- ON JOBS: "We have so much to be proud of in Wisconsin. The people that make up our
communities are hardworking and family oriented. We have fantastic natural resources and
endless recreational and educational opportunities. So why are we losing jobs? When
speaking to business owners and community leaders, I have found it comes down to two
things: taxes and regulation. We have all of the pieces in place to make Wisconsin a great
place to do business, but the tax and regulatory climate make it harder for businesses to
compete in a global marketplace. If a company located in Wisconsin is paying more in
overhead than their competitors, their product or service is in turn going to be more
expensive and therefore less marketable. I will work every day to streamline permitting
processes, lessen regulation, and lower the taxes that are sending jobs away from
our state."
- ON GAS PRICES: "The rising cost of gas is crippling our economy. As gas prices near $4
per gallon, families are forced to make tough decisions and it is affecting their ability to put
food on the table and clothes on their kids' backs. Our representatives should be doing
everything in their power to lower the burden of high fuel costs. That is why it is a crime that
our current representatives have not yet repealed the "Minimum Mark Up" law. This
law forces gas station owners to sell fuel at a higher rate than they may ordinarily choose.
This law needs to be repealed immediately in order to ensure that Wisconsin
families are only paying what they need to, not what Madison thinks that they
should.
- ON TAXES: "High taxes are a real and present danger to the health of our economy.
Because of them, jobs and our most precious resource, our kids, are moving out of the state
at an alarming rate. Instead of taxing families and business more, the State needs to spend
less. I will not vote for tax increases."
- ON HEALTH CARE: "The current health care system is a mess. Costs are skyrocketing and
people are forced to have extremely high deductibles or worse yet, go without. There are a
few things that we can do that would have an immediate impact on costs. First, we can
make pricing transparent. You should know ahead of any procedure how much it will cost.
This puts the power into the hands of the consumer. Second, there should be tax
deductibility for health savings accounts. Wisconsin is one of the few states that don't
have this. Last, we need to start to change the attitude about health care. Health care needs
to be more about prevention so it becomes less about treatment.
- ON ENTITLEMENTS: "There is a role government can play when our people find themselves
in trouble. Government should be a safety net, a hand up, not a hand out. We should work as
hard as possible to make sure those that are in need are back on their feet as soon as
possible. These programs should be limited in scope and size, or we risk dishonoring those
that work multiple jobs, being away from their family more often than not, just to make ends
meet. When people are moving to Wisconsin in large part because of the social
programs we offer, you know we have a problem. We need to do a better job promoting
personal responsibility and the pride of making your own way. "
- ON THE SIZE OF GOVERNMENT: "I believe that government does some things quite well. I
also believe that there is an overwhelming amount of waste in all levels of government. We
need to demand more accountability from our leaders. I will fight to institute a system of
rating the programs and services the state offers and/or mandates, making it easier
to eliminate wasteful and often redundant spending."
- ON HONESTY AND INTEGRITY: "I have been privileged to see government at its best, and
alarmed to see it at its worst. I think it is critical that the people have confidence in their
elected officials and can believe that they are being told the truth. Democracy starts to break
down when apathy creeps in. We must demand from our elected officials the respect
we deserve. If you ask me for an opinion or stance on an issue, I will give it to you.
But first, I will listen to you and consider your opinion, because in the end, I work for you."
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