On Friday, Governor Scott Walker and Democratic Challenger Mary Burke will participate in the first of two debates leading up to the November 4 gubernatorial election. Members of Wisconsin’s business community will be watching with interest, especially given that Mary Burke has offered few specifics about how she would improve Wisconsin’s business climate to create family supporting private sector jobs. Here are some questions the business community would like Mary Burke to answer during the debates.
1) You have repeatedly said that you will take good job creation ideas from any source, whether they are from a Democrat, Republican or someone else. Can you name a single Republican economic initiative you support and one Democratic economic initiative you oppose?
2) Act 10 has already saved Wisconsin taxpayers at least $3 billion. If you restore collective bargaining privileges to government employees, how will you replace the lost savings in a manner that holds taxpayers harmless from tax hikes going forward?
3) What is the role of state government in creating jobs?
4) Why do you oppose the Manufacturers and Agricultural Production Tax credit, which makes Wisconsin’s two largest business sectors more competitive by encouraging investment in Wisconsin instead of other states?
5) You are on record of saying that you don’t believe Wisconsin’s tax burden is too high. What taxes would you raise?
6) You are on record opposing an iron ore mine in the Penokee Hills. If a permit is issued, the mine would create as many as 2,000 high-paying, middle-class jobs in an economically challenged part of the state. What is your specific plan to replace the 2,000 mining and construction jobs in northern Wisconsin with jobs that would also pay an average of $60,000 per year?
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