Paulette Garin for Congress

June 29, 2007

Good Morning Wisconsin Dems. How are you?

My name is Paulette Garin and I will be the next member of congress to represent Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District.

A recent poll stated that 4 out of 5 Americans see our country as heading in the wrong direction. Our institutions are failing us; our infrastructure is crumbling; too many of our leaders lack credibility; and our precious liberties are at stake. This air of pessimism does not discourage me. Instead, I am motivated to action. I am compelled to run for Congress, because, in spite of all our problems, I truly believe we have the ability to change the course we are on. We must exercise courage. Take ownership of our situation. Make decisions that create hope for the future.

How, as the greatest nation on earth, did we get ourselves into this current situation? In one word - Fear.

Many of our current leaders use a managerial style that is based upon fear and intimidation. Think back ... after 9/11, they were the people who told us to seal ourselves in our homes with duct tape and plastic sheeting. Was that a constructive use of our time or just a method to create more fear?

On a daily basis, we are told to be afraid. Be afraid of what we feed our families and our pets. Be afraid of the medicines we take and the toothpaste we use. Be afraid of the guy at the airport with the extra large beverage cup ... it may contain dangerous chemicals. Be afraid of losing your pension. Be afraid of losing social security. Be afraid of some unknown terrorist on the other side of the planet. Be afraid. Be afraid. Be afraid.

And, even when the fears are real, more fear is created, because those charged with protecting us are frequently ill prepared, or down right incompetent. How confident are you in FEMA's abilities to provide adequate service to Wisconsin if a disaster the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina occurred here in our state?

Fear is important. It is nature's way of protecting us, but it should never be used like it has been to manipulate or incapacitate us.

I think that those who use fear as their leadership style are actually more afraid than those they govern.

And so what is the solution? It's obvious. A change in leadership. Leadership that makes decisions based upon courage and hope. Leadership that takes on the real issues of education, health care and fiscal responsibility; and then demands measurable results.

As an educator, I have seen first hand that our education system risks leaving every child behind. Too many poor choice decisions have been made that were popular comprises rather than effective solutions. In the meantime, we fall behind in producing students ready to compete in a global economy.

A recent AARP article cited that 1 out of 6 Americans have no health insurance. What is even more alarming is that those of us WITH health insurance are either underinsured or at risk of losing coverage. No one is safe.

In the past year I have spent a great deal of time with my parents at the Froedtert/Medical College of Wisconsin facility here in Milwaukee. It is a vast complex. Every time I have gone there, I think, "If we are smart enough to build enormous institutions such as Froedtert that look like the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz, how come it's getting increasingly difficult to have access unless you personally know the wizard?" Why can't we figure out how to create access for everyone?

I saw Michael Moore on Jay Leno Tuesday night and he summed it up perfectly when he said, "Health care is a human right."

For a democracy to survive there must be taxes. We all contribute to maintain the idea that is America. America is not a person, place, or thing. It is a concept that we all must believe in for it to succeed. But we must expect that those given the stewardship over our tax dollars do so in a fiscally responsible manner.

Fortune magazine, a traditionally right-leaning pro-business publication, printed an article titled "How to Run a Budget like an Idiot." The writer of this article, Matt Miller, states that "Over the past six years we've borrowed nearly $2 trillion to cut taxes for the wealthiest" and slipped the bill to our kids. He considers the conservatives "get tough on spending" solution marvelous in theory, but delusional in practice. When a magazine such as Fortune begins to attack the GOP's false claims of fiscal conservatism, you have got to believe that the center of this country is taking a serious move to the left.

Hopefully, we have finally learned that we cannot neglect ourselves physically, intellectually, and financially and then still expect to be successful. When we are healthy, educated and financially responsible, we are in the best position to solve any and all of our problems, be it the environment, energy, Social Security, Medicare or whatever else comes our way.

In addition, once we truly take care of ourselves, we will begin to operate from a position of quiet confidence and not one of fear. We won't end up in situations like the one we have in Iraq. I know you were waiting for this, so here goes.

The Iraq War is and will be the greatest shame ever to be brought upon this nation of ours. There was no sound rationale for engaging in this conflict. Our current leaders put a dedicated, all-volunteer military in harm's way for no good reason. They have also extended their tours of duty through an elaborate back door draft. The war is illegal and unconstitutional. The damage done to our country's reputation and credibility cannot be easily repaired. Too many lives and too many resources have been wasted on all sides. In the end, we leave behind an enormous debt to our children and incalculable damage to our nation for years to come.

And then of course, there is the Republican incumbent who currently represents Wisconsin's 1st CD. In case you had not noticed, I have not mentioned him by name. In the Harry Potter children's books they refrain from saying the name of the Dark Lord out loud, because they believe it increases his power. With the limited amount of time and energy we all have, why spend it engaging in negative banter? We do more harm to ourselves and create more attention for the GOP this way.

This is not to say that I am naïve about the power of the GOP or that I make light of it by my Harry Potter example. I am well aware that the GOP is out there and the time will come to face them directly. But to reach beyond our 38% base of core Democratic voters, we must project an attractive, thoughtful platform, not a negative one.

I saw Nancy Pelosi on TV the other day and she said, "He who slings mud, loses ground."

Remember if 4 out of 5 Americans feel the country is heading in the wrong direction, we don't need to tell them we have a problem, we need to offer them a solution.

So, let's walk in the positive.
Come stand in the light with me.
I am not afraid
And I won't back down.

Paulette Garin
Candidate for Wisconsin's First Congressional District
"Courage and Hope for the Future"