Bob CollinsAfter Irish butter snuck onto the shelves of Wisconsin grocery stores, it was only a matter of time before the state’s longtime slogan “America’s Dairyland” was plowed under.
A move to replace the slogan will pit the “business lobby” (the group of people who’ve never stepped in manure) against the state’s farmers.
Kurt Bauer, executive director of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, is proposing the idea, particularly now that the state has emptied the treasury to lure Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, to build a plant near Racine.
It’s only a “conversation starter,” Bauer said, after social media pushback followed his idea mentioned during a speech to a — wait for it — business group on Monday, Madison.com reported.
Bauer’s suggestion was putrid. “Forward.”
First of all, that might confuse a lot of Wisconsinites, considering there’s a plate on the back of the car.
“To me, ‘Forward’ connotes resolve, indomitability and progress — not a bad image to project to the rest of the world,” Bauer said.
Why not just go with “We’re not Mississippi” then?
Where would Bauer get the idea? From the state flag, which Bauer says he also thinks should be replaced.
Of course, great slogans can come from bad suggestions. One of the finalists when “America’s Dairyland” was being reconsidered 30 years ago was “We Like It Here.”
How swell would “It’s OK. I guess” be?
For the record, Bauer first made his proposal in a column in a business magazine last spring.
“Wisconsin has a far more diverse economy with good paying jobs available in many sectors. We also have beautiful, safe and
strong communities with good schools and great sports, entertainment and recreation options,” he wrote, none of which will fit on a license plate.
Of course, words on a license plate might have little to do with the ultimate economic success of a state.
Not like milking cows, anyway.
