Wisconsin Governor Jim "Dopey" Doyle says "no thanks" to $400,000.

And in the process, myself and every other actor in Wisconsin got fucked. And we sorta got fucked by Johnny Depp, director Michael Mann (who studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison), and Universal Pictures as well. That's our dipshit governor (above).

Obviously my head's been up my ass because the shit hit the fan in June 2009; I moved back to Wisconsin in September 2009; and I just found out about this yesterday. My optometrist told me, which I then verified through my cousin, Arthur Ircink (who's a filmmaker - Wisconsin Foodie, Milwaukee's WISN Channel 12). I ran to the computer and found a couple recent articles online - both in AVClub/Milwaukee and The Milwaukee Business Journal.

Let me back up. A few years ago, Wisconsin finally got in on the action of granting tax incentives to film production companies in the hopes of luring Hollywood to Wisconsin. The original package, which was signed into law by Governor Dopey Doyle in 2006 and became effective in 2008, included "a credit of 25 percent of wages paid to company employees for services rendered in Wisconsin".

In 2008, with incentives in place, the state lured eight feature films, 16 television shows, three national commercials and other work, including "Public Enemies", the John Dillinger biopic starring Johnny Depp, which was released in Los Angeles on June 23, 2009.

"We've had a great experience filming in Wisconsin and, on behalf of everyone connected with the film, I thank you," said director Michael Mann.

Did you, Mr. Mann? Did you really have a great experience in Wisconsin? Then why is it that the producers of “Public Enemies” were paid $4.6 million in tax credits, yet only spent $5 million in the state during production shoots at various state locations? When these figures came to light, questions were raised regarding the incentives’ true impact and the state Department of Commerce’s administration of those incentives.

$5 million? With a production budget of $100 million??

Changes to the program were proposed, including a limit of $1.5 million. But in June 2009, when Dopey Doyle signed a new state budget, he used his veto authority to slash the limit to $500,000 a year.

And the phone calls from Hollywood have slowed to a drip.

Matter of fact, Film Wisconsin cut ties with its executive director, filmmaker/producer Scott Robbe, who led the effort to draft a slate of film industry tax credits and incentives that helped attract film industry projects to the state, because it can't afford to keep him on staff.

Doyle and the "Public Enemies" slouches share in the blame. As does Wisconsin's film industry tax credit program (or the remnants of one, at least). According to Meg Hamel, director of the Wisconsin Film Festival, the state needs to invest in a solid foundation of industry-folk in order to attract...the industry. In an interview that was printed in Isthmus - The Daily Page, a Madison, WI newspaper, Hamel stated, "It seems elementary that a successful statewide film industry would begin by developing local skilled crew and increasing space-and-equipment rentals that are specific to film...With a solid base of experienced, skilled crew, it becomes much more plausible for a film production to be in the state, since they can hire local crew and not fly them in."

So when all is said and done, someone explain to me what's so bad about a $400,000 profit for the state of Wisconsin? If it entices film companies to shoot here, why the Dopey Doyle veto? I mean, maybe with its structure it wasn't the perfect tax credit program. And yeh, it sucks that Mann and Depp & Co. didn't spend more money here (that's pretty douche baggish), but are Wisconsin's coffers in any shape to scoff at almost a half million bucks AND the potential to lure more movies to this state? Or is Dopey Doyle going to raise cigarette taxes one more time before he leaves office to induce the Wisconsin deficit?