I have lived and worked in the great State of Wisconsin my whole l life. I am very concerned about the direction our political leaders have taken, resulting in degradation of middle class wages and destruction of the natural environment. We can do much better. I grew up in Wisconsin and I have lived here my entire life. I have been a loyal union member for 30 years. I am currently a railroad engin
eer, represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Division #196. I serve on the Wisconsin Legislative Board for the BLET representing Division #196. The BLET Legislative Board protects the workers by addressing issues of safety, and State regulation. The State minimum wage is horribly insufficient to allow an individual to survive and live a life of dignity. It certainly cannot maintain a family above the poverty level. The tipped minimum wage is in a terrible state. This needs to be adjusted to the current cost of living. Our current legislation has not protected the working class and ignored Wisconsin's Equal Pay Enforcement Act. The Governor included the elimination of prevailing wage in the budget eliminating the legislation process and in 2017, under skilled, underpaid, workers will be employed in your neighborhood with your local tax dollars. We need to improve our education standards. The constant slicing and dicing of our education budgets in this state will turn us into a state of illiterates. Our UW system will become unattractive to in-state and out-of-State student. We will be unable to attract great minds to teach our youth, a brain drain that will impact this state for decades. The voucher program is a lie, and failed to realize the public goal of providing underprivileged youth an opportunity to attend better schools. The reality is that the voucher program is a tax break for the upper class. 90% of the grants awarded in the k-12 school choice program already were going to private schools so all that accomplished is funding the well to do. $2.3 billion in corporate tax cuts, $651 in income tax cuts that primarily favor those who make over $100,000. These legislative actions favor big business not the middle class, and my opponent voted for them. My opponent is not a friend of labor, as she voted for both Act 10 and Act 1 to reduce power of the people and the working class. We lack behind in our support of entrepreneurs. We need those jobs as well as in the tech sector to advance to the future. The age of heavy industry has been minimized in the state. The biggest employer, GM, has moved. Farming labor won't support the state. We aren’t doing enough to attract business and manufacturing that respect workers and pay a living wage. You only need to look at the State of Minnesota as a comparison, better wages, environmental protections, and a large surplus in the State budget. I live in a rural district. Recreation is important to the revenue of Wisconsin. We need to keep supporting this through appropriate regulation, and returning support and funding to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). We cannot let our lakes and streams run dry or become contaminated. Source separation must be continued at any cost. We need to return to tax incentives for alternative energies. Solar and wind power are being expanded in other states. Recycling and co-generation are critical to the future of the Wisconsin outdoors. In conclusion I am looking forward to your support for the next election in November. Any questions at all please contact me. Thank you very much,
Brad Pearson, Candidate for Assembly District 41. Friends for Brad Pearson P.O. Box 95 Adams, Wi 53910 [email protected] Cell: 608-542-0011
