Democratic Candidate - Wisconsin's 5th District, U.S. House of Representatives

My position on federal economic policy stems from the philosophy that one of the roles of government is to protect the interests–economic and otherwise–of all Americans, not just the wealthy. 

The government has a duty to make financial choices that are fair and honorable. We need to prudently and efficiently allocate our financial resources so that all of our citizens, from the most wealthy to the most in need, receive an equitable share of their tax dollars. Small businesses employ the bulk of our national workforce, and our economic policies need to reflect that fact.

Fiscal responsibility should be based on fiscal respect for all Americans.

The federal government has a vested interest in focusing targeted efforts on helping small business owners, entrepreneurs, farmers and others who are responsible for the livelihood of both their employees and their own families. I firmly believe that federal economic policy needs to focus more on  growing small businesses and less on promoting lop-sided initiatives that give corporations and large businesses an unfair advantage in the marketplace.

Incentives to Small Business Growth

The biggest challenge for small businesses like mine is controlling costs, and the most urgent spending issue for small business owners these days is health insurance. 

While large corporations have helped push through legislation that creates standardized health insurance policies for their employees, small businesses must still fend for themselves in the insurance market. For a small business owner like me, health care costs can often be daunting and plan selections limited to non-existent. 

To help control health care costs and encourage growth, I will promote:

• Insurance cooperatives as a way of improving coverage to employees of small businesses 
• Equalization of health care plan and cost opportunities between large corporations and small businesses

Job Creation and Job Protection

My grandparents lived though the Great Depression and, owing to our current “Great Recession,” I feel a connection to their plight.  Although they were Republicans, my grandparents developed a deep respect for President Roosevelt’s leadership in paving the way toward economic recovery and providing aid for the unemployed. With ever-increasing numbers of people facing unemployment, retraining and public works programs are as necessary now as they were during the Depression. 

To help spur job creation, expand workforce education and training and provide the unemployed with meaningful assistance, I will make it a priority to invest in people and jobs in our district by  pushing for the best return possible on the tax dollars we send to Washington.