Op-Eds

Op-eds 10/5/2011
Politico: Regulations Stifle Economic Growth
<b>Originally printed in Politico, October 5th, 2011</b> Most people go into business because they want to make the world better by building something; and, of course, to make money for themselves and the people working with them. Yet business leaders today are routinely treated as guilty until proven innocent by the bureaucrats in our regulatory agencies. Our regulatory state strangles economic growth. Regulations bar many voluntary agreements and subject businessmen to constant micromanagement.
Op-eds 08/29/2011
Washington Times: Obama at a loss
<b>Originally printed in the Washington Times, August 29th, 2011 </b> When stock prices were plunging earlier this month, President Obama strode to the teleprompter and utterly failed to calm the markets or the American people. Sadly, they saw what I saw - and have come to exactly the same conclusion: Mr. Obama does not know what to do. He never did.
Op-eds 07/27/2011
Investor's Business Daily: A Freeze On New Regulations Would Help Boost Job Growth
<b>Printed in Investor's Business Daily, July 27th, 2011</b> It's easy to have missed it, but the U.S. is now entering the third year of the Obama "recovery." The economy stopped shrinking in 2009, and White House economists tell us that it has been growing ever since. But while some corporate balance sheets have improved, job growth remains anemic. And analysts have even begun to ask whether we're heading into another stretch of mass layoffs. You would think that Washington would be focused on job creation. Instead — all too often — Washington seems intent on adding new layers of job-killing regulation.
Op-eds 06/20/2011
The Daily Caller: Congress Can't Keep Raising the Debt Limit
<b>Originally printed in the Daily Caller, June 20th, 2011 </b> Prior to being elected to the United States Senate last November, I spent 31 years building a plastics manufacturing business in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. My educational background is in accounting and finance, but when you help start a business from scratch, you wind up doing just about everything. I operated machinery, loaded trucks and railcars, hired and trained the staff, kept the books, paid taxes, purchased raw materials, sold our finished products, did payroll, opened mail, emptied trash, and made coffee. Why am I telling you this? Because I’m not in the least bit unusual. Every day, millions of hard-working business owners, and the good people that work with them, struggle to build a good life for themselves and their families. They are the backbone of America. They work hard and play by the rules. And they live within their means. Why can’t Washington?
Op-eds 06/16/2011
The Washington Post: Coming Soon: A Bigger, Costlier Obamacare
<b>Printed in the Washington Post, June 16th, 2011</b> Obamacare poses two great dangers to our nation: lower quality of care and runaway costs. It will stifle innovation and lead to rationing. But the overwhelming cost and the damage it will do to our nation’s finances at a pivotal moment in our history deserve greater scrutiny. The promises Obamacare supporters have made about the ultimate cost of the program are based on highly unlikely premises. Those who support the 2010 health-care law are betting that costs will remain under control largely because its central feature — health insurance exchanges, which amount to a centralized, government-run market of subsidized insurance policies — will not be all that popular. They are counting on the notion that when the government offers “free” money, there will be few takers. This is not realistic.
Op-eds 05/17/2011
Racine Journal Times: Why I Went to Washington
<b>Originally printed in the Racine Journal Times, May 17th, 2011</b> One year ago, I decided to step up to the plate and run for the U.S. Senate. I made that decision because I believe that for too long, elected officials from both parties have not told the American people the truth. Their intentions may have been good, but many simply did not understand the long-term consequences of their actions. They took an oath to defend the Constitution, but ignored a primary purpose of that document – to define and limit government.
Op-eds 04/15/2011
Investor's Business Daily: Tax Day's Forgotten Lesson
<b>Originally printed in Investors' Business Daily, April 15th, 2011</b> Monday is Tax Day, when we collectively "celebrate" the passage of the 16th Amendment. If we want to identify a single catalyst for the growth of the federal government, this would be a prime candidate. When the amendment was conceived, few could have imagined how dramatically it would empower the growth of government — and the extraordinary influence it would exert over economic growth and job-creation.
Op-eds 04/12/2011
Senator Johnson's 'Maiden Speech'
Thank you Mr. President. It is my honor to represent the good people of Wisconsin in the United States Senate. It is an awesome responsibility - a responsibility I take very seriously. Today, it is my distinct privilege to address this historic body for the first time. It is a moment in time when our nation is in peril. Not only do we continue to face the very real threat of international terrorism, but we also face a threat of our own making - one that challenges the very foundation of this republic.
Op-eds 03/23/2011
Wall Street Journal: ObamaCare and Carey's Heart
<b>Originally printed in the Wall Street Journal, March 23rd, 2011</b> Today is the first anniversary of the greatest single assault on our freedom in my lifetime: the signing of ObamaCare. As we consider what this law may do to our country, I can’t help but reflect on a medical miracle made possible by the American health-care system. It’s one that holds special meaning for me. Some years ago, a little girl was born with a serious heart defect: Her aorta and pulmonary artery were reversed. Without immediate intervention, she would not have survived.
Op-eds 01/26/2011
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Put economy on right path
<b>Originally printed in Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, January 25th, 2011</b> Dear Mr. President, Welcome to Wisconsin. November's election sent a clear message to Washington. Simply stated, millions of Americans believe that government is too large, too intrusive and spends too much of our hard-earned money. The median household earns $49,777. Last year, the federal government spent $3.6 trillion, which calculates to over $31,000 per household. Of that amount, $1.3 trillion (40%) was borrowed. Our nation's debt now has surpassed $14 trillion. These are staggering figures. The people of Wisconsin realize this is not sustainable.