Kagen Watch - Guest Column

From the January 27th Green Bay Press-Gazette and
January 28th Appleton Post Cresent

I have some questions for Mr. Kagen about his Guest Column.

Congress, president need to work on economy
Posted January 27, 2008
By Rep. Steve Kagen

Falling down is painful for everyone. All across
America, and right here at home, families are struggling to keep their heads
above water. Home values are tumbling. If home values are tumbling, can you explain this headline from the

Appleton Post Cresent dated Jan. 25, 2008.
From Ed Lowe Post-Crescent staff writer , . Outagamie's home sales resist slump Valley's housing market nearly holding its own APPLETON All real estate markets are local, the adage goes. Link to article

Again you said "Home values are tumbling".
It mentions existing home sales were off 12.8 percent nationally in 2007 .
Than how can Outagamie County home existing sales reported in Northeastern Wisconsin declined only 1.3 percent for the year. Looks like Northeastern Wisconsin is doing well. Can you tell me what district you represent? Mr Kagen, which is it, 12.8 nationally or 1.3 in Northeastern Wisconsin. It also says "Meanwhile, average sale prices rose in Winnebago and Calumet counties during 2007". Come on, home prices up in Wisconsin? Mr Kagen, can you tell me where are you getting your information or are you deceiving the people of the 8th district again? If average home prices are down, do you ever think there are young people that might want to buy their first home. Did you ever look at all the couples that get married every week and are looking for a home? It's a buyers market! Are you forgetting about your younger constituents of the 8th district?

Unemployment rates are increasing, and costs for health care, gasoline, heating
oil, energy, groceries and education are rising rapidly.

Adjusted Unemployment Rate - 5.0% in Dec 2007. Mr Kagen , can you tell me what bills you passed in congress to help increase jobs? What will you tell the people of the 8th district.

Health care cost rising - Mr. Kagen , why didn't you pass the SCHIP bill the president asked for. Did you tell the people of the 8th district that you tried to have all adults up to age 25 receive government health care? Is your kind of health care working in Canada and England?

Gasoline and heating oil costs rising- Mr Kagen where are you getting your information? This from MSNBC "Price of gas falls 9 cents in last two weeks" National average for gallon of regular was $2.98 Friday, survey says. From MSNBC . Mr Kagen, if you would not prop up the ethanol lobby and drill in ANWR and maybe authorizes some refinery plants , gasoline prices would come down even more.

We must begin to think differently in America. It is time for Congress and the
president to work together and take immediate actions to ease the burden on
those most affected by this emerging economic recession — our middle- and
lower-income families.

What Recession? Mr Kagen, From the Wall Street Journal. The U.S. has not experienced a quarter of negative consumption growth since a modest 0.3% drop in the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) in the fourth quarter of 1991 and two consecutive negative consumption growth quarters of -2.7% and -1.7% during the fourth quarter of 1990 and the first quarter of 1991 -- the two quarters that marked the last serious American recession. If we have not had a recession since 1991 when will we be in the next recession. Again, as of now, we are not in a RECESSION! Your doom and gloom is scaring the people of the 8th district!

Everywhere I go, people are telling me they feel uneasy: retirees in
Clintonville surviving on fixed incomes, working families in Green Bay,
students in De Pere, homeowners across the 8th district, and even public
school teachers who once thought they would never be laid off.

Mr. Kagen, when will you help all of us and spend less with ear marks and stop
taking away so much of our tax money. IT'S OUR
MONEY, NOT YOURS!

Last week in Niagara, for example, 319 papermaking jobs disappeared along with another 125 paper jobs in Kimberly. These were higher wage jobs that put food on the table and helped pay the mortgages for hard-working Wisconsin families. In my view, the good people of Niagara and Kimberly are paying the price for our nation's unfair and unbalanced trade agreements. NAFTA and CAFTA-like trade policies failed to deliver the prosperity promised by professional politicians, as we are compelled to compete against slave-like labor in foreign lands. If we allow these unfair policies to continue, they may soon bankrupt all of us. Congress and the president must take steps immediately to do what is best for American workers and American jobs.

