Question No. 1: Dan Carpenter Response

The top three legislative priorities that I have chosen are intertwined. It is impossible to talk about one without discussing the others.

#1 - HEALTH CARE

This has to be the ultimate issue facing a majority of people today. Part of Governor Doyle’s Kids First Initiative includes early immunization and preventive care. He needs support for the program. Parents need affordable health care for their children and themselves and our elderly are entitled to medical treatment without losing everything they’ve worked for their entire lives. The Bush plan is a disaster that is costing retirees their insurance plan that they have worked for and appreciated for many years.

Our biggest problem facing healthcare is an incredible lack of efficiency. I would propose a "super board" comprised of health care providers, insurance experts and business representatives and give them an ultimatum: find ways to become efficient and cut costs or the State of Wisconsin will.

#2 - JOBS

The 54th District has the worst job picture in the state. Why? Our legislators have ignored the businesses that are not lining their campaign pockets. Governor Doyle is committed to job growth in the state and has designated millions of dollars to stimulate it. His Grow Wisconsin plan would offer seed money for companies with ideas and additional money to educate workers for better jobs that could be created through new technology.

We haven’t even heard about this program in the Oshkosh area. Yet, as I travel throughout the state I hear of millions of dollars being allocated for projects that enhance communities and create jobs.

However, Governor Doyle is a Democrat and our legislators are Republicans. That combination appears to be like oil and water. We suffer for the petty bickering at the state level which is why we need Independent representatives who are not caught up in this constant fighting. Republicans and Democrats just don’t mix and we are suffering miserably. To create jobs, we have to begin cooperating, working together to develop the seeds for a stronger future.

#3 - EDUCATION

I grew up learning that a promise was a promise. When the State says they will fund education at two-thirds, then that is what it needs to do. It needs to get its priorities straight. If it insists on mandating programs then it must fund them. High state standards are expected, but they have to be backed up financially. I would like to see our legislators keep their noses out of education, an area in which few are knowledgeable, and see a bigger role for our State Superintendent of Public Instruction. The people elected her, now give her some authority.
Charter schools can be great tools in education, but we can’t just throw money at them without accountability. The examples of some charter schools in the Milwaukee area should make us acutely aware that we can’t waste tax dollars.

Finally, a recent study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education gave Wisconsin’s public colleges a grade of "D" for affordability. When I entered college, cost was not even a factor. I am extremely concerned that today’s graduates are entering their careers so deeply in debt. Higher education must be affordable for all. This is still another way of creating high-tech jobs for the future.

Reducing health care costs lowers business expense allowing employers to invest in themselves and create more jobs. Combined with better educational opportunities, we can begin to reverse the trend in the 54th District and create an upward spiral of significant job growth and a strong economy.