What do employers tell you about regulation?
It’s not that they want to see all regulation go away. Clean water and air are important to job creators. The biggest frustration I hear about, even more so than taxes, is the cost of regulation and litigation because It’s inconsistent.
Uncle Sam’s biggest priority should be what?
One of the best would be fiscal stability. Economic development is driven in part by it. Things like block grants for Medicaid would be very important for Wisconsin. The more power you give us to control our own destiny, the better off we are.
You cut taxes recently. Other reforms you’re considering?
Two years from now you’ll see us looking at ways to reform the tax code and make it friendlier for job growth. We’re going to look at how to lower taxes overall, not just the top bracket. Those are things to do as the economy grows.
Your response to the end of stimulus funds?
Our budget was built on addressing that up front. Most states ended up using stimulus money for ongoing operating costs, instead of for one-time costs. That created unsustainable budget gaps. I’m really glad we fixed that in Wisconsin.
What’s the #1 thing you can do to create jobs?
Emphasize private sector job creation. We’ll be doing more with venture capital and capital in general. And on July 1, we’ll have a new Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. It’s a total transformation, similar to Indiana’s public-private partnership.