S: What did you like most about the University of Wisconsin-Stout?

RJ: I had a great time visiting the campus. I enjoyed the people I met and certainly enjoyed touring the labs - with fully functioning production equipment. It was a very impressive facility.

S: UW-Stout prides itself in preparing its students for real world, focused professions. One such focus is in the field of packaging. As an owner of a packaging company, how beneficial is it to have a university like UW-Stout training prospective employees? Do you think more universities should follow our polytechnic lead?

RJ: I think it's great that there are polytechnic schools like UW-Stout, and the focus on packaging is encouraging. It's important that our educational system offer training in areas that have a direct impact in manufacturing and production. I think one way to help ensure a strong manufacturing base is to offer interested students an educational background that prepares them for careers in this area.

S: Do you support the federal government's role in equalizing the opportunity for students of all incomes to obtain a college degree? If so, how will you expand that opportunity? If not, what alternatives are there for low-income students to afford a college degree?

RJ: I would like to see everyone who wants to go to college be able to go. I also think that every high school student should have good information on all the possible options as they approach graduation: four-year college, two-year college, technical college, military or just straight into the workforce.

S: College students are increasingly tuning out their elected representatives due to the negative rhetoric being thrown around from all sides in the political mainstream. As a consequence, distrust in the government among young people is at its highest level ever. In the next six years, how will you seek to restore that sacred trust needed for our government's inevitable existence?

RJ: I can't pretend to speak for all sides, but I would say that I have made clear that I am eager to work with anyone who is legitimately committed to solving the fiscal crisis our nation faces. The Congressional Budget Office's latest projection shows us adding another $12 trillion to our debt over the next 10 years-and this assumes a rather rosy scenario. This is simply not sustainable. I'm very hopeful that both parties can work together in the next few years to address this serious problem.

S: As young citizens, it is difficult to believe that our voices can make a difference in the world. What can we do now to benefit America for future generations to come?

RJ: We all worry at times that our voices are not being heard. I think the answer is similar for all Americans, regardless of age or background. We need to be educated on the issues. And we shouldn't just accept what we hear in the media; we should critically consider what we hear and read. And of course, we should make sure to vote - and not just in presidential elections.

S: Your political career was conceived out of a Tea Party rally. Yet, you chose to not attend the first Tea Party Caucus in the United States Senate. Why?

RJ: I sprang from the tea party and have a great deal of respect for what they represent, but I've decided not to join the Tea Party Caucus at this point in time. I want to put all my energy toward unifying the Republican Caucus, with cutting unnecessary spending as our top priority. And I'll add that I'm very encouraged that there is such unity on that right now.

S: You voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. However, there are some areas in which you have stated you are in agreement with the law. Like, for example, insurance companies being unable to deny coverage for preexisting conditions. Do you agree that college students should enjoy the freedom of staying on their parents plan until they are 26 years old? What other aspects of the bill do think should continue to be the law of the land if PPACA gets repealed?

RJ: I think this is an area that Congress needs to look at much more closely - and we will. The reality is that any mandate, including guaranteed issue and coverage on parents' plans, will tend to push insurance rates upward. And so as we identify any provisions we might want to retain, we have to consider the effect on rates.

One of the prime rationales for passing Obamacare was to lower health care costs going forward. And the Congressional Budget Office reports that it will actually increase costs. Regardless of ideology, I think we all ought to be able to agree that we really haven't done anything to solve our current health care problems. We've likely made them worse.

S: The President of the United States recently visited the Orion Energy Systems factory, a renewable energy firm based in Manitowoc, WI, to highlight the kind of innovation that will reinforce the backbone of a sustainable United States. In the State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama set a goal for the United States to obtain 80 percent of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2035. Will you support him in this energy efficiency effort?

RJ: I am all for more clean energy, but it must be able to compete and survive on its own in the marketplace. I'm pleased that the President is talking about clean coal and nuclear as part of the solution, but I think even more important is to expand the domestic energy supply generally. Our dependence on imported oil continues to grow, year by year. And as China and India develop economically, their demands for energy will increase, too. The United States needs to focus on energy self-reliance.

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