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Dale
Klemme's position statements
Health Care
Without
question, the issue of the day
Health security
should be a right for all, not just the privileged few. We have a
responsibility to provide everyone in Wisconsin the opportunity to
obtain affordable, high-quality healthcare. Our current Representative
has shirked this responsibility for too long. As your State
Representative, I will fight to make sure that the rest of us get the
same kind of high quality health care that our legislators have had
for years.
We can find an affordable health care
program that will provide coverage to every Wisconsin resident. To
do so, it will take courageous individuals who will stand up to the
powerful forces of lobbyists and institutions with virtually unlimited
money and whose primary objective is to ‘preserve the status quo’ or
‘don’t rock the boat.’ As voters, you don’t send people to Madison
to deal with the easy issues. You send them there to solve the real
issues, concerns that are truly life or death.
In the last 10 months we have seen
some serious discussion on this matter, after virtual silence for the
prior 10 years. I stand for discussion and dialogue until the problem
is solved.
Health care reform is property
tax relief.
Health care reform is economic
development for Wisconsin.
Health care reform is speaking
to the needs and priorities of the people.
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Education
We have a
responsibility to provide an education system that will enable our
children to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Every
child should have the opportunity to pursue the American dream and in
order to succeed they need a solid foundation from which to build
upon. As your State Representative, I will fight to strengthen our
public education system through higher standards, greater
accountability, and providing our children with the necessary tools to
succeed in the real world.
Funding
Locally we fund education with
property tax. Over time the state has exempted or discounted
approximately one-third of the local property from property tax.
That’s fine for those with the exemptions, but who winds up paying?
You know the answer to that – you and I.
It used to be that employing people
and being in business meant big buildings and new property taxes. The
trend now is toward service sector jobs – less building, less property
tax base, but greater educational needs for workers. The way we do
business has changed, but the way we finance education has not.
As long as we rely upon the
present system of funding education, we have some work to do.
Teaching
People want value for their tax
dollars. As a taxpayer, I don’t mind paying for services, as long as
I am receiving value for the dollar. That means we need to
constantly re-examine how we operate to make sure it is most cost
effective.
We need to make sure we are
implementing effective teaching techniques to reach the children of
today, and that we are teaching them the skills to meet the workplace
needs of tomorrow.
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Taxes
We have to restore
fairness to our tax system. Property taxes are too high, hitting
hardest those who can afford them least. We need to expand the revenue
base by making sure all sectors pay their fair share. If elected, I
will fight to cut property taxes by about $584 on the average home by
making the first $60,000 dollars or a home's value exempt, making up
the lost revenue by closing corporate tax loopholes.
The Legislative Process
I am concerned and generally opposed
with the process of legislating by constitutional amendment, which we
experienced in the last election. Make laws, pass them through the
system, and deal with the power of the veto. That is the legislative
process.
Respect others; accept them for who
they are – whether by birth or life’s choice. I believe tolerance is
a major component of democracy and there is strength in diversity.
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Jobs
Wisconsin’s
economy is struggling. We need to keep the jobs we have and we need to
attract more good-paying, family supporting jobs to our state. As your
State Representative I will fight to ban companies that receive state
contracts from sending Wisconsin jobs overseas and fight to bring more
jobs in the renewable energy industry to Western Wisconsin.
Legislative Independence
The last thing we need in our government are
'rubber stampers', those who are told how to vote by their party and
obediently do so. The needs of the people in the District are
priority number 1.I support appointment
of the DNR Secretary by the DNR Board. Our environment is too
important to be at the mercy of any one political party.
You want a rubber stamper? Look
elsewhere.
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Are
CAFO’s Local Control?
Earlier this year, both
Crawford and Vernon Counties were engulfed in controversy over an
issue referred to as CAFO’s. CAFO stands for ‘confined animal
feeding operation’ and basically consists of a high concentration of
animals in close confinement. That in and of itself is a matter of
opinion as to whether it is ‘good farming practice,’ and on the
surface one might say this is strictly an agricultural issue. But
due to past action of the State Legislature this CAFO issue represents
more than an agricultural issue – it is all about local control. Who
should have the authority to decide the type of farming operations
allowed in a county and should local governments be allowed to impose
other specific restrictions or conditions in order to address the
concerns of local residents?
The State Legislature acted a
few years ago to greatly limit local control over this issue; it’s
referred to as siting legislation. A proposed CAFO is required to
submit specific plans as part of their application and much discussion
takes place as to whether these plans are adequate or accurate. In
the end however a county may reject a CAFO application, only if a
county found the proposed CAFO to be a direct threat to human health
or safety -- and odor or declining property values does not qualify as
such a threat.
I find it interesting that the
State Legislature requires comprehensive planning in order to
facilitate orderly growth consistent with the wishes of residents and
in such as way as to reflect the priorities of ‘the community’ – that
can be a good thing. Yet with that requirement ‘on the books’ the
same legislative body acts to supersede local control to facilitate an
activity which may be totally inconsistent with the wishes or
priorities of ‘the community’. So what’s that all about? I suspect
to answer that question we need to “follow the money.”
This is not about CAFO’s; it’s
all about local control, making it more than just an agricultural
issue. I pledge to bring about change to this siting legislation,
returning to the counties reasonable control over land use in their
jurisdiction – it’s just good planning.
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