Todd Lohenry said it best from his January 24th post on DR. K's. dribble, "For the better part of President George W. Bush’s second term, Democrats have led repeated assaults on the performance of the U.S. economy. However, the talking points given to House Democrats are hardly new. Blame any job losses immediately on free trade agreements and unfair trade practices by China. And deny an economic recovery ever took place under the Bush administration."Democrats in general and Steve Kagen in particular, need to stop blaming President Bush for the sad state of affairs in Wisconsin and point the finger where it belongs -- firmly in the direction of Governor Doyle. Read on -- this gets good... Right on Todd!

We must begin to secure our very way of life. For hard-working people in Niagara, in Kimberly and for all our nation's children, I urge the president to design an economic stimulus package that is targeted at middle and lower income citizens, and measured so as to prevent inflationary pressures later this year. What about the people who pay taxes? , I agree some kind of stimulus package should be done but , geeez, Dr. K. you sure are pandering!

Everything should be on the table for discussion including extending unemployment benefits for affected workers, providing targeted tax rebates and increasing earned income tax credits, as well as temporary tax cuts for small businesses. O K, temporary tax cuts, Oh thank you kind sir. How about permanent tax cuts.

While your at it, will you pay every ones car and truck payments for six months? How about paying peoples rent for six months? How about pay every ones grocery bills for six months? How about paying every ones home owners insurance? Could you also pay for my gasoline for the next six months? I'd like to get a snowmobile, can you pay for one of those too? Where is all this money coming from Mr Kagen?

I also call upon the president to immediately convene a Fair Competition Committee, as England did a generation ago, to determine if we can afford to sell any more of our nation's assets to foreign entities. WAIT I'M LOST, WHERE DID HE GET THIS FROM? Another committee to do what? Holy cow, the mother ship is about to land, this is getting scary! He must be talking to Ron and Dennis.

When foreign nations and foreign kingdoms own all our manufacturing plants, all our farms, all our roads and our railroads, we will have lost everything without firing a single shot. Simply put, if we don't make anything, we won't have anything. Comrade Kagen, you are correct, you want this to happen and it is called socialism. Remember the Soviet Union or did you not take World History in school.

Let's invest our tax dollars right here at home rebuilding our highways and bridges, our infrastructure and school buildings. Lets see, road builders lobby, home builders lobby, bridge builders lobby. These long-term investments will immediately generate higher wage jobs and boost small businesses and families alike. What small businesses? We must not keep falling deeper into debt, for the simple fact is we cannot spend our way into prosperity. Why do you libs keep adding earmarks if you say we cannot spend our way into prosperity! I am hopeful that by working together across party lines, we will begin to resolve this economic recession and bring an end to the borrow-and-spend government policy that caused this mess. Hey, how many times do we have to tell you "we are not in a recession and your one of those in Washington that is borrowing -and-spending. Building a more secure future begins next week in Congress as we find ways to agree on a stimulus package that is fiscally responsible and paid for over a reasonable time frame. Paid for is code word for raising taxes! Falling down is painful, but that is apparently how we learn. Rep. Steve Kagen, D-Appleton, represents the 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Web site: http://kagen.house.gov/.

Mr Kagen, please be honest with the people of the 8th district. Some of us are having difficult times but please do not bend the truth. You were sent to Washington to serve the people of the 8th district. Not grow government, but to reduce government. Not raise taxes but to reduce taxes. You cannot even be honest with the people of Niagara, Kimberly, Appleton,all the people of the 8th district! You cannot even be honest with the retirees in Clintonville surviving on fixed incomes, not honest with working families in Green Bay, not honest with students in De Pere, not honest with homeowners across the 8th district, and you can't even be honest with public school teachers. What a shame.

The people of the 8th district deserve better. We need to get you back to your practice.