 55th Assembly DistrictIncludes most of the cities of Neenah and MenashaDean Kaufert - Republican Mark Westphal - Democrat
Question 1: Economic development professional have long identified regulatory burdens as one of the challenges to attracting and retaining businesses in Wisconsin. In just the past few years, several thousand paper and other manufacturing jobs have left northeast Wisconsin for other states and other countries. What can the legislature do to make Wisconsin a more attractive place to do business, create jobs, and generate tax revenue for local government?
Kaufert: Creating and retaining good paying jobs in Wisconsin and the Fox Cities is priority #1 for me. I am a small business owner in Neenah and know the challenges we all have been facing. Raising taxes will only send more jobs out of the state, and we cannot afford to do that. We can create and keep good paying jobs by having a reasonable tax climate, controlling government spending, and putting an end to excessive bureaucratic red tape.
We need to keep good employers and jobs in the state and attract new ones, but at the same time we must ensure that businesses hold up their end of the deal by treating workers fairly and paying their fair share.
Westphal: Wisconsin needs a universal health care system to reduce the cost of health care for both employers and employees. I believe we lose more business opportunities because of our high health care costs than we do to any tax or regulatory burden. We need to work closely with those companies that are willing to commit to staying in Wisconsin and providing jobs for our citizens. The next wave of manufacturing jobs must and will come from alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and bio-fuels. As a state we need to position ourselves to take advantage of these opportunities as they become available.
Question 2: More than ever before, local government officials are facing the dilemma of cutting jobs and services while still remaining under revenue caps. In recent years, state legislators have proposed various local government spending and taxing measures intended to hold down property taxes, including both the so-called Taxpayers Bill of Rights and the Taxpayer Protection Amendment. As this crisis continues to become problematic, how should the legislature address local government taxing initiatives?
Kaufert: I don’t believe we can afford to raise taxes on our citizens and families in Wisconsin any higher, particularly property taxes. The last thing state government should be doing in challenging economic times is to take more hard earned dollars out of the pockets of our citizens who work hard to make them. One thing the state should do is stop the growing number of unfunded mandates that are passed off on local governments to pay for.
Last year I authored a bill that closed the Newark corporate tax loophole which would have taken $2 billion in commercial property off the local tax rolls and shifted the burden onto homeowners.
Westphal: I am against any actions like TABOR, Taxpayer Protection or Levy Limits. In most cases we must let the local municipalities have control of their own destiny and make decisions as they see fit. We need a tax system that ends tax secrecy, closes loopholes and helps ensure that all parties are paying their fair share of taxes. I would support SB 367, the corporate tax disclosure bill.
Question 3: In recent years, statewide health care initiatives such as Healthy Wisconsin have expanded the debate about the role government should take toward insuring and taking care of the health of our residents. What role do you believe the legislature has in making health care more affordable and accessible to Wisconsin residents?
Kaufert: We need to reform our health care system to make health care more affordable and accessible for everyone. The current system needs to be made simpler and easier for people to understand. Wisconsin has taken steps forward through SeniorCare and BadgerCare, but more needs to be done. I do not think a Government run health care bureaucracy that will cost every person $510 more each month ($1000 for a couple) will improve the quality of health care. Patients and their doctor should make health care decisions, not the government.
Westphal: I am a strong advocate of "Healthy Wisconsin". The runaway costs of health care are hurting working families and those employers that provide health care to their workers. As I stated, a universal health care system in our state will benefit the greatest amount of people, especially small to medium sized companies.
Question 4: Wisconsin and the nation as a whole are on the front end of an energy crisis prompted by high fuel prices and a number of aged and outdated energy generation and petroleum processing facilities operating near capacity. What can the legislature do to further promote energy efficiency and to encourage additional, cleaner energy production?
Kaufert: We need to first develop and utilize the energy sources we currently have in our country, but we need to go further too. In the past two years, the state has begun to develop a long-term investment plan in cutting edge alternative energy industries. By 2025 25% of the energy consumed in Wisconsin will be from renewable sources right here in the state. This will not only help reduce dependence on foreign oil and lower energy bills, but will create new good paying jobs here in our state.
Westphal: First we need state wide wind sighting legislation to simplify and facilitate the creation of wind power generation facilities in our state. Much of Wisconsin is ideally suited for wind power generation and we need to take advantage of this fact, clean and renewable electricity will benefit consumers and industry. The state should provide incentives to business to upgrade and retrofit their facilities with more efficient lighting and heating alternatives.
Solar power and bio-fuels must also be in the mix of a comprehensive energy plan. With Wisconsin's rich agricultural tradition bio-fuels produced from crops (not corn) and crop residue should be attainable.
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