Important Issues - I will...
Put education first by investing in K-12 schools, the UW System and technical colleges for our children's future.
Andrew Romanoff, former speaker of the Colorado house of representatives, has told of a conversation with a biotech executive. "If you want more companies like mine to come to a state," the executive told him, "invest in education because that's where we go. Why would I go to a state that's in the process of defunding education, instead of a state that's upgrading it?"
Yet Scott Walker took $1.6 billion away from Wisconsin's schools, with Mark Honadel's faithful support.
And the worst is yet to come. Without an increase in state aid, our school districts will be faced with program cuts, layoffs, possible property tax increases, or some of all three.
Support renewable clean energy for new jobs in Wisconsin. Reduce the billions we're sending out of state for energy.
Wisconsin lacks fossil fuels, so every dollar we spend on them is money sent out of state - $12 billion per year for power, heating and cooling. But Scott Walker's budget cuts funds that help Wisconsin homeowners and businesses improve energy efficiency.
Instead of sending more money elsewhere, Wisconsin should boost renewable energy standards, as Illinois and Minnesota have done.
Protect our natural resources. Stand firm against pollution.
For decades, protecting our beautiful natural environment was an issue nearly all Wisconsinites agreed on.
Not anymore. Mark Honadel took the lead in presenting new guidelines for mining in Wisconsin, guidelines written by an out-of-state company to radically weaken our environmental laws.
Even Scott Fitzgerald, state senate Republican leader, has admitted, "I think the corporation and their attorneys drafted a bill that may have been acceptable in other states," but not Wisconsin.
Save our transit system, for the economy and the environment.
Our bus system is spiraling down, with fares going up as service is cut. Our incumbent representative's answer? Vote to prevent a regional transit authority for Milwaukee.
Milwaukee is one of two major metropolitan areas nationwide without an RTA. The other is Detroit. Since when is Detroit a model to follow?
And that vote to kill an RTA also blocked possible commuter rail service along existing tracks in our district. Yet taxpayers will soon be forking out $1 billion for extra freeway lanes between Madison and the Illinois line - more than five times the cost of commuter rail, so flatlanders can reach the Dells 10 minutes sooner.
Restore openness and accountability to state government. No more rubber-stamp representation.
Scott Walker replaced 40 civil service employees with political cronies. Republican legislators took secrecy oaths to hide redistricting plans from the public, and violated open meeting laws.
Of course Mark Honadel went along with it all.
Protect vital health care programs for all Wisconsinites.
Mark Honadel voted to put unelected bureaucrats in charge of state health care decisions. Meanwhile Scott Walker, who claims he balanced the state budget, told the federal government the budget WASN'T balanced, in an effort to deny health care to 64,000 people, including 29,000 children.
To nobody's surprise, our representative voted for that too.
Stand with workers. Restore collective bargaining, and equal pay enforcement.
Scott Walker wanted to reverse 50 years of collective bargaining rights, and demanded it be done in six days. Mark Honadel was fine with that, even when public employees offered to give Walker all the immediate savings he wanted.
For good measure, our representative also backed repealing the Equal Pay Enforcement Act.
