Make Wisconsin work for the people

 Joe believes in economic justice and will put that belief into practice in the Assembly as he fights for increased state funding for municipalities, counties and school districts. The current Legislature congratulates itself on a multi-billion dollar budget surplus while counties cut health programs, cities reduce spending on parks and streets, and school districts turn to stressed property taxpayers to fund basic education. Economic justice means fairness in taxation. Arguably, there is no fairer tax than a graduated income tax and no more repressive tax than property tax.

Keep our environment safe and clean

Joe supports measures to clean up, protect, and preserve our land and waters. It is basic to economic development, a healthy citizenry, and has impacts for the sustainability of our very way of life. Research shows that Western Wisconsin needs to increase our skilled workforce, and young workers are attracted to a quality physical and social environment. Our healthcare system is already stressed and environmentally related health conditions must be reduced and their effects mitigated.

Get Government out of personal lives

There are sacrifices we all make for the good of society and many of them are mandated or prohibited by law. We obey speed limits and pay our bills.  But there is no justification for the government to use misguided religious, economic, or social doctrine to control a person’s decisions about the composition of their family. Same-sex marriage, abortion rights, trans-gender medical care; these are not within the appropriate role of government and Joe will work to keep them personal, as they are and should be.

Protect innocent people from gun violence

“Not everyone should have a gun.” The statement is so obviously true and such common sense as to be inarguable.  But it is a statement no member of the majority party dares say. Joe believes that there are common sense actions that we can take that will make us safer from random gun violence without infringing on the basic 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. It will take someone with the ability to work across the aisle to accomplish any safety legislation but it can be done, and Joe is the one to do it.