Issues
STATE TAXES
While we all know taxes are necessary in order to fund basic services and needs offered by government, Wisconsin businesses and citizens have reached a tipping point, whereby state income, property and excise taxes are forcing many out of Wisconsin in search of a more tax-friendly state.
Not only do I oppose any and all tax increases, I have worked for years to reduce your tax burden and ensure state government spending remains in check. Unfortunately, legislative Democrats in both Houses have worked overtime to raise taxes across the board, and send many businesses and individuals packing. We must stop this trend and bring people and jobs back home. That is why I support:
- Eliminating state taxes on pension and retirement income
- Reducing the marginal income tax rate
- Increasing personal tax exemptions for senior citizens
- Creating meaningful tax incentives and credits for businesses to remain and locate here
- A real and permanent property tax freeze
STATE SPENDING
During my tenure in the Legislature, I have watched Democrats create one new government program after another with no thought for the explosive costs that come with them. They believe the role of government is to be all things to all people, and provide entitlements to anyone willing enough to subject themselves to a massive state bureaucracy. Those grandiose ideas and programs have cost Wisconsin taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over the last few years, with little to no regard for accountability or efficiency.
In addition, they have literally raided nearly $2 billion from state accounts that were once thought to be protected from such raids. Their multi-million dollar shell games have decimated the Transportation Fund, Medical Malpractice Fund, Recycling Fund, just to name a few. Those monies have been manipulated and shifted for years, all for the purpose of paying for programs completely unrelated to the intent of those so-called protected funds. In the end, Wisconsin resident get stuck with covering those shortfalls through higher vehicle registration fees, increased medical costs, and less money for local recycling programs. Those budget tricks and gimmicks must end once and for all.
State government does serve a purpose for its citizens, but at times, that purpose must be limited. That is why I support initiatives to create greater transparency in the budget writing process, measures to limit the extent of state spending each biennium, and efforts to make the tough decisions where necessary to rein in state spending when taxpayers can simply afford no more.
State budgets are all about priorities and common-sense spending decisions. We have lost our way over the last few budgets and must act accordingly in the next budget cycle to return balance to a budget which is required to be balanced, and is free of non-fiscal policy items which end up costing taxpayers even more. No more games, no more tricks; the people of Wisconsin expect honesty in this paramount responsibility of state lawmakers and I am prepared to do everything in my ability to uphold that responsibility.
STATE REGULATION
Our laws and regulations are in place for a myriad of reasons. We, as a people, believe businesses and individuals have an obligation to follow certain guidelines and rules in order to benefit a community or the state as a whole. But sometimes, those rules and regulations go too far, and place a too heavy and costly burden on those who are trying to do the right thing.
Business leaders make their decisions to locate, expand, or remain in Wisconsin on a number of factors. Certainly, taxes rank very high, but equally as much are the regulations enacted by the Legislature or various state agencies. More commonly referred to as “bureaucracy” or “red tape”, many businesses of all sizes often find themselves under the scrutiny of a government which believes command and control is the most sound public policy. I disagree.
During my tenure in the Legislature, I have worked diligently to craft legislation that provides for more collaboration and cooperation among the regulators and the regulated. We have adopted and enacted regulations which make sense and provide businesses an opportunity to work with agency officials, rather than against them. In addition, we have attempted to create an environment where companies can be a part of the solution to many concerns, rather than looked upon as the cause of them.
However, at this moment in time, legislative Democrats are devising new and controversial plans to make Wisconsin’s regulatory framework more restrictive and more costly for those who are simply trying to succeed during a difficult economic period. Whether it’s a new stringent environmental policy or measures to effectively ban certain products or services in Wisconsin, they have no shortage of ideas to make Wisconsin an island in a very competitive national and global economy. If they get their way, over the course of the next few years, they will literally regulate businesses out of Wisconsin, taking jobs and people with them.
That is why I support efforts to streamline regulatory permits and programs, make state agencies more accountable to the people they’re required to serve, provide frequent legislative audits and oversight on questionable or failing regulatory programs, create incentives for companies that wish to go above and beyond compliance, and initiatives to make Wisconsin government more business-friendly. Those, and many more efforts like them, require the political will and fortitude to see them through. I believe my record in this regard speaks for itself.
