By Keith Best

Governor Walker was quoted in a tweet; “once upon a time, Democrats claimed to be for goodpaying, family-supporting jobs. Now they seem to find new ways to attack them”.

According to Bloomberg News, seven states were in the final bidding war for the Foxconn plant which has ultimately been awarded to Wisconsin due to the efforts of Governor Scott Walker who has been given credit for “quarterbacking” the deal. Early talks involved President Trump, his chief-of-staff at the time Reince Priebus, and District 1’s Congressman Paul Ryan. Keep in mind Michigan pledged $800 million dollars more than Wisconsin but this state won out due to these efforts and all the amenities this state can provide.

While it’s true Foxconn has been offered a large tax incentive of $3 billion dollars, or $4.5 billion per Assembly minority leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) , the state of Washington offered another large employer, Boeing Corporation, $8.7 billion dollars to remain there. That’s almost double the amount of incentives Wisconsin is offering Foxconn. What do the Democrats in Washington State know about needing and keeping family sustaining jobs that Democrats here haven’t figured out? Except those who represent Kenosha and Racine counties who all voted for the plant along with one Democrat from Milwaukee’s inner-city where unemployment is extraordinarily high.

Wisconsin as we all know is “Open for Business” and we need workers. We are approaching historic lows in unemployment rate so the administration is advertising out of state to entice workers to “Discover Wisconsin”.

How will this help the rest of the state? When another industry was booming in North Dakota, people from around the country flocked there for the well-paying jobs. Foxconn’s average production pay here will be $23.02 an hour. When they build it, employees will come. Not only from around the state, but from around the country. This in turn will spur the building of thousands of new homes, hotels, restaurants and many ancillary jobs. Potential suppliers here in the state are gearing up adding additional employees in anticipation. Colleges in the lower part of the state are preparing with training that focuses on what Foxconn will need. The overall opportunity Wisconn Valley will bring will help to keep our millennials right here in state.

Now some will argue that the future leads to more automation. Keep in mind Foxconn is a leader in automation yet their current workforce numbers 1.3 million workers. Is there some risk involved in all of this? Of course. Where there is risk there is also reward. To help offset this risk, the Foxconn Chairman is willing to put up $500 million dollars in escrow money. That’s not chump change.

Many folks aren’t aware that even though General Motors closed their Wisconsin plants, many companies here still supply GM. With the overall construction of all of this Wisconsin is seeing, this is a game-changer. The economic future looks bright for massive growth for the entire state. A new industry is being born right here in Wisconsin.