Tim Dietrich For Wisconsin State Senate 2010

Welcome to Tim’s Q&A.

You ask questions, Tim provides his answers…

If you have a question for Tim click this link to ASK YOUR QUESTION and Tim will respond at his earliest convenience.

1.)  Q: Why should I vote for you and not Rich Zipperer?

– Jerry from Brookfield

Tim: “I am the best choice.  I have the cleanest slate, I haven’t taken anyone’s money, so I can’t possibly owe any favors.”

1.a)  Q:  I believe you are running against a guy named Zipperer. What is the difference between you and him? Why should I vote for you?

– Mike R. from Waukesha

Tim: “In this election cycle some voters think it is important to vote out the incumbents.  My opponent currently holds the seat in the 98th Assembly District, that makes him an incumbent. I am not.
Based on my opponent’s campaign fliers, he is on his way to becoming a career politician.  I am not and cannot be at the age of 57.
As of July my opponent has taken donations from 80 business owners and special interest groups, as well as 215 individuals. I haven’t taken one dime from anyone!  I have turned down contribution offers and that enables me to vote in the best interests of all my constituents.
My opponent has campaigned on the platform of jobs and spending with no real plans for either…  I have been specific on ways to increase revenue for the DOT, save the State money regarding unemployment, and a specific plan for campaign reform, just to mention a few.
My opponent has out spent me on this campaign by a 10 to 1 margin.
I am the true conservative.  I will watch your tax dollars like I watch my own.”

1.b)  Q:  What is your view of states’ rights when it comes to decisions made at the federal level, e.g. Obamacare, which are unconstitutional at the federal level and should be rejected by the states?

– Anonymous  from Sussex

Tim: “When the Federal Government imposes their will on the States and we don’t agree with the constitutionality of it, it is our right and duty to challenge it.  It is then the role of the judicial system to rule on the issue.”

1.c)  Q:  Do you agree with the Preamble to the Wisconsin State Constitution: “We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings, form a more perfect government, insure domestic tranquility and promote the general welfare, do establish this constitution . . . that God is the source of our freedoms.” (as also in the Declaration of Independence)?  Will you look to the God of the Bible for wisdom to make decisions?  What is your religious affiliation/background?

– Anonymous  from Sussex

Tim: “I agree with the Wisconsin Constitution in its entirety.
My mother and father had me baptized at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Waukesha when I was an infant. It was not my choice, it was theirs. I was raised to believe in God and obey the Ten Commandments. I believe that it was these teachings that define my morals and make me a strong person. Wisdom comes with age and life’s experiences. I will look to myself and others that I know, trust, and respect when it comes to making decisions. I believe in the people’s right to choose their God and to worship in the manner that they feel comfortable.”

1.d)  Q:  I have a simple yes or no question.  Back in 2008, did you have an Obama sign in your yard?

– Mindy  from Hartford

Tim: “Yes.  That was my wife LuAnn’s candidate of choice.   I believe she also contributed to his campaign.”

1.e)  Q:  About that Obama sign you had in your yard. Wasn’t it a Teamsters For Obama sign? Is your wife a Teamster, too?

– John  from Sussex

Tim: “Yes, LuAnn is a Teamster.  She has a withdrawal card from Local 200. She is also a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). She says that this is my campaign not hers and it is nobody’s business where she got her sign.”

* “For the record, LuAnn’s sign was never in the yard. Someone stole my McCain sign the first day it was up. She decided to put hers in the den window so no one would steal it.”

2.)  Q: Do you support Obama Care and mandatory health insurance?

– Anne  from Hartford

Tim: “We all know the health care system in this country is in need of an overhaul and I was hopeful that we would get something that was fair to everyone but Obamacare  in my opinion failed to achieve that.
My answer is NO.”

2.a)  Q: How do you think NAFTA has hurt the small business owner or do you think it has helped?

– Mark B.  from Sussex

Tim: “NAFTA has hurt the small business owners  more than anyone in Washington cares admit. Take a ride through our Corporate Centers, you will find more empty buildings than ever before. Manufacturing companies  cannot compete with the $2.00 an hour jobs and no environmental standards. Countless small trucking companies have gone out of business due to the shrinking market. This trend started in the mid nineties and continues today.”

2.b)  Q: Would you support a waiver of state taxes on new businesses until they get established and show a certain net profit before wages and salaries are included?

– Steven B.  from Waukesha

Tim: “I’ve thought long and hard about an answer to this question. Quite honestly, I don’t know. I am not an accountant or an economist. I do think it poses some interesting questions that need to be explored which could result in something very similar to what you are suggesting.”

2.c)  Q: In order to save jobs for legitimate residents and to not add to the tax burden, would you support the creation of an illegal immigrant law similar to Arizona’s?

