State Sen. Bob Welch, R-Redgranite, spoke at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison College Republicans meeting Tuesday, giving
students a glimpse of the key issues he intends to run on in his
November bid for a U.S. Senate seat.
Welch is one of three candidates nominated to run against
current Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.
Welch focused on Ronald Reagan’s presidency, saying:
“Reagan changed this country. We are still living in
Reagan’s world, and I want to be the kind of Republican that
he is.”
One of the issues Welch focused on in his speech was the current
situation in Iraq. He stands by President Bush’s decision for
military action in the fight against terrorism.
“The war on terror is not being fought in New York office
buildings; it is being fought in Fallujah and Baghdad,” Welch
said. “The Iraqi people want our support and our help
building a democratic society. They don’t want us there
forever, but for now we are needed.”
Welch went on to criticize Feingold and Democratic presidential
candidate John Kerry for their lack of support for keeping troops
in Iraq.
“Democracy will take root eventually,” Welch
said.
He stressed, however, that keeping troops there will create
“a democratic Islamic state — something that has never
existed in the past.”
Other issues of focus during the meeting included the
controversial issues of tax cuts, social security and health care.
His goals for the economy include “cutting taxes as well as
minimizing spending to get the economy moving.”
“Cutting taxes stimulates growth in the economy,”
Welch said.
Welch would like to see Americans put their money into private
social security accounts to ensure a secure future for young people
who may not benefit from the current social security system in
future years.
He also briefly discussed the issue of health care. Welch would
like to see personal health-savings accounts implemented.
“If people are paying for their own health care, they will
pay more attention to costs and create competition, driving market
prices down,” he said.
Feingold’s ideas on how to handle important issues facing
the United States today differ sharply from Welch’s.
Feingold supports raising taxes to reduce the national deficit
and withdrawing troops from the war in Iraq.
“Senator Feingold will continue to focus on the issues
Wisconsinites have told him matter most — creating and
protecting Wisconsin jobs, fighting for affordable health care,
reducing the federal deficit and fighting terrorism while also
protecting our civil liberties,” said George Aldrich,
Feingold campaign manager, in an e-mail to The Badger Herald.