Question No. 8: Dan Carpenter Response

There are several social issues listed in the question that deserve comment. As a teacher, education is an extremely important issue to me. I feel state legislators need to keep their noses out of education and restore the 2/3 funding that they promised. We have a State Superintendent of Schools who has little authority while politicians consider themselves experts. Standardized testing and accountability are strangling education while actual learning is often taking a back seat. That said, citizens must become more active in local government. While we hear people gripe about high school taxes, only one person addressed the Oshkosh Area School District at the last budget hearing. Many people became upset over the issue of the Indian logo at Oshkosh West High School and attended board meetings but none seemed to care about an 8.5% budget increase. Every local election we find few candidates to choose from. Citizens need to run for local offices and create choices so that those who like to spend wastefully don’t fill these positions.

Second, the concealed/carry legislation is sure to return soon. I grew up with guns and am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. However, I do not support this idea because it flies in the face of safety – it just doesn’t make sense. In this day and age of cell phones when police can be summoned almost instantly, becoming a gun-toting society isn’t a wise idea. The amendments added by Mr. Underheim only make it worse. We still have the right to protect ourselves in the face of life threatening situations, but I don’t want to be sitting in a restaurant wondering if the guy in the next booth has a 44 magnum strapped to his side.

Third, the relationship issue is sure to receive additional attention this year. I don’t understand why the media has made this the “gay marriage” issue. By doing so, they discriminate against other relationships that should be treated equally. Much work needs to be done to assure that partners are granted rights such as hospital visitation, inheritance, etc. However, there is no way we can grant benefits to every couple or group in a relationship. At a time when our economy is staggering, joblessness in some areas is climbing, health care costs are skyrocketing and there is an increasing number of uninsured, how can we open the gates and give benefits to everyone? Should we – yes. Can we – no. What good are benefits to everyone when all the jobs go to Mexico or China where the production costs would be much lower?

Fourth, stem cell research and abortion are issues that are similar. I am conservative about abortion and don’t favor it on demand. However, when the mother’s life is in jeopardy or in cases of rape or incest, I believe that is a decision that should be made between the physician and the patient. Stem cell research is an issue that I am strongly in favor of. Having lost a sister to a rare form of cancer and my father to Alzheimer’s, I feel the pain and suffering of people with these diseases must be weighed against the use of embryos for research. I am comfortable with the way it is being done at the University of Wisconsin and would favor increasing funding to further the science.

Finally, the Governor’s authority to negotiate gaming contracts should not be an issue. Our lawmakers clearly gave the Governor the authority to negotiate these contracts. Now we have a democrat in office and some are crying foul. Unfortunately, they politicized the state Supreme Court and received a 4/3 decision. To me, this is not a resounding decision and complicated the issue a great deal. We can’t be giving the Governor the authority to act and, when he does, decide we don’t like the decision and go to court.