– Steven B.  from Waukesha

Tim: “To start with, some call them illegal immigrants, while others call them refuges. Whatever you call them will determine how you think we should deal with the problem. There are several different ways to look at this problem but I believe walls and barbed wire will not keep desperate people out of this country, nor will imprisonment or deportation. The reasons for the problem seems to be NAFTA, the Mexican Government, and illegal drugs. The responsibility falls on the Federal Government to protect and secure our borders. We as citizens must demand that from them and we can start at the polling stations.”

3.)  Q: What do you see as the main issues/problems in this district?

Tim: “We are and have been losing jobs for years. Family sustaining jobs. The service industry has been carrying the load for too long. We need to work harder to recreate the manufacturing jobs we have lost over the past two decades. We need to work harder to come up with ways to overcome NAFTA’s failures. These jobs have to come from the private sector. We need to work harder to promote growth and innovation. We need to invest in Research and Development.”

3.a)  Q: Should State mandates for counties be required to be State funded?

– Steven B.  from Waukesha

Tim: “As a trustee on the Sussex Village Board, I know how frustrating it can be to go through the annual budget process, making the hard decisions, deciding which road projects need to be done for the upcoming year, which ones have to wait, which equipment needs replacement, which ones need to be rebuilt, which park we can afford to refurbish, etc., only to have the State impose a mandate on us that forces us to cut something in order for us to fund it.  If the State pays for these mandates all the tax payers pay for all the counties and municipalities in the whole State. If the counties and municipalities pay, the tax payers pay only for the region they live in.  Either way, we pay.”

3.b)  Q: Given the water problems in Waukesha and other areas, should the State require a moratorium on construction that will add to the draw-down of existing and forecasted water supplies until an impact study is made and a remedy is agreed upon?

– Steven B.  from Waukesha

Tim: “I am aware of the water problem in Waukesha. It does need to be addressed and soon. The problem I have with the State stepping in and putting a moratorium on construction is it could deter good solid companies from coming to our area and building new factories that would provide us with much needed jobs. The availability of water is one of the main things companies look at when they consider a new site.”

3.c)  Q:What is your opinion of the water source issues in Waukesha?

– Bill V.  from Waukesha

Tim: “When I was on vacation a few years ago, I stood on the banks of the Colorado River just west of Denver. The roadside landmark sign stated that “not one drop of this water will ever make it to the Grand Canyon” It bothered me to think that we are in danger of depleting our water resources. I don’t think Lake Michigan is the long term solution to Waukesha’s problem. If every community in the Midwest puts their straw into Lake Michigan, it too will be in danger. I would support a time limit to how long communities can draw from the lake with some type of viable conservation program to be part of the long term solution. We have the mind-set that this is the land of plenty. We water our lawns, take long showers, let the faucets run in our sinks to rinse dishes, etc. We need to possibly go back to cisterns to collect water for toilets, washing clothes, bathing and so on. Bermuda has no fresh water lakes or streams on their island. All consumable water is rain water that is collected and stored in cisterns and they manage quite well.”

4.)  Q: What is your plan for fixing the problems in this district?

Tim: “In regards to jobs, I don’t have the answer. I understand that it is not an easy fix. If it was, someone else would have already done it. Our problems go a lot deeper than reading about them in the newspaper and then forming an opinion on the solution. Realistically, I believe the answer lies outside of the box. We need to have legislators that can look clearly at the problem without outside influences.”

5.)  Q: How do you feel about high speed rail?

Tim: “Like a lot of the people I have talked to, I thought high speed rail was Milwaukee to Madison and that didn’t make sense to me. We have a freeway and a bus service, what more do we need? We sure don’t need empty trains running back and forth. So I did some research. What I found is, this is a part of AMTRAK. Its purpose is to connect Chicago to Minneapolis via Milwaukee and Madison with train stations in Brookfield, Oconomowoc, Watertown and Madison. This is supposed to promote business partnerships in the upper Midwest. I don’t know if that will happen or not but that is the theory. Based on a report I read, Wisconsin sends approximately $45 Million of our tax dollars to Washington annually. Washington then disperses that money back to the States however they see fit. Historically, we only get 86% of that back, so 14% of Wisconsin tax money is funding programs in other states. We rank 48 out of 50 in that category. That’s the bad part. With the $810 Million we get for this project from the Feds, we reverse that trend. That’s the good part. The problem I have is with the $7.5 Million annually the residents of Wisconsin will have to pay to maintain this system. Where does this money come from? We can’t balance our budget now. We cannot add more debt. Therefore, I oppose high speed rail.”

5.a)  Q: Should gasoline taxes and registration fees for trucks, cars and motorcycles be locked in to projects for maintaining roads and exclude public transportation and other unrelated things?

