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Letter to the Editor: Having It All Comes with a Big Price

I’m responding to Dennis B. Appleton’s perspective on Ron Johnson and the Sister Bay fire truck [“Remember Which Candidate You Voted For,” Jan. 6-13 Peninsula Pulse]. 

Appleton implies that Ron Johnson was opposed to Sister Bay acquiring a new fire truck – “he voted against the bill that paid for the truck.” He went so far as to say, “… the fire truck that saves your house, barn, business or life … remember that Johnson voted against the bill that paid for that truck.” 

Ron Johnson is very clear on his opposition to the bill – the 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill – not because it includes the fire truck or that he wants your house to burn to the ground or for you to die, but because of the $1.7 trillion price tag, its 4,155 pages, and the fact that it was released in the middle of the night so that no person could possibly have reviewed it before it was voted on. 

Ron Johnson is clear why he opposed the Omnibus: “[Everything] is included without debate … without committee … a horrible way of legislating. Whether you are for or against a particular piece of legislation, this is not the way it should be passed.” He opposes the 625 pages of earmarks, which include the fire truck. He also clearly stated that the excessive spending and borrowing of Washington is a burden we pass on to our children and grandchildren. 

Sister Bay got its fire truck. I’d like everyone to remember the $1.7 trillion that was spent to get it, which amounts to the Senate spending $5,100 on behalf of every man, woman and child in America. Also remember that inflation is a direct result of increasing the money supply and monetizing the debt. 

You can’t have it all: uncontrolled spending, local projects and purchases funded by the Fed, low inflation and a stabilized national debt. Consider all these things in choosing whom to vote for.

Russell Martin

Egg Harbor, Wisconsin