Letting Scott Walker in on the Rest of the Story

Op-Ed: What Wisconsin can teach Washington by Scott Walker.  (Washington Post, 10/8/2013)

Excerpt (emphasis added): When I ran for governor, the unemployment rate topped out at 9.2 percent and Wisconsin ranked 43rd on Chief Executive Magazine’s list of best states for business. Today, our unemployment rate has dropped to 6.7 percent and Wisconsin has moved up to 17th on the magazine’s list.

Chief Executive magazine ranks Wisconsin 17th best for business. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/7/2013)

The rest of the story.  A recent report by the Kauffman Foundation, for example, rated the state low in terms of entrepreneurial activity. Similarly, a study sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ranked Wisconsin 44th on economic performance, 41st for innovation and entrepreneurship and 39th for business climate. The state placed better on exports (16th), infrastructure (17th) and talent pipeline (14th), which takes into account educational attainment and performance.