– Steven B.  from Waukesha

Tim: “I think that all money generated through gas and diesel taxes, vehicle registration, road use tax, and any other fees raised by the transportation industry should be kept in the Wis. DOT coffers for use for all transportation needs, including public transportation. The DOT funds a ferry service in Merrimac because it isn’t practical to build a bridge across the lake. Although the buses don’t see the ridership we would like to see, during peak hours, people do use the buses. For every one person that uses the bus, that is one less car on the road, one less parking place needed which equates to less traffic and less need to widen existing highways.”

6.)  Q: How would you help small businesses?

Tim: “To come up with a blanket answer would be nothing but political rhetoric. As Senator, I plan to visit with as many businesses as I can when the legislature is not in session. That way I will be aware of the day to day hurdles our businesses are faced with. Once we identify that, then we can work together to find solutions.”

6.a) Q: Can you tell me how you would have voted on bill AB-770 Corporate Research and Development Tax Credit?

Tim: “The bill claims that it would generate an estimated savings of 3.6 million dollars, with that savings going to the Medicaid Trust Fund.
Without the benefit of hearing the debates, and having no fiscal effect on the State, I could see myself voting yes.
*Note: the bill passed the Assembly 61 – 37 and the Senate 27 – 11.”

7.)  Q: Do you think we should boycott BP by not buying their gas?

Tim: “If I thought that BP, the Corporation, would be the only one to feel the effects of a boycott, I would be all in favor of it. The reality of it is that any kind of boycott would have little or no effect on the Corporation. The only people that would suffer are the local merchants and their employees. The people that bare no responsibility for this disaster. These are our friends and neighbors, we should not and I will not do that to them.”

8.)  Q: Will you resign as a Village Trustee?

Tim: “I plan to continue my service to my community. I feel that it is a benefit to both the Village and the State to have a representative that is aware of the struggles that the municipalities and the State are faced with.  If at anytime I am not able to perform my duties to the highest standard, I will then have to make a choice.”

9.)  Q: You talk about campaign reform, what would be your solution to the problem?

Tim: “The NFL has salary caps, the politicians need spending caps. Each office should have a limit to how much they can spend on their campaign. For example, Trustees and Aldermen, $500.00; Mayors, Presidents, and Chairman, $1000.00; State Senators, $5000.00 and so on. Spending limits should be determined by the number of voters in each specific Ward, Town, Village, County, etc. With these kinds of caps in place, candidates can take donations from whomever they want for as much as they want until they reach their cap. Candidates will have to be a little more creative in how they spend their money. This system would also give anyone that wanted to run for office the ability to do so. This also eliminates the “war chests” that are used to scare potential challengers away. This levels the playing field and gives the power back to the people.”

9.a)  Q: Doesn’t campaign finance reform restrict free speech rights of candidates and donors?

– Jerry from Brookfield

Tim: “Some say yes, some say no.  I say if rights didn’t need rules, we wouldn’t need laws.  I say we need a spending cap to insure fairness and accountability in our election process.  If I have a half a million dollars in my war chest, I can vote anyway I want, and very few people could challenge me. The people have lost their right to choose.”

10.)  Q: If I call you with a problem, will you call me back?

Tim: “Absolutely. I plan on making myself available to the citizens of my district by appearing at local shops and stores on weekends. The way our representatives do this now, is they schedule town hall meetings in the middle of the day in the middle of the week. It seems to me that they really don’t want to talk to us at all. If they did, they wouldn’t schedule these meetings while most people are at work and cannot attend. Before I was old enough to vote I remember going to the State Fair with my Grandpa. There was a guy in a gold sport coat standing outside of the grandstand. He was shaking hands and talking to people. We spent the whole day going on rides and playing games. Every time we went past that spot, he was there, shaking hands and talking to people. I asked my Grandpa who that was, and he said “That is Bill Proxmire, he is a Senator, and talks to people because he cares”, I thought that was so cool. I went up and shook his hand, he gave me a little button, it said ‘Prox Works Harder’, I wish I still had that button.”

11.)  Q: Are you going to vote the way the Party wants you to vote?

Tim: “If I were to say yes, that would mean you wouldn’t have to send me to Madison, you could send a monkey and get the same results. I am a candidate with Republican ideals and values. My votes will reflect that. It has to make sense; it has to be right for my district and the people in my district.”

11.a)  Q: You say that you will not be a puppet for the GOP.  What GOP decisions do you disagree with?

- Jerry from Brookfield

Tim: “It isn’t that I disagree with a specific decision.   If a promise was made or a favor from a contributor is called in and I am being asked to vote a certain way on an issue, I will still have to draw my own conclusion and vote for what is right for my district and the people in my district.”

Pending Questions:

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