STATE EDUCATION
For nearly the last two decades, Wisconsin has made funding for K-12 education a priority. That is evidenced by a state budget that, year after year, dedicates more than 40% to educating our children. But each year, we hear from school administrators, board members, teachers, parents, and taxpayers that state spending on public education needs to be dramatically reformed. While I believe some reforms are necessary, we should not lose sight of the commitment taxpayers have made over the years to provide quality education to our students.
That is why I support the state’s commitment to fund two-thirds of public education, so long as the appropriate revenue caps at the local level remain in place, and the Qualified Economic Offer be reinstated to provide reasonable pay increases to faculty and staff. Public education funding will always be a hotly debated topic in the Legislature and both parties should be able to offer solutions and alternatives without getting mired in the usual partisan rhetoric that occurs when discussing our children’s academic future. We can find the answer to this perpetual problem, but it will only occur when both sides can find more common ground and more substantive ideas than just spending more money year after year.
STATE HEALTH CARE
As we have seen, the federal government and the Obama Administration have a much different idea of how to best deliver affordable and accessible health care. The new federal health care law will place a large fiscal burden on individual states to cover the cost differences for implementing and administering the law. I believe this Act by the federal government was the wrong course of action, and will not only cost Wisconsin taxpayers untold millions of dollars, but also potentially put the quality of their health care in jeopardy.
Wisconsin continues to struggle with soaring budget deficits, and adding additional health care costs would require Wisconsin to either significantly cut numerous programs, or increase taxes and fees in greater numbers and on more people. A European-style “value-added” tax could be implemented, in which consumers are subject to additional sales taxes on goods and services not necessarily related to health care, but required in order to cover the additional cost of the health care plan.
In addition to the federal health care law, Wisconsin has also embarked on its own plans to provide more health care coverage to more people, regardless of the cost to Wisconsin taxpayers. While legislative Democrats were not successful in creating their own universal health care program a couple of years ago, they are on the path to doing so through various proposals to increase the government’s role in the day to day health care needs of Wisconsin residents. They have greatly expanded the BadgerCare program, a program originally intended to provide care for young children who may truly need it. Now, BadgerCare is available to adults, even adults who have no children of their own. All of this is costing taxpayers millions of dollars each year, at a time when they can least afford it.
I believe this continuous creep towards a total state government-run health care must be stopped before government entirely takes over the industry. Such a takeover could lead to a lesser quality of care, long waiting lines, more unnecessary government bureaucracy, and potentially the rationing of health care. All the while, costs will soar, service will deteriorate, and the Democrats’ idealist view of offering health care for all will collapse in on itself.
SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS
As gun owner and legislator with a strong voting record for protecting the 2nd Amendment rights of Wisconsin citizens, I have supported numerous proposals to affirm and protect the rights of law-abiding individuals. I co-authored the “right to keep and bear arms” amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution, supported legislation to allow Wisconsin citizens to carry a concealed firearm, and have been a harsh critic of legislation to make current state firearms laws more restrictive.
Over the last several years, numerous legislative attempts have been made by some members of the Democrat Legislature to quell gun violence in more populated areas of the state, such as Milwaukee. While I certainly believe such acts of violence require swift and immediate action to punish those who perpetrate such crimes, making Wisconsin’s firearms laws more restrictive only punish those who abide by the law and exercise their constitutionally-protected right to own a firearm. Those who do not follow the law should be dealt with appropriately; those who do should remain free to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.
PRO-LIFE AND FAMILY ISSUES
As a 100% pro-life legislator, I have been honored in years’ past by statewide associations such as Wisconsin Right to Life and Pro-Life Wisconsin for my tireless efforts to protect those most innocent of life – the unborn. I believe in the sanctity of a marriage between one man and one woman, and know that parents must remain the most integral and involved component in any child’s life. Over the years, some legislators have attempted to weaken those family bonds or make abortion more widely available, even to those under the age of 18. I will continue to oppose those efforts and stand up for the cornerstone of our society – the family.
OTHER ISSUES
I SUPPORT:
- Legislation to require a Photo ID for voting
- Tax-deductable contributions to Health Savings Accounts
- Repealing newly-enacted auto insurance mandates
- School Choice and School Charter programs
- Restoring ‘Truth in Sentencing’ guidelines
- A meaningful property tax freeze
I OPPOSE:
- The ‘Motor Voter’ bill
- A ‘Wisconsin-Only’ Global Warming bill
- The creation of Regional Transit Authorities
