VOTERS GUIDE

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

OPINION EDITOR
Robert Mentzer 715-845-0604 rmentzer@wdhprint.com

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U.S. SENATE

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U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Thompson, a Republican, is shown in a Wausau debate.

AP PHOTO/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, GARY PORTER

U.S. Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, is shown in a Wausau debate.

AP PHOTO/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, GARY PORTER

Tammy Baldwin
Party: Democratic Age: 50 Family: Single Residence: Madison Education: Bachelors degree, Smith College, 1984; law degree, University of Tammy Wisconsin Law School, 1989 Baldwin Career: 2nd Congressional District U.S. Representative since 1999; state representative, 78th Assembly District, 1993 to 1999; Dane County Board member, 1986 to 1994 Candidate statement: Editors note: The Baldwin campaign did not provide answers to the Daily Heralds voters guide questions. We will reprint Baldwins closing statement at the first U.S. Senate debate. Its been an enormous privilege to be engaged in this U.S. Senate campaign. As Ive traveled the state, Ive had an opportunity to listen. People open up about their struggles. Theyre working hard, playing by the rules, trying to get ahead, but too many of them are just getting by. And Ive listened to their frustrations with the disconnect they see between the debates that are going on in Washington, D.C., particularly, and the tea party-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, the disconnect between those debates and their lives. What they want is somebody who is going to go to the U.S. Senate and fight for them, not for Wall Street and the big banks. Not for the big health insurance companies. Not for the big drug companies. Not for the tea party. Someone who will go and fight for them. And thats what Ive always done and pledge to do as your U.S. Senator. Theres a clear contrast in this race. Tommy likes to talk a lot about what he did as governor in the 1980s and 1990s, but the fact remains that he has spent his last seven years as a partner at a big, powerful, Washington lobbying firm that lobbies on behalf of those very same special interests that Ive spent my career standing up against. There are differences on taxes, on how we would (deal with) the deficit, on how we would grow the economy. And it all gets down to: Whose side are you on? The people or the powerful? I ask you for your vote on Nov. 6, and encourage everyone to participate in this election.

Joseph Kexel
Party: Libertarian Age: 47 Family: Wife; two daughters Residence: Kenosha Education: Attended University of Wisconsin-Parkside Career: IT Consultant

Tommy Thompson
Party: Republican Age: 70 Family: Wife, Sue Ann; three children; eight grandchildren Residence: Elroy Education: Bachelors degree, University of Tommy Wisconsin-Madison, 1963; law degree, UWThompson Madison, 1966 Career: Elected to state Assembly, 1966, re-eleced nine times; elected governor, 1986, re-elected three times; federal Health and Human Services secretary, 2001 to 2005 Candidate statement: Editors note: The Thompson campaign did not provide answers to the Daily Heralds voters guide questions. We will reprint Thompsons closing statement at the first U.S. Senate debate. Its been a spirited debate. But the truth of the matter is, ladies and gentlemen, our country has some serious problems. Were $16 trillion in debt, and $10 trillion of that is (from) while my opponent has been in Congress. We are over the gross national product (in debt), which means that were placed in a category with other countries like Spain, like Greece. I want to change that, ladies and gentlemen. Im running, ladies and gentlemen, because I have three great children and eight grandchildren. Im running because of them, but more important, your children and grandchildren. Weve always promised children and grandchildren in America that they are going to inherit a country thats stronger, freer, fairer and safer. I can no longer say that. A baby born right now, today, is $51,000 in debt, for the debt that was accumulated in the last 10 years. In the last four years, debt has gone up by $5.5 trillion. The people in Congress have not even passed a budget in 3 12 years. Thats malfeasance of office. The spending goes up; the taxes go up; and our country is facing a fiscal cliff. If we dont do something about it, ladies and gentlemen, were headed for a fiscal abyss. Who is the best person to do it? Somebody whos cut taxes 91 times, or somebody who raised taxes 155 times? Somebody who balanced a budget 14 years in a row with Democrats, on a bipartisan basis, or somebody who hasnt passed any budget in 3 12 years. Im looking out, ladies and gentlemen, for the future of our great country. Were Americans. We can change this. We can balance the budget, bring those jobs back so 23 million Americans are able to have a job, just like they did when I was governor of the state of Wisconsin.

Joseph Kexel

Question 1: What new policies would you pursue to help get Wisconsinites back to work? I will pursue a balanced budget which will boost confidence that the United States will not be another Greece. Investment capital will loosen up and with fewer treasury bonds, many investors will move to the private sector. I will recommend reduction of regulations. The high compliance costs of doing business in America drives jobs overseas as much as low labor costs can. Repeal Obamacare for it has already cost us many jobs. Finally, I suggest the elimination of the corporate income tax. It makes all products and services more expensive, which doesnt let us compete against other nations with the value-added tax. Question 2: Name at least one specific piece of legislation youll work to pass in 2013 if you are elected. The most important one would be a bill to repeal Obamacare. The Affordable Care Act has already increased insurance premiums and many businesses cannot afford the costs, so they refrain from hiring full time employees. Another important bill will be the extension of the Bush tax cuts which the Congressional Budget Office has said would save 2 million jobs. I would like to repeal the legal provisions allowing for indefinite detention of anybody without trial or court oversight. I find that effectively repeals habeas corpus, a most basic human right going back as far as the Magna Carta. Question 3: How would you characterize the job done by the current Congress? The current Congress is not much different than most others. They make far too many laws and continue to destroy our economy by removing all the natural market signals which allows an economy to function. They delve deep into the private matters of the citizens. Partisanship is a symptom of having too much government. Simply, whenever a law is made to force your neighbors to do something or reaches into their wallets to pay for your favorite program, you are begging for a fight. Government is to protect our rights from infringement by others, not to make others our slaves.

