Under Scott Walker Wisconsin comes in last in Kauffman's entrepreneur rankings

[Scuba]

http://www.jsonline.com/business/wisconsin-comes-in-last-in-kauffmans-entrepreneur-rankings-b99518234z1-307263051.html

The picture in The Washington Post — a worried Green Bay Packers fan, game-ready with cheesehead and green- and gold-striped face — summed up the disappointing news. So did the headline: "Wisconsin ranked dead last in start-up activity."

In a year when new company formation rose nationally, Wisconsin dropped from 45th place to the bottom, according to the Kauffman Foundation's annual Index on Start-up Activity released in early June. Kauffman's comparison of the top 40 metro areas provided no solace. Milwaukee/Waukesha/West Allis, the state's biggest metro area, was second-last for start-up activity, above only Pittsburgh. And Milwaukee was last for its rate of new entrepreneurs, with just 130 for every 100,000 adults compared with 550 for every 100,000 adults in Austin, Texas, the top finisher.

Some quibbled with the data Kauffman chooses to measure; some pointed out that Wisconsin looks better in other rankings. But the bottom line remained: The state lags in entrepreneurship and innovation. The low level of start-up activity has profound consequences.

"The economic battleground of the 21st century is going to be for technical talent, and, outside of Madison, the state has had a shrinking pool of technical talent," said Greg Meier, a well-connected member of the state's start-up community. If we don't turn that around, the ability of our existing companies to innovate and our ability to create new, innovative companies will be severely limited."

[LakeVermilion]

1. Walker took the easy path.

Its not hard to join Kansas on the trip to Mississippi and Arkansas. Just stop investment in education and infrastructure. Michigan probably won't be far behind.