Op-Eds

<b>Originally printed in the Washington Post, October 24th, 2011 </b> Our Founding Fathers recognized how the unchecked power of a majority would be a constant threat to individual liberty. They acknowledged that government was necessary, but they also knew that a government elected by a majority could easily trample the freedoms of the minority. They and their ancestors had come from dictatorial monarchies, and they fully understood that, more often than not, government was something to fear and should therefore be limited.

<b>Originally printed in the Washington Times, August 29th, 2011 </b> When stock prices were plunging earlier this month, President Obama strode to the teleprompter and utterly failed to calm the markets or the American people. Sadly, they saw what I saw - and have come to exactly the same conclusion: Mr. Obama does not know what to do. He never did.

<b>Originally printed in the Daily Caller, June 20th, 2011 </b> Prior to being elected to the United States Senate last November, I spent 31 years building a plastics manufacturing business in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. My educational background is in accounting and finance, but when you help start a business from scratch, you wind up doing just about everything. I operated machinery, loaded trucks and railcars, hired and trained the staff, kept the books, paid taxes, purchased raw materials, sold our finished products, did payroll, opened mail, emptied trash, and made coffee. Why am I telling you this? Because I’m not in the least bit unusual. Every day, millions of hard-working business owners, and the good people that work with them, struggle to build a good life for themselves and their families. They are the backbone of America. They work hard and play by the rules. And they live within their means. Why can’t Washington?

<b>Originally printed in the Racine Journal Times, May 17th, 2011</b> One year ago, I decided to step up to the plate and run for the U.S. Senate. I made that decision because I believe that for too long, elected officials from both parties have not told the American people the truth. Their intentions may have been good, but many simply did not understand the long-term consequences of their actions. They took an oath to defend the Constitution, but ignored a primary purpose of that document – to define and limit government.