United States Senate candidate Tim Michels visited Grainger Hall Tuesday evening as part of the first University of Wisconsin College Republicans meeting of 2004. The Brownsville, Wis., conservative talked about the economy, job creation and military involvement overseas.
Michels, 41, shared his background as a soldier for 12 years in active duty in the Army, saying this country has been good to him and that he wants to give something back.
“It was worth dying for,” Michels said.
He believes in providing a good salary for soldiers, claiming U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., has never voted to increase military wages. Michels also believes in the Patriot Act because it helps law enforcement fight terrorism within U.S. borders. He also pointed to Feingold as the only U.S. senator who failed to pass the act.
Michels went on to say that he is part owner of the Michels Corporation, a firm specializing in utility and infrastructure construction. From his experience, Michels believes he is qualified in creating jobs, saying he created hundreds during the past few years of “tough economic times.”
“I am not here just to talk about job creation — I did it,” Michels said. “Jobs and the economy are my No. 1 issue.”
Michels went on to say his background in utility construction made him knowledgeable in the Enron debacle, which he said he “unfortunately” did business for; the East Coast power outage of 2003; and workers’ rights, as a small-business owner.
Michels ran on the platform of fighting excessive taxation and regulation, which he believes cripple the economy. Michels also believes terrorism should be dealt with through appropriate military action.
Michels is one of three Republican hopefuls for the nod in the Sept. 14 primary. Though Michels believes he is the best man for the job, he also admitted having a three-way race benefits the Republican Party. The three-way race gives Republicans a better chance for ousting Feingold, who will be running for his third term. Michels also said he believes Feingold can be beaten and does not have a strong hold on Wisconsin because Feingold won less than 51 percent of the vote in the 1998 election.
Michels, admitting he is a relatively unknown candidate, answered a student’s question directed at his campaign funds by saying he had more than 7,000 individual donors. All Republicans currently trail Feingold in political contributions.
Michels also believes competition within the public school system is a good idea. He said public school should be a priority, adding that he is a proud product of a public education. Michels, who has a bachelor’s degree in political science and master’s degrees in business administration and public administration, said in an interview after the meeting that no one has ever asked him about post-secondary or higher education. However, he said education is a very important opportunity for young people.
Derek Simon and Isaac Kopecky, both UW freshmen, described Michels as straightforward and confident and seemed to not worry about his “newness” to college education.
“I think it’s primarily a state concern, anyway,” Simon said.
Kopecky agreed with Michels’ stances on abortion and the war on terror. Simon said the economy is also an important issue and felt Michels seemed well versed on job creation and economic policy.