7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

legislation youll work to pass in 2013 if you are re-elected. I have voted for and the House has Party: Republican passed more than 30 specific pieces Age: 41 of job-creating legislation to enFamily: Wife, Rachel Campos-Duffy; courage hiring, rein in regulations six children: Evita, 13, Jack, 10, Luciaand keep companies from shipping Belen, 8, John-Paul, 6, Paloma, 4, jobs overseas. Unfortunately, the MariaVictoria, 2 U.S. Senate has refused to vote on Residence: Weston them and its an outrage. HR Education: St. Marys University; 2250, for example, ensures that William Mitchell College of Law U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, Wisconsin paper doesnt get run Career: Professional lumberjack R-Weston, faces Kreitlow athlete and world champion speedon Monday. PHOTOS BY TXER out of business with onerous regulations on their industrial boilers. climber; private law practice, HayZHON KHA/WAUSAU DAILY And HR 1938 would implement the ward; Ashland County District AtHERALD Keystone Pipeline, creating 20,000 torney, 2002-2010; elected U.S. Repredirect jobs and putting America on a path to enersentative in 2010 gy independence. These are just two of the many Question 1: What new policies would you purjobs bills I have voted for and will continue to fight sue to help get Wisconsinites back to work? I believe the private sector creates jobs not govern- to pass next year to get our economy back on track. Question 3: How would you characterize the ment. Unfortunately, uncertainty in the tax code and job done by the current Congress? the unprecedented number of regulations coming I promised to go to Washington and clean up out of Washington are preventing Wisconsin small Congress and I introduced the resolution to finally businesses from growing and hiring more workers. I end wasteful earmarks. Im also proud of the work want to reform the tax code, making it fairer, flatter I am doing restore trust in our representatives by and more predictable for everyone. And I will conpassing a ban on Congressional insider trading and tinue to stand up for small businesses against burI am working with Democrats again as co-chair of densome regulations. Today, the federal governthe bipartisan Great Lakes Task Force. While I am ment borrows $4 billion a day, mostly from China. proud of these initiatives, I am also deeply frustratThats not a recipe for job growth. Todays deficits are ed by the lack of action on so many job bills. Amertomorrows tax increases. My opponents plan to fix ica faces a looming debt crisis brought on by both the economy and create jobs is government-cenparties over the course of several decades and I tered: raise taxes and increase government spending stand ready to work with anyone whos willing to and regulations. Thats not the way to get Wisconsinput their ideas on the table to get these problems ites back to work. solved. Question 2: Name at least one specific piece of

Sean Duffy

This Congress hasnt done much, so we have a large to-do list of priorities Party: Democratic focused on creating jobs Age: 48 and supporting the middle Family: Wife, Sharry; two class. We need to pass the daughters; one grandson American Jobs Act, which Residence: Chippewa Falls, is a bill filled with bipartiWI san solutions that has been Education: Bachelors sitting in Congress for Degree in Journalism, Unimore than a year. It inversity of Wisconsin-Eau Democrat Pat Kreitlow cludes critical investments Claire participates in Mondays Career: Journalist and 7th Congressional District in infrastructure and job training, targeted tax relief evening news anchor; state debate in Wausau. for the middle class, and senator, 2006-2010 increased incentives to help our small Question 1: What new policies would businesses create jobs. Ill also work to you pursue to help get Wisconsinites make sure current tax cuts are extended for back to work? the middle class, not millionaires. Ill get Washington focused on encouragQuestion 3: How would you characing job creation here in Wisconsin. That terize the job done by the current means investing in medical and high-tech Congress? research, streamlining regulations and Weve seen soaring deficits, gridlock and targeting tax relief to help grow our small little action on job creation. Its no surprise businesses. We need to focus on education, this Congress has the lowest approval especially technical colleges and job trainrating in history. Washington isnt listening, ing so that our workforce can continue to and U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy has been part of be the best in the world. We need to reform a tax code that encourages companies the problem. Duffy and this Congress supported forcing seniors to pay thousands to send jobs overseas and stop putting more for health care and raising taxes by workers at a disadvantage through unfair $1,400 for middle class families while cuttrade deals. Its time to get Washington ting them for millionaires. That isnt the back to work for all of us and end the right approach. We cant balance the budgames and gridlock. get on the backs of seniors and the middle Question 2: Name at least one specific class. We need to focus on job creation and piece of legislation youll work to pass giving middle class Americans a fair shake. in 2013 if you are elected.

Pat Kreitlow