate in Wisconsin, due to State of Wisconsin socialist or what is called “progressive” spending programs, is deteriorating rapidly.  The Wisconsin State Assembly is moving Wisconsin toward socialist policies at lightning speed.    It must be obvious that the Democrats in charge are the worst offenders by far.  However, it should be noted that many, but not all, Republicans use smoke and mirrors to pretend they are for Freedom, Capitalism and Constitutional principles.

We The People have to work peacefully to restore the American Dream.  To start we can recall Gov. James Doyle, the ring leader of tax and spend, business and job killing budgets that has placed Wisconsin citizens  in grave economic harm.

www.RecallDoyle.com

See the rest of the Mercury Marine article here: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/49395002.html

We need to reign in State of Wisconsin Government spending and taxation, before the last business and person to leave has to be told where the light switch is and to lock the door.  We can either do nothing and lose businesses, jobs and our money through all manner of taxation or we can do something peacefully to turn this around.  But sitting and doing nothing while the State of Wisconsin politicians have their way with spending, policy and our taxes will only make it worse.

The Wisconsin deficit, per capita, is DOUBLE California’s.  Wisconsin is going to HAVE TO raise taxes and fees double what California is going to do to their taxpayers and businesses.  If WE THE PEOPLE don’t www.RecallDoyle.com ASAP, we only have ourselve to blame and we have nobody but that person in the mirror to blame.  The www.RecallDoyle.com people are doing everything they can to put a stop to this NOW!  It might be too late to stop Mercury Marine from leaving Fond du Lac, WI but what about other companies like Oshkosh Truck and hundreds more? 

A question we need to ask anybody who says; “This is recall Doyle campaign is stupid and a waste of time and money.  Wait for the election, it’s only a year + away.”  It has to be getting obvious for anybody who has any minimal electrical current traveling through their synopsis that HOW THE HELL CAN WE wait for a year?  Look at the financial devastation to our ENTIRE STATE of Wisconsin!  Now even Mercury Marine is considering leaving from Fond du Lac, WI ! !  How many more companies have to go before the idiots in the media cease the INSANE blackout of our RECALL of DOYLE?  Don’t they care about the people of Wisconsin at all?  Don’t they think that the people ought to have the right to know that we can do something about DOYLE NOW?  How much more damage are we going to allow him and his minions of Socialism, Communism and Fascism do to our State?  What will ANOTHER YEAR like the last one bring?  Isn’t our financial situation INSANE enough?  Aren’t we and our small and large businesses TAXED ENOUGH YET?  How much longer can we stand this beating? -  Is the answer we need to reply with!

Maybe if We The People of Wisconsin promise to www.RecallDoyle.com Mercury Marine might stay?  You have to admit, it sure would be a great negotiating point of prime importance to the company and its owners / stockholders and its creditors in terms of corporate savings (and therefore hopefully earnings) of ADDITIONAL taxation coming down the pike.  Think of the relief to know that Doyle and his sick and distorted WEAC, State union and all union and spend, spend, spend taxpayer and business taxes type mentality wouldn’t have to be dealt with anymore.  What if we could prove that We The People of Wisconsin mean BUSINESS and we get RID of Doyle (first(!) and have an eye on who next)?  Perhaps companies like Mercury Marine might be persuaded to stay.  I see this now as “SURVIVAL MODE” for the individual people and families of Wisconsin.  Just for the very first time, a week ago, I talked seriously about moving out of Wisconsin with my wife because of the size of the State of Wisconsin budget and the taxes that are coming down the pike, as well as the fact that The State of Wisconsin is going to have to go after businesses as well to support Doyle’s spending habit.  Who doesn’t know that the vast majority of companies, here in Wisconsin, don’t see that coming?  Who’s next, Oshkosh Truck?   We The People of Wisconsin have to PROVE to companies that WE are not going to let Doyle do this to them anymore!  If we don’t prove to the rest of our industries that we can handle Gov. Doyle for them, we are doomed!

Mercury Marine is the global leader in marine propulsion sales. It is the largest division of Brunswick Corporation with over 6,000 employees. Mercury’s headquarters is located in Fond du Lac, WI with operations in Stillwater, Okla.; St. Cloud, Fla.; Juarez, Mexico; Petit-Rechain, Belgium; and other international locations.

Perhaps we should send some WIN (Wisconsin Interests Now) people up to Fond du Lac?  The loss of Mercury Marine would/will be a huge hit for this town.  The business impact across the spectrum, losing Mercury Marine for heaven sake, would/will be devastating.  Mercury has been in Fond du Lac for as long as I can remember, like from when I was 5 years old when my father and I drove past the immense plant. It is a landmark along side of the highway for as long as I can remember, even before it was a freeway.

Read the hotlink on Mercury Marine:  http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/20090624/FON0101/90624057/1985

How much longer can we AFFORD to wait to get rid of Doyle?  I’m afraid of what he can do to us taxpayers, employees and businessmen in five minutes, let alone another year.